Rain fell in heavy sheets.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as Jay and Nathan stood, side by side, bloodied but unbroken. Around them, twenty snarling, snapping lesser demons closed in, claws scraping against the wet concrete.
The humiliation was still fresh in their minds.
The beating.
The fear.
The helplessness.
Jay spat blood to the side and tightened his grip on his spear. "No more."
Nathan's eyes narrowed. His shadow danced at his feet like a beast barely restrained. "They're not walking out of here."
The first demon lunged—jaws wide, limbs twitching erratically.
Jay met it head-on.
He twisted his spear with precision, ducked low beneath the creature's swipe, and drove the blade up through its chest, impaling it cleanly. With a furious snarl, he yanked the weapon free and spun, decapitating it in one clean stroke.
[+50 XP]
The corpse dropped in the puddle with a splash.
Another came.
Jay rolled to the side, spun the spear behind his back, and slashed the demon's knees, crippling it. Then, without mercy, he drove the tip through its skull.
[Level Up – Level 8]
More surged forward.
Nathan raised both hands, and black tendrils erupted from his shadow—solid, liquid, and mist intertwining like serpents. One shadow became a blade, slicing a demon clean in two. Another formed a spike, piercing one through the throat.
A third tendril grabbed a demon mid-air, slamming it into the ground again and again until the concrete cracked beneath it.
Jay moved like a storm.
He ducked under claws, parried bites, and countered with ruthless efficiency. Every strike of his spear was faster, more precise. His mastery had grown. He could feel it.
His spear no longer felt like a weapon.
It felt like an extension of his body.
"HYAAH!"
He spun in a wide arc, slashing through three demons at once. Blood sprayed like mist, mixing with the rain.
[Level Up – Level 9]
Nathan's control evolved with every second. His shadows grew denser, sharper, more reactive. He formed a wall of brume-like darkness to block an incoming charge, then materialized spikes from the mist to impale the demon behind it.
"You're not touching him," he growled, protecting Jay's back.
They fought like they'd done this a hundred times.
Jay advanced again. Two more demons rushed him.
One tried to grab his arm.
Jay grinned.
He twisted, flipped over its shoulder, and stabbed it through the back before slicing off the second demon's head mid-air.
[Level Up – Level 10]
A small chime echoed in his mind.
[You have gained a new skill slot]
But Jay didn't stop.
He was on fire.
A demon leapt from behind—but before it touched the ground, Jay's spear met its throat.
He didn't hesitate.
He didn't breathe.
He only moved.
[Level Up – Level 11]
Nathan grunted as two demons lunged at him together—but his shadows rose in a protective dome. They crashed into the barrier, only to be swallowed by the void, screaming as they were torn apart inside.
Blood stained the street red.
Corpses piled in the rain.
But the battle wasn't over yet.
Eight demons remained—more cautious now, growling, circling the pair like wolves.
Jay's chest rose and fell. He spun his spear once, letting the blood drip off.
Nathan stood beside him, shadows writhing like living beasts.
They locked eyes, wordless understanding between them.
"Let's finish the rest."
The final eight demons circled, teeth bared, eyes glowing with primal rage. Rain washed over the blood-stained street as Jay and Nathan moved with deadly intent.
Jay darted forward first—his spear a blur of silver in the downpour. The first demon leapt at him, but he sidestepped fluidly and swept the creature's legs with the pole of his weapon before thrusting the blade down through its neck.
He didn't stop.
He twisted on his heel and slashed through the next two with a clean, horizontal arc. Blood sprayed across the concrete in thick streaks.
Nathan followed close behind, his shadows trailing like serpents. He raised both hands and formed twin daggers from the dark mist, then charged in. With precision and speed, he slashed through the next demon's torso, then ducked under a claw and countered with a spike through its head.
Another demon lunged from behind—but Jay spun mid-step and pierced its heart without even looking.
Nathan called upon his shadow again, forming a massive hand of darkness that grabbed a snarling demon by the face and crushed it into the asphalt with bone-cracking force.
Jay moved with eerie calm. His strikes were flawless now—measured, efficient, lethal. Two more demons rushed him.
He crouched low, letting their momentum pass over him, then slashed upward through both their spines in a single sweeping motion.
Then…
Silence.
Only the rain remained.
[Level Up – Level 12]
[Level Up – Level 13]
[21 Improvement Points Earned]
Jay exhaled slowly, spear still dripping. He opened his system menu.
[Name: Jay Orlen]
[Level: 13]
[Improvement Points: 21]
[Skills: Weapon Mastery (E), Invisibility (Locked)]
[Skill Slots: 1]
[Inventory: Potion ×9]
[You have unlocked a new skill slot.]
[Would you like to unlock the skill: Invisibility?]
[Cost: 1 Skill Slot]
Jay didn't hesitate.
[Yes]
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the skill: Invisibility (F)]
He felt it immediately—like a shift in his presence, a ripple in the fabric of the world that made him… lighter. Quieter. Unseen.
He smiled.
Then navigated to his skills again.
[Would you like to upgrade Weapon Mastery (E) to Weapon Mastery (D)?]
[Cost: 10 Improvement Points]
[Yes]
[Congratulations! Weapon Mastery has been upgraded to Rank D]
The spear in his hand felt even more natural, almost like it anticipated his movements.
[Would you like to upgrade Invisibility (F) to Invisibility (E)?]
[Cost: 5 Improvement Points]
[Yes]
[Congratulations! Invisibility has been upgraded to Rank E]
His body felt different now—like he could fade, bend into shadows, vanish at will.
Meanwhile, Nathan knelt among the corpses. He extended his hand and formed a small figure from his shadow—a hunched silhouette with a twisted grin and flickering red eyes. A shadow clown.
It gave a clumsy little bow before scuttling across the battlefield on all fours, collecting the shimmering awakening stones from the demon corpses.
Nathan watched it go, then turned to Jay.
"We're ready," he said simply.
Jay didn't respond with words. He nodded, his expression cold, calm, focused.
Lightning cracked above.
Their auras surged—wild, violent, new.
The rain around them swirled unnaturally as their energy pulsed through the air. They weren't the same boys who'd been humiliated minutes ago.
They were stronger.
Faster.
Deadlier.
Nathan looked toward the distant part of the city, where the demon had vanished.
"Now," he said, his eyes burning with determination.
"Let's go teach that bastard a lesson."
Jay smirked.
Together, they stepped forward—two rising forces of vengeance cutting through the storm, their footsteps echoing louder than the thunder.