Smoke drifted through the tunnel like mist. It clung to the ceiling in curling tendrils, lit from below by the pulsing glow of shattered mana stones. Pieces of stone and debris lay scattered across the floor. The scent of scorched dust and heated steel hung thick in the air.
The men stared at the hole blasted into the wall.
They had seen magic before. Mages conjured flame and ice and lightning. But none of them had ever seen a weapon like this. A single pull of the trigger. A blast that tore through stone. No chants. No circles. No mana formations. Just precision. Power. Brutality.
John stood in the silence, the pistol still warm in his hand.
The System pulsed gently in his mind.
One charge remaining
Reload required after next use
He slid the weapon into the cloth belt around his waist. It did not need a holster. Not yet.
The others waited for him to speak.
He looked at them.
"You have seen what I can do"
They nodded.
"This world has power. But it is ancient. Arrogant. It refuses to change. I will change it. And you can choose whether to follow or return to the lives you lost before you came here"
The oldest man stepped forward. The one who had spoken to him before.
"You carry something different" he said. "Not just in your hands. In your eyes"
John met his gaze.
"I carry memory. Of another world. Of things you have never seen. And I am not done"
The man dropped to one knee.
The others followed.
John felt no pride.
Only silence.
He turned back to the tunnel and looked toward the exit.
The path out would be long. Guarded. But it no longer mattered.
He began to walk.
They followed.
The upper levels of the mine had fallen quiet. The workers had vanished. Some fled the moment the first explosion echoed through the tunnels. Others remained in the shadows, watching with fear as John passed. No one blocked their path.
But one figure waited near the top.
Loric.
His cloak was torn. Blood streaked one side of his face. His sword was gone. His voice cracked when he spoke.
"You do not understand what you have done"
John did not slow his steps.
"You have stolen from the noble house. You will be hunted. Killed. The mages will not let this go. The Circle Lords will bury your name in ash"
John reached the final step.
Loric backed away.
"You cannot challenge the world alone"
John stopped in front of him.
The pistol hung at his side.
His voice was quiet.
"I am not alone"
Loric glanced past him.
The men stood behind John. Eyes hollow. Backs straight. They had followed him through fire and darkness. They did not need titles. They did not need gold.
Only purpose.
John lifted the pistol.
Loric stumbled back and fell to his knees.
"No. Wait. I can serve. I can guide you. I know things. I can still be useful"
John looked at him.
"You were useful the moment you betrayed me. You gave me a reason to awaken"
He turned the weapon.
Fired
The blast tore through the stone above Loric's head. The wall collapsed in a rain of rubble. Dust filled the chamber. Light poured in from the hole beyond.
Loric screamed and curled into the ground.
John stepped over him.
The others followed.
None looked back.
Outside the mine the sky was overcast. The hills rolled out into gray mist. Wind stirred the tall grass. The trees at the edge of the valley leaned with the breeze.
John took a breath.
Fresh air.
His lungs burned with it.
The world stretched wide around him. No longer bounded by fences or stone. No longer forced into corners. No longer chained.
The System glowed faintly in his mind.
Blueprints available
Workshop mode unlocked
Memory archive accessible
First Administrator Milestone complete
Reward granted
Unlocking system module Mana Forging Table
Item blueprint added to internal list
Recommended first task: establish portable base
John closed his eyes for a moment.
A breeze brushed past his cheek.
He opened them again and looked down the hill.
Far in the distance smoke curled into the sky.
A village.
A place to begin.
He turned to the men behind him.
"You are free to go. I will not stop you. But if you wish to stand again. To build again. To fight. Then come with me"
The oldest stepped forward first.
"Where you go I will follow"
Another man nodded.
"Until my strength fails me"
A third stepped closer.
"My life ended in those tunnels. You gave it back"
One by one they came to stand behind him.
John nodded once.
Then he began walking.
Toward the village.
Toward the future.
Toward a world that would never again treat him like nothing.
The Forsaken Voidlord had risen.
And the world would remember his name.
End of Chapter 1