Blood dripped from the tip of Alex's knife.
It was warm. Fresh. The boy on the ground twitched, clutching at the hole in his throat as if he could hold his life in with his fingers. His eyes were wide — not with hatred, not even with pain, but with surprise.
Alex stared back, silent. His heartbeat was steady, almost too steady for someone who had just ended a life.
A shout echoed down the narrow alley.
Time limit.
He crouched, wiping the blade clean on the dying boy's sleeve. No coins. No weapon worth keeping. In this world, killing didn't give you loot or rewards — only less competition and more enemies.
Alex slipped the knife back into his coat and glanced at the thin blue line of text only he could see:
> [Level: 2 (14/200)]
The number barely moved. Killing a fellow orphan wasn't worth much.
Footsteps pounded closer. Three men in black leather armor, the Drexion Orphan Guard. They weren't here to protect the weak — they were here to cull them.
Alex stepped over the body, moving deeper into the maze of alleyways. He knew every corner of this rotten district, every blind spot in the guards' patrol routes. That was why he was still alive at sixteen, when most orphans didn't make it past thirteen.
The world wasn't fair. It wasn't a game — not really.
Five hundred years ago, when the Rift tore open the sky and monsters poured out, humanity had been given the System: levels, stats, and abilities. But no quests. No treasure chests. No magical shops to save you.
You fought. You killed. You ate whatever you could find. And if you were lucky, you leveled up.
Alex reached a dead-end wall, then pushed aside a stack of rotten crates, revealing a narrow gap into the drainage tunnels. The stench hit him instantly. He slipped inside without hesitation.
Safe. For now.
He pulled his coat tighter, feeling the weight of the knife in his pocket. The boy's face still floated in his mind — pale, slack-jawed, and fading.
He didn't feel guilt. He didn't feel pride.
He felt… nothing.
Then, the air shifted.
A low hum, like the vibration of a distant bell, echoed in his ears. His vision blurred, and a new line of text burned into existence:
> [Unique Physique Acquired: Heaven Devouring Physique]
Effect: You may consume the strength, abilities, and lifeforce of defeated enemies.
Warning: The Physique hungers. It will not stop.
Alex blinked. The letters pulsed as if alive.
And then, deep inside him, something opened its eyes.