The air outside the Serpent's Maw dungeon was supposed to be fresh. For three years, Leo had dreamed of breathing air that didn't taste like monster musk and damp stone. But as he stepped out of the rift, the morning sun hitting his pale, marble-like skin, it felt... wrong. The city of Aethelgard, with its soaring glass towers and neon-lit streets, felt like a cage. A brightly lit cage where the strong fed on the weak, and everyone called it "justice."
[System Notification: You have exited a 'High-Risk' Dungeon Area.] [Status: Monarch's Aura is currently active (Remaining: 42 minutes).] [Objective Updated: The Hunt Begins.]
Leo looked down at his hands. They were no longer the shaking, calloused hands of a cleaner. They were steady. The black obsidian scar on his back throbbed with a rhythmic, cold pulse, as if the system itself was hungry for more.
"The light here is so... sterile," Seraphina's voice drifted from the shadows behind him. She had shifted her form, her large wings and glowing runes now hidden beneath a tattered black cloak she had scavenged from Toby's supplies. To any passerby, she looked like a mysterious mercenary, but to Leo, her presence was like a heavy weight in his mind, a constant tether of mana and desire.
"It's a city built on the blood of people like me," Leo said, his voice cold. "They use the dungeons to get rich, and they use the 'cleaners' to stay safe. Marcus thinks he's a king because he has a golden shield. He doesn't realize the real power comes from the abyss he tries to lock away."
Leo pulled a cracked smartphone from Toby's pocket. He swiped through the messages. His eyes narrowed as he saw the Silver Dawn's private group chat.
Marcus: "Sacrifice complete. Gates are stable for the next 48 hours. Everyone meet at the 'Gilded Rose' for the celebration feast. Drinks are on the guild treasury."
The Gilded Rose. It was an ultra-exclusive lounge in the Upper District, a place where only high-tier Awakened were allowed. Leo used to stand outside that building in the rain, waiting for the guild members to finish their parties so he could haul their equipment back to the HQ.
"Seraphina," Leo muttered, his gaze fixed on the gleaming towers in the distance. "Do you think you can mask our presence? I want to see the look on their faces when the 'trash' walks into their palace."
"For you, my Monarch, I can hide us from the eyes of even the gods," she purred, stepping closer and resting her chin on his shoulder. "But your power is still raw. If we walk into a room with forty high-tiers, we need more than just shadows. We need an edge."
[10 Stat Points Available. System Suggestion: Intelligence & Agility.]
Leo didn't hesitate. He knew that to hunt predators, he needed to be faster and smarter than them. He allocated 6 points to Agility and 4 points to Intelligence.
[Stat Allocation Confirmed.] [Agility: 5 -> 11] [Intelligence: 4 -> 8] [Perception Range Increased: 50 meters.] [New Passive Unlocked: 'Calculated Malice' - Critical hit chance increases when attacking from shadows.]
As the points settled, the world sharpened. Leo could hear the heartbeats of the security guards stationed two blocks away. He could see the micro-vibrations in the air as mana flowed through the city's power lines. He felt faster, his body lighter, as if the very concept of gravity had become a suggestion rather than a law.
They began to move through the back alleys, bypassing the main checkpoints. Leo moved like a ghost, a blur of black cloth and purple eyes. He didn't just walk; he flowed. Every step was silent, every movement optimized by his new Agility.
Along the way, they passed a "Looksmaxxing" clinic—a high-end establishment where rich citizens paid thousands of credits to have their features magically enhanced. Leo caught his reflection in the window. He looked nothing like the scrawny, overworked kid he was twenty-four hours ago. His jawline was sharp enough to cut glass, his shoulders were broad, and his eyes held a depth of darkness that was almost hypnotic.
"You're becoming quite the handsome king, Leo," Seraphina whispered, her hand sliding down his arm. "The transformation is almost complete. Once you claim your first 'Noble' soul, your bloodline will fully stabilize."
They reached the Upper District as the sun began to set, casting long, orange shadows over the marble plazas. The Gilded Rose sat at the top of a grand staircase, guarded by two Tier-2 golems and four armored sentries.
Leo watched from a nearby rooftop. He saw a sleek, silver limo pull up. Out stepped Raven—the assassin who had twisted the knife in his back. She was wearing a deep red dress, laughing as she took the arm of a Tier-3 warrior. She looked happy. She looked like she didn't have a single regret about murdering a man the night before.
