《Undying Martial System》 Dancing Blade The sky was a bruised blend of blue and red, its piercing gaze accompanied by the distant cawing of crows. A man lying on the ground, motionless. Bloodied and bruised, his face was half-destroyed, his muscles strained and worn out. His eyes were closed, and his skin had a pure white pallor, like a corpse. "..." A crow landed on his face. Peck. Peck "..." He was dead. Peck. Peck. "....." CRUNCH GASP Oh. Guess not. "...Ahh." He tried to raise himself upright, his body trembling with effort. "Where in the name of the Kaiser am I?" He attempted to stand, only to stumble and collapse. SLAM "Ah, fuck..." He looked at his hand, covered in blood and dirt. "Wha...?" His fingers were decayed, rotting. Panicked, he tried to feel his body, but there was nothing¡ªno sensation, no warmth. Then he looked to the right. A graveyard stretched out before him, rows of crooked tombstones silhouetted against the blood-red sky. "....Am I in hell?" ".....Hahahaha... ahhh...." He plopped himself down, utterly defeated. "In the end, nothing ever mattered, I guess." He looked down, dejected and hopeless. ".....I guess I''ll never know peace." He sighed, the sound heavy with resignation. PING He looked up, startled. INSTALLING... 40% He stared at the prompt, dazed and confused. "....Is this some kind of joke?" ZAP "AH, FUCK!" He lay charred on the ground, smoke curling off his body. "What in the world¡ª" A prompt appeared directly in his face, glowing ominously: OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE He scratched his head for a moment, only to hear something behind him. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Grrrrr He turned to look¡ªand froze. ".....Me and my shitty luck." They were zombies, clawing their way out of their tombs, their decaying forms illuminated by the eerie red sky. "Never stops disappointing me," he muttered under his breath. Without another thought, he started running. He ran and ran, dodging and weaving through the lunging zombies. "Ahhhhhhh!" His breath came in ragged gasps as he kept moving, but then he heard it again. PING He looked up. INSTALLATION... 70 PERCENT He squinted at the glowing blue screen of light, as he called it, trying to make sense of it. "Wait a minute..." He skidded to a stop near a path winding into a dark trail. "I know you," he muttered, recognition flickering in his eyes. But before he could say more, a sudden bash to the head interrupted him. "Ack!" The blow sent him tumbling across the field, his body rolling through the dirt. "Ahhhhh¡ª" He tried to stand up, his body trembling with effort. THUM THUM THUM As he rose, he looked toward the source of the sound¡ªa giant zombie, towering and grotesque. Its body was stitched together, oozing green goo, and its mouth was a gaping, jagged hole. "..." For a moment, he didn''t focus on the inevitable horror closing in. Instead, his gaze locked onto something comforting¡ªsomething familiar, like an old friend. But the zombies were everywhere now, surrounding him, their gnarled hands reaching out. He looked up, defiance burning in his eyes. ".....What are you waiting for?" He straightened himself, his voice rising to a roar. "COME AT MEEE!" The giant zombie charged, its hulking mass smashing through tombstones as it sprinted toward him, the ground shaking with every step. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for either sweet relief... or a miracle. PING INSTALLATION... 100%. A voice echoed in his mind, calm and commanding: "Welcome back, Oligarch." "Hell yeah!" He immediately tapped into the system interface: _____________ ______________ - Stats - Item Shop - Skills - Roulette ____________ __________________ "ITEM SHOP!" But before he could navigate further, the giant zombie grabbed him. BANG It slammed him into the ground with crushing force. "ACK!" The system interface spiraled wildly, seemingly gravitating toward chaos. "RANDOMIZER INITIATED." The world around him slowed to a crawl as the system morphed into the shape of a gun. Click Click Cick Click BANG. The gun fired, the shot piercing him straight in the chest. "WEAPON ACQUIRED: Kensei Katana." "SKILL ACQUIRED: DANCE OF THE DEAD." "..." The zombie grabbed him again, its massive hand tightening around his body as it pulled him closer. Its grotesque mouth opened wide, revealing jagged, broken teeth dripping with saliva and decay. "Dancing Betty," he muttered under his breath. SLASH In an instant, he was free. Now, he stood at the edge of the street, breathing heavily. He looked back to see nothing but a bloody pulp where the zombie once stood. "LEVEL