The crescent of dark energy, the Dark Sever, tore through the air with a sound like ripping silk. It was wide, fast, and aimed directly at Ren's unguarded back.
Bilt, the Dark Swordsman, watched with a sneer. He was a prodigy, a B-Rank at seventeen, respected by the Guild and feared by his peers. But his father, Master Shein, had recently spoken of Ren—the "ghost"—with a chilling reverence, suggesting the ragged boy was a superior anomaly. That single word, superior, had been a poison in Bilt's mind. He had to see Ren's limits. He had to prove his own supremacy.
'Die, you arrogant stray,' Bilt thought, his eyes burning with jealous rage. 'Let's see if your luck can stop a B-Rank skill.'
Ren's Intelligence (132) screamed the warning. The attack was too fast, too close. His Speed (26) couldn't carry him out of the blast radius in time.
'Defense!'
In the 0.2 seconds before impact, Ren's hand flashed to his inventory. He didn't have time to equip the full set, but his mind focused on the single most crucial piece of defense.
'Shroud of the Night Stalker! Equip!'
The B-Rank cloak, woven from Shadow Weaver silk, materialized instantly, wrapping around Ren's body like a second skin.
SLASH!
The dark energy struck. Ren was thrown forward off the Dragon's chest, skidding across the obsidian scales.
A searing pain ripped across his back. He gasped, the air knocked from his lungs.
He rolled, landing in a crouch. The Shroud of the Night Stalker had saved him. The B-Rank defense (+18) had absorbed the majority of the B-Rank attack, but the sheer force of Bilt's strike, combined with the 15% Defense-Ignore effect of Bilt's own dark sword, had still broken through.
Blood seeped through the black silk. It was a shallow cut, but it was a wound.
"You're alive?" Bilt gasped, his face a mask of shock and fury. "My Dark Sever should have cleaved you in half!"
Ren ignored him. He looked at the Dragon. The beast was thrashing, its massive body heaving as black blood pooled beneath it. It was dying, but it wasn't dead.
The Dragon saw its chance. Its eyes locked onto Ren, and it let out a final, desperate roar. It channeled all its remaining energy into a single, devastating attack.
WHOOSH!
A ray of condensed, emerald fire—the Dragon's strongest attack—shot out from its maw, aimed directly at Ren. Simultaneously, its massive, obsidian-plated claw followed the beam, intending to crush Ren into the scales.
Ren had to move. Now.
He activated the Level 1 Shadow Step skill he had just acquired.
ZWOOP.
The teleportation was clumsy. Ren vanished, but reappeared only five meters to the left, stumbling. The Fire Beam scorched the scales where he had been a moment before. He was still in the path of the Dragon's claw.
'Too slow! The skill is too low level!'
The Dragon's claw descended, casting a massive shadow over Ren.
In that fraction of a second, Ren made a decision that would define his future.
'System. Open Stat Allocation. Now!'
The interface flashed.
'Shadow Step requires higher Agility and Speed to stabilize. Allocate 10 Points to Agility. Allocate 3 Points to Speed.'
[Transaction Complete. -13 Stat Points.]
[Agility: 18 -> 28]
[Speed: 26 -> 29]
The change was instantaneous. The clumsy feeling in his muscles vanished. His body felt lighter, faster, and perfectly balanced.
[System Ping!]
[Skill: Shadow Step has been stabilized and upgraded to Level 3!]
The Dragon's claw was a foot away.
Ren activated the newly upgraded Shadow Step.
ZWOOP!
This time, the teleportation was flawless. He didn't stumble. He didn't reappear five meters away. He reappeared exactly where he intended: directly behind the Dragon's head.
He landed on the Dragon's neck, the massive beast completely unaware of his presence.
He immediately activated Appraisal.
'Allocate 10 Points to Intelligence.'
[Transaction Complete. -10 Stat Points.]
[Intelligence: 132 -> 142]
The Dragon's internal structure—its brain stem, its heart, its remaining mana core—flashed into crystal-clear focus in his mind. The B-Rank monster was now an open book.
Ren raised Eclipse. He channeled every ounce of his Mana (60) and his Strength (76) into the S-Rank blade.
"Power Strike X.O.!"
He drove the dagger down into the Dragon's brain stem.
The attack was not a cut; it was a focused explosion. The Dragon's scales, bone, and brain matter vaporized under the concentrated force.
The Dragon didn't even have time to scream. Its massive body went limp, crashing onto the battlefield with a final, earth-shaking thud.
[System Alert]
[Enemy Defeated: Verdant War-Dragon (Rank B)]
[Experience Gained]
[Level Up!]
[Current Level: 9]
A new notification flashed across Ren's vision.
[System Ping!]
[New Skill Gained: Power Strike X.O. (Lv. 1)]
[Description: A concentrated, all-or-nothing strike utilizing Mana, Strength, and Speed. Cooldown: 1 Day.]
Ren's mind processed the information instantly. 'I can buy, gain, and create skills. I am not limited by random chance.'
The realization was a shock of pure, exhilarating power.
But the exhilaration was short-lived.
The massive mana drain, the physical exertion, the sudden stat allocation, and the use of the ultimate skill all hit him at once.
[Warning: Body Overload Detected.]
[Consequence: System-Forced Recovery Protocol Initiated.]
[Body Immobile: 2 Hours.]
Ren felt his vision tunnel. His muscles locked up, turning his body into a statue. He was standing on the corpse of a B-Rank Dragon, completely helpless.
He saw Bilt, his face pale with shock and fury, staring up at him. Bilt's expression twisted into a triumphant, predatory sneer.
Bilt took a slow, deliberate step toward the Dragon's corpse. He was coming to finish the job.
Ren's last conscious thought was a silent, desperate plea to the System: 'I can't even move to use a potion.'
His vision dissolved into black.
[End of Chapter 29]