The alley behind the academy dorms was too quiet. Zane had only wanted a walk, nothing serious—stretch his legs, breathe some air, maybe think about how not to starve to death on cafeteria food. Instead, he found himself surrounded by six seniors who looked like they'd crawled straight out of a villain recruitment poster.
"Oh look," one sneered, his teeth sharp like he filed them for fun, "the freshman brat who thought he was clever."
Zane tilted his head. "Brat? Huh. I was aiming more for mysterious prodigy, but sure, I'll take brat."
They activated their powers one by one—dragon claws of shimmering red, a flaming whip, blades of slicing wind, a body covered in stone-like armor, a guy who sparked lightning between his hands, and another whose eyes glowed ominously purple.
Six against one.
A normal kid would've been dead before the first punch.
But Zane wasn't normal.
He dodged clumsily at first, heart pounding, but as the attacks kept flying, something in him clicked. Every sidestep, every lean, every backward roll felt sharper, lighter.
> [Shadow Essence Allocated: +3 Speed, +2 Defense]
The difference was instant—his body moved as if the ground itself carried him. Dodging went from frantic to natural. He slipped past a flaming whip, ducked under dragon claws, spun between sparks of lightning.
And then his fist flew out on reflex.
> [Shadow Punch: Unsuccessful]
Zane blinked. Huh? He tried again.
> [Shadow Punch: Unsuccessful]
[Shadow Punch: Unsuccessful]
"Oh, come on!" he barked, ducking under another slash. He punched once more—this time, something shifted.
> [Shadow Punch: Successful]
The senior froze mid-swing. His body went limp, eyes rolling back, and he hit the ground with a thud.
Gasps rippled through the circle of bullies. But Zane noticed something else.
The guy's shadow—the inky outline under his feet—was pale, frayed, almost transparent. His dragon claws sputtered and vanished, and the once-feral aura around him collapsed like wet paper.
Zane's grin was sharp.
"Ohhh. That's what this is."
A new message blinked.
> [Hidden Quest Unlocked: The Weight of Shadows]
Steal the essence of 3 enemy shadows (not by consumption, but through Shadow Punch).
Progress: 0/3
Reward: +500 Exp, Skill Upgrade (Shadow Punch → Shadow Break), ???
Zane's eyes glimmered. "Heh. Easy EXP. Five left, minus Sleeping Beauty here. Let's go."
He lunged at the next one—the senior with dragon claws, who slashed wildly. Zane slipped past the strikes and hammered four punches into him in rapid succession.
> [Shadow Punch: Successful]
Progress: 1/3
The claws fizzled out. The aura bled away. The bully collapsed, groaning weakly.
The third had a flaming whip that hissed like a serpent. Zane darted in, ignoring the heat, and slammed him across the jaw. The whip fell to ash before it even touched the ground.
> [Shadow Punch: Successful]
Progress: 2/3
Zane exhaled, a cold smile tugging at his lips. He turned toward the last three, raising his hand like he was picking a card.
"Minee… minee… manii… mo—" His fist cracked into the guy with the wind blades.
> [Shadow Punch: Successful]
Progress: 3/3
The boy's blades shattered mid-air, his knees buckled, and he fainted flat.
The two remaining seniors froze. Their eyes darted from Zane, to their unconscious friends, then back to him. He hadn't revealed a single flashy ability. No aura. No elemental bursts. Just… fists.
And yet four seniors lay scattered on the ground, their shadows broken and their strength drained.
"He—he's a monster!" one stammered.
The other grabbed him by the arm. "Forget it! Run!"
They bolted without looking back.
Zane stretched, rolling his shoulders like he'd just finished a light jog. "Huh. That wasn't so bad." He dusted his uniform and started walking away.
> [Quest Complete: Would you like to accept your reward now?]
"Nope. Later," Zane muttered casually, waving the screen away. "Not in the mood for fireworks tonight."
He headed back toward the dorms, humming to himself.
But high above, perched in the shadow of a tree, a figure watched. Their eyes narrowed as they observed the unconscious seniors sprawled across the academy street, their shadows flickering unnaturally.
"Hmmm…" The voice was low, amused, and dangerous.
"That's… interesting."
And in the blink of an eye, the figure vanished into the night.