The air of the forest oasis carried a faint shimmer of mana. Every leaf seemed to hum with unseen energy and calmness.
Adrien walked beside Nyxaris, who padded silently, her crimson eyes glowing faintly. "Hungry again, huh?"
Adrien muttered, scratching behind it's horn.
Nyxaris growled low, the kind that was half a snort and half impatience.
They stepped deeper, the oasis alive with movement. Small beasts skittered between roots, their glowing eyes betraying unnatural origin.
From the underbrush, three glowing-eyed rabbits darted out, teeth sharper than knives. Adrien flicked his hand.
[ Skill Activated: Shadow Chains (Lv.2)]
Thin bindings of shadow lashed out, snaring two rabbits mid-leap.Nyxaris lunged at the third, jaws closing with a crunch.
The two bound ones writhed, but Adrien raised a palm.
[ Skill Activated: Dark Flare (Lv.3)]
A burst of darkness consumed the captured rabbits, leaving nothing but scorched fur.
[You gained 45 EXP]
[Nyxaris fed. Hunger reduced.]
Adrien exhaled. Still weak beasts, but the system doesn't let me slack. The bushes rustled, and a scaled creature the size of a dog hissed. Its back bristled with mana-thorns.
Adrien dashed forward, shadows trailing.
His summoned afterimage split from him, darting opposite and confusing the lizard. The beast whipped toward the echo, exposing its flank. Adrien whispered, 'Shadow Feast'.
Shadows surged into the lizard, draining vitality. The beast screeched before collapsing. Nyxaris pounced, finishing it with a clean bite.
[You gained 120 EXP]
Howls echoed. Six wolves, black-furred and glowing with violet mana, emerged. Their pack leader was nearly Adrien's height.
Adrien gritted his teeth. A pack? Figures. He thrust his palm outward.
[Skill Activated: Black Rain (Lv.1)]
Shards of condensed shadow rained down, wounding the pack but not killing. The wolves spread out. Nyxaris growled, her form blurring between shadow and flesh. She tore into one, but two circled Adrien.
He extended his cloak of shadows.
[ Void shroud: Defense increased. Physical damage reduced by 20%.]
Claws scraped against his shroud. He countered with an outstretched hand. Burst of shadow force blasted the wolf back, ribs snapping. The leader lunged at Adrien, jaws snapping. He dodged and a haze spilled out, clouding the wolves' senses.
Nyxaris used the chance, leaping at the leader and ripping its throat out. The rest of the pack scattered, whimpering.
[You gained 420 EXP]
Adrien crouched, panting. "That… was rough."
Nyxaris licked her muzzle and trotted back, eyes gleaming.
-----
The oasis forest quieted after the bloodshed, the faint glow of beast cores scattered among leaves. Adrien crouched at the base of a crystalline pool where the roots of an ancient tree intertwined with stone.
Nestled between them, pulsing with faint violet light, was a cluster of rare Moonveil Bloom — a plant so steeped in mana it was said to sell for enough coin to fund a city guard's wages for years.
Adrien brushed dust from the petals, already calculating the price when Shade whispered:
[Shade: Treasure detected. Rarity: High. Alchemical value confirmed. Recommendation: harvest before presence draws predators… or worse.]
Adrien smirked. "Too late for that."
A crunch of boots broke the silence. Emerging from the treeline came a young noble draped in sapphire-trimmed silks, followed by four armored guards. His face was set in a sneer that made Adrien's hand itch for his blade.
"Well, well. Look at this. A filthy stray stumbling onto something far beyond his comprehension." The noble drawled, brushing a jeweled hand over the blooms without even kneeling.
"These belong to House Valmere. Consider yourself fortunate, commoner — I'll take them off your hands, and in return, perhaps I won't have you flogged for theft." he said trying to make it seem as he was doing him a favor.
Adrien leaned back on one knee, unbothered, letting the shadows curl faintly at his fingertips. His gaze flicked from the noble to the guards, then back.
"You walk into my kill zone, lay hands on what I dug out, and think I'll just nod along?" His lips curled in amusement. "Tell me — is arrogance a family heirloom in your house, or just your personal brand of stupidity?"
The noble stiffened, snapping his fingers. Two guards stepped forward, weapons raised. "You dare speak like that to me, commoner?!"