UP" "....Heroes of Old Earth," he whispered, his voice tinged with nostalgia and bitterness. He checked his weapon, the blade gleaming in the dim light. "20 years, has it?" He felt the weight of his sword¡ªsharp yet light as a feather. "Huh. Wait a minute... If I remember correctly, the Kensei Katana cost around..." He quickly checked the shop. "-20,000 Coins." His jaw dropped. "....I''m a poor bastard," he muttered, shaking his head. Then it hit him. "Also, what was the cooldown for this ability again?" He navigated to the skills menu. "Cooldown: 2 days." "...." He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. "My luck never stops disappointing me." _________________ ________________ Name: Ethan Cross Level: 2 Status: Decrepit Undead Attributes: - Strength: 4 - Agility:6 - Intelligence: 7 - Dexterity: 4 - Perception: 8 - Endurance:10 Coins:-20,000 Status in Effect 1. Undead Hunger "The curse of undeath gnaws at your very essence, leaving you perpetually ravenous." - Gradually reduces Strength over time. - Mitigation: Consuming food temporarily halts the decay. 2. Debt Trap "The weight of unpaid debts shackles your every move." - Prevents access to the Item Shop until debts are cleared. - Penalty: Reduces Move Speed by 2. Skills Dance of the Dead "The blade sings, and death dances to its tune." Ability: Active Type: Targeted Area of Effect (AoE) Cooldown: 48 hours Mana Cost: 100 Description: Eathen Cross channels his undead energy into a devastating flurry of slashes, striking all enemies within a targeted area. Each slash deals physical damage and reduces the target''s armor for a short duration. Effects: - Damage per Slash: 50/75/100/.... (scales with level and agility) - Number of Slashes: 6 - Armor Reduction: -2/3/4 per slash (stacks up to 6 times) - Duration: 8 seconds Custom Activation Phrase: "Dancing Betty " Lore: "Forged in the fires of death and honed by despair, the Dance of the Dead is a lethal art passed down through generations of cursed warriors. Few have witnessed its fury and lived to tell the tale." Trasher Ethan took a look at his stats, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the numbers. "...Abysmal," he muttered under his breath. He scratched his head, frustration creeping into his voice. "I''m basically a twig in comparison." Curious, he tried to interact with the item shop, hoping to find something¡ªanything¡ªto improve his situation. But as soon as he tapped the interface¡ª ZAP "ACK!" A jolt of energy sent him sprawling to the floor, smoke curling off his body. He sighed and propped himself up, dusting off his tattered clothes. Looking around, he took in the grim landscape¡ªa sprawling graveyard of the dead. Tombstones stretched as far as the eye could see, their weathered surfaces almost covering the entire field. "Mass graves... If I''m correct, I''m near the Corseir Deadlands," he muttered, his voice low and contemplative. A wave of unease washed over him as he gazed at the sea of graves, but beneath it, there was something else¡ªa faint flicker of nostalgia. "I''ve got a weapon, but my stats are barely enough to fight a single zombie," he grumbled, poking at his stats HEALTH:30/50 MANA: 0/100 "....." He stared at the numbers, his expression a mix of resignation and mild annoyance. He then looked back at his stats, scanning the details: --------- ---------- Name: Ethan Cross Level: 2 Status:Decrepit Undead Attributes: - Strength:4 - Agility:6 - Intelligence: 7 - Dexterity: 4 - Perception: 8 - Endurance: 10 ---------- -------- "Hmmm, wait... Where are the points I earned?" he muttered, scratching his head. He looked around, confused, before deciding to check his inventory. ------------ ------------- Inventory: - Weapon: Kensei Katana - Clothing: Officer''s Uniform (0 Armor) - Points: 10 ___________ _____________ He rubbed his eyes, squinting at the interface. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Why is it using the old layout system...?" He stared at the system, his expression filled with doubt. "Are you...?" The system seemed to hesitate, as if it was about to give Ethan Zap "Never mind," he said, shaking his head and dismissing the thought Now, he faced a choice. "Where should I place these points?" he pondered aloud, scratching his chin. "Strength would help me gain more health, make me tank, and let me brawl with anything I come across. Agility would boost my speed, enhance ''Dance of the Dead,'' reduce its cooldown, and help me dodge more attacks. Intelligence... well, I don''t really have mana right now, but it could help with mana recovery and magic damage if I ever get