Chapter 3 (Part 1): The City of Broken Stars
The howling winds of the desolate plains faded into a cold silence.
In the distance, rising from the mist like the carcass of a fallen titan, stood Nightreach City.
It wasn't a place of glory or light.
It was a city abandoned by the heavens — cracked towers, crooked streets, a flickering skyline of broken neon and dying starlight.
Shen adjusted the strap of his worn cloak. His crimson eyes flickered beneath the hood, surveying the gates ahead — rusted iron, barely held together by patches of scavenged metal.
[System Notification]
You have entered: Nightreach City — "The City of Broken Stars."
New quests and interactions unlocked.
The crowds at the entrance were a mixture of mercenaries, refugees, merchants, and street performers. Every face wore the same thing: desperation.
And hunger.
As Shen stepped through the gates, several mortals instinctively moved away.
They didn't know what he was.
But they felt it.
An ancient pressure, like the breath of an unseen predator.
He ignored the stares and walked deeper into the city. His goal wasn't fame. It wasn't fortune.
It was to build power silently.
And to strike when the gods least expected.
First Interaction:
At a crumbling plaza, a ragged girl selling cracked relics called out.
"Hey, traveler! You look new! Looking for protection? Maybe a guide?"
She had dirt-smeared cheeks and wide amber eyes. She held out a dented charm, one barely pulsing with any magic.
Shen stopped.
Not because of the charm.
Because of her voice.
There was something different.
Not corrupted.
Not greedy.
Just... surviving.
He knelt slightly to meet her gaze.
"...What's your name?" Shen asked quietly.
The girl blinked, surprised.
No one usually cared about names here.
"Ivy."
[System Notification]
New Optional Quest Available!
Guide of the Broken City
Hire Ivy as a temporary guide.
Rewards: ???
Failure: Ivy disappears.
(Accept?)
Shen: (in thought)
"A guide could be useful... and this city is a maze of traps and betrayals."
He lightly nodded.
The system chimed softly.
[Quest Accepted]
Ivy grinned, showing chipped teeth.
"You won't regret it, mister! C'mon, there's a place you gotta see if you want real work!"
She darted ahead through the crowd, waving for him to follow.
Chapter 3 (Part 2): Fallen Star and First Blood
The streets of Nightreach whispered with life as Shen moved deeper into the city, Ivy trailing behind him like a curious shadow. Lanterns buzzed with dim magic, casting swirling silver patterns onto the cracked stone roads. A bitter, restless energy hung in the air — this was not a city of peace.
Their footsteps eventually brought them to the edge of a wide plaza, where a crooked wooden building leaned against the city walls. Its sign — "Fallen Star Tavern" — swung in the wind, the emblem of a shattered star barely visible through layers of grime.
"This is the place," Ivy said, pulling her hood tighter. "The ones who know the city's undercurrents... they're always here."
Shen simply nodded and pushed the heavy door open.
Inside, the tavern buzzed with low voices and clinking mugs. Men and women in battered armor huddled in shadowy corners. Mercenaries. Thieves. Failed adventurers. Everyone here wore a story written in scars.
A few heads turned as Shen entered — an outsider always drew notice. Especially one with that unshakable calm in his eyes.
Ivy quickly led him to an empty table.
"I'll gather information," she whispered. "You... maybe just don't kill anyone until I get back?"
Shen allowed a faint smile. No promises.
As Ivy melted into the crowd, Shen sat alone, his senses sharpened. His Voidsense — the passive detection granted by his system — painted the room in faint outlines of intent.
📜 [Voidsense: Passive Detection Active]
Minor threats: 17
Moderate threats: 2
Unknown anomaly: 1 (watching you)
His eyes narrowed slightly. Unknown anomaly?
Minutes passed before a figure approached.
A man — tall, armored in blackened leather, with a jagged scar running from brow to chin. His aura oozed petty malice. His companions, two burly thugs, flanked him like wolves.
"You don't belong here," the man sneered, slamming a gauntleted fist onto Shen's table. "New blood needs to learn manners."
A few patrons looked up, sensing blood in the air, but none moved to intervene. In Nightreach, survival was entertainment.
Shen calmly sipped the stale drink Ivy had left him.
"I don't take lessons from insects," he said quietly.
The man's face twisted with rage. "Big mouth for a corpse."
[Warning: Hostile Intent Detected]
[Optional Quest: 'First Blood' Available]
Objective: Defeat Krevon and his men.
Reward: EXP + Random Skill Chest (Rare)
A system prompt glimmered at the edge of Shen's vision.
He dismissed it with a thought.
He didn't need a reward to erase garbage.
Krevon roared and swung a massive iron club down toward Shen's head.
But to Shen, it moved like a sluggish shadow.
Before the weapon could descend, he shifted sideways with a fluid, almost lazy motion. The club slammed into the wooden floorboards, splintering them.
In the same breath, Shen stood, stepping into Krevon's blind spot.
[Chaotic Slayer] ignited across his right hand — not as a blade yet, but pure, condensed force.
One strike.
A single, merciless palm to Krevon's chest.
The impact detonated with a muffled boom, sending the armored thug crashing through two tables and slamming against the far wall, unconscious before he hit the ground.
The tavern fell into a stunned, frozen silence.
The two lackeys stared, wide-eyed... and then bolted for the door, tripping over chairs and curses.
Shen sat back down, casually.
A new system notification blinked in the corner of his mind:
📜 [Quest Complete: First Blood]
+250 EXP
+1 Random Skill Chest (Rare)
Reputation in Nightreach: Slight Increase (+)
He barely acknowledged it.
Across the tavern, Ivy appeared, grinning as she slipped into the seat across from him.
"Not bad," she said. "I was only gone five minutes."
Shen glanced at the shattered tables.
"Longer than necessary."
Ivy laughed — a bright sound in the grim tavern.
"We're gonna need that kind of muscle," she said. "There's a bounty posted that might interest you. Big payout. Big danger."
She slid a crumpled notice across the table.
Target:
"Unknown entity terrorizing the outskirts of Nightreach. Bounty: 5,000 silver. Status: Extreme Threat."
Shen traced a finger across the parchment, sensing the faint pulse of cursed energy woven into the ink itself.
A slight smirk tugged at the edge of his mouth.
"Looks like the night's just beginning."