Jace stood alone in the cold, his breath coming in slow, misty exhales. Snow blanketed the plateau, an endless stretch of white that blended into the heavy clouds rolling across the sky. In front of him, the ruins of the Hollow Dungeon yawned like the entrance to a forgotten crypt, its stone archways half-buried under time and frost. Behind it, the mountain loomed even higher, its jagged peak swallowed by the heavens.
A sharp gust of wind cut through him, and he shivered. His old, torn clothes and the makeshift bone armor did little to stave off the chill. Snowflakes drifted around him, clinging to his hair, melting against his skin. He exhaled and turned, scanning the area.
The sun sat high in the sky, casting long, crisp shadows over the snow-covered landscape. A worn path caught his eye—a narrow trail leading toward the cliffs. His boots crunched over the frozen ground as he followed it, drawn by the sheer openness of the world beyond.
When he reached the cliff’s edge, the sight stole his breath. “I made it out alive… No more undead!”
He felt a slight tug from the egg behind him. “Sorry? made it out.” He chuckled.
The horizon stretched endlessly before him, an unbroken expanse of rolling hills, winding rivers, and dark forests that ran like veins through the land. Far to the east, he spotted the glint of a city, its towering walls catching the sunlight. Smoke curled lazily from chimneys, a distant sign of civilization in this wild world.
It almost reminded him of when he visited Germany as a child, when he went skiing with his family. Granted, he was so young, but it was still a core memory for him.
Jace exhaled, nodding to himself. That’s my best shot. I can’t stay up here and freeze to death.
He turned away from the view and began making his way down the rugged path, but then stopped, glancing down at himself. His bone armor was little more than a collection of brittle plates and scraps bound together with cloth and straps. More importantly, it wasn’t warm. And… it reeked of death.
“Yeah, I need something that doesn’t scream ‘Fresh Out of a Grave’, or even ‘Crazy Earth Hobo’.”
Mentally, he checked his dimensional pouch, searching through the items he had looted so far. His fingers brushed against something soft—fur-lined leather. He pulled them out, giving them a once-over. They weren’t perfect, a little loose in places, but they were leagues better than what he had on.
Quickly, he pulled out a few more clothes. They weren’t the best and had a few holes, but they kind of fit. He pulled his armor off and shivering in the cold, hurriedly changed into his clothes. With a thought, he put his armor in the dimensional storage. Now warm and changed, he slipped them over his clothes, tightening the straps where he could.
Much better.
With warmth no longer an issue, Jace began his descent.
The world around him unfolded with every step. The air here was thick with scents both familiar and alien—crisp mountain wind mixed with the earthy tang of unknown plant life. Strange trees lined the rocky slopes, their bark a deep, slate blue, their leaves broad and curling at the edges like unfurling scrolls. Some bore hanging, bioluminescent pods that pulsed faintly, even in the daylight.
Birds, unlike any he had seen before, flitted between branches. One, a small, six-winged creature, let out a trill that sounded like glass chimes. Another, perched on a high branch, had feathers that shimmered in shifting colors, reflecting the sky itself; its call was a beautiful song that flittered high. On the ground, he saw tiny rodent-like creatures with armored shells as they scurried beneath roots, vanishing as quickly as they appeared.
Everywhere he looked, the world pulsed with life—new, untamed, and untouched by the familiarity of Earth. It was overwhelming… and exhilarating.
He pressed on for what felt like an hour, taking in everything around him, when he finally reached the foot of the mountain. The landscape shifted, giving way to a dense forest of tall red pine-like trees, their trunks thick and knotted, their branches stretching high into the sky. The air here was different—slightly warmer, but heavy, filled with the scent of damp earth and resin.
He continued following the path he was on when a noise cut through the quiet. At first, it was distant—a faint crash of movement in the trees. After a few more minutes of walking, he heard it. Then came voices, sharp and urgent.
Shouting. Yelling.
Growling.
Then—a woman’s scream.
He broke into a sprint only to slip on a rough patch of ice. He face-planted hard into the dirt and snow.
“Dammit!” He quickly climbed back to his feet, glad no one was watching, and took of,f weaving through the thick undergrowth, his boots kicking up dirt and frost.
He needed his bone armor and instantly regretted taking it off. He had no clue what was out here.
“Would it equip without me having to put it on?” With a thought, he willed his armor to appear directly on him. To his surprise, his armor instantly appeared strapped and fitted. “Now that’s going to come in handy.” He felt ready for a fight. This time,e he watched the ground as he took off towards the sounds.
When they grew clearer, he heard exactly what was going on. He crept to the edge of the trees up against a small clearing, and his breath hitched at the sight before him.
It was a battle.
