I jolted upright, bringing a hand to my head that was throbbing with pain.
I looked carefully around me, making sure I knew where I was — and it seemed I had returned to the spot where I'd killed the shadow lizard.
"Gods… it feels like I'm having the worst hangover of my life."
I rubbed my eyes, trying to ease the nausea and the pounding headache.
I lowered my gaze to my hands, which seemed to be back to normal, making me sigh with relief.
To be honest, I had no idea what had happened or where exactly I'd ended up. But judging by the still-warm blood of the monster, not much time could have passed.
"Another mystery to add to the list, haah… anyway, let's see what my status says — wow."
My mouth fell open when I read the stats.
#######################
Name: Adel
Age: 16
Race: Human...??
Grade: 1
Core: Dracoline Heart (0%)
Physical: 0.4 → 1.25
Mind: ???
Mana: 0.12 → 0.80
Vitality: 0.35 → 1.1
Skills: Shadow Veil (Lv. 3), Predation, Scale Armor (Lv. 1)[new], Poison Resistance (Lv. 1)[new]
#######################
[Scale Armor]
[Allows you to transform your skin into a layer of scales, increasing defense. Skill can be improved.]
[Poison Resistance]
[Increases resistance to poison. Weaker poisons will cause no harm, while stronger ones will have reduced effects. Skill can be improved.]
I read through everything a couple more times, just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Clenching my hand, I could feel the strength flowing inside me. I had officially become Grade 1… and all this in just a week.
The most incredible thing was that this evolution had boosted almost all my stats by nearly a whole unit. I had never heard of such a thing — or maybe I had, maybe it had happened to the Hero, but his situation was a whole different story.
In any case, it was an improvement I more than welcomed. With this, I could start putting my plan into action.
As for the new skills, I'd gained two rather useful ones: Poison Resistance could save me more than once, while Scale Armor would make it harder for anyone to hurt me.
"But I have to say, the look makes me want to rip my skin off."
I looked at the scales that appeared on my body as I activated the skill, feeling nothing but disgust. They reminded me too much of the draconians and, well, looking like them was definitely not one of my dreams — quite the opposite.
With that pounding headache gone, I got up and brushed the dust off myself. Just as I was stretching, a doubt struck me.
Until now, I'd hunted shadow lizards, which, even though they'd stopped giving me stat boosts, still increased the core saturation. But now… would that still work?
To make sure, I immediately started searching for another one — in the end, I found two together.
If this had happened before, I would have avoided such an unbalanced fight, but now I was Grade1. They weren't a problem anymore.
The two monsters noticed me immediately and charged straight at me.
I gripped my dagger with a smile and ran towards them.
I could feel the strength pulsing through my veins, a sensation I'd missed far too much, but I was still far from my peak.
The first lizard jumped, jaws wide open, but I dodged to the side and drove the blade between the scales under its throat. The monster shuddered, then dropped lifeless to the ground.
The second was already on me. I narrowly dodged its tail as it tried to knock me off balance and activated Scale Armor. I felt my skin harden, covered by tough plates. The claw only grazed me, slipping off without piercing through.
"Not bad," I murmured, driving the dagger in again.
The creature writhed, trying to break free, but the strength I had now wasn't even comparable to what I'd had just days ago.
When the second lizard fell too, I took a deep breath and placed a hand on its body. As I'd expected, nothing happened. I tried the same with the other one, with the same result.
It didn't surprise me much. The shadow lizards were simply too weak for me now — it was unthinkable they could still contribute to my growth. And that was a problem.
In this dungeon, there were no other kinds of reptilian monsters. To keep getting stronger, I'd have to move into the ocean that surrounded the archipelago, but I wanted to avoid that if possible. In those waters swam creatures that, even when I was Grade 7, I'd rather not face, and fighting them in their natural environment would just make things more complicated.
Still, this wasn't the end of the world. Even though my situation had gotten slightly more complicated, I was way ahead of schedule. My initial guess was that I'd reach Grade 1 in about one or two months, so time was on my side.
Now, it was just time to put my plan into motion.
— Third Person —
Adel left the dungeon, rolling his neck with a relaxed air.
A few people outside looked at him for a moment, then turned away. Boys so young going into the dungeon were rare, but everyone knew that if you wanted to earn a decent sum quickly, that was the place to be.
As always, Adel was forced to hand over part of his loot, though this time he'd only brought back some minerals. If he brought monster remains every time, people might get suspicious.
"It's gotten pretty late."
Once he left the bastion, he looked up at the sky, now painted orange by the sunset. If possible, he wanted to avoid staying out too late and worrying his sister.
He still remembered how, a few days before, she'd told him she knew his secret. For a moment, he'd feared she'd realized how much he'd changed; instead, for some absurd reason, she thought he was dating a girl…
"Gods, just the thought of dating someone at my current age makes me shiver."
Adel might look like a boy now, but inside he was an adult. Plus, he didn't have any fond memories of past relationships.
