The Druid of Malice

**Title earned *Awakened* – You are among the first to awaken to the system. Plus 10 Mp**

The wolf’s twisted body lay still, ensnared by the roots Falin had summoned. The weight of what had just happened pressed down on him like a vice. His heart pounded in his chest, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead, but it wasn’t just the physical toll that unnerved him. It was the system. It had given him a taste of power, yet now it whispered of something darker.

**Quest Updated: Survive the Tutorial. Objective: Corrupt 10 living creatures. Progress: 0/10.**

**Corrupt**. That word hung in his mind, an unsettling twist in the instructions. He hadn’t chosen the *Path of Malice*, and yet here it was—an objective that pulled at something deep inside him, something he didn’t fully understand. Was this a mistake? Or had the system already sensed something within him that even he didn’t know about?

With a shudder, Falin stepped back, his eyes still fixed on the wolf-like creature trapped by his roots. It snarled weakly, but it no longer fought. Whatever energy had animated its unnaturally long limbs and glowing eyes was fading.

He opened his palm and dismissed the roots. They retreated back into the floor, slithering through the cracks like snakes, leaving the beast motionless.

Suddenly, a soft chime echoed in his mind, and a translucent screen blinked into existence.

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**Status: Falin Turner**

- Class: *Druid*

- Rank: Dirt

- Health: 80/80

- Mana: 110/110

- Stamina: 70/70

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**Attributes:**

- Strength: 10

- Agility: 11

- Constitution: 10

- Intelligence: 12

- Wisdom: 13

- Spirit: 15

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**Skills:**

- *Summon Roots* (common) – Summon roots from the ground to bind and trap enemies. - *Healing Bloom* (Inferior) – Release a burst of natural energy to heal minor injuries over time.

- *Wild Instinct* (Inferior) – Heighten your senses, improving your perception of danger and surroundings which is crucial to a druid.

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**Titles:**

- *Awakened* – You are among the first to awaken to the system. Plus 10 Mp

- *Nature’s Apprentice* – You have chosen the path of the Druid. Nature’s forces are now at your disposal.

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Falin stared at the screen, his fingers tracing the air as he studied the words. His stats were nothing special—basic, really. He wasn’t particularly strong or agile, but his higher Intelligence and Wisdom showed where his strengths lay. A thinker. A manipulator of magic. His Spirit, too, was slightly higher than average, giving him a deeper well of mana to draw from. It made sense for a Druid.

But it was the titles that caught his attention. *Awakened* was simple enough. He had been among the first to experience the system, whatever it was, and it granted him a small boost to mana. Nothing life-changing. The second title, *Nature’s Apprentice*, was more intriguing. It marked his connection to the Druid class, solidifying his bond with nature. It came with no obvious perks yet, but the system seemed to be watching his every move. Maybe it would evolve as he did.

Yet, even as he absorbed the information, his thoughts kept circling back to that quest—*Corrupt 10 living creatures*. The strange urge he’d felt earlier, the pull toward malice, it hadn’t come from nowhere. For a moment, when the wolf had struggled in his roots, he’d felt something dark tugging at him, coaxing him to take more control, to bend the creature’s will. That moment had passed, but the hunger it left behind lingered.

He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, trying to steady himself.

“Malice…” he muttered under his breath. Why had the system given him this quest? He hadn’t chosen the *Path of Malice*—he had chosen the basic Druid class, one tied to the balance of nature, not its destruction.

But the thought wouldn’t go away.

Was there something inside him, something the system had sensed, that leaned toward darkness? He had felt the allure of power in that moment—he couldn’t deny it. His life had been one of constant struggle, of powerlessness in the face of an uncaring world. The system offered a way out, a path to real control. But what kind of control? Could it be that, deep down, he craved domination over the world that had wronged him?

No. He shook his head. He had chosen the Druid class to reconnect with nature, to protect it, not to corrupt it. His parents had instilled in him a love for life, for the natural world, and he wasn’t going to throw that away. But the system’s whispers continued to nag at the edges of his thoughts. Maybe this was just the beginning. Maybe, as he progressed, the system would test him, pushing him to make decisions that would shape his future.

He swiped the air to dismiss the status screen and turned back toward the door of his apartment. The hallway was still dark, lit only by the flickering emergency lights. Roots continued to creep through the walls and floors, though they weren’t as aggressive as before. Whatever force had caused them to explode from the ground had subsided for now.

He had to move. The streets were chaos, and the world outside was no longer safe. But where would he go? The city had become a death trap, a jungle where nature had turned on its human inhabitants.

Another chime interrupted his thoughts.

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**Tutorial Tip:**

As a Druid, your power is tied to the natural world. Seek out areas where nature thrives to strengthen your abilities. Be wary of corrupted zones—while they offer greater challenges, they may also taint your powers.

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“Corrupted zones…” Falin mused. The system had given him a quest to corrupt creatures, and now it was warning him about corrupted areas. Was this another nudge toward that darker path? A way to tempt him further into malice?

He couldn’t ignore the fact that something inside him was drawn to it, even if he didn’t want to admit it. But he had control, didn’t he? He could resist the temptation, stay true to the ideals of the Druid class. Or could he?

His thoughts drifted back to the wolf he had just subdued. He had felt a surge of triumph when it was bound in his roots, a sense of superiority over the creature. For a moment, he had wanted to take it further, to twist the wolf’s will and make it his. The system had offered him power—was it so wrong to want more?

Falin clenched his fists. He wasn’t ready to give in to those thoughts. Not yet. He needed more information, more time to understand what the system was doing to him. But deep down, the seed of malice had been planted, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

For now, he needed to survive. To grow stronger. And to find out just what kind of game the system was playing.

Falin turned toward the exit, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to step out into the transformed world. The path of the Druid awaited him, but so did something darker, something far more dangerous.

And he wasn’t sure which path he would walk.