Hero's

The wind howled through the cracks in the ruins, carrying a lament that echoed the Desolate Continent’s forgotten sorrows. The path ahead was a jagged scar of earth, littered with shattered stones and petrified bones, vanishing into a gray fog where the air tasted of ash. Athos strode forward, boots crunching against the ground, Lysara and Veyra trailing like shadows. His translucent “system” interface hovered in his vision, its glowing numbers a reminder of his unnatural power: Mana: 1000. Attack: 5000. Intelligence: 1000. A crooked smile curved his lips. This world might be broken, but it was his playground now.

“Lysara, Veyra,” he called, his voice slicing through the eerie silence. “What’s next? This prophecy of yours—where’s it headed?”

Lysara’s dark eyes narrowed, her dagger glinting faintly in the torchlight. “The prophecy speaks of a trial, Master Athos. A relic hidden in the Heart of Ash, a place where the land itself rejects the living. Only the true hero can claim it.”

Veyra’s silver hair caught the dim light as she added, “It’s guarded by something ancient… and wrathful. We’ve lost many to its hunger.”

Athos chuckled, unfazed. “Sounds like a raid boss. Let’s see if it can handle a cheat code.” He opened the system interface, fingers itching to tweak more stats. What’s the worst that could happen?

The trio pressed on through the desolate terrain, the fog thickening, as if swallowing the blood-red sky’s light. The ruins around them were skeletal—remnants of elven towers and fortresses shattered by the First Great War. Dragon bones, their scales still shimmering under dust, lay among the debris, a testament to long-forgotten battles. Athos felt the place’s weight, but his mind was sharp, analyzing every detail like a map from ATHOMIS.

“This Heart of Ash,” he said, breaking the silence. “What is it? A temple? A cave? And this relic—what’s its deal?”

Lysara hesitated, exchanging a glance with Veyra before answering. “The Heart of Ash is a crater at the continent’s center, where raw magic pulses like a living heart. The relic, called the Tear of Eryndor, is a crystal said to hold the power of the ancient elven kings. Its bearer can command nature’s forces… or destroy them.”

“And the guardian?” Athos asked, already boosting his Perception to 800, just to be safe.

“An ash leviathan,” Veyra replied, her voice trembling slightly. “A creature of fire and shadow, born from the war’s corrupted magic. It devours anyone who approaches.”

Athos laughed again, a calculated glint in his eyes. “An endgame boss, huh? Let’s farm that loot.” He tweaked more parameters: Defense: 2000. Speed: 1500. A familiar heat surged through him, as if the world itself answered his command.

The fog parted, revealing the Heart of Ash—a vast circular crater with edges of molten stone, as if shaped by an impossible fire. At its center, a faint glow pulsed like a fallen star, cradled on an obsidian pedestal. But Athos’s attention snapped to a movement in the dark—two flaming eyes, large as lanterns, emerging from the mist.

The ash leviathan rose, a mass of black scales and blue flames, its claws tearing the ground like knives. Its roar shook the earth, sending a wave of heat that made Lysara and Veyra stagger back. “Master, beware!” Lysara shouted, dropping into a combat stance.

“Chill,” Athos said, his tone a mix of arrogance and thrill. “System: activate combat mode.” He visualized an attack, just as before. Fire Spears, Level 3. Four blazing spears, now pulsing with electric blue, materialized in the air, larger and fiercer than before. With a gesture, he hurled them at the leviathan.

The spears struck, erupting in a cascade of blue sparks. The leviathan roared but didn’t fall. Instead, it charged, its claws slashing with a speed that belied its size. Athos dodged by inches, feeling the searing heat graze his skin. Shit, this guy’s too tanky for my base attack.

“Lysara, Veyra, cover the flanks!” he ordered, pulling up the system again. Attack: 8000. Speed: 3000. The ground trembled beneath him, as if the world strained under his power. “Let’s overclock this.”

With a thought, he unleashed a new skill: Ether Tempest. The sky above the crater split, and a rain of blue energy blades poured down, slicing through the leviathan’s scales like paper. The beast collapsed, its body dissolving into ashes that mingled with the fog.

Lysara stood frozen, her dagger still raised. “This… this isn’t magic. It’s something beyond.”

Veyra, wide-eyed, whispered, “Are you truly the hero of the prophecy… or something else?”

Athos brushed his hands, his smirk returning. “Just a guy with good code. Now, let’s grab that relic.” He approached the pedestal, where the Tear of Eryndor glowed, pulsing with an energy that seemed to call his name. But as he touched the crystal, a voice echoed in his mind: “You do not belong to this world. Why are you here?”

He froze, his heart racing. Fourth wall again? Who’s messing with my game? Before he could respond, the ground shook again, but it wasn’t the leviathan. A distant flash cut through the fog, followed by explosions and inhuman screams.

Lysara spun, her dagger ready. “What was that?”

Veyra pointed to the sky, where a golden light pulsed like a beacon. “We’re not alone. Other heroes… they’ve arrived.”

Athos frowned, his system interface flickering with alerts. Other heroes? He opened the Global Tracking tab, a feature he’d coded to monitor top-tier players in ATHOMIS. Seven signals glowed, scattered across the world’s continents. “So I’m not the only glitch summoned. The seven heroes from the game are here.”

