The ruined tunnels of Sector 13 echoed with the relentless drip of water and the faint, guttural screams of dying beasts in the distance. Liu Xuan moved deeper into the labyrinth, his footsteps silent against the cracked stone floor. This was a place where even the elite rescue teams of the Hunters' Guild refused to tread, a graveyard of shattered hopes and forgotten heroes. The air was thick with the stench of mold and blood, the walls scarred by claw marks and blackened by acid burns. Above, the storm raged on, its muffled roars barely penetrating the subterranean depths. But down here, in the belly of the forsaken city, Liu Xuan no longer feared the dark.
He *was* the dark now.
> **[SYSTEM UPDATE]**
> *You have reached Level 4.*
> *+15 Attribute Points awarded.*
> *Skill Upgrade Option Unlocked.*
A glowing blue interface materialized before his eyes, its ethereal light casting faint shadows across the jagged tunnel walls. Xuan blinked once, expecting the vision to vanish like a fleeting dream. It didn't. The system was real, persistent, a living extension of the power now coursing through his veins. Hesitant at first, he reached out with his mind, brushing against the interface as if it were a tangible object.
> *Distribute Points?*
> *— Strength: 5*
> *— Agility: 5*
> *— Vitality: 5*
> *— Intelligence: 0*
> *— Luck: 0*
Xuan didn't hesitate. "Max Strength and Agility," he muttered, his voice low but resolute.
A searing heat erupted within him, like molten fire flooding his limbs. His muscles tightened, coiling with newfound power. His bones cracked softly, realigning, adapting to the sudden surge of strength. The pain was sharp but fleeting, replaced by a rush of exhilaration that made his pulse race.
> *[Strength increased to 10]*
> *[Agility increased to 10]*
> *[New Trait Unlocked: Predator's Flow Lv.1]*
> *[Movement speed increased in combat. Evasion enhanced by 15%.]*
A faint smile tugged at his lips, sharp and dangerous. This wasn't just power—it was *freedom*. No more groveling under the weight of the guild's disdain. No more enduring the mocking laughter of highborn Hunters who saw him as nothing more than a disposable pawn. No more being the weakest, the E-Rank scout sent to die so others could shine.
He was done crawling in the dirt.
Xuan unsheathed his dual katanas, their blades glinting faintly in the dim light. The weapons hummed with a strange, hungry energy, resonating with the Shadowblood System now fused to his soul. He dashed forward, his movements silent, fluid, like a predator stalking its prey. Each step carried him deeper into the labyrinth, where the air grew heavier and the shadows darker.
A low growl rumbled ahead, followed by the skittering of claws on stone. Xuan's violet eyes narrowed as he burst into a cavernous chamber—a nest of Skinfang Hounds, Level 15 pack beasts known for their relentless savagery. Their emaciated forms were covered in leathery, bone-white skin, their jaws lined with serrated teeth that could tear through steel. Three of them snapped to attention, their yellow eyes locking onto him as they snarled, claws tearing furrows in the ground.
They lunged as one, a blur of teeth and claws aimed to rip him apart.
But Xuan was faster.
> *[Skill Activated: Death Step Lv.1]*
> *[Passive: Shadow Reflexes in effect]*
His body flickered, vanishing from their path in an instant. He reappeared mid-air, spinning like a cyclone, his katanas flashing in a deadly arc. The blades sang as they carved through the first two hounds, severing their heads in a single, fluid motion. Blood sprayed across the cavern, painting the walls in crimson. The third hound howled, a bone-chilling sound, and charged, its claws slashing for his chest.
Xuan ducked beneath the attack, his movements impossibly smooth, guided by the system's enhancements. He drove his katana upward, piercing the beast's ribcage with a sickening crunch. With a twist of his wrist, he shredded its heart, and the hound collapsed in a steaming heap.
> *[Skinfang Hound slain]*
> *[Skinfang Hound slain]*
> *[Skinfang Hound slain]*
> *[EXP Gained. Level Up!]*
> *[Level 5 Reached]*
> *[+5 Attribute Points]*
Xuan stood over the corpses, his breathing steady, barely winded. Blood dripped from his blades, pooling on the floor and filling the air with a metallic tang. The system hummed within him, its presence growing stronger as it fed on the remains of his kills.
> *[Blood Essence Absorbed]*
> *[Skill Fragment Detected: Beast Instinct Lv.1]*
> *Would you like to absorb?*
He accepted without hesitation.
> *[New Skill Acquired: Beast Instinct Lv.1]*
> *[Reaction time increased by 10% when outnumbered.]*
"Useful," he muttered, his voice a low growl. The system wasn't just making him stronger—it was letting him *steal* from his enemies. Their abilities, their instincts, even fragments of their essence. With every kill, he grew more monstrous, his humanity fraying at the edges as the Shadowblood System reshaped him into something… else.
