Strongest Mage of the Forgotten Realm

The light of the barren horizon began to dim, casting long shadows across the fractured ground. Zeth stood motionless, his chest rising and falling with each labored breath. His mind swirled with confusion and fear, but beneath the turmoil was a spark of determination. He didn't know why he was here or what he was meant to do, but one thing was clear, he had to survive.

The jagged spires in the distance pulsed faintly, as if beckoning him. The glowing runes etched into the ground whispered unintelligible words, their cadence growing louder in his mind. Zeth tightened his grip on the stone shard in his hand, his only weapon in this unfamiliar, hostile world.

A faint vibration hummed beneath his feet, growing stronger with each second. He glanced around, his senses on high alert. The barren plains were deceptively still, yet the air crackled with an energy he couldn't ignore.

Then, the system spoke again.

'New objective detected: Reach the Obsidian Monolith. Hostiles will engage.'

Zeth clenched his jaw.

"Great,"

he muttered under his breath.

"No instructions. Just figure it out on my own."

The towering monolith he'd noticed earlier loomed in the distance, its surface glistening like black glass. It was at least a mile away, and the thought of traversing this unknown terrain made his pulse quicken.

He started forward, his footsteps slow and deliberate. The glowing runes beneath him flickered sporadically, casting eerie patterns on the ground. As he approached the first jagged outcrop, the runes flared brightly before dimming completely.

The air around him shifted.

A growl echoed from the shadows, low and guttural. Zeth froze, his grip tightening on the shard. His eyes darted toward the source of the sound, catching the faint outline of a creature emerging from the darkness. Its body was angular and uneven, made of shadow and smoke, with glowing blue eyes that seemed to pierce through him.

'Hostile detected: Wraithling Sentinel. Threat Level: Moderate.'

The creature charged, its movements fluid and unnervingly fast. Zeth barely managed to sidestep its initial lunge, the claws slicing through the air mere inches from his chest. He swung the shard in a wide arc, striking its shoulder. The creature recoiled, letting out a piercing screech that reverberated through the air.

Zeth didn't wait for it to recover. He lunged forward, aiming for the creature's core. The shard struck true, and the wraithling dissolved into a cloud of ash, its glowing eyes the last to fade.

'Hostile defeated. Mana replenished: +10.'

He barely had time to catch his breath before another growl echoed behind him. Two more wraithlings emerged, their glowing eyes fixated on him. Zeth's grip on the shard tightened as he braced for another attack.

"This is getting ridiculous,"

he muttered, his voice trembling with both fear and frustration.

The creatures attacked simultaneously, forcing him to retreat. One swiped at his leg, its claws tearing through fabric and skin. Pain shot through him, and a notification flashed before his eyes.

'HP reduced: -15. Current HP: 35/50.'

Ignoring the searing pain, Zeth countered with a quick strike, driving the shard into the wraithling's chest. It let out a final screech before dissolving. The remaining wraith circled him, its movements slower, more cautious. Zeth narrowed his eyes, focusing on its erratic rhythm.

When it lunged, he was ready. He sidestepped the attack and drove the shard into its back with all his strength. The creature's form flickered before vanishing into the void.

'All hostiles defeated. Experience gained: +30.'

Zeth collapsed to his knees, his chest heaving. His arms trembled as he dropped the shard, blood dripping from the wound on his leg. The glowing interface appeared before him, updated with new information.

________________________________

Name: Zeth

Class: Arcane Combatant

Level: 2

Mana: 60/60

Abilities Unlocked: Arcane Bolt

The words blurred in his vision as exhaustion threatened to overtake him. But he couldn't stop. The monolith was still far away, and he had no idea what awaited him there.

Grimacing, Zeth pushed himself to his feet. The sharp pain in his leg made him wince, but he pressed on. Each step felt heavier than the last, the weight of his injuries and the oppressive atmosphere bearing down on him.

As he neared the halfway point, the runes along the ground shifted. Their faint glow turned a deep crimson, and the air grew thicker, tinged with the metallic scent of blood. A new sound filled the air, a rhythmic pounding, like the beating of a giant heart.

'Warning: Enemy reinforcements approaching. Prepare for combat.'

Zeth groaned.

"Of course there's more."

The pounding grew louder, accompanied by the sound of footsteps—heavy, deliberate, and unrelenting. Emerging from the haze was a figure far larger than the wraithlings he'd faced. Its body was a grotesque fusion of flesh and metal, with glowing runes etched across its armor. A massive cleaver rested on its shoulder, dripping with an unidentifiable black substance.

'New hostile detected: Wraith Knight. Threat Level: High.'

Zeth's heart sank. There was no way he could take on something like this with a jagged rock and sheer willpower. The creature's glowing red eyes locked onto him, and it began its slow, menacing advance.

Then, something clicked in his mind, a spark of knowledge he hadn't possessed moments ago.

He raised his hand instinctively, and a faint blue light began to gather at his fingertips. The energy swirled and condensed, forming a small orb that pulsed with raw power.

"Arcane Bolt,"

he whispered, the name rolling off his tongue as if it had always been there.

The wraith knight charged, raising its cleaver for a devastating strike. Zeth hurled the orb with all his strength, the bolt of energy streaking through the air. It struck the creature's chest, exploding on impact and sending it staggering back.

'Direct hit. Wraith Knight damaged. -50 HP.'

The creature roared in fury, its movements becoming more erratic. Zeth fired another bolt, aiming for its exposed shoulder. The blast tore through the armor, and the knight's cleaver fell to the ground with a resounding crash.

Sensing an opening, Zeth sprinted forward, ignoring the pain in his leg. He grabbed the shard and drove it into the creature's core with all his remaining strength. The knight let out one final roar before collapsing, its massive form dissolving into ash.

'Hostile defeated. Experience gained: +100.'

'Item acquired: Lesser Mana Crystal.'

Zeth dropped to the ground, his body spent. The interface flickered before him, but he barely had the strength to read it. His vision blurred as the distant monolith shimmered, its glow growing brighter.

For now, he had survived. But the Forgotten Realm was far from finished with him.