The fog cleared further, revealing two figures emerging from the horizon. The first was a tall woman in black plate armor that absorbed the light, wielding a longsword pulsing with purple energy. Her eyes burned with fierce intensity. “Kaelith,” she introduced herself, her voice sharp as her blade. “Hero of Valthar, the Shadow Kingdom. Master of the Abyssal Blade, a skill that cuts through souls.” She locked eyes with Athos, sizing him up. “You’re the hero of the Desolate Continent? You don’t look like much.”

Beside her, a lean man with wireframe glasses and a dark blue cloak hovered inches off the ground. “Zeryn,” he said, with a cold smile. “Hero of Celestara, the Celestial Kingdom. My skill, Arcane Control, bends the laws of magic.” He snapped his fingers, and the air around him warped, forming an energy shield. “If we’re all here, this is no coincidence. Something bigger is at play.”

Athos crossed his arms, his cynical grin returning. “So ATHOMIS’s servers turned into a real-life battle royale. Interesting.” He checked the newcomers’ stats in his system. Kaelith: Attack 7000, Defense 4000. Zeryn: Intelligence 9000, Mana 6000. “Not bad, but my code’s still the strongest.”

Kaelith stepped forward, sword raised. “Empty words. Let’s test if you’re worthy of that crystal.” With a fluid motion, she invoked the Abyssal Blade: the sword extended into an elongated shadow, slicing the air with surgical precision, creating a rift of void that sucked in surrounding light, aiming straight for Athos’s chest. The attack was swift, lethal, capable of tearing not just flesh but vital essence, leaving victims weakened on a deep level.

Athos dodged with a boosted leap from his enhanced speed, feeling the air tear beside him. “Cool, an assassin build. But I’ve got something better.” He activated a new hacked skill: Quantum Barrier, creating an invisible shield that warped reality around him, bending space to deflect attacks. Defense: 5000. Soul Resistance: 3000. Kaelith’s strike ricocheted, boomeranging back as a shadowy backlash.

Zeryn didn’t idle. “Let’s balance this.” Using Arcane Control, he manipulated gravity’s laws, raising the ground beneath Athos into spikes of arcane energy, sharp as crystals, surging at blinding speed. The spikes could pierce heavy armor and drain mana from targets, showcasing Zeryn’s tactical prowess as a master mage.

Athos laughed, ramping up his power. “You guys are strong, I’ll admit. But my system is infinite.” He overclocked his attributes: Attack: 12000. Mana: 5000. Intelligence: 15000. A new skill emerged, Code Pulse, sending waves of digital data like bolts, corrupting enemy magic. The waves hit Zeryn, dissolving his spikes into glitched pixels, then Kaelith, weakening her shadowy blade. Athos countered precisely, firing a bolt that pierced Kaelith’s defense, leaving her gasping but alive—a reminder he could’ve killed her but chose not to.

The heroes exchanged fierce blows: Kaelith spun with fury, her blade creating arcs of darkness that forced Athos to dance on the edge; Zeryn wove complex spells, altering the wind into vortices that sucked the air, testing Athos’s endurance. But each time they struck, Athos’s system adapted, making him stronger—he activated Infinite Regeneration, healing wounds instantly, and Stat Multiplier, doubling his attributes for seconds. His superiority was clear: while the others relied on fixed game skills, Athos’s hack allowed unlimited evolution, turning him into a glitched god on the battlefield.

Before the battle reached its climax, with Athos poised for a final strike, the Tear of Eryndor pulsed violently. A blinding light enveloped Kaelith and Zeryn, and the mysterious voice echoed in all minds: “The test begins now. Return to your kingdoms.” In a blink, the two heroes were teleported, vanishing into portals of shadowy and arcane light, leaving Athos with the crystal in hand.

Athos caught his breath, his system resetting. “So the others are here too. Let’s see who they are.” Using Global Tracking, he visualized the seven signals:

Athos - Hero of the Desolate Continent: Master of the Hacked System, with infinite attribute manipulation and skill creation.

Kaelith - Hero of Valthar, the Shadow Kingdom: Shadow combat specialist, with Abyssal Blade that attacks souls.

Zeryn - Hero of Celestara, the Celestial Kingdom: Intellectual mage, with Arcane Control that alters magic laws.

Elara - Hero of Eldoria, the Forest Kingdom: Nature guardian, with Nature Communion, summoning vines and beasts for mass battles.

Thorne - Hero of Ironforge, the Mountain Kingdom: Forge warrior, with Titan Forge, manipulating metals for indestructible weapons and shields.

Mira - Hero of Aquilon, the Sea Kingdom: Water lady, with Wave Fury, controlling storms and floods to drown armies.

Draven - Hero of Necrosia, the Dead Kingdom: Dark necromancer, with Necromancy Shadow, summoning undead and draining life to empower himself.

The voice echoed one last time: “Seven heroes, seven kingdoms. The world’s fate rests on you.” Athos gripped the crystal, his cynical smile widening. “Let the real game begin.”