The deeper he hunted, the more he would evolve.
---
Far above, at the surface entrance to Sector 13's ruins, a black-armored strike team from the Silverfang Guild stood in a loose formation. Their sleek, high-tech gear gleamed under the flickering lights of their transport craft, a stark contrast to the crumbling city around them. The captain, a grizzled veteran named Gao, scowled at his comms unit, its screen displaying nothing but static.
"Still no trace of Liu Xuan?" he asked, his voice clipped with irritation.
"Nothing, sir," replied a younger Hunter, checking a scanner. "Thought he'd be dead in ten minutes. E-Rank trash like him doesn't last in Sector 13."
Gao snorted, adjusting his rifle. "Tch. Just a support scout. Waste of time sending anyone after him. Let the Wraiths have his corpse."
The team turned to leave, their boots crunching against the rubble as they headed back to their craft. They didn't see the faint violet glow flickering deep within the tunnel's entrance, nor did they hear the whisper of something ancient and hungry stirring below.
Deep in the labyrinth, Liu Xuan's eyes snapped open, their violet light flaring brighter. A pulse of energy coursed through him, sharp and electric, as the system spoke again.
> *[New Evolution Triggered]*
> *Shadowblood Core adapting…*
> *Mutation in progress.*
His body trembled, the black markings on his arms pulsing wildly, the violet cracks within them glowing like molten lava. Pain lanced through him, but it was a pain he welcomed—a sign of transformation, of ascension.
---
That night, in the safety of his crumbling safehouse in the slums of Sector 13, Liu Xuan sat cross-legged on the cold concrete floor. The safehouse was little more than a shack, its walls patched with scavenged metal and its single window boarded up against the world outside. Rain hammered the roof, a relentless rhythm that matched the pulse of the system within him.
The glowing interface hovered before him, its light casting eerie shadows across the room. He studied it, his fingers tracing the hilt of one katana, now resting across his lap.
> *[Mutation: Shadow Core Tier I]*
> *Passive Effect Unlocked: Shadow Merge Lv.1*
> *[You may blend with shadows for 3 seconds, becoming invisible and intangible. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]*
"Finally…" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the storm. His fingers tightened around the blade's hilt, the weapon humming in response to his touch. The system was more than a tool—it was a promise. A promise that he could rise above the mockery, the pity, the disdain. A promise that he could become something the world would fear.
But even as he reveled in his newfound power, a chill ran down his spine. The system's interface flickered, and a new message appeared, unprompted.
> *[Warning: Trial Gate Detected]*
> *Location: Empire Capital, 1,200 miles north.*
> *Status: Active. Threat Level: Cataclysmic.*
> *Objective: Survive the First Wave.*
Xuan's breath caught. He'd heard rumors of Trial Gates—massive rifts in the sky that unleashed horrors beyond comprehension. They were rare, apocalyptic events that could level entire cities. The last one, decades ago, had reduced the Empire's southern provinces to ash. And now, one had appeared above the capital itself, a swirling vortex of red and black that pulsed with malevolent energy.
He stood, his katanas in hand, their blades catching the faint light of the system's interface. The slums outside were quiet, the residents unaware of the storm brewing far to the north. But Xuan felt it—a pull, a call to something greater. The system had chosen him for a reason. It had awakened in him when he was on the brink of death, and now it was guiding him toward a destiny he couldn't yet grasp.
The Trial Gate was chaos incarnate, a crucible that would break the weak and forge the strong. The Empire would tremble. The guild would falter. And the world would know his name.
Liu Xuan would not bow.
He would ascend.
But as he stepped toward the door, ready to begin his journey, the system flared one final time, its voice colder, sharper, laced with a warning that sent ice through his veins.
> *[Hidden Condition Detected]*
> *The Shadowblood Core has a price.*
> *Consume too much, and you will lose yourself.*
> *Choose your path carefully, Liu Xuan… or become the monster you hunt.*
The interface vanished, leaving him in darkness. Outside, the rain stopped, and an unnatural silence fell over the slums. Somewhere in the distance, a low, guttural roar echoed, as if the world itself sensed what was coming.
Xuan's grip on his katanas tightened, his violet eyes blazing with defiance. The system had given him power, but it had also bound him to a dangerous game. He was no longer just a Hunter. He was a predator, a shadow, a force that could reshape the world—or destroy it.
The Trial Gate waited. And with it, a choice that would define him.
Would he rise as a hero?
Or fall as a monster?
The answer lay in the blood-soaked path ahead, and Liu Xuan took his first step into the unknown.