Four figures fought desperately against a massive 20-foot-tall, undead rotting beast—a grotesque fusion of a bear and a bull, its flesh blackened and peeling, thick, massive horns curled from its monstrous head.
“Damn, that thing is huge…” He turned his gaze from the beast to the others.
At the forefront, a woman with cat-like ears and tail stood in mismatched plate armor stood firm, her shield cracked and splintered, blood dripping from a wound on her forehead and arm. Her tail flicked in agitation, and her grip on her sword was tight despite her apparent exhaustion.
To the side of the massive beast, a four-armed creature that looked like a cross between an ant and a praying mantis wielded a set of crude blades, darting in and out with frantic, desperate strikes, but barely leaving a mark on the beast’s thick hide.
Behind them, a towering rock creature stood, glowing runes etched across its stone body, hands raised as it cast a green spell beneath the catkin’s feet—some kind of healing magic, but it was slow, almost sluggish.
On the opposite side, a moon gray colored woman flitted around the monster’s thrashing tail, dodging and weaving as she tried to land precise, dagger strikes into the rotting gaps in its flesh.
Despite their combined efforts, they were losing.
The beast reared back and let out an earth-shaking roar. The force of it sent a shockwave through the clearing, trees trembling, snow shaking loose from their branches.
Jace’s ears rang, but there was no time to think. They needed help. And he was already moving.
He sprinted forward, boots crunching through the frost-bitten underbrush. His heart hammered in his chest, every instinct screaming at him to turn back—but he shoved the fear down.
They need help.
The beast's roar faded into a low, guttural growl as it lowered its massive horns, preparing to charge the catkin. She barely managed to raise what was left of her shield, her breathing ragged, blood matting her dark brown hair to her forehead.
Jace's mind raced.
Alright... big, rotting, pissed-off bull-bear monster...
His hand shot to his belt, gripping the worn leather handle of his bone warhammer as he identified the creature.
Undead Behemoth
Level: 35
Error…
Skill level up! [Analyze] has reached Rank 2
Allows the user to examine living or organic targets in greater detail.
At Rank 2, Analyze now reveals strengths, weaknesses, and current status effects if the target’s level is within a reasonable range. More detailed results may appear for wounded, weakened, or previously scanned entities.
Displaying new results
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Creature: Undead Behemoth
Level: 35
Strengths:
Unnatural Fortitude: Highly resistant to physical damage; can shrug off most non-magical attacks.
Shockwave Slam: Can generate devastating ground-shaking impacts that knock back or disorient enemies.
Weaknesses:
Exposed Soulreaver Core: Briefly revealed during certain attack animations—vulnerable to soul-based and magic attacks.
Cumbersome Size: Slow attack speed and sluggish turning make it vulnerable to agile opponents.
“Holy… wow.” Jace blinked, staring at the wall of blue text hovering before him. “That’s… a lot of information.”
He didn’t even realize he’d whispered it aloud until the words echoed back at him, faint in the quiet chamber.
For a long moment, he just stood there, transfixed by the glowing screen. Details danced across it—creature type, strengths, weaknesses—things he hadn’t even known existed until now. It was like someone had taken a blindfold off and revealed an entire second world hidden beneath the one he’d been barely surviving in.
Jace exhaled slowly. His heart pounded—not from fear, but from realization.
“This... this changes everything,” he muttered.
He could feel the subtle shift inside himself, the way the magic threaded more tightly with his perception. Like his very eyes had leveled up. It wasn’t just knowing what something was anymore—it was understanding it. Seeing the truth underneath the flesh. The fault lines in a monster’s defense. The things that even the System hesitated to show.
It made him feel dangerous.
And that scared him more than he liked to admit.
“I’m not just surviving anymore,” he whispered, swallowing down the lump in his throat. “I’m adapting.”
He shook his head, dismissing the notification with a flick of thought—but the gravity of it lingered. This wasn’t just a skill rank-up.
It was a glimpse of the kind of power he was growing into.
A roar pierced the air, snapping Jace out of his thoughts. It sounded so close, but the beast was still focused on the catkin for now. She was kitted out in plate gear with a massive shield deflecting any attack she couldn't dodge.
The insectoid was trying to flank, but its blades were barely carving through the thick, corrupted hide. It didn't stop the creepy praying mantis ant from trying.
The rogue was quicker, but every time she got close, the creature's thick tail swept the clearing, forcing her to dance back out of reach. Her skin shimmered like moonlight as she flitted this way and that.
The only thing keeping the whole group from being flattened was the golem’s slow healing magic—and even that looked like it was failing. The green glowing runes erupted from the ground underneath each of the members.
Jace gritted his teeth.
