The boy lunged. A rusted dagger gleamed in the torchlight. Fast, sloppy.
Azel moved.
Not with strength. With precision.
His hand snapped up, caught the wrist, twisted. A sharp crack. The boy screamed and dropped the blade. Before the others could react, Azel jabbed a broken bone into the attacker's throat.
One down.
The system pulsed again.
> [Kill registered]
System feeding on karmic backlash
+1 Temporary Attribute Point
Trait Progress: Blood-Adaptive
They froze. Kids, really. Starving rats playing gang. None older than sixteen.
Azel stood. His body shook. Blood leaked from his side. But he stood.
"Who leads you?"
None spoke.
He stepped forward. Picked up the blade. Dripping. Heavy. It wasn't sharp. Just cruel.
"You have ten seconds"
One pointed to a taller kid in the back. Dirty bandage on his cheek. He looked at Azel with a mix of fear and calculation.
"I'm Skarn. This area's ours. You don't get to"
Azel threw the blade.
It sank deep into Skarn's thigh.
Skarn dropped with a howl.
"No. This area's mine"
> [Fear successfully induced]
Minor leadership established
New Title: Stray Alpha
The system whispered. Azel listened.
"You want to live? Obey"
They nodded. Shaking.
Azel bent over Skarn. Yanked the blade free. Blood sprayed.
"Tell me where the academy is"
Skarn gritted his teeth. "You mean Blackfang?"
"Yes"
"That place doesn't take rats like us. You need a sponsor. Or power"
Azel smiled. The kind that made Skarn flinch.
"I'm bringing both"
Hours passed. Night fell.
Azel walked alone through the ruins. His new followers stayed back. He didn't need them. Just their silence.
> [Temporary stats unlocked]
STR 3
AGI 4
INT 9
WIS 6
CHA 2
LCK 1
Weak. But that would change.
His system didn't grant power. It rewarded pain.
He would bleed smarter than anyone else.
Up ahead, jagged gates rose from ash and mist. A broken fang carved into black stone.
Blackfang Academy. The last stop for the unwanted. The mad. The cursed.
Perfect.
Azel gripped the rusted blade tighter.
He wasn't here to learn.
He was here to rewrite the rules.