Exiled To Rule

The beast stared straight at me.

Massive, scaled, and snarling—its eyes glowed with burning gold, its nostrils flared with heat. The thick, ember-like smoke pouring from its maw gave it the look of a creature that had just crawled out of a volcano.

[Emberfang Alpha – Level 6]

The system prompt burned across my vision like a warning sign slapped across death itself.

And I froze.

For the first time since waking in this cursed world, I couldn't move.

It wasn't like the traps and beasts before. Those pups were weak. They'd stalk, snarl, and lunge. I could plan, bait them, and outthink them. But this?

This was different.

The Alpha didn't pace or charge.

It watched.

As if it knew I didn't belong here.

My legs wouldn't budge. My heart slammed against my ribs. Sweat slid down my temple, cold despite the heat radiating from the creature.

This is real.You can die.That thought looped like a warning siren in my head.

In the novel, monsters were threats—yes—but only to side characters. Fodder for the hero. Even Lucien, in his brief appearance, never stepped foot inside a dungeon.

But here I was.

Not a reader.

Not a player.

Just a nineteen-year-old guy trapped in a villain's body… about to be turned into ash.

The Emberfang Alpha growled lowly, steam hissing from its fanged jaw. It took a step forward. The stone floor beneath its claws hissed and cracked.

Move. Evan. MOVE.

But my body wouldn't respond. My limbs felt like dead weight. The sheer pressure of the creature's presence pressed on me like a wall.

Then—

[Escape Condition Detected.]> Trigger: Deception pathway available.> Objective: Convince the Emberfang Alpha that you are a Believer of Fire.> Caution: Failure will result in immediate hostility.

My eyes widened. What?

The system's voice had no tone. No emotion. But the words hit me like a life raft in a storm.

Deception?How was I supposed to deceive that?

Then again—what choice did I have?

I swallowed hard. "A Believer of Fire?" I whispered.

Lucien's fragmented memories didn't include anything like that. But in the novel, I remembered some lore.

The Temple of the First Flame wasn't a dungeon—it was a shrine. A remnant of an ancient fire-worshiping sect, destroyed centuries ago by the rising nobility for practicing forbidden rites.

Maybe the monsters here weren't just beasts. Maybe they were guardians.

Or… priests.

And maybe, just maybe, if I could pretend to be one of them—I'd live.

Okay, okay. Improvise. Sell it.

I took a deep breath, clenched my fists, and stepped forward.

The Emberfang snarled. Flames crackled in its throat.

I raised my arms, slow and deliberate, trying to ignore the trembling in my fingers.

"I come not as an intruder," I said, voice hoarse. "But as a Believer… one who carries the spark."

The creature paused.

No attack came.

It tilted its head. Studying me.

I kept going, desperately grasping at every fantasy trope I'd ever read.

"I have walked through ash and shadow," I said, my voice gaining strength. "I offer my breath to the flame. Let my heart burn, if I lie."

Come on, come on, buy it.

Nothing happened.

Then it growled.

[Warning: Deception level insufficient. Danger rising.]

My breath hitched. No! I couldn't die here.

I fell to my knees.

If words wouldn't work—maybe posture would.

Submission. Reverence. Faith.

The Emberfang's eyes narrowed.

I slammed my palm into the stone and whispered a prayer—real or not.

"O Flame Eternal, I am yours."

In my head, time stretched thin. Thoughts collided like waves.

How the hell was I supposed to trick something like that?

It wasn't a human I could lie to. It didn't speak my language—or any language at all. It operated on instinct and some otherworldly sense of loyalty. No amount of charisma stat was going to save me here.

Deception. Alright.

If this thing was some sort of guardian, like a priest or protector of the flame cult… then I needed to become a priest too.

I needed to sell it.

Hard.

No hesitation. No blinking.

"Think, Evan… what would a lunatic fire worshipper do?"

Step one: Kneeling.I dropped to one knee, slow and dramatic, keeping my hands open and raised to the flickering torches along the walls.

Step two: Chant.I didn't know any real prayers, so I made one up.

"O Flame Eternal, I burn not in fear, but in worship," I intoned. "I offer my body, my soul, my blood—"

I sliced my palm with a sharp stone from my belt pouch. The sting jolted through me, real and painful.

The Alpha growled. Not aggressively—curiously.

Blood sacrifice… check.

Step three: Insanity.

Because only someone truly devoted—or truly mad—would stand before a flaming lizard the size of a wagon and call it divine.

So I leaned in.

I threw my head back and let out a crazed, guttural laugh.

"The cold has left me, oh Flame!" I roared. "Take me if I lie!"

