The world was silent.
Too silent.
Aiden opened his eyes to find himself lying on the cold cave floor. His stomach cramped from hunger, and his throat burned like sandpaper. He couldn't remember how long he'd been crawling through these tunnels — only that he'd been desperate enough to eat anything, even that strange glowing orb.
Now everything was… different.
A faint red shimmer floated above him, pulsing like a heartbeat.
[Synchronization: 42%...]
[78%...]
[100%.]
The words glowed in front of his eyes — real, hanging in the air — not something his imagination could've made up.
He sat up, dizzy. "Wha… what the hell is this?"
[Initialization complete.]
[Welcome, User: Aiden Cross.]
[System Boot: The Sanguine Core.]
Aiden froze. A voice — calm, emotionless, yet echoing inside his skull — spoke those words. He turned in every direction, but the cave was empty.
"Who's there?!" he shouted, the echo bouncing through the stone passages.
[No external entities detected.]
[This voice is a neural interface connected directly to your consciousness.]
He blinked rapidly. "Neural what—? Am I… dreaming?"
The system didn't answer. Instead, another faint screen appeared before him, floating like a projection made of blood and light.
---
[Status Window]
Name: Aiden Cross
Age: 18
Level: 1
Bloodline: None
System Energy: 0
HP: 37 / 100
Stamina: 21 / 50
Hunger: Critical
Skills: —
Titles: —
---
Aiden stared, his jaw slack. "This looks like a game menu…"
[Incorrect. This is a survival interface.]
"Survival?" he repeated. His heart thumped in his chest. "Survival from what?"
The glowing red text shimmered, as if thinking.
[External environment: Hostile.]
[Condition: Starvation detected.]
[Emergency protocol: Activate tutorial quest.]
---
[Quest: Survive Until Sunrise]
Objective: Remain alive until daylight.
Reward: Beginner's Blood Awakening (Passive).
Penalty: Permanent System Deactivation.
---
Aiden's throat went dry. "Permanent… what now?"
He shook his head. "This has to be a dream. I've gone insane."
He slapped himself. The sting felt very real.
No dream.
Somewhere deeper in the cave, something howled. The sound was distant — but wrong. Too deep. Too human.
Every muscle in Aiden's body tensed. "Okay. Not a dream. Definitely not."
He stood shakily, clutching the damp wall for balance. His legs wobbled, his stomach growled, and every breath felt like dragging glass through his throat. But even then, something in him refused to quit.
"If this… this 'system' says I need to live until sunrise," he muttered, "then fine. I'll live."
---
[Quest Timer: 7 hours remaining]
The glowing numbers ticked down slowly. Aiden stumbled deeper into the tunnels, searching for any way out — or something edible.
He found moss growing near dripping water. It smelled foul, but he tore some off and shoved it into his mouth anyway. The taste was bitter, almost metallic. He gagged but forced it down.
[HP -2]
[Toxic material detected.]
[Warning: Ingestion unsafe.]
"Seriously?!" he coughed, spitting it out. "Even the moss hates me!"
The voice didn't reply.
He pressed on. The tunnel forked in two — one side narrow and dry, the other wide and echoing with the faint sound of water. He followed the sound. The floor grew slippery, the air cooler.
His foot brushed something smooth. When he looked down, his breath caught — bones. Human ones.
"...What is this place?" he whispered.
The system pinged softly.
[Area Classification: Unknown Subterranean Zone]
[Threat Level: Unmeasured]
That helped nothing.
He pressed on, his heartbeat pounding louder than his footsteps. Minutes blurred into hours. His body screamed to rest, but the glowing red timer kept him going.
---
[Quest Timer: 1 hour remaining]
By now, Aiden's limbs shook from exhaustion. He found a small alcove where faint moonlight trickled through a crack in the stone. The first sign of the outside world.
He crawled toward it and collapsed. His vision blurred, and he felt his consciousness slipping.
[Warning: HP Critical.]
[System Override Activated — User in danger.]
A sudden heat surged through his veins. Aiden gasped, clutching his chest. His heartbeat thundered in his ears — slow at first, then faster, deeper, louder.
His veins glowed faint crimson beneath his skin.
[Quest Completed.]
[Reward Granted: Beginner's Blood Awakening.]
[New Passive Unlocked — Vital Absorption (Tier F).]
He could feel it — a rush of warmth, of strength returning where there was none before. His wounds closed slightly, his breath steadied.
"What... what is this?" he whispered, trembling.
[Basic Sanguine function activated.]
[You have absorbed trace vitality from the environment.]
Aiden stared at his glowing hands. The red light faded slowly, leaving only the faint sound of dripping water and his heartbeat.
Outside, the first ray of dawn touched the cave mouth — a soft reminder that he was still alive.
He lay back, staring at the cracks of light on the ceiling.
Somewhere deep in his chest, that mechanical voice whispered one last line before fading:
[Welcome, Aiden Cross. Survive… and rise.]