The darkness of the cave didn't feel heavy anymore; it felt like a warm, welcoming blanket. Kael stood over the pile of silver-gray ash that used to be a Shadow Spider, his heart drumming a steady, powerful rhythm against his ribs.
[Skill: Shadow Step (Rank F) – Active]
[Cost: 5 Mana per second]
With a single thought, Kael's body blurred. He didn't just move; he drifted like smoke across the uneven cave floor. He felt lighter, faster—as if the world had slowed down just to watch him pass. Using his new senses, he moved deeper into the tunnels, effortlessly bypassing the jagged traps that the other recruits were likely struggling with.
Up ahead, he heard voices. Familiar, arrogant voices that made his blood boil.
"Look at this," the bronze-armored recruit, Jax, laughed. He was tossing a glowing Mana Stone he'd just pried from a wall. "The easiest ten gold I've ever made. Too bad that 'Zero' isn't here to see it. He's probably spider food by now."
Kael watched from the thick shadows of a rock pillar. A few minutes ago, he would have stayed hidden, trembling. But the Void in his chest was humming, a low, hungry vibration that demanded more. It didn't just want Mana Stones—it wanted to show these "Rankers" what a Zero could really do.
Jax turned suddenly, sensing a cold draft. "Who's there?"
Kael didn't answer with words. He activated Shadow Step.
In a blink, he was behind the big man. He didn't use his dagger; he simply tapped Jax lightly on the shoulder. When Jax spun around, swinging his heavy sword wildly, he hit nothing but empty air. Kael was already five feet away, leaning against a damp rock, a cold, mocking smile on his face.
"Missing something?" Kael asked, tossing a small, heavy object into the air.
Jax's face went pale as he looked down at his belt. His coin pouch and his precious Mana Stone were gone.
"You... how did you move like that?" Jax stammered, his bravado vanishing instantly. "You're unranked! You're a Zero!"
"I was a Zero," Kael said, his eyes glowing with a faint, dangerous purple light that seemed to swallow the torchlight. "Now? I'm the thing that hides in your shadow."
[Warning: Mana Low (10/50)]
[Target: Jax (Rank D) - Potential for Devour: Low]
Kael realized he couldn't take on the whole group yet—not until he fed the Void more monsters. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the empty coin pouch at Jax's feet and vanished back into the dark corridor, leaving the recruits staring at the empty air in absolute terror.