With a bitter laugh at how unpredictable his sister was, Adel headed home.
But when he got close to the house, his expression froze.
Lena was pressed against the front door, while a burly man in a shabby jacket and with a filthy grin towered over her. He had one hand braced next to her face, trapping her.
"I already told you, didn't I? It's dangerous to live around here without protection…" the man slurred, his voice thick with alcohol. His slimy gaze slid over Lena, lingering on every curve.
"Like I said, we already paid."
Lena tried to keep her tone steady, but her face was pale, and the man noticed. His smile widened, pleased.
"Doesn't look that way to me… but if you don't have the money, we can find a way that's more fun for both of us."
He reached a hand towards her face, but his move was stopped by a sudden grip, so strong it froze his wrist.
What the man hadn't thought possible was that the hand squeezing him belonged to a boy who was smiling strangely, eyes half-closed.
He tried to shake him off, but the grip tightened until his bones cracked. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, while Adel showed no emotion at all.
"I heard something about payment. This should be enough, right?"
The man didn't even have time to react. Adel turned his hand over and shoved what he'd gotten from the dungeon into it, then finally let him go.
The brute stumbled back, massaging his bruised wrist, his eyes fixed on the pouch. The alcohol clouded him, but not enough to stop him from realizing this boy was trouble.
"…Yeah, all good."
He cast one last look at Lena, then glared at Adel with cold eyes. Next time, he'd bring his friends and teach that kid his place — then they'd have fun with the girl. The thought cheered him as he staggered away.
Once he was gone, Adel turned to Lena, still trembling. He gently ran a hand down her back.
"It's all right, Lena. Don't worry."
Seeing how he was reassuring her, a smile formed on Lena's face.
"My little brother has grown up so much that he protects me now."
"Of course, now and always."
Lena hugged him, and Adel returned the embrace. But what she couldn't see was the cold, inhuman glint in his eyes.
****
Lid was the typical scum of society. Murder, rape, drugs… There wasn't a crime or vice he hadn't dipped his hands in, and that was exactly why he loved the archipelago.
As long as you didn't push things too far, you could do anything, and all it took was greasing the right palms for everyone to look the other way.
At that moment, he was part of some nameless gang, one of those that extorted money in exchange for "protection." It was satisfying, sure, but it wasn't enough for Lid. He wanted more: to be part of one of the main factions, get a blessing, and see everyone at his feet.
That thought brought his mind back to the girl from before. He hadn't thought such a sexy girl could exist in such a rundown neighborhood. He'd been ready to take her by force, if it hadn't been for that brat…
He stopped in a dark alley, unbuttoning his pants with a filthy grin. The alcohol made him feel light, invincible.
"Enjoy your last moment of peace."
The sudden voice caught him off guard, but he didn't even have time to turn around before something struck him on the head, knocking him out cold.
(A little later.)
Lid woke up with bile rising in his throat. He tried to move, but he couldn't feel his legs. Only then did he realize he was hanging upside down, feet tied to a rotten beam in an abandoned building.
Blood hammered in his temples. He tried to scream, but something gagged his mouth. He looked around frantically until he saw a boy — the same one from hours before — standing with his arms crossed, eyes downcast.
"HMMPFF!"
Lid tried to say something, but only a muffled sound came out.
"You know," said Adel, lifting his head with a smile, "despite appearances, I consider myself a pretty calm person."
He paused, looking at him like you'd look at an insect.
"You can insult me, mock me… it wouldn't change a thing. Sure, if someone tried to kill me, I wouldn't hesitate to return the favor."
Adel stepped forward. He got closer to Lid and began circling him, while the man squirmed like a worm.
"Now, though, here's the problem. You dared to touch my sister… and I have to decide what to do with you."
"HPF-GHHAUA!"
A sharp cut. Adel sliced off a finger.
"Wrong answer… or whatever you were trying to say."
He wiped the blade on Lid's face, already streaked with tears and snot, while the man panted, choked by pain.
"You know," Adel continued in an almost light tone, "once I spoke with the Hero. I told him demons had no redeeming qualities. But if there's something those bastards excel at, it's tormenting people. And, boy, if they're good at it… I think I was one of their favorites, since they did it for years. Maybe that's why my mind's such a mess, don't you think?"
"GHHHAM!"
Another finger hit the ground.
"See? When I ask questions, you're supposed to answer."
Lid stared at him, eyes wide with terror, but what truly froze him was the boy's inhuman calm while torturing him.
"Honestly, I'd rather not imitate them. I hate them with every fiber of my being. But I also believe everything should be used to your advantage."
Adel sighed, almost regretful, and leaned down to whisper in Lid's ear:
"What I'm about to do to you will make you suffer so much that I really hope, with all my heart, that in your next life you won't be so stupid. But don't worry… your friends will join you soon enough."
What followed, in the hours after, were inhuman screams, smothered and swallowed by the silence of the night.