Chapter 3: The Reward of Sincerity
The air in the village square was thick with the smell of ozone and the wretched stench of the abyss. While most of the youths were still frozen in terror, Malik stood like a pillar of light amidst the encroaching grey fog.
The Shadow Crawler he had just disintegrated left behind a small, pulsing dark crystal. But Malik had no time to inspect it. Three more of the spindly, red-eyed nightmares were lunging toward the village elders.
"Back!" Malik roared, his voice carrying a strange, resonant authority.
He didn't just run; he moved with a fluid grace that felt dictated by the system itself. Every step he took left a faint golden footprint on the cobblestones.
[System Pulse: 2/5 Shadow Crawlers Neutralized.]
Malik swung his arm in a wide arc, channeling the Origin Light not into a punch, but into a sweeping wave. The radiance caught two of the monsters mid-air. They let out a soul-piercing shriek before dissolving into black ash.
"Malik! Watch out!" Kael's voice cracked.
From the roof of the nearby granary, a larger Crawler—the Alpha of this small pack—leaped down. It was twice the size of the others, its chitinous armor plated with bone-like protrusions. Its Level was 12—higher than Kael, and theoretically, a match for Malik's Level 15 since Malik had zero combat experience.
Malik felt a surge of cold fear. His heart hammered against his ribs.
[System Warning: Composure dropping. Activate 'Sabr' (Patience) to stabilize Resonance.]
Malik took a deep breath. He ignored the gnashing teeth of the beast and the screams of the villagers. He closed his eyes for a split second, finding that quiet waterfall in his mind. The truth is steady, he reminded himself.
When he opened his eyes, they weren't brown anymore. They were glowing with a soft, piercing gold.
The Alpha reached him, its sharp front claw aimed at Malik's throat. Malik didn't dodge. He simply tilted his head, the claw whistling past his ear, and grabbed the monster's leg with a grip like iron.
"Your chaos has no place here," Malik said softly.
He poured every ounce of his Level 15 Origin Light into the beast. The golden glow became so intense that Kael and the Elders had to turn away. There was no explosion, only a soft thrum of power. When the light faded, the Alpha was gone. Only a heavy, ornate silver chest remained where the monster had stood.
[Emergency Mission Accomplished!]
[Evaluation: S-Rank (Perfect Protection).]
[Rewards Calculating...]
The Rift in the sky began to shrink, hissing as it pulled back into the void. The unnatural grey fog lifted, and the warm sun of the Al-Zahra plains returned.
The silence that followed was heavy. The villagers looked at the scorched earth, then at the silver chest, and finally at Malik. He looked exhausted, his simple clothes torn, but the aura around him was unmistakable. He was no longer the 'waterfall dreamer.' He was a Protector.
Kael walked up to him, his face a mixture of shame and awe. "Level 15... Origin Light... and you fought like you've been doing this for years. Malik, what kind of monster are you?"
Malik wiped the sweat from his brow. "I'm no monster, Kael. I'm just someone who followed the path."
[System Notification: Rewards Issued!]
[1. 1,500 XP (Level Up: 15 -> 17)]
[2. Skill Book: 'Steps of the Upright' (Movement Technique)]
[3. Weapon: 'Sincerity's Edge' (Iron-Grade Divine Sword)]
Malik's hand trembled as he looked at the invisible screen. A sword? He had never held a real blade in his life. But as the system deposited the rewards into his mental 'Storage Space', he felt a new weight on his soul—a responsibility.
"The Rift opened early," the Village Elder said, limping toward them. "This hasn't happened in centuries. Malik, this means the seals are weakening. The 'Ravagers' are coming back."
Malik looked at the horizon, toward the distant spires of the Capital. His journey couldn't end in this village. If he was the only one with the Origin Light, then he was the only one who could stop what was coming.
"I need to leave," Malik said, his voice firm. "I need to find out why the System chose me, and how to stop the next Rift."
[New Main Quest: The Journey to the Capital Academy.]
[Time Limit: 30 Days.]
Malik looked at his hands. He was Level 17 now, but he knew the world outside Qadam was filled with Level 50s, 100s, and things much worse than Shadow Crawlers. The Path of the Upright had only just begun.