Kaelen stared at the glowing red text hovering in his vision. The system wanted him to become a murderer. A week ago, that command would have paralyzed him with moral hesitation. Now, with the Void Core throbbing in his chest and three armed thugs blocking his only exit, morality felt like a luxury he could not afford.
The leader spat a glob of dark phlegm onto the pavement. "Break his legs, boys. Leave his pockets intact."
The two lackeys stepped forward with cruel grins. The man on the left swung a heavy iron pipe. The man on the right lunged forward with a rusted machete.
Kaelen did not freeze. The agility he had absorbed from the Void Crawler flooded his nervous system. Time seemed to slow down by a fraction of a second. He dropped into a low crouch as the iron pipe whistled violently through the empty air above his head.
Pivoting on his heel, Kaelen drove his fist directly into the side of the first thug's knee. The borrowed strength behind his punch was devastating. Bone snapped with a sickening crunch. The ganger shrieked in agony and collapsed into the toxic mud.
Kaelen did not hesitate. He snatched the dropped iron pipe from the ground and spun around to face the second attacker. The rusted machete came down in a vicious chop aimed at Kaelen's neck. He raised his pipe and parried the strike with a harsh, ringing clang.
Raw power surged through Kaelen's arms. He shoved the blade aside, stepped into the man's guard, and thrust the blunt end of his pipe upward. The iron slammed directly into the thug's throat. The ganger dropped his machete instantly. He fell to his knees, clutching his crushed windpipe as he gasped for air.
The crimson interface in Kaelen's vision pulsed like a beating heart. The hunger inside his chest roared to life.
Kaelen reached out and grabbed the dying man's leather collar. Black veins ripped through the skin of Kaelen's arm. The shadowy tendrils plunged effortlessly into the ganger's chest, sinking deep into his weak, polluted Aether core.
[Target Devoured: Iron-Rank Human.]
[Objective Complete: Sentient Aether Consumed.]
[Reward Granted: Skill Extraction Unlocked.]
[Extracting...]
[Skill Acquired: Street Stealth (Passive)]
[Stats Acquired: Agility +1, Strength +1]
The thug withered into a desiccated, lifeless husk in mere seconds. He crumbled into ash that scattered across the damp alley floor.
The remaining lackey with the broken knee stopped screaming. He stared at the pile of ash in absolute, mind-numbing terror. He scrambled backward through the filth, dragging his useless leg behind him.
The gang leader froze entirely. His cruel, mocking smile vanished.
A fresh wave of heat washed through Kaelen's body. The blue text replaced the threatening red warning. His muscles coiled with new strength, and his footsteps suddenly felt unnaturally light. The Street Stealth passive was already altering the way he carried his own weight, muffling the sound of his boots against the debris.
"What in the Abyss are you?" the leader growled. His voice trembled slightly, but he gripped his spiked club with both hands.
A faint, dirty yellow aura ignited around the heavy weapon. The leader was channeling his own Aether. The air in the alley grew heavy and suffocating. This was not a street rat. This man had broken through the Iron limits. He was a Bronze-Rank combatant.
The sheer pressure radiating from the leader made Kaelen's newly acquired stats feel entirely insignificant.
The leader roared and swung his glowing club. The weapon tore through the air with terrifying force, smashing into the rusted wall right beside Kaelen. Jagged metal shrapnel exploded outward, slicing into Kaelen's cheek.
Kaelen realized instantly he could not win a direct fight against a Bronze-Rank wielder. He needed to run, but the massive, enraged leader was standing directly between him and the only way out of the alley.