The strangest part of this wasn't just the destruction of the city, but the strange flora and unnaturally large plants sprouting through cracks in the ground, extending into the tall buildings that stretched stories. "The awakening must have taken a lot longer than it felt for me not to notice something like this." Hours, days, weeks, he did not not know, but the conclusion Grayson had come to was that it hadn’t been quick otherwise, only a complete idiot would have not have heard all the destruction. His house was one such example. Some windows cracked, and walls with gaping holes.
He looked up toward the sky with his attention focused on a strange event. Now wasn't the time to be so awestruck. Above, in the sky, was a flock of what appeared to be giant birds flying high. That isn't something you would find around here. He watched as he saw the flock of pterodactyl-like birds with their razor-sharp talons descend upon a gigantic beast, one so large he didn’t have any trouble spotting it miles away.
The birds dove, talons cutting into the beast's hide. Its scream traveled far, causing Grayson to cover his ears.
The gravity of Grayson's situation dawned on him, he wasn’t prepared for what was in store. After the awakening, Grayson felt much lighter and healthier, but other than that, he didn’t suddenly feel like a god that could challenge the new rulers of this world.
Judging from what he had just seen, he was not in any shape to be fighting monsters like he had just seen.
Back in his parent's house, he saw how utterly destroyed the house was. There was a vast hole poking through the second floor, the sky visible. “Great, a totally destroyed house,” he moaned to himself.
Grayson sat in his bedroom, which thankfully didn't have any major issues other than a few cracks in the floor and his belongings scattered about. “Let’s see.”
Name: Grayson Alderwood
Title: N/A
Race: Human
Class: N/A
Level: 1
Stats Points:
- Fortitude: 3>6
- Agility: 3>5
- Strength: 4>5
- Intelligence: 7>10
Skills:
[Past Echo]
Taps into the remnants of knowledge and abilities left by the past owner, allowing the user to gain a random skill the past user once possessed. This ability [REDACTED], [REDACTED] [REDACTED].
Talents:
[Fast Adaptation] (Humanity Exclusive)
Humans adjust quickly to changing environments, allowing for more stable performance in unfamiliar conditions.
So that’s why I feel so much healthier. Awakening increased my base stats.
There’s also the fact that I can level up now. All that energy that flooded inside of me must have been related to that, but since I couldn’t level up earlier, the energy kept building inside of me until the System forcefully removed it. I would have loved to get a head start on leveling, especially with the amount of would have gained, but it beats blowing up like a balloon.
[Fast Adaptation] looks like it’ll definitely be useful for whatever I’ll be forced to deal with considering how different the world looks outside.
I would love to hold off on using Past Echo until I know more about the current situation. The last sentence of its description, ‘This ability [REDACTED], [REDACTED] [REDACTED]’ freaks me out.”
“[Past Echo],” Grayson had been purposefully ignoring this skill, “If I’m going to survive in this new world, I can’t continue being afraid. It’s time to see what this skill is about.” Like he’d done previously with the system change skill, he used his mind, commanding it to activate.
…
Under a sky so dark it looked otherworldly, huge brown shapes smothered the sky, shifting back and forth, descending in waves like tentacles. They completely blotted out the sky, and their scales provided a very unsettling sight, their vast, leathery wings beaten like warm drums. A figure stood coughed as he grappled to pick himself up. His breaths ragged and heavy, his entire form draped in cuts and his robes soaked in blood. Around him, a handle of people lay strewn around a battered ground, with craters wherever the eyes could see. Most people looked struggling against the weight of fatigue and wounds, helpless against the mass of brown figures that dotted the sky.
One man in particular, sprawled on the ground close to the robed man, had a pool trickling from the gaping hole in his chest. He let out a faint gasp, trying to force air into his lungs. The robed man knelt, his hand reaching out hovering above the sprawled figure. The dying man tried speaking into the robed man's ear, but his voice was so broken and raw that it only came out unintelligible.
"It's going to be alright..." a voice broke out, quivering. There the robed man stared up at the descending monstrous shapes, the tens of thousands of beasts.
