Chapter 1 – The Boy With the Hidden Window
Velden City – Lower Ring District
The city never slept. It murmured, cursed, and coughed through the night. Smoke from oil lamps mixed with the scent of mold and piss, curling between tightly packed stone homes. The Lower Ring was a place where people forgot how to hope. Where children didn't cry because they'd learned silence was safer.
Seventeen-year-old Aayu walked those alleys like a ghost.
Hunched shoulders. Dirty black cloak. Messy hair that nearly covered his eyes. He looked like the rest of them—broken, forgettable.
But he wasn't.
A faint shimmer danced before his vision.
> [STATUS WINDOW – AAYU]
Level: 1
Store Points: 12
Class: None
Traits: None
Skills: None
[SYSTEM SHOP AVAILABLE]
He was the only one in the world with this.
At least… that's what he'd come to believe.
He turned a corner into the open market square. Even at night, the market bustled. Lamps burned low. Vendors muttered prayers while packing crates. A group of adventurers laughed too loudly near a cheap ale stand.
Aayu scanned faces, letting the System do its work.
> [Name: Corven] – Level 2 – Intent: Selling forged potions]
[Name: Mara] – Level 3 – Intent: Distract for pickpocketing]
His eyes narrowed.
> [Name: Brother Lenik] – Level 5 – Intent: Recruiting for illegal rituals]
Got you.
A pale man in holy robes stood near the back wall, handing out bread and speaking softly to orphans. Most saw a kind priest.
Aayu saw the truth.
"System," he whispered, voice barely audible. "Mark target."
> [Target Marked – Brother Lenik]
Reward Estimate: 6 SP]
He followed the priest from the shadows.
---
Two Hours Later – Eastside Ruins
The moon hung low, half-veiled by smog. Lenik moved quickly, robes fluttering behind him. He stopped in front of a broken archway carved with old runes—symbols Aayu recognized from a banned tome he'd stolen once.
Demon sigils.
Aayu stayed silent, crouched behind a wall.
He waited until the chanting started.
Until the torch was lit in red flame.
Until the masked figures came forward, dragging a bound child from a sack.
Then he moved.
Fast.
Silent.
He hurled a rock into the opposite corner, drawing two cultists away.
Then he stepped from the dark, dagger in hand, and slit the first throat cleanly.
The second tried to scream—Aayu's blade caught his windpipe before the sound left.
He moved with precision, not power.
In ten seconds, only Lenik remained, frozen in place, red fire reflecting in his wide eyes.
"You," the priest whispered. "You're just a street rat—how did—"
"System," Aayu said coldly. "Confirm kill."
He drove the blade under Lenik's ribs.
> [Demon Worshipper Eliminated – +6 SP]
[Total SP: 18]
[New Trait Unlocked in Shop: Alertness I]
Aayu exhaled slowly, wiped the blade, and freed the child.
"Go. Run toward the church and scream. They'll protect you now."
The child obeyed.
Not because of kindness in Aayu's voice.
But because of the emptiness.
The boy was already forgotten before his feet hit the main road.
---
A Few Streets Away
He ducked into a half-burned building he called home. The second floor was barely intact, but the roof didn't leak and no one else dared come here.
Aayu sat against the wall and opened his hand.
> [SYSTEM SHOP]
— Trait: Alertness I – Cost: 10 SP
— Skill: Dagger Basics – Cost: 20 SP
— Trait: Sixth Sense – Cost: 15 SP
[Store Points: 18]
He chose quickly.
> Purchase Alertness I – Confirm?
Confirm.
[Purchase Successful – Remaining SP: 8]
Trait Gained: Alertness I – Passive increase to reaction speed and danger detection]
The moment the purchase processed, he felt it. A faint hum behind his eyes, like the world had sharpened. Sounds came clearer. Shadows moved more distinctly. Every breath of wind carried information now.
It was small.
But it was power.
And Aayu wanted more.
---
Meanwhile – Sacred Spire, Holy Capital
High Pontiffo Thalric sat at a stone desk, ancient tomes spread across its surface. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.
The crystal beside him pulsed violet.
"Another one…" he whispered. "The seventh has awakened."
He turned to a golden scroll marked with seven empty seals.
Only one now remained unopened.
"The Shopbearer," he muttered. "Why did the Creator give that one… the store?"
No answer came.
Only the quiet tolling of the night bell as distant thunder rumbled from the west.
---
Back in Velden – Next Morning
News of the cultist death had spread. People called it a divine act. "The Saints must be watching," they whispered. "Miracles do happen."
Aayu walked among them, hood low.
No one looked twice.
No one saw the system window that flickered as he passed:
> [STATUS – AAYU]
Level: 2
SP: 8
Traits: Alertness I
Skills: None
[Title: Demon-Hunter Initiate]
He didn't believe in saints.
He believed in results.
And his System—his—was the only thing that had ever given him a chance.
He stared at a rusted sword in a vendor's cart, imagining the day he'd buy something better—not with coin.
But with power.
Because one day, monsters wouldn't just live in ruins or hide in robes.
One day, he'd have to face a Demon King.
And when that day came… he wouldn't be a street rat anymore.
He'd be ready.