A young man with dark-red hair and pale skin floated through a dark void, as if between life and death…after a few moments, he began to feel….cold, an abrupt feeling of cold liquid surrounding him grew irritating as his eyes snapped open. To his horror, he found himself floating within a glass chamber filled with a mysterious green liquid.

With feeling slowly returning to his body, he shattered the chamber, landing on a cold steel floor within a dark laboratory where rows of similar liquid chambers stood aligned in the dark room. The weak man slowly rose to his feet, he had purple eyes dressed in mere black pants.

“I-I’m not sure where I am…all I can remember is my name is Heisuke. I must escape before who ever brought me here, finds me” With feeling returning to the weakened man’s body, he could feel a heavy soreness weight him down. His entire body aching with each step as he walked towards the large steel door before him. As he approached the door, it automatically opened before him, leading him out into a dark narrow hallway filled with red lights.

Cautiously moving through the dark halls of what was some kind of underground laboratory, He could hear faint male voices nearby. Taking a deep breath, he continued slowly crouching down the hall, in order to avoid detection. Spying from around the corner the man spotted a guard dressed in a black high-tech uniform with a futuristic mask covering his face. Noticing he had a gun, the weakened man was hesitant to attack.

However, seeing no other option, Heisuke clinched his dripping fist, charging towards the armored guard full speed. “Hmph!?” The guard spotted Heisuke, firing semi-auto shots from his gun right for the escaped man. As the bullets flew past him, the red-haired man could feel his body flinch just before the projectiles could make contact, barely evading each bullet that zipped past his drenched body.

“Im-impossible!” The guard exclaimed as he emptied the last round of his magazine in his target’s direction. With his assailant now wide-open, Heisuke lunged right for him, slamming their masked face into the steel floor before opening the door in front of him, reviling to be the middle of a lush green forest.

“Sigh, in my body’s current state I'd prefer to rest but-” Without warning a nearby door opened behind him as a squad of more guards rushed out into the hall before him.

“Halt! Experiment #002, you are to surrender and return to your incubation chamber immediately or we will open fire!” One of the guards ordered as all of them aimed their firearms in his direction. Clinching his fist He looked them dead in the eye responding: “I don’t know what’s going on here, but you all can fuck off” With that he darted out of the large steel facility towards the large green forest before him.

Each step sent a wave of pain through his body as he dashed through the bright green forest with stray bullets flying past him, piercing trees and any unlucky wildlife that happened to be in it’s path. The man’s heart began to beat faster and faster causing even more strain on his already weakened body.

Not long into the chase, Heisuke realized he was headed right for a cliff with a large waterfall below. “D-damn it” He stood there deciding whether to jump or not when the armored guards suddenly caught up with him.

“Stop this pointless chase, you have nowhere eft to run #002, you can either come with us, or fall to your death and we’ll just retrieve your lifeless body...it’s your choice”

Without a word, Heisuke let his body fall back as he opened both arms out, falling off the cliff towards the water below...

Heisuke abruptly awoke on a small riverside, his body soaked from the river but clean from the green substance he had found himself in earlier. “I-I think I did it...I survived the fall from the cliff and escaped those masked bastards” Crawling over to a large oak tree beside the riverside, he rested up against it before falling back asleep...

"In a world of endless possibilities, only those who dare to dream beyond the limits of their imagination can truly shape their own destiny and weave their own tale...”

CHAPTER 1 A World Of Fantasy & Sci-Fi

Heisuke awoke beneath the large oak as moonlight illuminated the forest around him. The soreness he had felt earlier seemed to have subsided as he was able to move a little more fluently with faintly any pain or discomfort. “Huff, seems a nap is all I needed...my body feels a bit lighter than before. I’m not sure what they did to my body, but it seemed to really cause my muscles to tense up. Anyway, now that I'm rested and can move around a little more, I should try to find some clothes or someone who can help me”

Walking through the quiet forest, he watched as different color fireflies flew past him, many different colors he had never seen before: purple, blue, green. The small creatures seem to add a slight calming feel to the quiet forest with only the sounds of leaves rustling around him.

As he followed the forest path, he felt a slight tingle in his hand but brushed it off, continuing forward. That’s when a large blue slime jumped out in front of him, blocking his path. “W-what the hell?! A slime?! I wasn’t expected something like that to be in the middle of the forest, don’t they normally stay near water or caves?”

The large blob slowly approached him before opening what could only be it’s mouth as it shot an ice shard right for him. Luckily, he managed to evade the incoming projectile, stepping to the side just in time. “Tssk, first the guards and now some kind of slime, sigh when do my troubles end?” The tingling feeling in his left hand grew stronger as the slime fired multiple ice shards right for him, giving him little time to dodge. With no other option, Heisuke crossed both arms, putting up his guard against the incoming attack.

The moment they made contact with his body, he could feel both his left hand and feet become incased in a thick layer of ice. “Tssk! Shit!” The trapped man struggled to move but was unable to free himself from the ice.