The sprawled man knew the promise might be hollow, be he clung to it because in front of him, those eyes. Those eyes shone with a brilliant light that would never compromise to anything.
A glimmer of fiery gold light began to flicker at the fingertips of the standing man in his bloodied robes. The light steadily growing in speed and width. It began coalescing into a soft, pulsing aura. The others around him who looked like they had given up hope lifted their heads weakly, eyes widening as tiny orbs of light- like fireflies- began to bloom all around him.
The air grew thick with them. The ethereal swarm of golden lights spiraled and multiplied, illuminating the grim battlefield with a warm, hopeful glow. They swirled fast, so much faster, and the once battered voice rang out clear, echoing his command all across the battle despite his exhaustion:
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[Radiant Firefly Ember Spiral]
In an instant, the fireflies shot outwards straight toward the dark skies. The dark shadows that blotted the sky sensing the danger began forming into one huge stream in an attempt to drown the brilliant light. But it was for naught. The light intensified until it became a blinding pulse, exploding into a halo that engulfed the oncoming beasts.
Then everything went silent. Then still.
...
Grayson woke up jolted upright, gasping, drenched in sweat. His heart pounded as if it might tear straight through his chest. The memory, the vision- whatever it was- lingered in his mind, an echo of desperation and sacrifice. A past echo. For a moment, he lay staring at the ceiling, feeling as if a great weight was placed upon him. For himself and himself. He clenched his fist.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[Past Echo] has been consumed.
[Past Echo] has been replaced with the skill [Firefly].
New Attribute Unlocked: Mana.
“Tell me fainting and ending up on the floor isn’t gonna become my new life.”
Name: Grayson Alderwood
Title: N/A
Race: Human
Class: N/A
Level: 1
Stats Points:
- Fortitude: 6
- Agility: 5
- Strength: 5
- Intelligence: 10
- Mana: 11
Skills:
[Firefly]
Summons a small swarm of fireflies that explode on impact, dealing area-of-effect damage.
Talents:
[Fast Adaptation] (Humanity Exclusive)
Humans adjust quickly to changing environments, allowing for more stable performance in unfamiliar conditions.
No [Grand Firefly Ember Spiral]? A man can dream, I guess.
Grayson continued sitting cross-legged on the floor of his bedroom, with the remnants of his old life scattered around him, going through his System Window.
I wonder what the difference between mana and intelligence is? I wish I paid more attention to the RPG games I played as a kid. The chaos outside felt distant to Grayson as he focused on his system window, finding himself having fun thinking about the future paths he could take.
He was so focused on the screen before him he didn't notice the rustling noise that came from the screeching floorboards outside of his room. Short shadowy figures carrying crude weapons slowly glanced through the slightly open door to Grayson's room, their hunched forms barely visible through the small crack. These goblin-like monsters, which had gray skin, sharp teeth, and clawed hands, finally emerged from the darkness, pouncing straight for the distracted Grayson.
Before he could react, one lunged straight at him, claws slashing across Grayson's cheek, missing his neck by a few inches. "Get away from me!" he shouted, shoving the creature aside. Had the creature aimed a little more down and been a bit more careful in its attempt at striking Grayson, it could have killed him in a single blow. Thankfully, luck was on Grayson's side today, as the creature stumbled into a stack of books scattering across the floor.
Grayson eyed the two goblins that were eying Grayson. Both had crude knives, but one of them was significantly taller than the other. That one appeared to be the boss, as it ordered the smaller one to charge Grayson in its unintelligible language.
The second creature charged right at Grayson, waving its knife around, with a wicked toothy grin on its face. Grayson, thinking quickly, grabbed a nearby chair and threw it at the goblin. The chair collided headfirst into the little goblin, unable to dodge in time, knocking it off balance. By the time all that happened the goblin he’d knocked earlier into the bookshelf had already regained its footing and angrily waved its claws at Grayon. His eyes darted around the room, searching for anything that would help him survive this encounter.
In a panic, Grayson snatched a heavy book from the floor and prepared to crush its skull with it. He raised it high, screaming, until he caught a glimpse of the creature's wide, fearful eyes. It looked at him like he was a monster. It was just a child. Shame washed over him. He didn't see a monster for a second, but a person. "What am I doing?" he thought to himself, hesitating.