something magic-related..." He paused, considering the other options. "Dexterity would improve my precision and control, making my attacks more accurate and efficient. Perception would heighten my senses, letting me detect threats earlier and react faster. And Endurance... well, that''s already my highest stat. It keeps me going, even when I''m battered and broken." He stared at the options, weighing the pros and cons, his mind racing. He shrugged, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "...10 points into Strength, cause why not?" As he allocated the points, he felt an immediate surge of energy coursing through his body. Each muscle fiber expanded and contracted, the sensation both exhilarating and overwhelming. "ACK! I guess it ain''t that easy," he grunted, gritting his teeth as the transformation took hold. His decayed body began to recover, the rot receding as new strength flooded his limbs. He grew taller, his frame filling out with bulkier muscle. The change was drastic, almost unnatural, but undeniably powerful. "Alright, let''s see how this goes," he muttered, cracking his knuckles. He walked over to one of the tombstones, his newfound strength surging through his veins. With a single punch¡ª *BANG.* The tombstone shattered into pieces. "Okay, not bad," He then looked up to see zombies stirring from their graves¡ªsome freshly turned, others old and rotten, their decayed forms shuffling or lurching toward him. GRRRRR. They all started running at him, a horde of undead closing in fast. "Inventory," he commanded, his voice steady despite the chaos. In an instant, the Kensei Katana materialized in his hand, its blade gleaming with an otherworldly light. "HUP!" He didn''t even unsheathe his sword, opting instead to use the hilt as a blunt weapon. SMACK A zombie''s head caved in with a sickening crunch. "One," he counted, his voice calm but focused. SMACK Another zombie went flying, its body crumpling like a ragdoll. "Two," he said, already turning to the next target. SMACK The third zombie was driven into the ground, its skull burying into the earth. "THREE!" Finally, he unsheathed the Katana, the blade singing as it slid free. "HAHHH!" His body twisted with precision, the sword cutting through the air in a deadly arc. The blade cleaved through the rest of the horde, each strike a testament to his newfound strength and skill. "....I''m never gonna make it, am I?" He collapsed to the ground, his body aching from the fight. The adrenaline faded, leaving only weariness and doubt. "I can''t even access the shop to restock, and what''s with this debuff? I''m slow as hell," he muttered, glaring at the system interface as if it had personally betrayed him. PING He looks up, startled by the sudden notification. "Objective screen has been updated and added to the list." Curious, he taps on the notification, and a new screen pops up: Main Objective: Survive Side Objectives: - Reach Level 10 Rewards: 500 Gold, 600 Exp A flash of hope flickers in his eyes as he reads the rewards. "...Perfect," he mutters, a determined grin spreading across his face. He got to his feet, brushing off the dirt, and made his way to the next set of graves. "Keep them coming," he says, his voice steady and confident. ------------ ------------- Updated Status Name: Ethan Cross Level:2 Status: Decrepit Undead Attributes: - Strength:** 14 (+10) - Agility: 6 (-2) - Intelligence: 7 - Dexterity: 4 - Perception: 8 - Endurance: 10 Coins: -20,000 Inventory: - Weapon: Kensei Katana - Clothing: Officer''s Uniform (0 Armor) - Points: 0 Debuffs: 1. Undead Hunger: Gradually reduces Strength over time. Eating mitigates this effect. 2. Debt Trap: Cannot purchase from the Item Shop until debts are paid. -2 Move Speed. Corseir Deadlands "Once a sanctuary of ancient forests, where spirits whispered and elves danced beneath the canopy, now a desolate wasteland of death and decay." Lore: The Corseir Deadlands were once a thriving forest, home to ethereal forest spirits and the elusive elves who guarded its secrets. But centuries of war between the human kingdoms of Eryndor and the relentless Vyrrak Horde turned this sacred land into a grim testament to carnage. As battles raged, the victors¡ªwhether human or Vyrrak¡ªdumped their fallen into mass graves, heedless of the land''s sanctity. Over time, the forest''s lifeblood was choked by the weight of countless corpses, and the spirits themselves were consumed by the encroaching darkness. Now, the Corseir Deadlands stand as a cursed expanse, where the dead stir restlessly beneath the earth, and the air hums with the echoes of forgotten wars.