I gotta give them time. I need to draw its attention
He crouched low, slipping through the underbrush as quietly as he could. He took off his backpack and nestled it softly in a bush. His fingers flexed around the handle of his club, drawing on the faint well of mana inside him. He willed his magic into the weapon—just a trickle—feeling the familiar burn crawl up his arm as the club’s surface began to darken, veins of pale blue light threading through the bone. His head slightly pulsed from the debuff.
[Soul Infusion] (Rank 2) –
Expend one or more Soul Fragments to infuse a target item with raw soul energy. You may now infuse corrupted or unstable materials, stabilizing them temporarily. Infused items gain durability or power depending on the soul’s strength. Costs reduced. Soul control increased.
Jace felt the souls as they left his core and flowed into his bone club.
The beast roared again, lunging forward—its horns slamming into the catkin's shield, sending her skidding across the snow. She hit the ground hard, groaning in pain. Her shield now split in two.
Jace’s heart kicked into high gear.
Time to move.
Jace burst from the underbrush, boots pounding across the snow. He summoned his bone spear mid-stride and hurled it at the behemoth’s thick, corded neck. The weapon struck true, but barely sank in, little more than a porcupine quill against its hide.
But it did its job.
The massive beast halted mid-gore, its burning eyes locking onto Jace.
That’s right, ugly. He grinned, breath steaming in the cold. Come get me.
"Don’t! Stay back, that thing’s way too high level for us, and it's acting funny!" The catkin groaned out at Jace, but the warning barely registered. He’d dealt with their kind before. This wasn’t his first undead monster, and it wouldn’t be his last.
The behemoth turned fully, lips peeling back to reveal rows of blackened teeth—almost a smile. As Jace closed the distance, he saw the madness in its gaze, the sheer hate and rage that twisted its soul.
“That’s new.” For a split second, something inside him connected with it.
"Nyra, help that fool!" The moon-skinned one yelled at her party member. The catkin nodded and ran towards the beast, ready to try and shield Jace.
But Jace didn’t slow. He knew the attack was coming. The behemoth’s paw lashed out, a blur of speed, but he was faster.
“Soulrend!”
Dark energy rippled outward, disorienting the monster just long enough for Jace to slide beneath the massive paw, snow spraying in his wake. He twisted, coming up under the beast, and slammed his bone club into its joints. Heavy strikes, precise and brutal. He felt something crack beneath his onslaught.
A bellowing roar.
The beast staggered, its weight shifting. Jace barely dodged a wild kick from its hind leg before—
"Look out!" The moon-skinned one shouted.
Too late.
A paw like a battering ram slammed toward him. Jace pivoted on instinct, pouring everything into his bone magic. His warhammer flared, transforming into a massive morningstar bristling with spikes. He swung.
Bone met flesh in a thunderous impact, but the behemoth was too strong. The sheer force of the blow sent Jace flying. He crashed into a tree at the clearing's edge with a bone-rattling thud.
Warning: Health Critical. 50% remaining
"Fuck," Jace groaned. Pain lanced through every nerve. He tried to move. Nothing. The loss of all his stats was throwing him off. Now he couldn't take any more hits like that.
Across the clearing, the behemoth took a lumbering step toward him, then hesitated, letting out a pained bellow. Jace’s weapon was still buried in its paw like a massive, jagged thorn.
Through the haze of pain, he saw the cat-woman rise, her wounds already knitting together. She shouted something to the golem. The massive construct nodded and raised its hands.
A soft green glow spread beneath Jace, ancient runes igniting in the earth. Warmth flooded his body, muscles reknitting, bones realigning with sickening pops.
Not enough. He needed more.
He raised a trembling hand. “Soulrend!”
Power flooded back into him as the beast’s stolen vitality forced his body to mend. With a ragged breath, Jace surged to his feet, ripping two rib bones from his pouch. He poured mana into them, shaping them, lengthening them into twin warhammers, each one brutal and heavy.
Health Stabilized
Across the battlefield, the behemoth still struggled, its right paw crippled, its left leg faltering. Jace grinned until he watched the rear legs tighten. “It's about to cast a spell!”
The others looked at each other, confused.
"Focus on its hind legs. Hurry!" He shouted, hoping they would listen. He only needed one guess; it was going to cast its shockwave slam.
The cat-woman nodded, snapping orders to her team. The insectoid warrior shifted to the beast’s flank, while the twilight-skinned woman darted to the opposite side, both narrowly dodging tail swipes as it raised up on its hind legs.
Not enough.
"Moon girl!" Jace shouted, feeling a little bad—he really needed to get their names later. "Immobilize the tail!"