The monster paused, confusion flickering across its face, but it didn't last long, as it took advantage of Grayson's hesitation. It charged once more, this time its claws connected, raking across Grayson's lower leg, forcing him to make a decision. It was kill or be killed. There was no point in forcing moral issues right now when the thing was trying to kill him. "I'm sorry, but it's either I die or you and I quite enjoy living," Grayson said, slamming the book down as hard as he could onto the creature. Its screech ran through the room, and it hurt. Not in a physical sense did it hurt Grayson, but emotionally. It didn't die on the first hit, so he struck it again and again, until finally, it fell backward, letting out one last horrified screech as its skull gave in against the weight of the book. Grayson watched as the little monster child’s eyes went lifeless.
Grayskin Squelch slain!
Panting, Grayson looked down at the lifeless body, bile rising in his stomach. He had just taken a life. But now was not the time to reflect. Glancing over, he spotted the other small Squelch, trembling as it gripped its crude knife aimed at him. A shudder ran through him at the sight, but he knew he couldn’t let it live. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward it, raising his bloodied book to deliver another blow.
The Squelch saw its fate approaching, but in a desperate attempt, it also charged toward Grayson, fear and desperation filling its eyes.
Grayskin Squelch Slain!
This was the second life he had just taken today. As different as it looked from Grayson, not a moment went by where he thought it wasn't a person. But the moment of reflection was cut short as the third figure, larger and more menacing than the other Squelch, rammed Grayson into the side. He had been so caught up in his previous battle that he somehow had forgotten the more dangerous one. The leader held its dagger with far more finesse than the Squelch children, the weapon itself a stark contrast to their crude blades—an insult simply by comparison. Grayson groaned, a sharp pain radiating from somewhere deep inside him. The larger Squelch advanced slowly, its laughter echoing in the tense silence. It raised its dagger, then began to lick the blade, its eyes fixed on Grayson with a twisted gleam.
Unlike the other two little Squelchs, this one had not been impressed by Grayson's earlier display. It walked toward him overconfident, and that was its mistake. Immediately Grayson swiped at the Squelch's feet, knocking him down. Unfortunately, though it was headed straight toward where Grayson was lying. "Get off me!" Grayson shouted as the creature whose face twisted in red fury, as if to say, "A runt like you dares!" The creature grabbed hold of Grayson and with quick speed launched it at his heart. Panic surged in Grayson as he grappled back against the creature. He tried kicking it back but it didn't seem to be very effective, or it was simply too furious to care.
In that moment Grayson grabbed onto the Squelch's hands hoping to break the dagger free. He struggled as he felt how much stronger the creature was than him. It slowly pushed the dagger toward Grayson's chest giving a vicious smile. Grayson was losing the battle there wasn't much he could do at this moment. He was completely locked down by the monster.
Desperation went through his body as it tried searching for a solution. Then, finally, he remembered his new skill. "[Firefly]!" he yelled out, focusing on the command.
He then made a gamble. He released one of the goblin's arms and envisioned a swarm of fireflies shooting out his fingertips. The dagger reached toward his chest at even faster speeds, but at the same time, a few specs of golden light erupted from Grayson's hand, and the tiny orbs shot toward Squelch's face. It tried jerking to the side but it was already too late. The gamble paid off, the fireflies exploded in a dazzling flash lighting up the room.
Adult Squelch Slain!
Grayson jerked his hand back as the recoil from the blast burned his hand. "God that hurt," he yelled as kicked the dead creature away from him, gasping for air, as he regained his footing. The weight of the battle hung heavy in his mind, but today he survived, just for that, he smiled.
Adult Squelch Slain!
Relief washed over him. He just finished searching his house for any remnants of monsters. He had taken lives, completely exhausted. Now he felt the reality of the new world pressing down on him. "Just a quick nap, and then I'll gather supplies and find somewhere more safe," he murmured to himself, yawning.
With his newfound resolve, Grayson scanned the remnants of his childhood room one last time, crawled under his bed, and went to sleep.