Dragona's Awakening: MMORPG System

Ryuichi's body moved like a shadow, blending seamlessly into the swamp's dense, murky undergrowth. His breaths were shallow, calculated, as he closed the distance to his next target. The serpent warrior was oblivious, its scaly back turned as it dragged a net of fish from the swampy waters, unaware of the threat creeping closer.

"Focus, strike fast," the spirit whispered.

Ryuichi activated Spectral Walk, becoming nearly invisible, slipping through the dim light of the swamp like a whisper. The serpent never sensed him coming. Circling to its back, he tightened his grip on his blade. With one swift, silent motion, he drove his sword into the serpent's spine—Dark Strike aimed for its heart. The creature let out a brief gasp before collapsing, lifeless, into the muck.

But as Ryuichi withdrew his blade, a sharp pain exploded in his side. He hissed, staggering as another serpent, hidden behind the reeds, slashed at him with a jagged spear.

"Sssurprissse, thief!" the serpent hissed, baring its fangs.

Ryuichi's hand flew to his ribs, blood already soaking through his tunic. The serpent wasted no time, lunging at him with a vicious thrust. Ryuichi tried to dodge, but the pain slowed him, the spear slicing across his arm.

Gritting his teeth, Ryuichi parried the next strike, narrowly avoiding another deep wound as he locked eyes with the serpent.

"Die you, sssscum!" the serpent spat, swinging its spear wildly.

Ryuichi ducked, the spear missing him by inches. Despite the burning pain in his side, he surged forward, slashing his dagger across the serpent's chest.

But the creature wasn't done yet. With a final, desperate hiss, it thrust its spear again, catching Ryuichi's leg. He cried out, stumbling backward as the spearhead tore into his flesh.

For a moment, Ryuichi's vision blurred. Blood dripped into the swamp, his strength wavering.

With a growl of determination, Ryuichi forced himself to his feet, ignoring the searing pain. He spun around the serpent's side. From behind he reached and severed the serpent's throat, blood spraying into the swamp as its body fell limp. Ryuichi stood panting, clutching his side. His whole body throbbed with pain, blood dripping from his wounds. The fight had taken more out of him than he'd expected.

Ryuichi then decided to look at his experience bar.

You have gained +1200 EXP

[System Notification]

15,735/39,000 exp.

[Experience Bar]:

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After the Great Reveal of the Universe, humanity took a transformative leap forward, mutating their genetic code to incorporate a user interface (UI) directly within their minds. This mental UI was seamlessly blending with their thoughts. It was as natural as imagining a picture in their mind.

This evolutionary leap gave humans an unprecedented power: the ability to activate, perceive, and import information directly into their consciousness. They could visualize intricate data streams, analyze complex systems, and interface with the fabric of reality itself. When technology had granted us the power to gain at will, simply through a spoken or imagined demand, the boundaries between what humans had called magic and reality had blurred.

The AI, which inadvertently opened the gates to the multiverse. From this raw energy, humanity brought forth systems and weapons to stand against the Demonic Prince, an entity from a dimension which had cross with our timeline in the universe.

This singular event gave birth to the essence of magic, a phenomenon born not of fantasy but of the fundamental laws of existence. Yet, even in our newfound power, the universe maintained its foundations, immutable and unyielding. The core of the matrix that shaped reality itself permitted only certain changes, keeping humanity bound to its essential framework. For to defy the laws of existence—to desire beyond the limits of the possible—would unravel the very essence of humanity, leaving only chaos in its wake in the ends even the gods were bounds to those rules.

"Well half a level in two hours, I don't even think I could of got that in six months"

Ryuichi reached for a healing potion from his belt, his hands trembling as he uncorked the vial and drank it down. The healing magic washed over him like fire, his wounds slowly sealing shut. His ribs ached, his leg still throbbed, but he was alive.

Smoke rose from his body as the potion worked its magic. His vision cleared, and with a sigh of relief, he stood tall once more.

Ryuichi wiped the blood from his blade, eyes narrowing toward the heart of the swamp. He wasn't done yet.

