Lose

As Jin neared the village, his thoughts wandered to the path of cultivation and how far he had to go. Each stage was monumental, requiring patience, endurance, and talent.

Essence Gathering (Levels 1-9): Absorbing raw mana to strengthen the body and establish a foundation.

Element Conduit (Levels 1-9): Channeling mana into elemental forms, allowing for techniques of higher complexity.

Elemental Warrior (Levels 1-9): Gaining control over elements and manifesting greater physical and magical prowess.

Elemental Champion (Levels 1-9): Mastery over elemental forces, granting abilities that defy natural laws.

Jin clenched his fists, determination flickering in his gaze. He was only in the Essence Gathering Stage level 3, yet he had already fought foes on par with Element Conduit level 1.

"Elemental Champion," Jin murmured, his lips curving into a smirk. "It's a long way off... but I'll get there."

The road ahead was treacherous, but Jin's resolve burned brighter than ever. When he got home, he saw bloods everywhere.

As Jin stepped into the blood-soaked room, the sight before him shattered his soul. His elder sister, Faith, lay lifeless against the wall, her hand outstretched as if trying to reach someone. Storm, his younger brother, slumped over a shattered table, his lifeless eyes staring into nothingness. And Zephyr, his youngest sister, curled in a corner, her small frame drenched in blood as if she had tried to shield herself from the horrors.

A roar of anguish ripped from Jin's throat as his knees buckled beneath him. His heart pounded wildly, but it wasn't grief that consumed him-it was pure, unrelenting rage.

Jin's aura grew darker, more menacing, his cultivation surging from Essence Gathering Stage Level 3 to Level 4 in an instant. The terrifying pressure spread through the village, causing even the most hardened men to step back in terror.

"WHO DID THIS?" Jin roared as he stepped out of the house, his voice booming like thunder. His bloodshot eyes burned with madness, and his presence alone sent the villagers scrambling.

The chief and a few elders emerged, their faces pale with guilt and fear.

"What happened here?" Jin demanded, his voice a growl.

The chief stammered, his hands shaking. "J-Jin, we... we had no choice! They came and said you stole from them. They demanded recompense... or else they would destroy us all!"

Jin's rage deepened as the pieces fell into place. The group from the dungeon-the traitors who had left him for dead-they had returned and lied, claiming Jin had stolen their treasures. The cowardly chief, instead of standing against them, had handed over his family.

"You... gave them my family?" Jin's voice was deathly calm, but the aura around him grew more unstable.

"They were going to kill us all!" the chief cried. "I had to do it for the village!"

"For the village?" Jin hissed, his eyes glowing faintly with a dangerous light. "You sacrificed my family... for the village?"

He took a step forward, and the villagers recoiled, their terror palpable. Madness and grief swirled in Jin's gaze, and the intensity of his aura forced some to their knees.

"I should kill you all!" Jin roared, his voice breaking with emotion.

The chief fell to the ground, trembling. "Please, Jin, we-"

"Enough!" Jin bellowed, his voice silencing the village. He dropped to his knees, clutching his siblings tighter. The wind howled around him, as though nature itself mourned his loss.

Tears streamed down his face as his anger mixed with a deep, soul-crushing sorrow.

"I will make them pay," Jin whispered, his voice cold and resolute. His core pulsed again, and his cultivation surged further. His resolve to avenge his family burned so fiercely that the very air around him seemed to tremble.

The villagers could only watch in stunned silence as Jin turned away, his back to the only home he had ever known.

"I'll take vengeance for my family," Jin vowed. "And for every injustice they suffered."

With his siblings' lifeless bodies in his arms, he disappeared into the forest, his figure shrouded in the darkness of the night. Behind him, the village stood frozen in fear, haunted by the image of the boy consumed by grief and rage.

Jin's path was now set-one of vengeance, power, and the unyielding pursuit of justice.