System: There's Something Wrong With My System.-Chapter 53 - The Path To Transcendence

"I’m sorry if I ask this too late," Mikail said as they walked far from home, "but... how exactly are we reaching Valthavn?"

Lynn and Hugo exchanged a glance. Lynn smiled faintly, while Hugo burst into laughter.

"What if I said we’re going on foot?" Lynn asked lightly. "Would you complain?"

"No," Mikail shook his head. "I just want to know so I can prepare myself better. Like... carrying an umbrella before it rains, you know?"

"Kid," Hugo said once his laughter died down, "there is a faster way. That’s how we came here in the first place. But if we use it now, what’s the point? You’re supposed to see the world, aren’t you? If we just skip everything, you’ll learn nothing. Better to enjoy the road. Besides, we’re not in a rush"

"I see..." Mikail nodded. "That’s a good point"

"Don’t worry," Hugo added with a grin, "this journey’s going to be exciting"

"Exciting how?"

Hugo’s grin stretched wider. "Because with you here, every dark force worth a damn will try to stop us before we reach Valthavn"

Mikail frowned. "...Such as?"

"Well," Hugo began, ticking off his fingers, "the Shadows are quiet for now, but we still have corrupted beasts, Forsaken Magisters, cultists... demons. Sometimes even humans"

"Demons too?" Mikail muttered, his chest tightening. "I thought Shadows were bad enough"

"Those are only the known threats," Lynn finally spoke, her voice calm but sharp. "Remember this, Kail: out there, countless dangers still exist, things we haven’t even named yet. They can appear anytime, anywhere. That’s why we keep training, why we keep growing stronger"

Her eyes locked onto his.

"And you must do the same. You’re not just any Harbinger... You’re the Harbinger of Light. That makes you a living target"

--------

- At night.

The forest was quiet except for the crackle of the campfire.

Hugo and Lynn sat nearby, the flickering light painting soft shadows across their faces. Two tents stood behind them, neatly set up and steady against the breeze.

Lynn sipped from a cup of hot chocolate, her posture relaxed, while Hugo tended to the grill, turning over the freshly caught fish from their afternoon hunt.

From a distance, it looked like an ordinary camp scene, peaceful, almost mundane.

But not far from that warmth and calm, Mikail stood in the darkness.

The Sword of Light gleamed faintly in his hands, its glow slicing through the mist like a heartbeat.

Before him, five corrupted beasts prowled in a half-circle, their bodies twitching, eyes burning with feral hunger.

The peaceful night around the camp... was nowhere near his world.

Mikail exhaled slowly. The air around him shimmered faintly, his mana syncing with the pulse of his heart.

Five beasts. Twisted remnants of once-living creatures, their flesh crawling with black veins and glowing sigils. Each one radiated corrupted mana so thick it warped the air itself.

But Mikail didn’t flinch.

He lowered his stance slightly, his fingers tightening on the hilt of his sword. The blade hummed in response, a line of pure, steady light cutting through the night.

One heartbeat.

Two.

The first beast lunged.

Mikail moved.

His form blurred, the glow of his sword tracing an arc that seemed almost too clean, too perfect. The beast hit the ground before it realized it had been cut, its body dissolving into a cascade of pale motes that faded into the wind.

The second and third followed right after, snarling as they charged from opposite sides.

Mikail twisted mid-step, letting the first swipe pass by his shoulder, then pivoted sharply.

The blade split into three streaks of radiance, each one striking true. The two beasts fell almost simultaneously, their corruption burned away before they could even scream.

For a brief moment, silence reclaimed the clearing. Only the faint hum of his blade lingered.

Then the last two beasts moved, faster, smarter, stronger. One vanished into the darkness, circling him, while the other came straight on with brute force.

Mikail’s eyes narrowed. He could feel their mana now, pulsing, trembling, unbalanced.

"...You’re getting desperate," he muttered.

The one that rushed him roared, its claws glowing red with corrupted energy. Mikail met the attack head-on, their collision sending a shockwave through the trees. Sparks of light and black mana scattered like fireflies.

The second beast leapt from behind, but Mikail was already gone.

He reappeared above it, his body outlined in a soft, golden aura.

He brought the sword down in a single, silent motion.

The impact wasn’t loud. There was no explosion, no flash, only light, calm and blindingly pure. When it faded, both beasts were gone.

Mikail landed softly, his boots touching the forest floor with barely a sound.