After some resting, Ryuichi stood before the cave, his eyes fixed on the two elite humanoid lizards guarding the entrance. Their scales shimmered under the dim light, muscles rippling beneath their reptilian skin. These were not simple soldiers—they were seasoned warriors, ready to tear apart anything that dared approach.

"Are you ready?" the spirit whispered in his mind, breaking his concentration.

Ryuichi swallowed. "As ready as I'll ever be"

Ryuichi took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. "Alright... let's do this."

He activated Spectral Walk, becoming an almost invisible shadow as he slipped silently between the trees toward the lizard guards. His movements were fluid, precise—there was no room for error.

As he approached the first lizard, he drew his blade and struck quickly, aiming for the back of the lizard's head, but the elite was faster than he anticipated. The lizard turned, catching his blade just in time with its shield.

"Damn it!" Ryuichi cursed in his mind.

The second lizard hissed, its forked tongue flickering in the air, already charging at Ryuichi with a spear. He barely dodged, rolling to the side as the spear plunged into the ground where he had been.

He followed up with a Blood Slash, slicing into the lizard's thigh, drawing blood causing a bleeding. The lizard growled in pain, but it wasn't enough. It lunged at Ryuichi again, swinging its massive spear.

The spear struck Ryuichi's shoulder, sending him flying against a nearby rock. Pain shot through his body as he crashed to the ground breaking the stones around him. Gasping for air, he struggled to stand, feeling his bones scream in agony.

"Come on! You've endured worse!" the spirit shouted.

Ryuichi gritted his teeth and ran activating Shadow Stitch. His blade lashed out, striking both lizards simultaneously as tendrils of shadow wrapped around their limbs, immobilizing them.

He didn't waste a second. With one lizard trapped, he turned to the other, unleashing a Dark Strike, aiming directly for its heart. The blow landed, dark energy coursing through the blade, sending a pulse of shadow through the lizard's body. It collapsed to the ground, its life force quickly fading.

But the first lizard, despite being immobilized, growled in rage. With a surge of strength, it shattered the shadows and lunged at Ryuichi with its spear raised in the air. Ryuichi barely dodged, but not without consequence—the lizard's sharp claws tore into his side, ripping through his flesh.

"You're slowing down" the spirit yelled. "Move it!!"

As the lizard was approaching, Ryuichi was waiting laying on the floor until close enough and with one last burst of energy, he drove his blade into a final Dark Stricke, severing the lizard's throat. Blood sprayed across the entrance of the cave as the creature collapsed, lifeless.

Ryuichi collapsed, clutching his bleeding side, every breath a sharp pain. The fight had taken everything out of him.

"Well done" the spirit said, "But don't rest too much... that was just the warm-up."

Entering the cave of the Cobra King, Ryuichi was immediately assaulted by the overpowering stench of decaying corpses. His face twisted in disgust, barely managing to suppress a gag. "Oh my god... this is beyond disgusting," he muttered, eyes darting around the grotesque scene before him.

Bodies littered the ground—burned, poisoned, impaled—like twisted art pieces in some macabre gallery of pain and death. The ground squished beneath his boots, a swamp of decomposed flesh and scattered bones. It was as if he had walked straight into a nightmare—except, this was disturbingly real. His stomach churned with every step, the urge to vomit rising with each breath.

Hanging from the ceiling were bodies missing their limbs, blindfolded, deafened, their faces frozen in silent screams. They twitched, seemingly aware of their endless suffering but unable to escape it. Ryuichi shuddered, his heart racing.

"What the hell is that?" he asked, pointing at the tortured figures, his voice trembling with disbelief.

"Oh, that?" the spirit replied, sounding oddly casual. "Torture! Probably some high-ranking adventurers, like yourself who got trapped here. The Cobra King ripped off their limbs, blinded them, made them deaf and left them hanging there for them to feel every ounce of pain and be in phycological torture. It's a real twisted setup, right?"

A guttural moan suddenly escaped from one of the hanging bodies. It was a raw, rasping sound, as though the very essence of the man's soul was being drawn out with each breath. The noise was like a pure distillation of nightmares, a symphony of agony and despair spilling from his tongueless mouth. It echoed through the cave like the wails of the damned, the unholy sound warping the very air around them. A cry not of the living, but of hell spilling from his very soul.

