System interface

"Mutants—they attacked. I was told to run and hide, which I did. By the time I came back, they were all dead," Silas finally spoke, breaking the heavy silence after several tense minutes.

"Run and hide, huh?" Sir Dominic echoed, a sneer creeping into his voice. "That's exactly what I'd expect from trash like you." He turned away dismissively and began walking towards the exit.

"It's clear this boy knows nothing. He was too busy hiding, as expected. Without a skill slot, there's no way he could've killed the squad or defeated the god of the realm. We're wasting time interrogating him," Dominic concluded as he neared the exit.

"And what about the artifact?" Kara interjected just before Sir Dominic could leave. Her voice, though calm, held a weight that stopped him in his tracks. He turned back slowly, a calculating look in his eyes.

"We couldn't detect any raw energy from the artifact when we arrived. There's no trace of it left. It's gone. Someone or something took it."

Dominic's jaw clenched in barely restrained fury. "Gone?" he repeated, his gaze locking onto Kara from across the room.

"Yes, sir," Kara affirmed audibly.

"And you're certain no one else entered the realm apart from the squad?" he pressed.

"The squad was the only group that went through the portal. I personally ensured that." Kara nodded. "There's a possibility one of the squad members retrieved it, but was killed before they could report back," she speculated.

Dominic's eyes narrowed as they once again shifted to Silas, glaring at him from head to toe. Silas looked weak, almost sickly. How could someone so physically frail have obtained an artifact of such power? If he had, surely his appearance—and his aura—would radiate some kind of almighty presence, right?

"We've been hunting for that artifact for years," Dominic began, his voice tight with anger, "and when we finally get close, you carelessly let it slip through your fingers?" His words were directed at Kara, though she wasn't at fault.

Dominic knew this, but he needed someone to vent his frustration on—and Kara was a convenient target.

"We'll examine the bodies and see if we can find anything. If one of them did obtain the artifact, we'll figure out who and extract it," Kara muttered, her head still bowed.

"You'd better," Dominic growled, before storming out of the room, leaving an oppressive silence in his wake.

As the door closed behind him, Silas let out a long, relieved sigh, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Head back to your dorm, Silas. We'll call for you if we need anything," Kara instructed, her voice soft but firm.

Silas nodded and exited the portal room, making his way down the dimly lit hallway. As he walked, he glanced down at his smartwatch to see if he had missed any notifications.

"Come deliver this goody as soon as possible, shithead." Silas read through the barrage of messages he had missed while on the mission.

There were a total of eight unread messages, all from the same sender.

"Didn't this idiot know I was on a raid? Why's he pestering me now?" Silas muttered to himself. Unlike before, he wasn't panicking about missing their texts.

"They'll probably try to punish me for not showing up, but we'll see how that goes." Silas couldn't help but grin as he turned off his smartwatch. "Maybe I'll even get a few level-ups and some decent rewards out of it."

After a few minutes of walking, he reached his dorm. The door was wide open, and from where he stood, Silas could see that the inside was a disaster zone.

The beds were flipped over, his clothes were scattered everywhere, and the floor was drenched in water. Silas stepped inside, his expression twisting into a frown.

"What the hell happened in here?"

As he scanned the chaotic room, his eyes fell on a piece of paper pinned to the wall. Written on it in bold letters was a single message:

**"You're dead meat, Silas Griswold."**

Silas didn't need to guess who had left the threat. He ripped the note off the wall, crumpled it, and tossed it into the trash. Without bothering to clean up the mess, he flipped his bed back over and lay down.

He had more important things on his mind.

As Silas settled onto his bed, a holographic screen materialized before his eyes, floating in the air.

**----------------------**

**[Name: Silas Griswold.]**

**[Race: Half-breed.]**

**[Level: 25.]**

**[Health: 100/100.]**

**[Soul points: 30/100.]**

**Attribute Panel:**

**[Strength: 25.]**

**[Speed: 10.]**

**[Reflex: 10.]**

**[Agility: 15.]**

**[Intelligence: 10.]**

**[Available attribute points to distribute: 0.]**

**Skill Panel:**

**[Lightning Dash: Increases speed for two seconds. Costs 10 soul points.]**

**[Active Skill: Soul Claws: Allows the user to shoot a unique claw from the tips of their fingers. Costs 1 soul point.]**

**Arsenal:**

**[Chest piece armor (Grade 2).]**

**[Leg piece armor (Grade 2).]**

**[Scythe (Grade 2).]**

**----------------------**

Silas rubbed his chin, disbelief in his eyes as he scanned the screen.

"What I really wanted to check was the armor listed in my arsenal," he muttered. "A Grade 2 scythe, chest piece, and leg armor... If I'm not mistaken, these items cost thousands of Tokens. And I have them just like that?"

It seemed unreal.

For years, Silas had been saving every Token he could, hoping to afford at least a Grade 2 or 3 set of armor to boost his chances of surviving future raids. Now, here he was, staring at the equipment on the screen, waiting for him to equip it.

"I seriously need to test this out, see if it's legit." Silas whispered to himself before shifting his attention back to the screen.

Just as he was about to delve deeper, the interface morphed, revealing a new message that made his heart skip a beat.

**[Your soul points are critically low.]**

**[Consume a soul to restore points before the countdown begins.]**

Silas bolted upright, his eyes wide. "Wait.. What the hell?"