Night fell over the Prime Zone.
Holden sat on his bed, rolling his right wrist. His body had been recalibrated by the 10,000x multiplier hours ago, and now it was practically begging him to use the new skill sitting in his menu.
Hellfire Cleave.
Beginner rank. Zero point one percent mastery. A Rank 2 Origin Skill with the potential to melt through almost anything.
He had read the System's description three times. Hyper-concentrated thermal energy. Explosive crimson fire. Armor-melting damage. It sounded good on paper.
But paper didn't mean anything in a real fight.
He needed to test it. Not in the villa's backyard where Renna would scream and Maeve would log every detail into her tablet. He needed a target that could fight back. A target that would force him to commit to a real swing.
His burner phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Holden picked it up. The screen showed a single text from an unknown number.