A red haze began to cloud Leo's vision. The Obsidian System hummed in response to his rage.
[Quest Triggered: The First Feast.] [Objective: Infiltrate the Gilded Rose and eliminate Raven without alerting the entire guild.] [Reward: Skill Book - 'Shadow Step' & 2,000 Credits.]
"Wait," Seraphina cautioned, her hand tightening on his arm. "Don't just rush in. Raven is a Tier-2 Elite. She's fast. If she screams, the whole guild will be on us in seconds."
Leo took a deep breath, forcing the cold logic of his Intelligence stats to take over. He didn't need to fight her in the middle of the ballroom. He just needed to wait for her to be alone.
"She has a habit," Leo whispered, remembering the years of observing her from the background. "After the first hour of a party, she always goes to the balcony on the north side to smoke. She hates the smell of expensive perfume."
"Then that is where we will meet her," Seraphina said, her wings twitching beneath her cloak.
They began the climb. Leo didn't use the stairs. He used the jagged architecture of the building, leaping from ledge to ledge with feline grace. He felt the wind rushing past him, the sheer height of the building doing nothing to dampen his resolve.
Finally, they reached the north balcony. It was a secluded area, overlooking the city's artificial lake. Leo crouched in the shadows of a gargoyle, Seraphina vanishing into the darkness beside him.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty.
The glass doors creaked open. Raven stepped out, letting out a long sigh of relief. She leaned against the railing, pulling a thin, silver cigarette case from her clutch. She looked beautiful in the moonlight, a cold, sharp beauty that had once intimidated Leo.
Now, she just looked like prey.
She flicked a lighter, the small flame illuminating her face for a second. In that second, she froze. Her assassin instincts, honed over years of dungeon crawling, screamed at her. She didn't turn around; she dove forward, her hand reaching for the hidden daggers at her thighs.
But she wasn't fast enough. Not against a Monarch.
Leo was already there. He didn't use a blade. He used his bare hand, catching her mid-air and slamming her against the marble floor. He pinned her down, his knee on her chest and his hand covering her mouth.
"Mmmph!" Raven's eyes went wide. She stared up at the man pinning her, her pupils dilating in pure terror. She recognized the eyes. She recognized the jagged scar on the neck.
"Did you miss me, Raven?" Leo whispered, his purple eyes glowing with a terrifying intensity.
He leaned down, his face inches from hers. The Monarch's Aura was suffocating her, making it impossible for her to channel her mana. She tried to struggle, but Leo's Strength was overwhelming.
"You told me I was finally useful as a sacrifice," Leo said, his voice a low, vibrating growl. "You were wrong. I'm much more useful as your executioner."
[Synchronization with 'Shared Mana' reaching 110%...] [The Monarch's Hunger is rising.]
Seraphina stepped out of the shadows, her cloak falling away to reveal her true, seductive form. She looked at Raven with a cruel smile. "She has a lot of mana, Leo. It would be a waste to just kill her. Why don't we... take it?"
[New Option Available: 'Soul Siphon'.] [Target will be drained of all mana and life force to permanently increase Host's stats.]
Raven's eyes pleaded for mercy, tears streaming down her face. Leo felt a momentary flicker of the old him—the kid who would have helped her up. But then, he felt the phantom pain of the knife in his back. He felt the cold darkness of the altar.
He made his choice.
"Take it all," Leo commanded.
As the soul-siphoning began, the balcony was bathed in a haunting, purple light. Raven's body began to wither, her youthful beauty being literally sucked away by the Obsidian System. It was a slow, agonizing process, and Leo watched every second of it with a cold, unblinking gaze.
[Target 'Raven' Eliminated.] [Level Up! Level 4 -> Level 7.] [Absorbed Stat: +3 Agility, +2 Intelligence.] [Skill Learned: 'Shadow Step' (Rank 1).]
Leo stood up, leaving the shriveled, unrecognizable remains of the guild's top assassin behind. He felt a rush of power so intense he had to grip the railing to stay upright.
"One down," Seraphina whispered, licking her lips. "Forty-eight to go."
Leo looked back at the glass doors. The music from the party was still playing. They had no idea that the monster they created was already at their door.