My voice echoed through the temple.

The flames along the wall flared brighter.

I pounded my bloodied hand on the ground. "Let ash be my witness!"

The Emberfang paused.

Then stepped forward.

Shit.

My pulse skyrocketed. Was it working? Or was I making it worse?

Desperation took hold.

I threw myself flat on the floor, chest down, arms stretched wide in a pose of surrender.

"Judge me by fire," I whispered. "If I am false… burn me where I lie."

[System Processing…][Resonance Level: 72%...]

Come on, come on, come on…

The air shimmered. Something ancient stirred. It wasn't magic I could see, but I felt it—like unseen eyes turning toward me.

[Resonance Level: 91%...]

I opened my eyes.

The Emberfang Alpha was lowering its head.

Closer.

Closer.

I didn't move.

I didn't breathe.

Then—

[System Alert: Resonance Achieved.]> Trait Acquired: Believer of Fire (Passive)> Skill Acquired: Ember Affinity I> Escape Condition Fulfilled.

The monster let out a long, low rumble.

Then stepped away.

And vanished into the corridor beyond.

I lay there for a full minute, staring at the cracked stone below me.

I had done it.

Not through power. Not with stats. Not with some overpowered ability dropped from the sky.

Just raw, desperate acting.

I had pretended to be a maniacal fire-worshipping zealot.

And somehow, the system—and the beast—believed me.

A laugh bubbled from my chest. I couldn't stop it. It was half hysterical, half relieved.

"I… am a damn good actor."

My heart nearly burst.

I looked up.

The Emberfang Alpha… was bowing.

Its claws scraped the floor in slow, deliberate movement.

Then, with a final snort of heat, it turned.

And vanished into the flame-lit corridor beyond.

Leaving me shaking on the floor—alive.

I collapsed backward, panting.

Alive. I was still alive.

The fire on my hands flickered softly, dancing in my palm.

Ember Affinity I (Active Skill):Manipulate ambient heat into a small burst of flame. Power scales with Willpower.

It was small. Weak. But it was mine.

I had gained my first real skill.

Not one I earned by grinding stats, but through belief—or at least pretending to believe.

Believer of Fire (Passive Trait):Fire-aspected monsters and constructs view you as neutral unless provoked. Slight resistance to fire-based attacks.

The irony wasn't lost on me.

I didn't believe in gods.

But now, apparently, I belonged to one.

I stayed in that chamber for hours.

Didn't move. Didn't eat. Just breathed.

Every few minutes, I'd relive that moment—the beast, the heat, the system.

One wrong word… one crack in my voice… and I'd be bones and soot.

The Emberfang had let me go not because I was strong.

But because I played the part.

It was like something from Dark Souls meets Skyrim.

But there were no save files here.

And I was starting to realize that even the system didn't follow normal rules.

It didn't give me a path to victory. It just pointed toward survival.

I finally dragged myself up and began to explore the chamber—cautiously.

It was massive. Grand columns rose into the shadows above, carved with flaming scripts I couldn't decipher.

At the far end was an altar.

Black stone. Scorched with heat.

I approached slowly.

There was no loot. No treasure chest glowing with coins or potions.

Just silence.

But the system pinged again.

[Flame Altar – Interactable]> Would you like to meditate?

I hesitated.

Then tapped yes.

Warmth filled me—not just physical, but something deeper.

The system whispered again.

[Progress Saved.][Mana Fully Restored.]

I exhaled.

So… this was my checkpoint.

The next few days blurred together.

I remained in the upper temple halls, avoiding the deeper chambers. The Emberfang had disappeared, but I didn't want to test my luck.

I trained with Ember Affinity. Tossed sparks at dried moss, practiced lighting fires without flint. It drained me fast, but I could feel it becoming easier with each use.

I also experimented with the Believer of Fire trait.

A few more fire-aspected creatures—small lizard beasts and ember-spiders—ignored me completely.

As long as I didn't attack… I was one of them.

It gave me room to breathe.

To learn.

And it changed everything.

Lucien Elvar was supposed to be a villain. A discarded piece.

But now I had something even the protagonist didn't:

I had the system.And knowledge.

And most importantly?

I had the ability to survive without brute strength.

I didn't need to slay monsters or win duels.

I needed to be clever.

I needed to adapt.

As I wandered through another ruined corridor of the temple, something occurred to me.

This dungeon wasn't just a place to grind experience.

It was a test.

A proving ground.

For who?

I didn't know.

But one thing was certain.

I was no longer just an exile.

I was something else.

Maybe not a hero.

But maybe—just maybe—a wildcard.