Essence Code

--

Unharmonic groans escaped from the mouths of dozens of children and teens, a naturalistic buzzing emanating from the annoying pests that bugged them. One boy with a freshly shaven head awoke first, his egg-shaped head rising. 

He lazily looked around, his baggy, nearly shut eyes an ideal visage for his depleted state. He quickly woke up once his mind registered his surroundings and the countless other people around him who were also asleep. His expression promptly contorted to confusion and panic as his breathing quickly became rapid and haggard. 

He stood up and quickly approached the closest person, shaking them awake. The teenagers gradually awoke one by one, mirroring the egg-headed boy's actions.

Tiredness. Confusion. Worry. Fear. 

After the last one awoke, a window of incandescent yellow light appeared in their vision. The sudden anomaly was simultaneous, spreading a hot sensation throughout their abdomens. And everyone seemed to register the same thing in their minds. 

Some, fortunate enough to have families to possess any money, quickly realized it was a system screen straight from a game.

A minor few were able to quickly figure out its theme. At the same time, some were left entirely in the dark, their eyes warily darting around the game window. Cale was among the first to wake up. His jet-black hair veiled his sheepish eyes; however, the System was in his mind. His mouth widened in astonishment as he read the sentences displayed by the System. 

[Cale Green]

[Species: Human]

[Compatability: N/A]

[Bloodline: {---}]

>[Essence Code: {---}]

 ^[Ascend to view].

Cale understood nearly nothing of this, his mind only comprehending that the System confirmed he was a human and that he was himself. 

Below, it listed out his stats. Unfortunately, they weren't a pleasure to look at.

[Rank: Admired] [Class: Human]

[Evolution Path: Humanoid] [Type: {A}]

[Physicality {F--}]

[3 Strength]

[4 Speed]

[4 Dexterity]

[3 Durability]

[Mentally {D+}]

[5 Intelligence]

[0 Adaption]

[6 Sense]

[0 Essence]

Cale was unsure of the formula used to grade the stats, but considering he had an 'F--' next to his name meant nothing good. 

His time to ponder was quickly interrupted as the sudden eruption of yells and shouts caught his attention.

---

Cale snapped back to reality, his aloof mind slowly cracking. He could only stare into the distance as countless images of mauled bodies and pools of blood lay around him. 

The sun fell and rose while he was in a trance.

It was an odd thing he'd begun doing when he was young. Sure, to anyone else, it sounded like he was just dreaming, but it felt so surreal. A good 80% of the time, it wasn't intentional. His mind would further succumb to it, and eventually, he'd snap out of it, attaining a good night's sleep while reliving whatever negative situations happened in the past. 

He didn't need to be in a comfy position to do this either; it just happened. Either way, he sighed and stood up, stretching his limbs. This day was a fantastic chance to boost his strength as they'd go on a hunting expedition. The sole objective is to gain strength and return with food. Nothing more, nothing less.

He stepped out of the barrack, his eyes instinctually scanning over the camp. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was the crack of dawn, so only a couple were up to serve as watchguards.

Three boys huddled around a fire in the distance, couped up by a wall that rose nearly three stories high. Cale quickly recognized them as Ardyn, Lapis, and another named Leon. He was by far the most physically dominant male in the camp. Despite being just 16, his height reached a staggering 6'6, and he maintained a fit physique despite his poor living conditions. His brown skin was highly synergetic with his chestnut hair and sharp, masculine features.

His immaculate facial features weren't what grasped his attention, though. It was a common fact that he was the strongest here without much competition.

He didn't possess some game-changing Ability or powerful gear.

Just raw strength earned from killing monsters.

Cale began trotting forward, his recent sluggishness slowly dissipating because he knew who his teammates would be. He couldn't slack off in the face of the strongest in the camp; that'd be embarrassing. 

They soon recognized his presence, Leon standing up to greet him.

"Nice to see you again, Cale."

He reciprocated with a nod, standing sheepishly behind Lapis. Ardyn offered him an indifferent glare before redirecting his eyes to the blazing campfire. "Hello." The corner of Cale's lip raised awkwardly as he greeted Ardyn, albeit unenthusiastic.

Leon sat down, taking a bite from a scrumptious piece of bread, "So. I heard a small group attacked you and stole your food." 

Cale cleared his throat, embarrassment swelling up in his face. "Yeah. I took a breather, and they instantly attacked me. I assume they followed me to catch me at such a vulnerable moment.

Leon nodded. "Any Traits or Skills?" Cale shook his head.

