Everyone chatted animatedly until their gifts finally descended from above. Gigantic white orbs floated down gracefully, landing in each of their outstretched hands. The moment they made contact, the light dissipated, revealing their unique gifts.
Awana glanced down to discover a blade adorned with crimson markings. When he thrust it forward, a brilliant beam of red energy erupted from the blade, scorching the ground where it struck.
"That's pretty sick," exclaimed Awana, his eyes gleaming with childlike delight.
Damien received a chain that, when swirled around, ignited with dancing flames, transforming into a fiery weapon of destruction.
"This is amazing," Damien whispered with unbridled joy, his face illuminated by the flickering firelight.
Shadow's gift wasn't a weapon but a skill. Upon activation, he vanished completely for three seconds—his footsteps silent, his breathing imperceptible. He moved invisibly, undetectable to all senses.
"He'll make a perfect assassin," Awana remarked, unaware of Shadow's mysterious past.
Michael stared disappointedly at what appeared to be an ordinary dark staff. "Come on, a piece of junk? Really? This is all the gods gave me?" he grumbled, throwing the staff to the ground in frustration. To his astonishment, the staff began absorbing shadows from the ground, growing stronger with each passing moment. Michael hastily retrieved it. "What in the world? Is it some type of Shadow staff? It's... it's absorbing the shadows!"
Jacob activated his skill, causing crimson gauntlets to materialize on his hands. With each punch, powerful shockwaves erupted, creating thunderous noise. These gauntlets enhanced his strength two or threefold, with no duration limit or cooldown—he could wear them indefinitely, though he needed to keep moving to prevent stiffness.
When they dismissed their weapons, each disappeared uniquely: Damien's chains vanished in wisps of smoke, Awana's blade dissolved into crimson particles, Jacob's gauntlets dematerialized with a flash, and Michael's staff sank into his shadow.
"This is sick! I can pound any beast I find," Jacob exclaimed, flexing his fingers with excitement.
Damien smiled genuinely for the first time. "I'm not weak anymore. Finally... finally I have strength," he murmured, a hint of past trauma evident in his voice.
"I'm just happy my weapon's pretty cool," said Awana, admiring where his blade had been.
"My weapon's actually decent. I don't really know its full potential, but it seems to absorb shadows," Michael mused, examining his shadow thoughtfully.
"Metallic gray, my weapon's way better than yours, and my skill surpasses all of yours," boasted Jacob, puffing out his chest.
"Stop bragging about your strength," Michael chided, rolling his eyes at his friend's arrogance. "Enough already."
"Let's all agree Shadow's skill is one of the best," Awana interjected. "He can go undetected for three seconds."
"Like I said earlier—a true assassin," he added with a knowing smile.
Before they could continue their conversation, a beast charged toward them—tall, with blades for hands and pitch-black skin. Jacob rushed forward, leaping into the air and activating his gauntlets mid-jump before delivering a devastating punch.
The beast went flying, its limbs flailing as it skidded across the ground, its skin peeling to reveal more shadows beneath.
"Let's see how this thing likes fire," called Damien as he rushed forward. His chains burst into brilliant flames as he swung them, ensnaring the beast and pulling it toward him before unleashing another slashing attack.
The beast's stomach split open as the chains sliced through it. Damien was ecstatic, his energy soaring as he reveled in the moment.
"This is the best day of my life," Damien exclaimed, his smile radiant. His love for fantasy was evident in every movement.
The beast rose again, healing itself with shadows, but a red beam from Awana's blade cut through its stomach once more.
"I knew this weapon was sick! This is amazing!" Awana shouted triumphantly.
Shadow slipped behind the stumbling beast and activated his skill. No one saw him move or heard him breathe as he silently severed the shadow beast's head.
All of them received system rewards for killing the beast: five points each to allocate toward enhancing their weapons or strengthening themselves.
Damien's eyes sparkled with excitement. "A system? Where are my stats? How do I check my weapon stats?" he wondered aloud, his fantasies becoming reality before his eyes.
As he focused on the words "weapon stats" in his mind, the description appeared:
Weapon: Flaming Chain
Description: Dual chains that ignite when activated, increasing damage by half and inflicting more as the weapon grows stronger.
Stats: Normal chain - 5 damage; Flaming chain - 10 damage
"This is amazing," Damien whispered, a smile spreading across his face.
Each person could only see their own stats, not those of their companions.
Awana tried next, thinking "weapon stats" in his mind:
Weapon: Crimson Blade
Description: A normal blade enveloped with red crimson energy when activated. Either shoots red energy beams or covers itself with a red aura, increasing defense.
Stats: Normal blade - 10 damage; Crimson blade - 28 damage; Crimson blade with red aura - 30 damage
"This is absolutely amazing!" Awana exclaimed, immediately allocating all his points to increase his regular blade's damage to 15.
Damien, ever the strategic thinker and avid reader of novels, decided to save his points. He wanted to transform from the weakest to the strongest in one dramatic surge.
Shadow examined his skill stats:
Skill: Human Smoke
Description: Allows user to become undetectable for 3 seconds.
Duration: 3 seconds; Cooldown: 10 minutes
Personal Stats: System updating...
Weapon: Dual Blades - Damage 24
Strength: 19
Health: 20/20
Points: 5
Speed: 19
Endurance: 19
Human Smoke: Level 1
Jacob eagerly checked his weapon stats:
Weapon: Red Armored Gauntlets
Description: When activated, red armored gauntlets appear on hands. Attacks produce shockwaves and double strength.
Regular strength: 10
With gauntlets: 30
Jacob, confident in his abilities, didn't bother checking his personal stats, his ego assuring him they were impressive.
Damien, more thorough, scanned his personal stats and found they were all at 5, confirming his need to save points for later improvement.
Awana remained focused solely on his weapon, disregarding his personal attributes.
Finally, Michael examined his mysterious Shadow Staff:
Weapon: Shadow Staff
Description: A staff made of solidified shadows that can control all shadows within an area. You must point the staff at a shadow to control it. Shadow Staff must feed on shadows to gain enough energy to be usable. To feed Shadow Staff, plunge it into a shadow and the staff will do all the work.
Stats:
Normal damage: 10
Full power damage: 40
After everyone had examined their stats, they all turned their attention to the shadow creature's body. Michael saw an opportunity and ran toward the creature, plunging his Shadow Staff into its shadowy mass. At first, the weapon did nothing, suggesting it lacked sufficient energy.
Suddenly, the Shadow Staff began absorbing all the energy and shadows from the creature. Eventually, the shadows dissipated completely, leaving behind only what resembled a skeleton with blades for hands.
Everyone smiled in satisfaction—everyone except Shadow, who maintained his characteristic reserve.
This would be a journey they would all enjoy, a path they would travel together, fighting side by side. It marked the beginning of their new lives as the trials finally commenced.