One piece: Without a system, I have to survive!

The ground trembled beneath us, sending small stones rolling down from the ruined structures. A heavy silence fell over the island, thick with anticipation. Then—another deep, guttural roar echoed through the ruins, louder this time, reverberating through the cold air like the wail of a forgotten spirit.

Shira tightened her grip on her sword, her knuckles turning white. "That doesn't sound like something we want to meet."

Vex smirked but didn't reach for his weapon just yet. "Oh? But that's exactly why we should go see it." His golden eyes gleamed with excitement. "A place like this? There's bound to be something worth discovering."

I clenched my fists, my instincts screaming that this was no ordinary enemy. The air itself felt heavier now, as if an invisible pressure was pressing down on us. I glanced at the statues once more—those eerie, weathered figures of kings and warlords.

Then I saw it.

One of the statues… moved.

It was barely noticeable at first—a shift in posture, a subtle creaking of stone against stone. But then, cracks began to spread across its surface, glowing faintly with an unnatural golden hue. The statue's eyes, which had once been empty sockets, now burned with an eerie, blue light.

Thud.

A massive hand detached from the statue's body, crumbling into dust as something emerged from within.

Not stone.

Not a relic of the past.

Something alive.

A forgotten king had awakened.

The figure that stepped forward was massive—at least three times my height, clad in ancient, weathered armor that shimmered with an ethereal glow. Its helmet was cracked, revealing fragments of a skeletal face beneath, but its glowing blue eyes locked onto us with undeniable sentience.

A low, hollow voice filled the air, its words layered with echoes of countless souls.

"Who… dares disturb the throne of the forsaken?"

My heart pounded. This was no ordinary island. This was no ordinary battle.

This was a test.

And we had just awakened something that was never meant to rise again.