Kaelen's shadows stretched along the cracked stone walls, flickering like living ink, teasing the corners of the ruined atrium. The rumors were already alive outside, with novices whispering about him, scribbling frantic notes, and even the wiry old NPC muttering curses under his breath. But inside, the tower itself waited, patient, dark, and hungry.
"First floor, first real challenge," Kaelen muttered to himself, letting his boots crunch against the gravel. "Or first warm-up. Depends on your perspective."
Before he could even move another step, a chilling sound echoed from the depths of the atrium: a wet, gurgling hiss that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Kaelen raised an eyebrow, half-amused.
"Oh, this again? Another wannabe monster hoping for fame?"
A Shadow Wretch emerged from the darkness, its form flickering like a broken reflection, skin and sinew twisting unnaturally. Its mouth gaped with jagged teeth, eyes like obsidian marbles staring directly at him. A dozen climbers scattered, screaming, flailing with weapons. One novice ran headfirst into a pillar, bouncing off with a squawk.
Kaelen sighed theatrically. "Really? Is that all you've got?"
Before the creature could lunge, he extended his shadows like liquid black ribbons, wrapping around the Wretch's limbs, immobilizing it mid-air. The thing struggled, its form warping violently as it tried to fight back, but Kaelen's shadows tightened, coiling like serpents with a mind of their own.
System Pop-Up:
"Level 1 Unlocked: Adventurer. Shadow Manipulation Active. Passive Skill: Shadow Sense."
He didn't even glance at it. The system was awake, yes, but no fanfare. No dramatic "ding." That was fine. Kaelen preferred quiet power, letting it fester in fear before revealing itself.
The Wretch's struggles slowed. Its eyes darted, recognizing too late that it was completely outmatched. Kaelen flicked a shadow strand and, with a gentle snap, disintegrated it into black ash.
A group of nearby NPCs and novices blinked, open-mouthed. One muttered, "I thought it would be."
"Interesting?" Kaelen supplied with a grin. "Spoiler: it's not."
A wiry, jittery man muttered something about "levels being unfair," and Kaelen smirked. "Levels? Don't worry, kid. You'll catch up. Or die trying. Your choice."
The crowd's whispers began feeding the rumor network immediately. "Shadow bender… disappeared with one touch… completely effortless…" They scribbled in their books, whispered in the halls, and spread stories faster than fire on dry grass.
Kaelen followed the Wretch's fading scent deeper into the atrium, letting his shadows flicker and play across the walls. They bent unnaturally around corners, teasing at cracks in the stone. Every movement of his hand, every slight tilt of his head, was an unspoken command: the darkness obeyed.
"Honestly," Kaelen said aloud, not that anyone dared come closer, "this is… underwhelming. "This is less scary than my nap."
A novice muttered something about "blasphemy," clearly expecting punishment. Kaelen rolled his eyes and flicked a shadow tendril toward the boy, not to harm, but to levitate his notes mid-air and scatter them across the floor. The boy shrieked. "HEY! MY NOTES!"
Kaelen chuckled. "Relax, it's just a demonstration of style. Efficiency, drama, and flair are three things this tower respects."
Another NPC tried valiantly to intervene, swinging a rusty sword. The Shadow Wretch had already gone, replaced by ash floating gently down to the floor. The NPC froze mid-swing, turning to Kaelen with wide, panicked eyes. "It… It's gone! How ?"
Kaelen raised her hand lazily. "Magic? Talent? Pure luck? Take your pick. I'm not picky."
The first floor wasn't just a physical test. It was alive, and Kaelen knew it. Shadows flickered unnaturally along the edges of the floor. A faint pulse tickled his mind, subtle, almost like a heartbeat: watching, waiting.
He paused, letting the silence stretch. The faintest whisper of wind, or was it the tower itself? Brushed his ear: "Kaelen…"
He smirked. "Well, hello again. Been waiting, have we?"
The rumor network outside had already begun to mutate. "They say the first floor is cursed. He's bending shadows like a god. One touch, and monsters crumble. Do you hear that? He hasn't even touched the big floors yet."
