The West Pavilion wasn't a home; it was a ruin. The roof leaked, and the wind howled through the cracks in the stone like a dying beast.
At five years old, Aris was small for his age, but his eyes were too sharp, too cold. While the other children of the servants played in the dirt, Aris spent twelve hours a day in the Thorne Estate Coal Pits.
"Move it, brat!" a guard barked, cracking a whip over Aris's head.
Aris didn't flinch. He hauled a basket of black stone that weighed more than he did. To the guard, Aris was a pathetic slave. But through the Abyssal Eye, Aris saw something the guard didn't.
[Detected: Earth-Vein Essence hidden within Low-Grade Coal.]
[Action: Absorb?]
Absorb, Aris thought.
As his small, calloused hands touched the coal, a faint black mist flowed from the rock into his palms.
[Body Tempering Progress: 88%... 89%...]
Every basket he hauled was a secret training session. He wasn't just working; he was "mining" the estate's resources right under their noses.
"Aris!" a soft voice called.
His mother, Elena, stood at the edge of the pit. She looked haggard, her hands red and raw from washing the laundry of the main house. She held a small, stale piece of bread.
"I saved this for you," she whispered, her eyes brimming with guilt. She hated that her son had to work like this.
Aris took the bread, but his gaze went past her. His Abyssal Eye caught a group of three boys walking toward them. These were the sons of the lower guards—bullies who took pleasure in tormenting the "trash" of the Thorne family.
The leader, a fat boy named Kael, was Level 3.
[New Quest: The First Blood]
Objective: Defeat Kael and his lackeys without using visible Qi.
Reward: 150 AP, Skill Book: Ghost-Step (Low Grade).
Bonus: Take their lunch.
Aris handed the bread back to his mother. "Hold this, Mother. It's about to get dusty."
"Aris? What are you—"
He turned to face the bullies. A small, skinny five-year-old against three older boys. To any onlooker, it was a tragedy. To Aris, it was an XP Farm.
"Hey, half-breed!" Kael shouted, swaggering forward. "The Matron said slaves shouldn't have bread. Hand it over, or I'll break your other heel."
Aris tilted his head. His left eye pulsed with a hidden violet hue. He saw the "flow" of Kael's clumsy movements. He saw the gap in the boy's stance.
"I've spent forty-eight hours straight coding on three hours of sleep," Aris whispered, his voice sounding far too old for his body. "A spoiled brat like you isn't even a mid-boss. You're a tutorial mob."
[Abyssal Eye: Weakness Detected - Right Knee.]
Aris moved.