The Blackwood spat Kaelen out onto a deserted stretch of road well north of the main city gate. The twin moons were high, casting a silvery-green light that turned the world into a monochrome painting.
He was exhausted, bloodied, and covered in the grime of the forest, but his mind was sharper than ever. The new System functions hummed in his consciousness, a constant, reassuring presence.
The Mini-Map in the corner of his vision was a revelation. It displayed the road as a faint grey line, the forest as a textured green mass, and his own position as a steady blue dot. As he began to walk, a handful of smaller, faint white dots—nocturnal animals, likely—moved at the edges of the mapped area. It wasn't a detailed satellite image, but it was a godlike advantage compared to stumbling in the dark.
He focused on his Status, seeing the tangible results of his evolution.
[Status]
Name: Kaelen
Race: Human (Magically Crippled)
Title: None
Evolution Stage: F+ (System-Attuned)
Health: 89/100 (Fatigued)
Mana: 0/0 (Mana Conduits Permanently Blocked)
Strength: 7
Agility: 7
Vitality: 9
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 14
Evolution Points: 0
The increases from the Blooded Brawler path were solid, a foundation of physical power. But it was the "System-Attuned" designation that held the true mystery. He pulled up the Quest Log, another new feature. It listed his completed missions:
[First Blood: Success. Neutralized threat 'Darian'. Rewards Claimed.]
[Trial by Combat: Success. Victor in Arena of the Unblooded. Rewards Claimed.]
[Predator's Prey: Success. Eliminated 'Shadow Grimalkin'. Rewards Claimed.]
Seeing his journey laid out so clinically was strange. It was a record of violence and survival, stripped of the fear, pain, and cold desperation he had felt. The System recorded outcomes, not experiences.
His immediate problem was the city gate. It would be guarded, and he was a mess. He couldn't walk in through the main entrance. Using the Mini-Map, he skirted the outer wall, moving through the shantytowns and refuse piles that clustered against the stone like barnacles. He was looking for a weakness, a forgotten postern gate, or a section of wall that was scalable.
The System-Assisted Analysis flickered. As his gaze passed over a section of the wall shrouded in deep shadow, the stonework in his Mini-Map glitched slightly, and a line of text appeared in his vision.
[Structural Analysis: Mortar degradation detected. Comparative structural integrity: -12%.]
He stopped. Peering into the shadows, he could just make it out. This was an older section of the wall, and the mortar between the massive stones had crumbled in a vertical line, creating a narrow, uneven chimney. It wouldn't be easy, but with his enhanced Strength and Agility, it was possible. The guards would never expect a breach here; it was too difficult for a normal person.
It was a slow, grueling climb. His fingers dug into the small crevices, his boots seeking purchase on tiny ledges. The rough stone scraped against his already raw hands.
But the System-Attuned body responded with a efficiency that surprised him. His movements were economical, his balance impeccable. Within ten minutes, he was over the wall, dropping silently into a deserted, stinking alley within the city walls. He was back in, unseen.
He needed to disappear. The flophouse was too risky; it was the first place anyone looking for a fugitive would check. Using the last of Lyra's coppers, he rented a tiny, windowless storage room in the basement of a disreputable inn known as The Leaky Bucket.
It wasn't a room so much as a glorified closet with a pallet of straw, but it had a lock on the inside. For the first time since his transmigration, he had a semblance of privacy and security.
Sitting on the straw pallet in the absolute dark, he explored his interface further. The System-Assisted Analysis seemed to be the key. He focused it on his own body.
[Host Analysis: Minor lacerations. Contusions. Muscle fatigue. Recommended Action: Rest. Nutrient intake.]
It was basic, but useful. He then focused it on the piece of Grimalkin claw he had instinctively snapped off and kept, a morbid trophy.
[Material Analysis: Shadow Grimalkin Claw. Composition: Keratin composite infused with minor shadow-attuned mana. Properties: Sharpness (High), Flexibility (Medium), Mana Conductivity (Low). Potential Uses: Alchemical reagent, Crafting component.]
This was incredible. The world was becoming a database he could query. He could identify materials, analyze weaknesses, and understand his own physical state with a clarity no normal person could ever achieve.
A new, soft chime echoed in his mind.
[New Systemic Quest Generated: Establish Safe House.]
Objective: Secure a permanent, defensible location to serve as your base of operations.
Reward: 100 Evolution Points. Blueprint: Basic Warding Scheme.
Time Limit: None.
The System was no longer just reacting; it was proactively guiding his growth, shaping his development along the path of the System Host. It wasn't just about survival anymore. It was about building a foundation.
As the faint sounds of the waking city filtered down into his basement closet, Kaelen allowed himself a moment of grim satisfaction.
The Ghost had not only returned to the city; he had slipped through its cracks unseen. He was wounded, hunted, and poor. But he was armed with a power that was slowly unraveling the secrets of the world itself. The game was changing, and he was finally learning the rules.