Icy wind howled through the broken temple, shaking loose stones and bending the wild weeds that thrust up between crumbling tiles. Gray light filtered through storm clouds, casting wan shadows across Adikara's shivering form. His clothes clung to his skin, still damp from the midnight downpour, each breath a knife in his battered ribs.
Forgotten by the world that had discarded him, Adikara forced himself upright, eyes wide with disbelief and agony. And then— The blue interface materialized before him once more.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED: SVR-AI v.0.92] [WELCOME, HOST: ADIKARA.] [TUTORIAL COMMENCING.]
Adikara scrambled backward, pulse racing wild beneath his skin. "What in hell's name is this...?" he rasped.
Svara's voice resonated directly within his skull — poised, fluid, with an undercurrent of dark humor.
"Morning, user! Congratulations on cheating death. Regrettably, your current competence rating is... dismal. Shall we improve that?"
Adikara gaped, speechless. Part of him wanted to cry out that he was nobody—just a starving orphan with no business meddling with strange magic or conversing spirits. Yet deeper within, a spark kindled—a desperate, unyielding hope that refused to be extinguished.
Perhaps this... was the second chance he never dared dream of.
[Objective: Immediate Survival — Begin Basic Skill Acquisition.]
The display shifted. Lines of luminous symbols appeared, most locked behind barriers of crimson light. Only a few pulsed with golden edges, marking them as accessible. Svara's tone returned, cutting deeper.
"You are weak. Slow. Remarkably inadequate. Thankfully, emergency protocols remain available."
Adikara's jaw tightened. Being ridiculed by a disembodied voice wasn't exactly the resurrection he'd imagined.
Another panel opened:
Available Starter Skills:
[Dagger Mastery I] — (Basic weapon skill)
[Survival Instinct I] — (Enhanced danger awareness)
[Stealth Footwork I] — (Silent movement)
Select two. Immediate integration possible.
His mind raced. The memory of boots kicking his ribs for stealing one miserable crust still burned within him. He clenched his fists until blood welled between his fingers.
"...Stealth Footwork and Survival Instinct," he whispered.
The interface pulsed with cold light.
[CONFIRMED.] [INSTALLING...] [HOST UPGRADE COMPLETE.]
Agony coursed through every nerve, like molten metal flooding his veins. Adikara collapsed against the temple floor, body twisting as the AI rewrote neural pathways and muscle memory, grafting primal instincts into a frame that barely remembered how to exist. When the torment finally subsided, he dragged ragged breaths, sprawled against fractured stone.
His body felt awakened, as if from a lifelong slumber. Suddenly he detected sounds he'd never noticed—leaves rustling, distant creatures moving through undergrowth. His limbs felt responsive, his balance precise.
For the first time in his wretched existence, Adikara didn't feel like prey.
He felt... lethal.
Darkness descended again, bringing merciless cold. Adikara huddled beside the temple's fallen wall, gathering dry grass and withered leaves for a meager fire. The struggling flame barely pushed back the night, but it would suffice. For now.
Svara's presence stirred within the silence.
"Warning: Host has limited time before local patrols detect presence. Recommendation: Begin strength acquisition. Seek weapon."
Adikara's gaze hardened. Weapon. Yes. Even he wasn't fool enough to face Mahadipa's soldiers with bare hands.
Exploring the temple ruins by moonlight, he discovered an ancient ceremonial dagger—rust-flecked but retaining its edge. Testing its weight, he was startled when his hand automatically flipped it into a defensive stance, his body moving with uncanny precision.
Stealth Footwork. Survival Instinct. The skills were already reshaping him.
A smile crept across his face—the first in countless moons—grim and predatory.
If the world sought his death again, it would find him a far more difficult prey.
As he practiced strikes under Svara's guidance, new text flashed across his vision.
[Hidden Mission: Blood Baptism] "Survive your first kill. Prove worthy of the system's power."
Adikara froze mid-motion. First kill...? His throat constricted. Taking life was another threshold he couldn't avoid if he truly meant to survive—to conquer.
Svara interrupted his hesitation, tone nearly playful.
"Hesitation ensures death, Host. Tomorrow, patrols pass nearby. Perfect opportunity. Choose decisively."
The tiny fire sputtered beside him, its fragile flame defying the vast darkness. Adikara stared into it, feeling something cold and resolute crystallize within him.
He had endured beatings, starvation, abandonment. He had known nothing but cruelty, had never received mercy. Now, fate had finally placed a weapon in his grasp.
And nothing in this world would make him release it.
[Hidden Branch Unlocked: Path of the Sword.]
"To conquer empires, daggers are not enough. Seek the sword. Become its master."