Kaelen grinned, letting his shadows curl around his form like a cloak. "Good. Let them talk. Let them fear. It makes their screams all the more entertaining when they meet reality."
A sudden screech pulled him back, another Shadow Wretch, but this one faster, smaller, and unnervingly agile. It darted from a dark corner, claws scraping the stone. NPCs screamed, flailing hopelessly. One unlucky man swung a wooden club and accidentally hit himself in the leg, falling into a pile of rubble.
Kaelen's grin widened. "Classic."
With a lazy flick of his wrist, shadows erupted from his form, forming dozens of whip-like tendrils. They struck the wretch, wrapping, constricting, and lifting it off the ground. The creature writhed violently, trying to resist, but Kaelen's shadows were precise. With a sharp motion, he yanked the Wretch toward the wall, and it splattered into ash with a sound almost like dry leaves scattering in the wind.
System Pop-Up:
"Shadow Manipulation Skill Gained: Tier 1. Passive Active. Shadow Sense Enhanced. Current EXP: 0/100."
Kaelen flexed his fingers, watching the tendrils dissipate into the air. "Impressive… for a warm-up."
Nearby, a novice muttered, "I think he's cheating…"
Kaelen tilted his head. "Nope. No cheating. Just talent, timing, and a slight disregard for your survival."
Humor, sarcasm, fear, they all mixed seamlessly here. That was his style. Dark? Yes. Funny? Absolutely. Irresistibly bingeable? Well… judging by the way the crowd's whispers multiplied, yes.
After disposing of the second wretch, Kaelen paused to observe. Shadows stretched across the floor, curling into grotesque shapes, responding to his subtle commands. The floor itself seemed aware, almost alive, as if judging his skill or perhaps acknowledging it.
A wiry old man shuffled closer, trembling. "You… you're Level 1, right?"
Kaelen's lips curled into a smirk. "Level 1. Officially. Unofficially? Let's just say… I've been practicing in places that don't even exist on your map."
The old man sputtered. "But… that power…"
Kaelen shrugged. "It's called style. Or maybe destiny. One of those. Don't worry about the details. Focus on not dying while I'm amusing myself."
The Ruined Spire wasn't quiet for long. Rumors, whispers, and myth network threads multiplied exponentially. "Shadow bender… effortlessly kills Wretch… Tier 1 is already bending shadows… one man and the first floor is his playground…"
Kaelen let the whispers reach him like music. They were intoxicating, a prelude to the chaos and challenge that awaited. The tower pulsed in response. A soft vibration beneath his feet hinted that it remembered him now, knew him, and perhaps… respected him.
A final Wretch lunged from the ceiling, claws extended. Kaelen sighed. "Really? Three? I was hoping for dramatic flair, not volume."
His shadows lashed out preemptively, splitting the creature in half before it even fully formed. The crowd gasped. One novice fainted. Another muttered, "He… he's not human…"
Kaelen crouched, letting his shadows recede. "Correct. I'm entertainingly inhuman, if you want labels."
The floor's latent magic shimmered faintly. Something had awakened silently. A prelude. A signal. A promise. Kaelen felt it like a pulse in his veins. The System had woken not loud, not flashy, but silently. And that was enough.
He allowed himself a smirk, watching the debris settle. "First floor complete, first Wretch trio annihilated, rumors spreading like wildfire. Day one? Excellent."
As he turned toward the next staircase, leading deeper into the darkness, the tower seemed to whisper again: "Kaelen… this is only the beginning."
He tilted his head, letting the shadows curl around him like a living cloak. "Good. I was getting bored already."
System Pop-Up:
"Rumor Network Updated: Kaelen – Shadow Manipulator, OP, unpredictable. Current Floor Status: Complete."
Kaelen's smile lingered. The Spire awaited, alive, whispering, teasing. And he? He was just getting started.
Rumors of Kaelen's effortless destruction of the Shadow Wretches spread beyond the first floor. Climbers whispered his name in fear and awe. Somewhere in the deeper floors, something stirred. The Ruined Spire had noticed him… and it had only just begun to test him.
Next floor? Waiting. Top floor? Still sealed. Kaelen? Already ahead of the game.