Chosen for what? Before Kane could think any further, he heard a rumbling coming from inside a nearby bush. Out of curiosity, he moved closer to check it out, but before he could see what was inside, something suddenly burst out of the bush and jumped straight at him. Kane stumbled backward and fell onto the ground, but the monster was already on top of him. It looked like a strange mix between a fox and a rabbit, with the body and face of a fox and a pair of large rabbit like ears. He barely had time to notice them before it bit into his clothes and skin. Pain shot through him. "AAAAAA!" Kane screamed as loudly as he could while desperately trying to get the creature off him. Then, just as suddenly as it had attacked, the monster froze. Kane stared at it for a moment, confused by what had just happened. He didn't waste the opportunity. His eyes caught a broken, pointy stick lying nearby, and he grabbed it before thrusting it straight into the monster's eye. The creature went limp. But he thought it wasn't enough to kill that monster so he hit it hard as he can in the head barefist. Kane lay there for a moment, breathing heavily as he stared at the dead monster. He had actually killed it. Not with a weapon or some kind of skill, but after being attacked completely by surprise, using nothing more than his own strength and a piece of wood. [You have slain Therias Rabbit.] Kane barely had time to register the notification before another one appeared. But before he could see that he felt the ground began to shake. Kane froze. The shaking grew stronger, and he immediately looked around, trying to figure out what was happening. He didn't have time to think about the notifications anymore. Whatever was causing the ground to shake was close enough for him to feel it, and his instincts told him to get away. Kane quickly got to his feet and ran south without looking back. Kane ran until the shaking beneath his feet finally began to fade. He still didn't dare look back. His breathing was heavy, his legs were starting to feel weak, and his hands were bleeding where he hit Therias Rabbit. Whatever had caused the ground to shake was no longer close enough to feel, and for the moment, that was enough. Then, through the trees, Kane spotted something strange. A mansion. It stood deep within the forest, almost completely swallowed by nature. Thick vines covered parts of the cracked walls, several windows had been shattered long ago, and a large section of the roof had collapsed. The place looked like it had been abandoned for decades, perhaps even longer. Kane slowed as he approached, keeping his eyes on the surrounding trees. Entering a random ruined mansion in a world filled with monsters was hardly a great idea, but after what had just happened, staying outside didn't seem much better. At least the mansion gave him walls between himself and whatever had been shaking the ground. He pushed open the old wooden door and stepped inside. Dust covered the floor, while broken furniture and faded paintings were scattered throughout the rooms. Most of the paintings were too damaged to make out, but they gave Kane the strange feeling that this place had once been someone's home. Because Nothing immediately attacked him hat alone was enough for Kane to consider the place relatively safe. He found a corner where the ceiling was still intact and settled down against the wall. His body was beginning to catch up with him now. Every part of him ached from the fight and the long run, while the dried blood on his clothes made it difficult to forget how close he had come to being killed. Kane took a slow breath and looked at the empty air in front of him. If this System was real, there had to be more to it than a few random notifications. He started with the things he already knew from games. "Inventory." Nothing. "Map." Still nothing. The forest remained exactly where it was. Kane frowned and tried a few other commands, but none of them produced a response. Either the System didn't have those functions, or they weren't available to him yet. After a moment, he decided to try one more. "Status window." A translucent window suddenly appeared in front of him. Kane stared at it as if something finally worked. Name: Kane Timur Age: 22 Race: Eion [F] Racial Ability: Potential [F] Level: 1 Class: ---- Title: [The Selected], [Born for Carnage] Strength: 15 Intelligence: 14 Vitality: 16 Dexterity: 13 Agility: 14 Perception: 9 Luck: 14 Skill: ---- Free attribute points: 0 Nex coin: 47 Kane stared at the screen for a while, taking in each line. One thing was certain. He had obtained his new title by killing that monster. [Title: Born for Carnage] [Description: Second in Axies to kill a monster of a higher level than yourself.] [Effect:] Luck +5% Damage dealt to monsters +3% Kane frowned at the word Luck. He had no idea what it actually meant or how it was supposed to affect him. Still, the rest of his stats caught his attention. They were much higher than the numbers he was used to seeing in games, where even small increases could make a noticeable difference. Then he noticed his racial ability. [Racial Ability: Potential [F]] [Description: Eions possess no defining racial trait. Instead, they possess an extraordinary capacity to develop beyond their original limitations.] [Effect: +5 to all attributes.] Kane looked back at his stats. "That makes sense." He already knew that Eions were supposed to possess something special, though the information he remembered was mostly from history rather than anything related to the System. Long before the Eions of the present, they had possessed a civilization far beyond what their descendants would eventually remember. Historians spoke of mysterious powers that once existed within Eion individuals, though their nature and origin were never fully understood. Then came the Great War. A conflict between the ancient civilizations of Axies escalated into a nuclear war. Entire regions were destroyed, ecosystems collapsed, and much of the knowledge accumulated by the Eions over countless generations was lost. The surviving Eions were forced into primitive societies, and as generations passed, even their technology disappeared. Eventually, history became myth. Kane tried to remember everything else he had heard about that period, but before he could put the pieces together, a voice suddenly came from somewhere nearby. “You're quite different from the others.”

Chapter 2