1 — The Sky That Broke
The sky shattered the moment he died.
It did not roar like thunder, nor did lightning tear through the clouds. Instead, the heavens split apart silently, like glass cracking under invisible pressure. A thin fracture stretched from one end of the horizon to the other, jagged and unnatural, as though reality itself had been scratched by something it could not contain.
Then the world went dark.
For a brief instant, there was no sound, no pain, no self.
Only emptiness.
And then—
Cold mud pressed against his cheek.
The metallic scent of blood flooded his lungs.
Somewhere nearby, a man screamed. The sound was raw and desperate, cut short by the heavy impact of steel meeting flesh.
Kael Ardyn opened his eyes.
The sky above him was gray with smoke. Embers drifted like dying fireflies. The ground trembled under the clash of weapons.
Where… am I?
A wave of foreign memories surged into his mind, violent and overwhelming.
Graystone Fortress.
Outer disciple.
Seventeen years old.
Body Tempering Realm — Middle Stage.
Low-grade spiritual roots.
Insignificant future.
His breathing turned ragged.
This isn't my body.
Pain radiated from his ribs. His hands were calloused in ways he did not recognize. His heartbeat was different — slower, stronger.
He tried to sit up.
A corpse rolled off his shoulder.
Blood soaked the ground around him.
The battlefield stretched in all directions — disciples in gray robes fighting armored soldiers marked with a black wolf insignia.
The Iron Wolves.
Before fear could take hold—
The air before his eyes distorted.
Cold blue light formed intricate lines, geometric and precise. Symbols he did not understand assembled themselves into something structured and absolute.
Then the interface fully appeared.
[ ═════ HEAVENLY CODE INTERFACE ═════ ]
[ Anomaly Detected ]
[ Foreign Soul Integration: Successful ]
[ Host Vessel: Stabilized ]
[ Unauthorized Access Granted ]
[ Heaven's Debug System — Level 1 Activated ]
[ Concealment Mode: Passive ]
[ Heavenly Log Updated ]
[ ═══════════════════════════════════ ]
His breath caught in his throat.
Heavenly Code…? Debug System?
The words felt impossible.
Yet the interface hovered steadily before him, cold and emotionless.
A wounded disciple stumbled near him, clutching his bleeding side. The young man collapsed, barely a meter away, eyes wide with fading life.
Instinctively, Kael focused on him.
The world shifted.
Information unfolded.
[ ─── Target Analysis ─── ]
[ Identity: Graystone Disciple ]
[ Realm: Body Tempering — Late Stage ]
[ Core Attributes ]
[ Strength : 8 ]
[ Agility : 7 ]
[ Vitality : 7 ]
[ Spirit : 2 ]
[ Luck : 1 ]
[ Comprehension ]
[ Sword : 0.4 ]
[ Structural Status ]
[ Meridian Flow: Unstable ]
[ Internal Bleeding: Severe ]
[ Extractable Fragments ]
[ ① +2 Strength ]
[ ② Sword Fragment — Low ]
[ ③ Fragmented Luck Residue ]
[ Daily Extraction Remaining: 3/3 ]
[ ─────────────────────── ]
Kael's pupils contracted.
This is real.
The dying disciple grabbed his sleeve weakly.
"Retreat… the eastern gate… has fallen…"
His grip loosened.
Life faded from his eyes.
[ Target Vital Signs: 0 ]
[ Extraction Available ]
[ Please Select ]
His heart thundered against his ribs.
This was absurd.
Impossible.
But the system had predicted the man's death down to the detail.
If this was real—
Then the battlefield was not merely chaos.
It was opportunity.
He hesitated only a moment before choosing.
Sword Fragment — Low.
[ Selection Confirmed ]
[ Extracting Fragment… ]
[ Integrating… ]
[ Sword Comprehension +0.3 ]
[ Integration Complete ]
Pain exploded behind his eyes.
Then—
Clarity.
His grip on the sword shifted automatically. The balance felt different. Efficient. Correct. Movements aligned naturally with momentum and angle.
He understood cutting arcs.
Breathing synchronization during strikes.
How to redirect force rather than clash head-on.
This isn't memory.
It's structural comprehension.
He slowly rose to his feet.
Around him, the battle intensified.
Graystone disciples were retreating toward the inner walls. The Iron Wolves advanced relentlessly, their discipline far superior.
Kael forced himself to focus inward.
[ ═════ HEAVEN'S DEBUG SYSTEM ═════ ]
[ Host: Kael Ardyn ]
[ Realm: Body Tempering — Middle Stage ]
[ Core Attributes ]
[ Strength : 6 ]
[ Agility : 5 ]
[ Vitality : 6 ]
[ Spirit : 3 ]
[ Luck : 1 ]
[ Comprehension ]
[ Sword : 0.3 ]
[ System Level : 1 ]
[ Daily Extraction: 2/3 ]
[ Concealment Mode: Passive ]
[ ═══════════════════════════════════ ]
Luck: 1…
He almost laughed.
That explained the short life.
A thunderous roar echoed across the battlefield.
Kael looked up.
At the center of the chaos, a man rode a massive black warhorse. His armor bore the black wolf crest. Every swing of his blade cut down multiple disciples effortlessly.
The Iron Wolves Commander.
The pressure around him felt suffocating even from a distance.
Kael focused on him.
For half a breath—
Data flickered.
Then disappeared.
[ Target Analysis Failed ]
[ Authority Insufficient ]
[ Realm Classification: Beyond Mortal Tier ]
[ Upgrade Required ]
Beyond Mortal Tier.
So this world was far larger than he imagined.
Then—
The sky trembled.
The faint crack that had appeared when he awakened pulsed once, almost invisibly.
[ ⚠ HEAVENLY LAW FLUCTUATION DETECTED ⚠ ]
[ Unauthorized Data Access Recorded ]
[ Observation Intensity: Low ]
[ Risk Level: Minimal ]
[ Recommendation: Avoid Excessive Extraction ]
Cold sweat formed on his back.
Heaven noticed.
Not him specifically.
But something had shifted.
He lowered his gaze and steadied his breathing.
Another soldier fell nearby.
The system window expanded automatically.
[ ─── Target Analysis ─── ]
[ Realm: Body Tempering — Early Stage ]
[ Extractable Fragments ]
[ ① +1 Vitality ]
[ ② Basic Footwork Fragment ]
[ ③ Fragmented Luck Residue ]
[ Daily Extraction Remaining: 2/3 ]
[ ─────────────────────── ]
Kael's eyes narrowed.
This battlefield was a treasure vault.
But every treasure taken left a trace.
If Heaven is watching… I cannot be greedy.
He selected carefully.
Fragmented Luck Residue.
[ Selection Confirmed ]
[ Fate Fragment Absorbed ]
[ Luck +1 ]
[ Current Luck: 2 ]
[ Fate Stability Slightly Increased ]
Something subtle shifted.
An arrow whistled through the air—
And missed him by inches.
Kael did not believe in coincidence anymore.
He tightened his grip on the sword.
The retreat horn sounded again.
Graystone Fortress was falling.
This was only the beginning.
Heaven had cracked open for a moment.
And in that moment—
It had made a mistake.
It had given him access to its code.
The fracture in the sky slowly faded.
As if nothing had happened.
But Kael knew.
Heaven had glitched.
And he was that glitch.
He stepped forward into the chaos.
Not as prey.
But as something far more dangerous.