That’s when a ray of purple light emanated from his frozen left palm. The ice incasing his palm began to vibrate before shattering to pieces. The shards of ice froze in mid-air around his glowing hand before a purple eye ball opened in the center of his hand, absorbing the ice before closing and vanishing into his skin.

“W-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!” Heisuke cried out in utter horror by what he had just witnessed. He gripped his left-hand staring at his now normal palm as the slime’s ice continued to melt away from his body.

[Skill Emulation Successful]

[Skill Obtained: Ice Shard – Fires a sharp piece of ice that instantly incases anything it touches in a thick layer of ice.

“S-skill emulation...successful? Wait...does this mean I can copy the skills of monsters just by absorbing them into that strange eye that manifested in my hand?” Turning his attention back to the large blue slime, he aimed his palm in it’s direction with a calm expression on his face. A white mist of frost formed around his palm as he sent a sharp ice fragment right for the hostile creature, instantly incasing it’s body in a thick layer of ice.

Heisuke just stood there in shock, staring at his hand as the icy mist faded. T-this power...could it be from them experimenting on me? Or something completely different?” Slowly approaching the incased monster, striking the thick ice with his bare fist, causing it to shatter apart with nothing more than blue goo and ice fragments lying in the grass.

A slight smirk grew across the man’s face before he walked past the defeated enemy, continuing down the forest path. About an hour later, Heisuke finally saw light out in the distance. “Yes! Hopefully someone there can help me” But as he grew closer towards small village, he began to smell smoke coming from the village’s direction. Without a 2nd thought, the wanderer dashed through the forest, quickly reaching the village, only to see many wooden houses set ablaze as many citizens ran around in fear, trying to avoid the small burning debree from the weakening structures around them, as well as the thick smoke filling the town.

“What the hell is going on?” The red-haired man asked himself in disbelief at all the destruction around him. That’s when a large man dressed in black and read knight armor came around the corner on a tall black horse. (Seems I found the culprit, no way a knight like that would be here to help)

As many poor citizens ran past him in utter fear, Heisuke slowly approached the mounted knight with a dark glare on his face, his blood-red hair blowing in the breeze from the raging flames around him.

The large knight spotted him and in a deep voice spoke: “You there boy, why do you stand before me in such disrespectful manner? Have you something to say to me? Or are you foolish enough to challenge one of the royal guard of the golden order?”

“I’m not from this village, but I know you’re the one behind all this chaos, I want you to tell me why you would do such horrific things to those who haven’t doner anything to deserve such a fate”

“Hmph, these people had it coming, they refused to pay the monthly fee they’re required to pay in order to remain on this land owned by our great lord Alexzander, he is king of this country as well as the king of the golden order. You as well as these peasants should learn your place and just submit to those who stand above you”

A sudden feeling of rage built up inside Heisuke as he started the knight door. “A-are you saying you burned down their village and endangered all these people just because they didn’t pay some stupid fee?”

The knight gripped his great sword, unsheathing it before the young wander. “So, what if I did? Those lesser must learn not to talk back to those ruling over them, it is the job of the golden order to keep order over those we deem below us. I suggest you leave with your tail twixt your feet before you’re struck down like ones before you”

The moment Heisuke spotted fresh blood on the knight’s blade, something snapped within him. A purple aura manifested around his body as the purple eye appeared on his palm once more. His eyes glowing, he threw his palm out in front of him, firing an onslaught of ice shards in the tyrant’s direction.

“Hmph!? The little brat knows magic!?” As shards flew past him, the horse let out a cry before knocking him off and running into the forest. “Tssk! Enough of this infernal bigotry! You’ve wasted my time long enough and shall be struck down here and now! Feel honored, for not many get to die by the hand of one of the royal knights of Syvaria”

The large armored brute gripped his great sword with one hand, preparing to strike the warrior down when Heisuke fired a shard at the knight’s feet, causing the ground to freeze instantly around him. The knight staggered back, hitting the ground with a loud clank.

His target now vulnerable, the warrior fired several shots at vital areas of the knight’s body, instantly freezing his four limbs to the ground. Walking over to the knight’s head, Heisuke incased his own hands in ice like gloves before kneeling down to the binded foe.

“Tell me, where is this so-called lord of yours? If he would order such a gruesome act over mere gold, then he doesn’t deserve to rule over a kingdom. One who sees life as currency doesn’t deserve to exist in this world. I have no memory prior to a few hours ago, but whoever I was...I know the difference between a heartless tyrant like you and those willing to do what it takes to maintain what little peace there is”

“You may as well kill me...I shall not give up what my lord has entrusted in me. Those who are without loyalty are less than trash itself. So gone on...end my life” The young man stared at the pinned knight...deciding whether to end him there or just leave him.

Without a word, Heisuke forced open the man’s torso armor with his frozen palms before manifesting an ice shard in his hand. Without hesitation he shot it into the tyrant’s abdomen, causing the man’s body to begin freezing from the inside. The knight’s cries could be heard throughout the burning village until...silence...only the sounds of dying flames remained.