Adrien rose to his full height, shadows snaking lazily across the ground at his feet like coiled vipers. Nyxaris padded from the brush at his side, bloodlust seeping from it like a berserk beast. The guards faltered at the sight, one audibly swallowing.
Adrien tilted his head, voice smooth, sarcastic.
"Careful, your highness. Try to take what's mine, and your guards will learn firsthand what a real flogging looks like."
For a moment, silence stretched — broken only by the low growl of Nyxaris and the subtle hum of magic as Adrien let Umbral Construct whisper into being, a spear of black glass forming in his hand before dissolving just as quickly.
[Shade: Threat assessment: negligible. Eliminating them would increase experience gain moderately.]
Adrien's smile sharpened. "So… shall we discuss fair trade, or should I let Shade here tally your corpses?"
The noble's lip curled when Adrien refused to yield. He flicked his wrist, voice sharp with command:
"Cut him down! Take the bloom and the beast!"
The first guard lunged, sword raised. Adrien didn't even blink. Umbral Construct flared, and a blade of condensed shadow snapped into his hand. With a single sweep, he shattered the man's weapon at the hilt.
The guard staggered back, staring at the jagged stump in horror before Adrien's boot slammed into his chest, sending him sprawling into the dirt.
"Pathetic," Adrien muttered.
The second guard tried to flank him, but Nyxaris was faster. The wolf blurred into shadow, reappearing with a snarl as its horn cracked against the man's helm. He crumpled, eyes rolling back.
The noble's remaining two guards hesitated, their courage draining away under Adrien's calm, mocking gaze. "Go on," Adrien said softly, twirling the shadow-blade in hand before letting it dissipate into mist. "Do your job. Or…" he leaned forward, shadows stretching toward their feet, "…run, and live to regret signing up under an idiot's banner."
They froze, uncertain, until Adrien's eyes narrowed — a flicker of killing intent sweeping through the clearing. That was all it took. The two guards dropped their weapons and bolted into the forest, leaving only the noble and Adrien.
The young lord's face had gone pale, but pride still forced him to stand tall. "Y-you… you think you've won? You don't know who you've offended!"
His voice cracked, but he pointed a trembling finger at Adrien. "House Valmere will end you for this insult. Mark my words!"
Adrien smirked, taking one slow step closer until the noble flinched. He leaned down just enough that his voice dripped like venom.
"Do that. Gather your house, your guards, your dogs, your entire line if you want. Bring them all. I'll show them what shadows do to arrogant little lights who forget their place."
Nyxaris growled low, the sound vibrating through the clearing. The noble, now shaking, stumbled back, tripped on a root, then scrambled to his feet and bolted — jewels and silks tangling as he fled, shrieking threats of revenge.
Shade's voice chimed in the silence:
[Shade]: Victory secured. Experience gained: +2,450. Reputation: Infamy increased slightly within noble circles.
Adrien chuckled, wiping dust from his coat. "Figures. Nobles and their empty mouths."
---
The streets of the bustling trade hub were lit by lanterns as Adrien walked in, Nyxaris trailing like a shadow. His coat was torn, boots scuffed, blood still faintly marking his sleeve. For the first time in days, he allowed himself to look in a tailor's shop window.
"Can't keep walking around like a mercenary," he muttered.
The tailor, sensing he was a prospective buyer, rushed to fit him. Dark silk embroidered with faint silver thread, a long black coat lined with dark-tones, high boots polished to a mirror sheen, and a sash clasped with an aquamarine buckle. The final touch: a subtle pendant at his throat that gave the aura of wealth without gaudiness.
When he stepped outside, lanternlight caught on his sharp features and the flowing black of his new attire. Passersby slowed, whispering. Some mistook him for a visiting prince; others simply stared. Adrien, unaware of how much he resembled a noble himself, ignored the stares with a faint smirk.
Shade's voice purred in the back of his mind:
[Shade: Observation: Your appearance now mimics the archetype of a "young master." Expect shifts in social perception. Caution recommended.]
Adrien raised a brow. "A young master, huh? Guess that makes me the kind that nobles should actually fear."
Nyxaris gave a low, approving rumble as they slipped into the city's night