Ryuichi's heart pounded violently in his chest. "What the Fuck... But What THE FUCK!!!"

Ryuichi tried focusing on the fight headed and thought "I knew there was messed up stuff in raids, but that, that is fucked up."

As he was trying to focus an other moan came out of one of the tortured souls hanged on by a harness.

"God fucking dam it, this is just fucked up... what the fuck but what the fuck..."

He continued his slow, cautious steps through the tunnel, each footfall sinking into what felt like a swamp of decomposing bodies. His boots squelched in the filth, and the unsettling crunch of bones grinding underfoot sent shivers up his spine. The smell was unbearable—rotting flesh, stagnant blood, the acrid stench of decay. All around him, the air hung thick with death.

Finally, he emerged into a large chamber illuminated by eerie green flames. At the center of the room stood an altar, and towering over was a monstrous creature—a 10-meter tall serpent with a human-like upper body. Its scales shimmered in a sickening shade of silvery gray, glistening in the low light, while its fanged face seemed plucked straight from the deepest nightmares. Its dark, soulless eyes were locked on Ryuichi, as if preparing to drain the very essence from his being. It exuded a hunger—no, a thirst—for life itself.

"Ah, finally there," the spirit said, almost sounding amused. "Isn't he wonderful?" it said

Ryuichi's mouth went dry. "Wonderful? I don't know what you call wonderful, but that's a 10-meter, 5-ton monster."

"Pff... Will you ever believe in yourself?" the spirit said

"I'm not crazy!" Ryuichi shot back. "I can't just shit gold bricks and fly at the speed of light! Even if I believed it, I can't."

"Oh my god" the spirit groaned. "First raid and your already giving up?"

"You mean me soloing the cobra king? This is supposed to be done by a guild not alone! What the fuck... BUT WHAT THE FUCK" Ryuichi's frustration was palpable. 

"Don't worry about it, I got a plan", "Attack!"

Ryuichi blinked. " Attack? Just ATTACK, THAT'S IT, that's the plan, attack??"

"Well, yeah," the spirit said, unimpressed. "What do you think, he's just going to die if you stare at him hard enough?"

Before Ryuichi could retort, an agonizing moan echoed through the chamber, coming from one of the tortured souls hanging from the ceiling. The sound was enough to make his ears bleed, the raw wail of eternal suffering slicing through his mind.

"Ah, right," the spirit added offhandedly. "There's probably some sort of quest for freeing those poor bastards up there too. You don't have a crossbow, so am not sure how we will make it, stare at them and think about freeing them."

Quest Update: Free the Tortured Souls of the Abyss of The Cobra King

Free the Tortured souls of the cobra king!

Ryuichi's legs shook under the weight of fear as he stared up at the monstrous Cobra King, its eyes gleaming like dark abysses, fangs dripping with venom. The situation seemed utterly hopeless. The creature was massive, with scales like armor and a tail that could flatten trees. Ryuichi's hands trembled as he tightened his grip on his sword.

"There's no way I can fight this head-on…" he muttered under his breath, wiping the sweat and blood from his brow. "I need to get behind it, or on his head somehow..."

Without wasting another second, Ryuichi activated Spectral Walk, becoming a near-invisible shadow, his body fading from sight as he slipped into stealth. His breathing was ragged, and each step felt like a gamble with death, but there was no other option.

He silently circled around the Cobra King, eyes locked on the creature's back, hoping to see a weak spot. As he crept closer, the spirit said "See it—the dark patch of scales near the creature's neck. you need to strike it once and he is dead" His heart was pounding in his chest.

But just as he was about to launch his attack, the Cobra King's tail whipped through the air with blinding speed. Ryuichi's eyes widened in horror. "Shit!"

"Foolish mortal..." the Cobra King hissed, its voice slithering through the air like venom. "You dare trespass in MY domain? You will be nothing more than another corpse to hang from the ceiling."

The massive tail struck the ground where Ryuichi had been standing a split second earlier, sending dirt and debris flying into the air. "I will crush you like the insects you are!"