“Thank you young man for stopping that monster from killing anymore people, If-if you hadn’t come along, I fear none of us would have survived” An old man responded dressed in a brown cloth shirt and pants with the small few survivors circled around him.

Heisuke picked up the large steel blade lying beside the deceased knight, gripping it tightly in one hand as he rested it on his shoulder. “You’re...you’re welcome, I'm sorry you all had to endure such a horrific experience, but I assure you, I will make the golden order pay for their heartless actions”

Just before he left, one of the citizens came over with a black cloth shirt for him. “I-I know it’s not much, but it looked as though you needed a new shirt” A woman with brown hair and green eyes dressed in a brown gown handed him the shirt.

Dropping the great sword, he put on the shirt before retrieving his new weapon. “Thank you, I shall return once I've dealt with their king. I won’t let his heinous acts go unpunished, those who are willing to kill the innocent should be ready to face the same fate”

A Few Hours Later...

Heisuke continued down the forest path, the kingdom of the golden order just off in the distance. A large stone wall surrounded the large kingdom with only the top of the gold castle visible over the massive wall. “There it is...time to see who this Alexander is and why he thinks he can push people around like mere trash”

As he continued down the path, he spotted a large golden gate with a single knight guarding the gate. The knight wore the same armor the one before had worn, welding a large two-handed axe. Making his way up to the kingdom’s gate, the knight stood before him, his hands resting on his large axe.

“Welcome to the kingdom of Syvaria young traveler, is there something I can help you with?” The knight spoke with a deep voice like the one before but a more welcoming tone.

“Yes, I've come to speak with the king of Syvaria about an innocent in a village not far from here. I was informed the king ordered one of you to set fire to the small village, ultimately ending in many causalities of the poor townspeople, I would like to talk to him about such a horrific action”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow you to enter if you have ill intentions towards our lord Alexzandar. I suggest you leave before I'm forced to remove your head and deliver it to our king as a trophy” Heisuke gripped his sword firmly, pondering whether to force his way through or retreat for the time being...

“Very well, I shall go for now, but don’t expect this to be the end of it. Your king shall pay for the pain and death he’s caused to those who are innocent” Turning away, Heisuke retreated back into the forest where he had come until he was out of sight of the royal knight. “Seems this will be harder than I thought. I probably could take him down, but if he calls for reinforcements, I could be in trouble. I should get stronger before attempting to enter Syvaria. These woods must be crawling with monsters, if I steal enough of their skills, I'll be able to take down anyone that stands in my way of the king”

CHAPTER 2 Monster Hunting

Searching the nearby area, the 1st creature for Heisuke to find was an undead skeleton, it wielded a small sword wearing torn rags like your typical undead, it’s eyes glowing in the dark night. The low-tier creature lunged towards him, moving it’s blade right for the warrior’s neck, only for Heisuke to stop the incoming strike with his great sword.

Sparks flew from their swords as he watched in amazement. Hmph, never thought a mere undead would be capable of such speed and strength, normally they're seen as slow and weak. However, if he doesn’t use an attack I can’t try and absorb it...”

That’s when he realized something... “Wait...the eye....” Breaking the clash between him and the undead, he advanced towards the vulnerable monster, gripping it’s skull with his left hand as he focused....a purple aura outlined his hand as he attempted to steal one of the creature’s skills.

The skeleton let out demonic groans just before Heisuke pushed it away, causing it to land on it’s back falling to pieces.

[Skill Emulation....successful]

[Passive Obtained: Dark Vision – A passive that allows the user to see clearly in the dark as if it were daytime.

The young warrior watched as the dark forest abruptly lit up around him as if the brightness had been turned up. He could now see more clearly in the dark rather than relying on the moonlight to guide him. “Though this isn’t a skill I was hoping for, it should come in handy when in dark areas”

The next creature he found was a dark wolf, it had black fur with red eyes. Heisuke stood before the creature, aiming his sword towards the creature. Alright wolf, let’s see what kind of skills you have” The creature growled before letting out a deafening howl that echoed throughout the forest. The young adventurer could feel the very force of the wolf’s howl pushing him back. “Heh, that’s quite a howl you have there, but it’s not quite the skill I need”

Jumping into the area, Heisuke sent a single slash across the wolf’s throat, decapitating it in one swift strike. Slowly approaching the severed head, he used his skill to absorb a random skill from the beast.

[Skill Emulation....successful]

[Skill obtained: Keen sense of smell – User can smell even the faintest smell within 100m of one’s location

“Sigh, I need offensive skills, is this eye trying to make me a rogue or something? Much as I like sneaking around, I need more offensive type abilities if I'm going to get into Syvaria” With that the warrior continued on, defeating dozens o0f monsters in hopes of finding the right skills to overpower the royal guards of syvaria...

The Next Day...

Heisuke awoke under a large oak tree as sun shined through the leaves over him. “Yawn....I spent hours looking for the right skills to use but couldn’t acquire anything besides the two I got Yesterday....maybe I need to find something stronger than mere low-tier forest creatures”