The wind howled through the desolate village of Greystone, carrying with it the bitter scent of starvation and struggle. Crops withered under the unforgiving sun, and the rivers that once teemed with fish ran dangerously low. The villagers' faces, gaunt and weary, told tales of hardship no words could fully capture.
Among them, a young man sat on a worn wooden crate, his eyes fixed on a faded parchment clutched tightly in his hands. Kaelen, the lowly lord of this forsaken land, bore a weight heavier than any crown. His fingers trembled—not from cold, but from the crushing responsibility to save his people.
Beside him, a small figure darted about, clutching handfuls of wild herbs and roots. Liora, his eight-year-old sister, her sharp eyes filled with determination far beyond her years, paused to glance at him.
"Brother," she said softly, "we can't give up. There has to be a way."
Kaelen smiled faintly, the rare warmth in his expression hiding the turmoil inside. "There is," he whispered, "but it's not ordinary. It's something... impossible."
At that moment, his vision flickered—the signature glow of the Refund System awakening within him. A digital interface shimmered before his eyes, ancient and futuristic all at once.
Welcome, Lord Kaelen.Refund System activated.
The system's mechanics were clear but daunting: Every resource spent—whether on summoning creatures, expanding territory, or nurturing his people—could be refunded many times over, from 15x up to a staggering 10,000x. But there were rules: exploits in summoning refunds were limited to just three times a week. System Points would be earned with every 100x refund, usable to upgrade stats or unlock powerful skills.
Kaelen's heart raced. This was their chance—not just to survive, but to rise.
He glanced down at Liora, her youthful face fierce with hope and resolve. Her hybrid class of elemental artificer and alchemist was unlike anything the world had seen, complementing his own necromancer powers perfectly.
Together, they would rebuild their small, struggling village into a kingdom. Together, they would defy fate.
And together, they would change the world.
The first step was clear: survive the scarcity, master the Refund System, and grow strong—because a great war was coming, and Kaelen intended to be ready.