In the world of Aethelgard, everyone has a Soul Gem, which they receive at birth. The Soul Gem is embedded in their chest. In this world, each person's strength is determined by their Soul Level. The higher their Soul Level, the more powerful magic and martial arts they can use.
To level up, people must go into the wild and kill wild and magical beasts, monsters, goblins, dire wolves, poisonous spiders, and fire-breathing bears. Killing different creatures yields different points. Creatures earn points based on their level:
[ 1. Level 1-10 – 4 (Goblins)
2. Level 11-20 – 8 (Zombies)
3. Level 21-30 – 12 (Wild and Magical Beasts)
4. Level 31-40 – 16 (Poisonous Spiders)
5. Level 41-50 – 20 (Poison-Spitting Lizards)
6. Level 51-60 – 24 (Giant Wolves)
7. Level 61-70 – 28 (Fire-Breaking Bears)
8. Level 70+ – 35 (Dragons) ]
It was dawn. The sun's rays were spreading like a golden blanket over the lush green fields. A cool breeze caressed the wheat ears, as if every plant was singing a soft song. The villagers were busy with their work—some were drawing water from the well, others were feeding the buffaloes. Amidst this serene and beautiful scene, a thin, pale boy, with tattered clothes and seemingly unbathed, was bent over in the field, plucking grass from the soil. His name was Kyle. Kyle was a boy with a Soul Level of 0. Everyone in the village knew Kyle by one name—"Soulless." Because everyone there had a Soul Gem, but Kyle didn't. While the shining gemstone on everyone else's chest revealed their destiny, Kyle's chest was like a blank canvas.
And that was why he remained isolated. People saw him as a bad omen. They believed God had made a grave mistake by creating Kyle. But neither they nor Kyle knew that this very weakness would one day give birth to his greatest strength.
Only one person in Purugaon considered Kyle a human being. His name was "Baelin."
Baelin was a very wise dwarf who possessed the most knowledge of the world. And he also knew the reason why Kyle didn't have a Soul Gem. He was the only one in Aethelgard who lived to be over 800 years old. Some people called him crazy.
Kyle spent most of his time with him.
His hands were in the mud, his eyes focused on work, but his mind was wandering elsewhere—would he ever be able to fight, wield magic… and gain respect?
He was still thinking when suddenly, a loud laugh came from behind—fresh, full of sarcasm.
"Hey look… Soulless is working in the fields," Kisei shouted loudly. Kyle's hands stopped.
Kyle ignored the voice and went back to his work. He knew it could have been Orion's.
**"Orion"**
was the village's most powerful Pyromancer, and his Soul Gem glowed like a burning ember from within. He wore a red and black suit, and behind him stood his two friends, both with smiles on their faces.
"AreKyle," Orion said. "I heard you killed a Level 25 Magical Beast single-handedly. Even the three of us together couldn't have done anything to him." With that, all three of them burst into laughter. Then
Orion said, "Hey, I remember, he can't even kill an ant, and the Magical Beasts he killed
he killed in his dreams." And everyone started laughing again, as if this was the funniest moment of their lives.
Kyle said nothing. He just bent down and continued with his work.
Orion came closer and pushed a stick from Kyle's hand away, breaking it. "Hey,
are you even listening to me? Or do you really have *no soul left*?"
Kyle's heart pounded. He knew the consequences would be bad if he responded. Most of the villagers sided with Orion because he was the strongest boy in the village. He was the only one in the village who had reached Level 15. And powerful people always commanded respect. But Kyle… he received more humiliation than respect. Orion overturned a seed basket lying in the field. He lit a small fire in his hands and threw it onto the dry grass lying near Kyle, setting the dry grass near him ablaze. Kyle was frightened and immediately bent down and tried to extinguish the fire. His hands burned, filling them with ash and mud.
"Remember… Soulless people are only born to do others' work," Orion said haughtily and left with his friends.
Kyle remained sitting there, clutching the grass ashes in his hand. His eyes burned—half from the smoke, half from the pain within.
*Why... am I so weak? Will I ever change?*
His inner voice immediately replied—*When you stop believing.* Kyle didn't realize anything, because the time was drawing near when Kyle, too, would become a Soulless Sessole Gamer. But
this was only just beginning.
As the sun set, the sky turned red and orange. The village was slowly becoming quiet. The houses began to smell the joy of cooking with the smoke of the stove. Kyle's hut was at the far end of the village—a broken roof, mud walls, and a small door. Inside was a bamboo bed, some dry bread, and an old bag.
Kyle sat, looking out the window. The moon was slowly setting, and a cool breeze was blowing. His fingers still ached from the day's hard work. But his mind was preoccupied with something else—the future he longed for.
"I wish... I could raise my Soul Level. I wish I could fight."
He clenched his fists. Amidst the burning anger, there was a faint hope—hope that one day things would change.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. A woman's voice came from somewhere far away—"Help! Help!"
Kyle ran out of the hut. He saw a group of children playing near the village well. A girl had fallen into the well. People had gathered, but no one was able to pull her out.
Orion was standing there, too, but he rolled his eyes and said, "This isn't my job... I don't waste my energy on such trivial tasks."
Kyle didn't think twice. He climbed down the well's edge and, with great difficulty, grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her up. In that moment, his strength somehow paid off. The girl's cries clenched around his neck.
People fell silent. Kisi said nothing, but Kyle knew—though seemingly small, this act was a significant proof to him that he wasn't completely useless.
Orion smiled sheepishly, "Wow, Soulless tried to be a hero."
And walked away. Even after saving the girl, the villagers, instead of telling him "Thank you," said, "Move aside, it's a bad omen, lest the girl be hurt."
But there was a faint smile on Kyle's face. *Perhaps... this is how change begins.
That night, Kyle lay on his bed, gazing at the stars from the open roof. The air was cold, but something burned in his heart—a strong determination.
*"One day... I will prove that no one is born weak."*
A strange wind blew from the nearby forest. With it came a slow, mysterious whisper—so faint that he couldn't tell if it was real or a dream.
*"Kyle... your time is coming..."*
He sat up with a start, looked around—but saw only darkness outside. It was dark and silent. He was frightened and couldn't sleep the rest of the night.
Cliffhanger:–
The next day, Kayal woke up in the morning, had his meal, and went to Baelin's. Baelin looked at Kayal and said, "I've been waiting for you. I have a job for you, and I know only you can do it."