“Devotee, your power is granted!”

“The Scale shall teach you to wield its might and guide your path through the shadows!”

“When you grow strong enough, heed its call and seek me!”

In the shadowed heart of the Altar of the Worldbreaker, the dragon statue’s eyes blazed with crimson fire.

Then, silence descended, heavy and absolute.

Caelum Veyne stood frozen, ensnared in a daze.

The world around him dissolved.

In its place, an abyssal darkness swallowed all.

A cold mechanical voice reverberated in his ears, stark and unyielding.

“Adventurer: Loneveil, character creation complete!”

“Race confirmed: Draconid”

“Vocation confirmed: Devotee of Calamity”

“Entering the Dominion of the Celestials in ten seconds!”

“Prepare, adventurer!”

“Countdown: 10”

“9”

“8”

…

“A curious world… a game system, or the law of this realm? Does a will govern its power?”

The ebon dragon raised his head, his piercing gaze fixed on the ash-gray heavens, his murmur a low rumble of ancient thought.

What he had bestowed was but a single scale, shed across the eons of his existence.

To him, it was worthless—such trinkets were as countless as the stars.

Yet to mortals, it was a rare and arcane relic, steeped in dread potency.

The Scale of Calamity, imbued with Draven’s sorcery, served not only to grant power but to tether the bearer to his will.

Through it, he could perceive every moment of their journey.

If the need arose, he could seize their very form.

Every step they took lay bare before his unyielding gaze.

That the mortal wielded his power was no surprise, but the system that forged Caelum’s role kindled a spark of curiosity in Draven’s ancient heart.

What was its nature?

The law of the world?

Did it pulse with its own will?

Whose cause did it serve?

…

It was done!

Caelum snapped from his reverie, his eyes ablaze with exultation.

He had claimed it—truly claimed it!

Character creation complete!

“Attribute Codex!”

As the countdown’s echo resounded, Caelum felt the torrential power coursing within and summoned his stats with a silent command.

A radiant azure codex flared before his eyes.

Name: Loneveil

Race: Draconid

Vocation: Devotee of Calamity

Level: 1 (0/100)

Health: 200/200

Mana: 100/100

Rage: 0/50

Strength: 20

Spirit: 20

Agility: 20

Endurance: 20

Skills: Formshift, Calamity’s Wrath, Ebonflame Orb, Talon Rend

Trait: Zealous Devotee

Equipment: None

Title: None

As foretold!

A codex of unparalleled splendor, just as he’d dreamed!

Caelum nodded, a quiet thrill coursing through him.

Ordinary human players began with attributes balanced at 10, with 100 health and 50 mana.

Beastmen and elves bore slight variations, their strengths offset by flaws, yet their averages aligned.

Players could later earn attribute points through leveling or fated encounters, allocating them to suit their vocation.

But now, his starting attributes doubled those of mere mortals!

No flaws, no frailties.

He had surged far beyond other players.

Such was the innate might of the draconid race.

Beyond this,

He had gained a suite of skills and a trait bound to his vocation.

He had anticipated the “Disciple of Calamity” vocation, as whispered in the rumors of his past life, tied to the Twelve Pillars of Ruin.

Yet fate had woven a different thread—he was a Devotee of Calamity.

Perhaps because he was the first to tread this path!

Far from a misfortune, this was a boon beyond measure!

Compared to the “Disciple of Calamity,” the Devotee of Calamity stood supreme, granting an additional skill and a coveted trait.

Trait: Zealous Devotee — The abyss gazes upon you. Plunge the world into despair, and you shall receive the Sovereign of Calamity’s boon.

Traits were rarer than the rarest vocations, demanding unique callings and singular opportunities.

One in ten thousand might claim such a prize!

In his past life, only the elite of the Ivory Spire had borne such traits.

Yet he had seized one at the dawn of his journey!

And its power was immense.

By serving the Shadow Covenant—recruiting players and NPCs, slaying foes of rival factions, or securing the Worldbreaker’s triumph in cataclysmic events—he could reap permanent attribute boons and unique skills.

As a disciple of the Shadow Covenant, with eighty percent of the Dominion’s NPCs and players as foes, this trait was a wellspring of opportunity!

All he need do was defy the righteous.

Armed with his peerless vocation and seer’s foresight, he could weave grand deeds, harvesting vast attribute gains.

This trait was forged for him!

“2”

“1”

Ten seconds—neither fleeting nor eternal.

As Caelum pored over his codex,

The cold mechanical voice tolled the final count.

In an instant,

A tremor seized him, an irresistible force claiming his form.

The blackened void before him burst into vibrant hues, giving way to a living, breathing world.

The Starlit Realm!

The Dominion of the Celestials!