In the dead of night, when the lights of every home had been extinguished and the city was lost in deep slumber, a single room on the highest floor of the Ravenrock Guild Hall remained awake. Paul Maxwell sat in his office chair, steadily working through the mountains of paperwork laid across his desk. As he signed another of the thousand documents before him, he felt the energy in the room shift and fluctuate.
He eyed the corner of the room briefly before returning to his work, silently releasing a wave of his own aura. "Reveal yourself, Vane," Paul commanded, not even bothering to look up at the hidden figure.
"As expected of the Guild Head. One look and I have already been found."
A man appeared directly in front of the desk. He stood at a towering, athletic six feet with a lean, muscular build. He wore a high-collar tactical vest layered over reinforced obsidian fatigue-cloth, finished with a heavy, tattered cowled cloak that masked his broad-shouldered silhouette.
"You returned from the front lines much earlier than assigned," Paul noted. "Tell me, Corporal Vane Stiegler, what do you have to report?"
As Vane realized the Guild Head was still engrossed in his paperwork, he quickly shifted his tone to one of strict professionalism. However, thinking about the intelligence he was about to deliver, he could not hold back a frown and a heavy sigh.
"We have failed. The enemy knew of our mission and ambushed us. They deployed three dozen Mages and Knights with power levels rivaling SS-Rank, along with a single X-Rank. Of the three thousand soldiers you sent out, only a quarter remains. Corporal Hayes and Fritz were gravely injured and have been transported to the Intensive Care Unit. As the last corporal still able to stand, I chose to retreat to save what men I could, even at the cost of a rear-guard sacrifice. I apologize for my weakness."
Paul put down his pen, his expression darkening at the report. Though he had sent the unit only for reconnaissance, he had never expected an encounter of this magnitude. His frown deepened as a pulsing headache began to form. There was a mole in the Guild—that much was certain. He looked back at Vane and gave the man a firm, assuring nod.
"Good work, Corporal. Do not let this weigh you down. Sacrifices had to be made, but we will not let this traitor's sin against our Empire slide. I have a new mission for you."
The Guild Head allowed a cold, sinister smile to cross his face. The two men continued to discuss the future of the Guild and the hunt for the traitor long before the sun began to rise.
~~~~~~~~~~
As I woke up the next morning, I felt like I was forgetting something. My eyes snapped open as it hit me. My briefcase.
"William, wake the hell up! Where did you put my briefcase?"
William, still half-asleep, didn't even open his eyes. He just lazily pointed one hand toward the closet near our bed. I scrambled over and found the briefcase tucked inside. I set it on the table and began to examine the contents. What I found inside more than satisfied my curiosity. There was a crisp military uniform, a small handbook, and three small Mana crystals. These crystals looked identical to the monolith from the ceremony and the power supply used for the scanning device at the Guild Hall.
As I picked one up, a question popped into my mind about what I was actually supposed to do with them. The moment the thought formed, a system panel shimmered into existence in front of me.
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Notice:
Would you like to consume Mana Crystal(Common)?
============
"Yes," I commanded.
The crystal in my hand immediately cracked and released a surge of raw mana. The energy shot toward my body in a collective burst, and I could feel it coursing through every fiber of my being before finally settling in the center of my diaphragm. As soon as the mana stilled, I called up my Status page.
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[ STATUS ]
Name: Kurt Lyle
Attributes
STR: 12
AGI: 11
WIS: 8
Available Attribute points: 5
Innate Skill:
[Skill Eater] [Secret Rank]
Skills[Empty]
============
It really is just like the RPG games I used to play. However, this is reality. I know I have to think about attribute allocation very thoroughly if I want to become stronger. Different situations will demand different builds, so I decide to be patient.
I'll try to allocate them when the situation arises. For now, though, how do I use my skill? Do I just think about using it, or do I need to touch something for it to activate? As I think of the latter, I come next to where William is sleeping and hold him.
"Huh, I thought it would wo—"
Before I can finish the sentence, a new system panel appears.
============
Notice:
Soul connection has been confirmed, would you like to devour the innate skill?
============
"Bingo."
I grin as I discover how I can take a skill. I decline the prompt, as I would not want to take William's skill. He'll need it to survive this war-torn world after all.