The boot prints were uneven. The heel dragged on the right side.
'Injured,' Kaelen noted, his eyes scanning the limestone floor with the thermal overlay of [Abyssal Sight]. 'Limping heavily. Exhausted.'
He moved silently, his bare feet making no sound against the damp rock. The hunger in his gut—the [Sin Saturation]—was a dull throb, a constant reminder that he was running on borrowed time. He needed a kill. Or, according to the System, a "release."
The tunnel widened into a small cavern filled with stalagmites. The sound of heavy breathing echoed off the walls, punctuated by the frantic scratching of claws against stone.
Kaelen stopped behind a pillar, merging with the shadows.
In the center of the cavern, a girl backed away, swinging a broken rapier with trembling hands. Her uniform was torn, revealing pale skin and the golden insignia of the Lionheart House—one of the Academy's elite factions.
Kaelen recognized her. Seraphina. The "Ice Queen" of the Second Year. A prodigy who usually looked at people like Kaelen as if they were mud on her boots.
Right now, she looked like prey.
Three Rock-Spine Lizards circled her. They were low-tier pests, Rank F, but they were pack hunters. Seraphina's mana core flickered weakly; she was tapped out.
"Stay back!" she shrieked, her voice cracking. She lunged, but the lead lizard easily dodged and snapped at her ankle.
Rip.
"Ah!" She collapsed, clutching her bleeding leg.
Kaelen watched. He didn't move. He didn't feel the urge to jump in and play hero. The "Old Kaelen" would have sacrificed himself to save a noble. The "New Kaelen" checked the odds.
'Three lizards. Easy kills for me now. But what does she offer?'
He analyzed the situation coldly. If she died, he could loot her corpse. She might have a Spatial Ring.
But if she lived... she had knowledge. She knew a way out, or at least, she knew the Academy's rescue protocols. A dead noble was loot. A living noble was leverage.
One of the lizards lunged for her throat.
'Now.'
Kaelen exploded from the shadows.
He didn't scream a battle cry. He moved with the silence of a predator. He tackled the airborne lizard mid-jump, his momentum slamming it into the ground. Before it could react, he drove his obsidian shard into its eye socket.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
The other two lizards hissed, turning toward the new threat.
Seraphina stared, her eyes wide with shock. "K-Kaelen?"
"Shut up," Kaelen grunted.
The remaining two lizards charged. Kaelen didn't retreat. He stepped forward, embracing the [Wrath] he had absorbed from the Hyena. His strength surged.
He kicked the first lizard in the jaw. The sound of bone shattering echoed like a gunshot. It flew back, twitching.
The last one hesitated. Animals had instincts; they knew when they were outmatched. It turned to flee.
"No, you don't," Kaelen growled. "I need the XP."
He threw the obsidian shard. It spun through the air and embedded itself in the lizard's spine. The creature screeched and went limp.
Silence returned to the cavern, broken only by Seraphina's ragged breathing.
[Ding!]
[Combat Resolved.]
[Enemies Defeated: Rock-Spine Lizard (x3)]
[Experience Gained.]
[Level Up!]
[Current Level: 2 (Tier 0)]
[All Stats +1]
Kaelen walked over to the lizards, placing his hand on their corpses one by one. Devour. Devour. Devour.
The black mist consumed them. He felt his muscles knit tighter, his senses sharpening.
"You..." Seraphina's voice was a whisper. She was staring at his hand, at the black mist. "What are you doing? That's... that's dark magic. You're Corrupted."
Kaelen finished absorbing the last lizard and turned to her. He was covered in monster blood, shirtless, holding a bloody rock. He looked like a demon.
He walked toward her.
Seraphina scrambled back, pressing herself against the cold wall. "Stay away! My father is Duke Lionheart! If you touch me—"
Kaelen stopped inches from her. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. His grip wasn't gentle; it was testing.
"Your father isn't here, Seraphina," Kaelen said, his voice devoid of empathy. "And neither is your mana. You're bleeding out."
"I..." Her arrogance crumbled. Tears welled in her eyes. "Please. Don't kill me."
Kaelen stared at her. He expected to feel pity. He felt nothing.
Suddenly, the System chimed violently in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Analysis Complete.]
[Target: Seraphina Lionheart.]
[Attribute Detected: High Concentration of 'Pride' (Sin).]
[Compatibility with 'Sin Eater' System: High.]
[SYSTEM ALERT: Host is in danger of Corruption (Sin Saturation). Immediate venting required.]
[Proposal: Initiate 'Soul Bond' to drain the target's excess Pride and stabilize Host's psyche.]
Kaelen froze.
He looked at Seraphina. He didn't see a classmate anymore. The System overlay painted her in a soft, golden glow, labeling her as a [Resource].
She was trembling, terrified of him.
"You want to live?" Kaelen asked, his thumb brushing against her cheek, smearing lizard blood on her pale skin.
She nodded frantically.
"Then you belong to me," Kaelen said. "Until we get out of here, you do exactly what I say. You are not a noble anymore. You are an asset. Do you understand?"
Seraphina looked into his eyes—eyes that were no longer human, but something colder, darker. She saw the death waiting in the shadows behind him.
"Yes," she whispered, surrendering. "I understand."
[Pact Formed (Unofficial).]
[The 'Pride' within the target is accessible.]
[New Quest: Break the Ice Queen.]
[Objective: Completely shatter Seraphina's ego to maximize Sin Harvest.]
Kaelen smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.
"Good. First, strip off that useless coat. I need bandages."