Ryuichi managed to dodge the worst of it, but the force of the blow still sent him flying into the wall of the cave, his stealth breaking as he fail to the floor. Pain flared up in his chest, and he could feel his ribs crack from the impact.

The Cobra King hissed in triumph, turning its head towards him, its dark eyes locking onto him. Ryuichi struggled to his feet, blood dribbling from his mouth. The pain was intense, and for a moment, he doubted he could stand, let alone fight. But he had no choice.

His vision blurred, and his body screamed in protest as he stood. He barely had time to react as the Cobra King lunged at him, its fangs aimed directly at his head. With pure instinct, Ryuichi rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike. But the dodge left him winded, every breath now a struggle.

"Is that all you've got?" the Cobra King taunted, its forked tongue flicking out as it slithered closer. "Pathetic, you will serve as a warning to others, mortal. None may challenge the Cobras King and live!"

Through the haze of pain, Ryuichi forced himself to stand, one trembling leg at a time. Every inch of his body screamed for him to stop, to give in. But he wouldn't. He couldn't.

The Cobra King loomed over him, its eyes narrowing as if in disbelief that this mere human still dared to rise.

"I WILL CRUSH YOU!" the Cobra King roared looking at his prey.

With a trembling hand, Ryuichi manifested a healing potion in his hands. His vision blurred as he uncorked the vial, and drank it.

Immediately, his body began to smoke, tendrils of mist rising from his wounds as every fiber of his being started to heal. Muscles and bones reknit themselves with agonizing precision, forcing his body back to its original state. But the neurological pain—the deep, raw agony of every injury, every cut, every bone-shattering blow—was imprinted into his mind like a hot coals burning in his head. It surged through him like an electric current, forcing him to relive every moment of suffering.

His breath hitched in his chest, his legs trembling beneath him as he tried to stand. His nerves screamed in protest, his entire body rebelling against the pain. He felt the weight of every blow, every moment of fear, but he had no choice.

Summoning the last of his strength, Ryuichi sprinted forward. His feet barely touched the ground as he ran, each step a blur of pain and desperation. The Cobra King lashed out again, its massive fangs snapping at him, but this time Ryuichi was faster. He slid under the creature's strike and grab ontu one of his scale on his back.

The Cobra King thrashed violently, twisting and writhing as his massive coils churned the ground beneath him. "Get off my back, you miserable insect! I will hang you from the roof with the rest of your pathetic species!" he bellowed

Ryuichi, clinging desperately to the King's scale, ignored the taunts. He focused on climbing higher, his muscles screaming with effort as his daggers dug into the monstrous serpent's tough armor while he climbed. The Cobra King, sensing his unwelcome rider, coiled himself into a tight spiral and suddenly slammed him self against the rocky cavern wall.

Ryuichi acted on instinct. With a burst of agility, he leapt from the King's back just as the enormous body smashed into the wall, shaking the entire chamber. Dirt and stones rained from above. Rolling across the floor, Ryuichi sprung to his feet, blood trickling down his arms, and darted through the chaotic dust cloud.

The King recoiled, disoriented by his own reckless move, giving Ryuichi the split-second he needed. Without hesitation, Ryuichi ran threw the cloud of dust to jump on his massive head.

"You insignificant pest!" the Cobra King roared, thrashing his head in a desperate attempt to throw Ryuichi off. The serpent's golden eyes darted in every direction, his forked tongue flickering angrily as he tried to locate his tormentor.

With a guttural cry, Ryuichi drove one blade upward with every ounce of strength left in him. The Cobra King let out a deafening screech, his towering body convulsing and writhing in agony as the blade tore through him like a cruel instrument of judgment.

"Dark Strike" His dagger pierced the dark patch of scales at the Cobra King's neck, sinking deep into the flesh beneath. A surge of dark, shadowy energy exploded from the blade.

The Cobra King let out a deafening, guttural roar, its entire body convulsing as the shadow magic tore through it. Ryuichi, barely able to stand, twisted the blade deeper, pouring every last bit of his willpower into the final strike.

And then, with a sickening shudder, the Cobra King collapsed. Its massive body hit the ground with a thunderous crash, shaking the cave itself. The battle was over.

Ryuichi stumbled backward, his body finally giving out. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, his vision fading.