Kael stepped out of the alley slowly.
The street opened around him like a living thing. Stone buildings leaned inward, their upper floors shadowing the road. Wooden signs creaked softly above, marked with symbols he did not recognize. The ground beneath his feet alternated between worn stone and packed dirt, uneven and cold.
People filled the street.
Humans walked beside demihumans with horns curving from their heads or tails swaying behind them. Fox like eyes reflected lantern light in strange ways. No one paid Kael much attention at first.
He did not move.
He watched.
No visible guards. No heavy armor. Most carried baskets or tools. Knives rested openly at belts, not hidden. This was not a dangerous district. Not openly.
He swallowed and stepped forward.
"Food," he said, voice hoarse. "Please."
Several heads turned.
A man spoke quickly, sharp syllables flowing together. Kael caught nothing. Not even structure.
"I do not understand," Kael said, shaking his head.
His words meant nothing.
What they noticed was not the intentions but the sound. The awkward rhythm. The unfamiliar cadence. His slumped posture. The way his hand hovered near his mouth as if unsure what to do.
A woman tilted her head ,scoffed and her eyes moved away with disgust and indifference as if used to such a sight.
She shook her head with annoyance while walking away.
It was cruel, which Kael would try to not heed usually
But this somehow made his hunger worse.
Kael felt his face heat. He tried again, pointing toward a shuttered stall, then to himself.
"Hunger," he said quietly.
A man shrugged and waved him off without looking, already turning back to his conversation. Others followed suit. The brief entertainment faded.
Kael was dismissed.
He staggered to the side of the street and lowered himself against a stone wall. His legs trembled as he sat. His breathing came shallow and uneven. His stomach clenched hard enough to blur his vision.
So this is how it ends, he thought dimly.
The blue screen hovered faintly.
With effort, he raised a hand and touched it.
The interface unfolded cleanly, ordered in a way the world was not.
[Status] | [Functions] | [Learnable Skills]
His pulse quickened.
He opened the last section.
Most entries were locked.
One remained.
[Language Acquisition]
Kael stared at it.
Understanding them would solve everything. He could work. Trade. Explain.
But his head throbbed. His thoughts slipped unless he forced them into place. His body shook with weakness.
Extensive meant time.
Time meant food.
He closed the interface.
The sun sank lower. Shadows stretched long across the road. Shops barred their doors. Lanterns bloomed one by one, warm light spilling onto stone.
With the fading light, something inside Kael eroded.
Hunger stopped being pain and became pressure. Constant. Suffocating ,It narrowed his thoughts until only one remained.
Survive.
He stood.
Stealing was wrong.
But dying quietly in a foreign gutter felt worse.
Night settled.
Kael moved carefully, sticking to shadows. He observed which homes stayed lit. Which had movement. Which fell silent.
One stood apart.
Larger. Better maintained. Thick stone walls. Lanterns burning late.
He waited.
Minutes stretched. His legs ached. His mouth felt dry enough to crack.
At last, the upper lights dimmed.
Kael approached the door.
Thick wood. Iron latch.
[Unlocked]
The click sounded far too loud.
He slipped inside.
Darkness closed around him. The air smelled faintly of oil and old food.
His heart hammered.
He moved slowly, mapping the space with deliberate steps and touch. A table brushed his thigh while Kael struggled to see anything
The kitchen.
Since he knew nothing of the house, not even where the food was kept, Kael needed to bring light to the room.
Searching for anything, specially in this dark would be impossible.
He reached for a heavy metal pan which he found by only touch and Kael pressed himself into the shadow beside the doorway. His breathing slowed by force.
He focused.
The lantern on the wall flared to life.
Light flooded the kitchen.
Footsteps sounded above.
A man's voice muttered in confusion.
"What? How did the lights turn on?"
Steps descended.
Kael tightened his grip on the pan.
The man entered the kitchen holding a lantern, brow furrowed, eyes scanning the room.
He stepped closer.
Close enough.
Kael raised the pan.
Fear crashed into him. Sudden. Paralyzing. Not fear of injury, but of consequence. Of crossing a line that he would have never crossed in the past.
His arms shook hesitantly.
"I cannot do this" , Kael thought to himself
Panic surged.
He cut the light.
Darkness swallowed the room.
The man froze.
"Huh? What the hell…"
Blue text flashed.
[Condition met] | [Environmental necessity detected] | [New function acquired] | [Night Vision]
The world reformed instantly.
The kitchen sharpened into perfect clarity. Depth returned. Edges crisp. The man stood confused, lifting his lantern higher, stepping toward the wall to relight it himself.
Kael moved.
His fear burned away, replaced by calculation.
This is a fantasy world, his mind raced....Mana, Ki or something like that must exist here....People are likely stronger than on Earth and a lot more force and precise must be required and so
He aimed deliberately.
The pan struck behind the man's ear, directly over the mastoid process which is one of the better spots to target for knocking a human out cold.
The impact jolted through his arms.
The man collapsed instantly, body going slack before hitting the floor.
Kael stood there shaking, breath tearing in and out of his chest.
It worked.
He crossed the line.
There was no undoing it.
He moved fast.
Bread. Dried meat. Anything edible went into his clothes. His hands trembled violently.
Then he looked at the man.
Kael swallowed hard and stripped him quickly. Tunic. Cloak. Boots that fit well enough.
A faint glow caught his eye.
A ring.
Simple metal, but etched faintly and pulsing with a soft light.
Magic.
Kael did not hesitate. He slipped it into his pocket.
Coins followed. Heavy. A full pouch.
This man was wealthy.
Kael fled.
and the night swallowed him whole as he ran still trembling.