His sword dimmed, the glow fading until it disappeared from his hands.

For a moment, he stood there, breathing steadily, the forest returning to its natural rhythm around him, the sound of crickets, the crackle of Hugo’s campfire in the distance, Lynn’s faint laughter drifting through the trees.

Then, quietly, he murmured, "Still too slow... I still can’t grasp that feeling I felt that night..."

He let the sword’s light fade completely and opened his System interface, the faint glow of holographic runes reflecting in his eyes. In the Skill Section, almost every Skill was already maxed out. Swordsmanship, Mana Control, Reflex, Endurance, all perfect. Yet even with perfection displayed in glowing bars, something inside him whispered that it wasn’t enough.

Even with unlimited Skill Points, even after pushing every skill to its peak, there was still a wall, invisible, suffocating.

Maybe this was what it meant to reach the limit of being human. Strong enough to surpass most, yet still bound by the weight of mortality.

He exhaled slowly, then switched to the Quest Section.

Lines of text appeared, unclaimed missions, incomplete threads.

He pointed toward one absentmindedly, the motion faintly absurd to anyone watching.

It was good that Lynn and Hugo were far from the camp. Otherwise, they’d probably think he was arguing with ghosts or losing his mind.

Most of the rewards were useless to him now: Skill Points, and many useless things.

"I can’t stay like this..." he said under his breath, correcting himself, voice firm and low. "I need to grow stronger, beyond what humans can reach. Beyond the limits of this world itself" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

His eyes reflected the light of the fading interface, sharp with determination. That night, beneath the cold shimmer of the stars, Mikail clenched his fist, not in frustration, but in conviction.

Somewhere ahead, beyond the dark horizon, was Valthavn.

And perhaps there... he would finally find the answer, the path to transcendence.

--------

The sun was still peeking over the horizon when Mikail opened his eyes. The faint orange glow slipped through the tent flap, brushing across his face with gentle warmth. Beside him, Hugo was still fast asleep, his light snoring blending with the distant chirp of waking birds.

Mikail quietly sat up, careful not to wake him, and stepped outside.

The morning air was cool, carrying the earthy scent of dew and smoke from last night’s campfire. Near the firepit, Lynn was already awake, crouched over a small pot as steam curled upward from boiling water.

Sensing movement behind her, Lynn glanced over her shoulder. When she saw Mikail, she offered a small, rare smile. "...Want some coffee, Kail?"

"Sure," Mikail replied, settling onto the fallen log beside her.

For a while, neither spoke. Only the soft bubbling of water and the faint rustle of trees filled the quiet. Lynn poured the steaming liquid into two metal cups, the aroma of roasted beans cutting through the chill of morning.

"Here," she said, handing him one.

"Thank you." Mikail accepted it with both hands, feeling the warmth seep into his palms. He took a slow breath before speaking again.

"...Lynn," he said quietly.

"Hm?" She turned to him, her expression calm but attentive.

"How were you chosen as the Harbinger of Water?"

At that question, Lynn paused. The steam from her cup drifted past her face, blurring her eyes for a second. She studied Mikail’s expression, wondering if it was idle curiosity or something deeper.

But when she saw the genuine curiosity in his gaze, a faint smile touched her lips.

"How I was chosen, huh?" she murmured, her tone soft, thoughtful.

Mikail nodded silently.

"Well," she began, stirring her coffee absently, "it’s not exactly a story made for a peaceful morning like this. Because every Harbinger’s tale starts the same way, with tragedy. All of us share that... pattern. It’s almost like we were chosen because of it"

She paused, letting the silence stretch, broken only by the gentle crackle of the fire. Her eyes reflected the sunrise, warm, but distant.

"...Still want to hear it?" she asked quietly.

Mikail looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. "... No. I understand"

Lynn chuckled softly, the sound light but tinged with something old and weary. She took a slow sip of her coffee before saying, "Then in exchange, I’ll tell you another story. Interested?"

Mikail raised a brow. "What kind of story?"

"The story of the first Harbinger," she said, her voice almost reverent, "and how the Harbingers came to be"

Mikail leaned forward slightly, curiosity returning to his eyes. "...Keep going," he said.

Lynn smiled faintly, the kind of smile that carried both warmth and memory. She looked into the fire, watching the flames dance before beginning her tale; the story of how the first generation of Harbingers were born.

....

...

..

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