I stepped out of the training grounds, the heavy stone doors sealing shut behind me with a dull, final thud.
Aria remained inside. I could feel her presence even through the walls—focused, relentless, refining her techniques with the same stubborn intensity she applied to everything. She hadn't said a word when I left. She didn't need to.
Less than half an hour had passed in the real world.
Inside, I had endured five hours.
Five long, excruciating hours where time itself had stretched and twisted, where every muscle screamed and every sense had been pushed past comfort and into something closer to cruelty. My body still remembered every blow, every failed attempt, every correction forced upon me.
Pain lingered, deep and dull.
But it hadn't been pointless.
My steps felt different now—lighter, more deliberate. My breathing was steady despite the exhaustion, and when I focused, the world felt… sharper. As if a thin veil had been lifted from my eyes.
So this is growth, I thought.
As I walked down the dim corridor, I called up the system.
STATUS
Name: Alex Ksenos
HP: 16 / 20 (16 ⇒ 20)
Mana: 10 / 10
Level: 5
Patron: HADES
Contracts Completed: 2
Physical Condition: Worn, Tired, Recovering
Mental State: Stabilizing
Attributes
Strength: 11 ⇒ 13
Agility: 10
Endurance: 13 ⇒ 17
Perception: 17 ⇒ 18
Willpower: 14 ⇒ 18
Unassigned Skill Points: 9
"I still have those unassigned skill points, huh…"
Nine points. A strange number to stare at—proof that I'd grown without even leveling. Raw gains, earned the hard way. I rolled the thought around in my head, already considering combinations and synergies, but pushed the decision aside.
Later.
Right now, there was something else to do.
I decided to handle the simple wraith contract before heading home.
Simple… huh?
Less than two days ago, wraiths had been nightmares given form—creatures that froze my blood and made every encounter feel like a gamble with death. Now, after the dungeon… after the Lycaon Spawn…
The idea of fighting one felt closer to a chore than a trial.
I summoned the mission window.
[Destroy Wraith – Lv.4]
Location: Alley close to home
Rewards:
+15 XP
+250$
"Not very specific," I muttered.
The city greeted me as I made my way back—streetlights buzzing softly, windows glowing faintly, the night slowly giving way to the first hints of morning. New York at this hour felt suspended between exhaustion and rebirth.
I slowed my pace and focused inward.
Perception.
I let it expand, not as sight, but as feeling.
Emotional cues.
Darkness.
Fear.
Guilt.
The sensation sharpened, pulling at my awareness like a taut string. A direction formed in my mind—clear and undeniable.
An alley.
Two blocks from my apartment.
My pace quickened, steps turning into a jog. The closer I got, the heavier the air felt, as if the space itself resisted me.
Something was wrong.
When I reached the alley, understanding hit me all at once.
A homeless man lay sprawled against the cold concrete, unmoving. His skin was unnaturally pale, lips tinged blue. Shadows clung to him like parasites.
The wraith hovered above, tendrils sunk deep, feeding.
Rage flared.
"Leave him!" I shouted, already moving.
The knife was in my hand before I consciously decided to draw it. I pushed my perception to its limit, the world narrowing into lines and intent.
The wraith turned.
Its shadowy tendrils lashed out toward me in a sudden, violent arc.
But this time…
I could see them.
Not just their movement—but their path.
[Ability Unlocked]
The system's mechanical chime rang out, momentarily cutting through my focus.
I ducked beneath the first tendril, feeling cold brush past my scalp. The second followed immediately—I shifted my weight left, muscles responding without hesitation.
[Passive Acquired: Attack Pattern Recognition]
Due to high Perception, you can analyze probable enemy attack patterns and visualize them as movement lines.
I was already closing the distance.
My second passive flared to life, vision piercing through the wraith's distorted form.
[Soul Sight]
There.
The core pulsed like a diseased heart.
I didn't hesitate.
I planted my foot, twisted my body, and drove the knife forward with everything I had.
The blade pierced the core.
The wraith collapsed inward, imploding into a swirl of ash and fading darkness.
Silence returned to the alley.
[Wraith Destroyed]
[Mission Completed]
Rewards:
+15 XP
+250$
The system confirmed it.
I stood there for a moment, breathing slowly, staring at the spot where the creature had existed just seconds ago.
A wraith.
The same kind of enemy that had nearly killed me days earlier…
Gone.
In one strike.
The homeless man slept peacefully when the fight ended. His color returned.
"I wish I could help you but...I just now started being able to help myself" I thought.
I decided to finally return home.
To rest and to feed Cat.
"Tomorrow's gonna be a long day..."