The War Begins

Kyle leaned against the cracked stone wall, his breath heavy, muscles still thrumming with the aftershock of battle. The last wisps of the wraith's form had finally faded, leaving nothing but the uneasy silence of the ruined tower. His fingers clenched around the hilt of his sword. The fight had been different—wrong. The goblins and the warg had been physical enemies, things he could fight with brute strength and a blade. But the wraith had been something else, something that had tried to consume him.

And the worst part? It had spoken to him, had known what he was. That meant others had walked this path before. Others had fought. Others had failed. He exhaled slowly, trying to steady himself, but the weight of that realization pressed down like an iron hand.

A new notification appeared in his vision.

Quest Updated: First Steps in The Land

Objective Completed: Survive the first night.

Reward: +1 Skill Point, Basic Inventory Access Unlocked.

Kyle blinked as a secondary menu flickered into existence. He focused, and with a thought, the system responded. A translucent screen stretched before him, showing an empty inventory grid—a storage space. His mind reeled at the implications. He could store supplies, weapons, loot. No weight restrictions. No physical bags to carry. It was a small victory, but in a world this brutal, any edge was worth taking.

He exhaled, rolling his shoulders, adjusting to the feel of the worn leather armor he had scavenged from the ancient chest. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. His next move had to be precise. The tower, for all its eerie presence, had served its purpose. He had survived the night. But staying here wasn't an option. He needed a real base, a defensible position. Resources. Weapons. And most of all, information.

A dark cloud of smoke curled in the distance, barely visible through the morning mist. Not natural. Not a wildfire. Civilization. Or what was left of it.

Kyle tightened his grip on his sword. He had two choices. He could stay hidden, move in the opposite direction, avoid any potential danger. Or he could take the risk, investigate, see what The Land had to offer beyond beasts and ruins.

Hiding wouldn't get him anywhere.

Kyle turned toward the smoke and started moving.

The descent into the valley was slow. He kept to the trees, stepping carefully over gnarled roots and loose stones, every noise setting his instincts on edge. His new agility stats made his movements smoother, more controlled, but the paranoia in his gut wouldn't fade. The wraith had left a mark on him, not physically, but mentally. It had reminded him of a simple, terrifying truth:

He wasn't alone in The Land.

And something else was hunting him.

The scent hit him first. Not just woodsmoke, but blood. It was sharp, metallic, hanging thick in the damp morning air. Kyle slowed his approach, pressing himself against the rough bark of a nearby tree. He peered down into the valley below.

The village—or what was left of it—was in ruins. Small wooden huts had been reduced to smoldering husks, their skeletal remains still flickering with dying embers. Bodies littered the ground, twisted, broken. Some had been burned, others torn apart.

Kyle clenched his jaw. This wasn't just an attack. This was destruction. Someone—or something—had wiped this place out with methodical brutality.

A soft, rasping sound made him snap his head toward a collapsed structure near the center of the village. His grip tightened on his sword as a figure dragged itself from the wreckage.

A goblin.

But this one wasn't like the others he had fought. It was smaller, frail, its body covered in gashes and burns. Its movements were sluggish, pained, its glowing green eyes filled not with malice, but with something far more disturbing—fear.

Kyle stepped closer. The goblin flinched, its clawed fingers weakly gripping at the dirt as it struggled to push itself away. Then it spoke, its voice rasping, broken.

"Outsider… Marked… doom follows you…"

Kyle froze.

The goblin coughed, its breath shallow. "The Black Legion… they come… they take all… they seek the Marked…"

Kyle's stomach turned to ice.

The Black Legion.

The name carried weight, even without context. The goblin wasn't warning him out of malice. It was afraid.

Kyle took a slow breath. "Who are they?"

The goblin wheezed, its body shuddering. "Run… before they find you… before they—"

An arrow pierced through its skull.

Kyle's instincts roared to life.

He dived behind a broken wall as another arrow thudded into the dirt where he had stood. He spun toward the source.

From the tree line at the far end of the village, figures emerged. Not goblins. Not beasts.

Something worse.

Black armor. Blood-red sigils. Eyes that burned with unnatural fire.

The Black Legion.

Kyle's mind raced. He counted at least six of them, their weapons drawn. They weren't just a raiding party. They were hunters. And they had come for him.

His muscles coiled as he reached for his sword. Running wasn't an option. If they were after the Marked, then this wouldn't stop.

He wasn't just fighting for survival anymore.

He was at war.

The system flickered in his vision, and for the first time since stepping into this cursed world, he wanted to see the numbers. He needed to know what he was working with.

---

Character Sheet Updated

Name: Kyle (No Last Name Recorded)

Title(s): Beastslayer, Defier of Fate

Race: Human (Outworlder)

Class: Warlord of the Marked

Level: 6

Attributes:

Strength: 18 (+3 from Beastslayer)

Dexterity: 15 (+2 from Evolutionary Growth)

Constitution: 14 (+1 from Beastslayer)

Intelligence: 12 (+4 from Defier of Fate)

Wisdom: 10

Charisma: 8

Skills:

Blood Reclamation (Lv. 2): Absorb strength from slain enemies. Minor health regeneration.

Spectral Rend (Lv. 1): Allows Kyle to harm ethereal or undead enemies.

Evolutionary Growth (Passive): Kyle's abilities change based on necessity rather than system-imposed limits.

Equipment:

Worn Iron Sword: A basic but reliable blade.

Reinforced Leather Armor: Provides minimal protection but allows for mobility.

Status Effects:

Marked by The Land (???): Unknown consequences.

Path of the Forgotten: No longer bound by traditional system constraints.

Kyle clenched his fists. The Black Legion wanted him. But if they thought he was just another Outworlder waiting to be killed…

They were about to learn just how wrong they were.