The twilight-skinned woman vaulted gracefully onto its back, her silver hair glinting in the moonlight.
The insectoid warrior hesitated, glancing at the cat-woman. She nodded. In a blur, he dashed beneath the beast, weaving between deadly kicks to strike at its flailing tail.
The behemoth froze. It had too many threats, too many angles to defend. It bellowed as it began to let its weight fall back to the ground.
Jace met the cat-woman’s eyes. A silent question passed between them.
He smirked, tapping his left arm—the one still carrying her shield—then pointed skyward.
She got the message. Her ears twitched, tail flicking wildly.
"Now!" Jace sprinted as the cat-woman rushed forward to intercept him. Just before impact, she dropped her shield flat—and with a grunt of effort, launched him skyward.
On the fly, Jace shifted one hammer into a spiked pickaxe and swung, hooking onto the beast’s snout. Momentum carried him upward, and he used the embedded weapon to pull himself onto its massive head.
The massive undead beast lost it. Its massive paws changed their positions to swipe at him. It crashed to the ground with its paws out of place, effectively canceling the slam. It thrashing, bellowing, trying to shake him off, swat him off. But it was too late.
Jace drove his pick into one eye. The beast shrieked, jerking back, but he held fast. He struck again, and again, blinding it completely.
Climbing higher, he reached its massive horns. He swung, cracking one free, then hefted the jagged fragment like a hammer.
‘If this doesn’t work… I’m going to die here, buried in snow, eaten alive by this undead beast.’
With a final, brutal strike, he drove it straight into the beast’s skull.
It smashed straight through its skull.
The behemoth spasmed—then collapsed, its massive bulk crashing to the earth. It was over in an instant.
New Skill Acquired: [Soul Step] (Rank 1)
Slip through the threads of reality using soul energy. Instantly reposition a short distance in any direction. Costs soul fragments to activate. Cooldown decreases with rank.
“Thanks, glitchy system. That wouldn't have been handy until now…” He grumbled quietly to himself.
Spell Level Up!
[Bone Manipulation] has reached Rank 4!
You’ve deepened your understanding of necrotic bone manipulation. You may now reshape bone with finer detail, reinforce its durability, and animate simple constructs for limited durations.
Skill Rank Up! [Soulrend] (Rank 3) – Deals increased soul-based damage and restores more health and stamina on hit. Now costs less mana or soul energy to cast. Nearby weakened enemies take minor soul burn damage. Effect scales with corruption and enemy soul strength.
You have killed a Level 35 Undead Behemoth.
Massive XP Earned!
ERROR…
Class unable to gain XP…
Massive XP forfeited…
Reaper’s Touch Skill activated.
+20 Soul Fragment Reaped.
The behemoth's soul wafted up in a dark, cloying mist. Almost fighting Jace's skill. Jace focused all of his intent and forced the soul fragments to comply.
You have gained +25 to Strength, +15 to Endurance, and +10 to Dexterity due to level discrepancy.
Soulreaver Core Progression Activated.
Soulreaver Core: 30/100
Agony. Power. Sweet, intoxicating strength flooding his veins.
The beast’s husk remained, lifeless and still.
Jace leapt down, landing hard. For a long moment, no one moved.
He panted, the cold air burning his lungs. His mana was spent. His muscles ached. Around them, the snow was splattered black with ichor.
Jace leaned on his warhammer, chest still heaving, but the fight was over. The others weren’t moving—weren’t celebrating. They were watching him.
Nyra’s gaze lingered too long. Sylas’s smirk had faded. Even Torak stood unnaturally still, antennae twitching as if reading something beyond sight. Patch, unmoving as ever, stared with those unreadable glowing eyes. No one spoke. No one moved. The silence thickened.
Jace straightened slowly, the weight of their stares pressing into his spine like a second gravity. They’d seen what he did. How he moved. The unnatural precision. The surge of power. The soul mist. His heart thudded once, hard.
Were they grateful… or afraid?
He smiled—just a little. Just enough.
But inside, a cold whisper stirred:
They saw too much.
And he didn’t know what that meant yet.
He could only hope it was going to be a problem.
NEXT TIME ON HARMONY… OF… THE FALLENNNNNN!
Jace joins a full party!
Will Torak ever figure out social cues?
Will Patch ever blink? (Spoiler: no.)
Will Nyra get a new shield? (Spoiler: also no.)
And just what is Sylas planning with those silent, shady, stabby-stabby vibes?
Still broken. Still glitchy. Still mad.
Can five outcasts survive the world’s judgment? Or will Jace’s growing power tear them apart before they even reach the next town?
HARMONY… OF… THE FALLENNNNN!!!
What was Jace’s real accomplishment this chapter?