Another reason Cale needed to hunt is that, either by sheer luck or building a skill over time, it will unlock itself in the System, serving as a pathway to develop it to its fullest potential and, at the same time, amplifying its effectiveness and making it more straightforward to extend upon it.

A Trait and Skill were different. 

As said before, skills can be developed to provide a slowly inflating power augmentation over time. They weren't only earned by learning them naturally. Still, they were randomly learned from killing monsters, albeit the chances of being nearly non-existent.

However, traits were a more inherent quality of a person that offered stagnant but consistent power boosts.

For example, a soldier who has fought for decades might receive a trait called 'Combat Veteran,' which boosts their Mental Fortitude in a battle, eliminating the chances of fear or mistakes. At the same time, it could further deepen their comprehension of fighting, causing their technique to become sharper and deadlier. 

Skills can be heavily influenced by talent or stats. At the same time, traits are raw and entirely based on the person's experiences, character, and many other factors.

Both offer a boost to whatever it is related to.

Leon possessed battle-related skills, improving his efficiency with spears. Cale was unsure if he possessed a trait, but only 4 in the camp had one of the two.

As known, Leon possessed a skill that enhanced his technique, swiftness, and penetration with a spear. The stat augmentation was 20%, an incredible boon. Not to overlook the strength boost that didn't have a label on it: knowing how to operate a weapon proficiently. It wasn't a randomly acquired skill; Leon was innately talented with any weapon he attempted to use, although a spear was virtually second nature to him.

Ardyn owned a 'Mental' Trait that heavily nullified any sort of mental issues that affected him. This perfectly synergized with his being a medic, as even the most gruesome wounds had almost no influence on him. Although, as time slowly passed by, his humanity was unwillingly ripped from him. 

It was noticed only a couple days after he awakened, he slowly became less lively, his gaze bleak and nearly extinct. His personality turned into a blank slate, and he was just a person.

Not a funny boy, an angry one, just Ardyn. 

Next was a boy named Orin.

Due to his Skill, [Hawkeye] was employed as the leading Watch Tower operator. His vision became more attentive to detail, and small objects or ants suddenly became more prominent. 

The world around him altered. He could see nearly anything he wanted. The limitation that is generally opposed to humans didn't apply to him. Most would struggle to capture the minuscule movements of a beast in the forest or one burrowing under the ground. However, his eyes were undeceiving, and this Skill proved invaluable dozens of times. Not only were ambushes nearly impossible on him, but his vision range allowed him to forewarn the camp of any impending dangers, permitting them ample time to prepare.

Lastly, it was Lapis.

No one knew what his Skill or Trait was. Still, it has been recognized that as a fight progresses, he becomes stronger. It could be that the internal effects of fatigue don't affect him, allowing him to perform at near-peak proficiency for an entire battle. Whatever it was, it allowed him to win every fight or duel he had partaken in. And as a consequence of that, he was most likely the 2nd strongest in the camp.

Cale was initially confused about why Ardyn was part of this expedition group, as he wasn't combat-oriented. Of course, it was because he could recover minor fatigue and heal injuries that would typically affect one's performance. 

Additionally, regardless of his support-oriented ability, he still possesses a high combat affinity due to his stats, which were higher than Cales. Now that he thought about it, his stats were likely the lowest.

This led him to delve into his mind, questioning why he was a part of this group.

Lapis scooched over, lightly patting the open space on the wooden log. Cale smiled and sat down, the blazing warmth of the fire quickly blanketing his body. They were in a comfortable silence, silently watching the flame dwindle out in the rigid breeze that graced their skin. 

'I'm not the strongest; I don't possess any sort of trait or aspect or gear. So why was I chosen?

He skimmed over the three as if looking at them would enlighten him. He knew it wasn't some underhanded scheme to kill him, for whatever reason it could be. As his eyes danced over Leon, he flicked his eyes up, intercepting Cale's gaze. They stood at a standstill as his auburn irises stared into Cale's'. His lips parted slightly before he peered at the flame, "You might be wondering why we chose you, Cale." Leon said knowingly. 

Lapis smiled in content as he wasn't much of an explainer and was content with Leon explaining it for him. Cale could see Ardyn looking at Leon from the corner of his eye.

"We realized, no matter how strong the opponent you faced, how many, or how dire the situations were, you always survived."

Cale's eyes momentarily widened before contorting into a solemn grimace, a knot lurching in his stomach as a torrent of fear and guilt drowned him.

His mind flashed.

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