Night had fallen over Arcanum Nexus.
The sky was choked with ash-colored clouds, heavy and unmoving, casting the city in a dull gray pallor. Lanterns burned weakly against the creeping fog, their orange halos flickering in alleys where the wind howled like a starving beast.
In the shadows of the towering spires, far from the shining guildhalls and noble towers, the Outer Slums festered like a wound.
Broken cobbles, rotting wood, rusted gutters that dripped a slow, bitter ooze, shanty homes huddled together like beggars trying to share body heat.
And in one of them, lit by the dim glow of a single crystal shard, Kairo Vale screamed into his pillow.
His body was on fire.
Every inch of him pulsed with agony; not sickness or injury, but something deeper. The ache came from within, radiating from his bones outward, from his tendons inward. His skin crawled with heat.
His muscles trembled, cramped, grew; then tore, then rebuilt.
Again.
And again.
And again.
He curled into himself, sweat pouring from his face, teeth clenched so tight he thought his jaw might snap. His tunic clung to his skin like a soaked rag, damp with blood and fluid.
The system chimed.
DING!
~----~
[WARNING: Nutritional Deficiency Detected]
Daily Caloric Requirement: 2,000 kcal – Current Intake: 0 kcal
Muscle Growth Efficiency: 12%
Result: Involuntary Fiber Rupture. Pain Surge Active.
[Recommendation: Consume protein-based food. Immediately!]
~----~
Kairo gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the floorboard. The wood beneath him cracked.
He blinked… looked down.
Did he just crack the floorboard?
Then he noticed. His hand had grown, just slightly; thicker fingers, tighter skin, veins raised like battle lines across his knuckles.
No, not just his hand.
His forearms looked stronger, his shoulders broader. He shifted, and felt the stiffness of new mass around his ribcage.
His body was changing.
But the pain…
It wasn't strength yet.
It was raw material. Unrefined. Unstable.
And he was starving.
'Damnation!'
Kairo stumbled into the street an hour later, wrapped in a torn cloak, eyes sunken, legs trembling. His stomach clenched painfully.
The world swam in and out of focus. He passed by vendors shutting down their stalls, their meager wares already picked clean by evening crowds.
No coin. No favors to call. Just hunger.
A butcher cart rolled by, pushed by a thick-armed man whistling a tavern tune. The smell of meat hit Kairo like a punch to the chest.
He moved without thinking, lunging for the back of the cart, and snatching the smallest piece of fat-stripped scrap before stumbling away into the alley.
The butcher shouted, furious. "Hey...! THIEF!"
Kairo ran.
Kind of. More like staggered at high speed.
He didn't look back.
His muscles burned with every step, screaming at him, but he kept moving; through the winding alleys, across a rusted bridge, down into a half-flooded trench where the shadows swallowed him whole.
Only then did he collapse, chewing the meat like a dying animal.
It was raw. Cold. Barely edible, but he ate it still.
To the ravenously hungry him? It was divine.
DING!
~----~
[Nutritional Intake Detected: 267 kcal]
Nutrient Composition: Animal Protein (high grade), Saturated Fat (low), Iron (moderate)
Converting…
Muscle Efficiency: 31% ~ 52%
Pain Resistance: +2%
[MUSCLE INDEX: 0.7%]
~----~
He lay there in the mud, panting, eyes wide.
The burning eased.
The trembling faded.
And in its place, a low, humming heat began to rise.
It wasn't pain now.
Rather, it was power.
…
The next morning, Kairo stood shirtless on a crumbling rooftop, facing the rising sun.
The city skyline stretched before him; towers, smoke, banners rippling in the wind. The noble districts gleamed like gold-etched thrones. The slums below reeked of desperation.
He stood between both worlds.
His fists clenched.
This was where he'd begin.
No weapons, no magic, no teacher.
Just one thing… muscle.
He bent his knees, lowered into a squat, and then he began.
One.
The pain stabbed between his thighs. His knees popped.
Two.
His back spasmed.
Three.
Sweat rolled down his neck.
He didn't stop.
Four. Five. Six. Seven…
By ten, he collapsed. Vision blurred. Legs twitching violently.
But the system chimed.
DING!
~----~
[Training Detected: Muscle Load Threshold Exceeded]
Analyzing stress points… adapting growth patterns…
…
[MUSCLE INDEX: 1.0% REACHED]
…
ABILITY UNLOCKED: [HYPERMUSCLE CREATION]
>You can now consciously grow and harden new muscle fibers to enhance strength temporarily. Growth requires energy input and recovery period.
~----~
Kairo's eyes snapped open.
He felt it; something inside him shift. A flexing, like a new organ had grown in his soul.
He looked down at his arm.
Focused.
And then… his bicep expanded, visibly. Kairo's breath hitched as he watched his veins bulge, the skin stretched tight.
His strength spiked.
He blinked, shocked.
~----~
[Muscle Charge: 1/5]
>Each Charge increases strength by 30% for 10 seconds. Overuse may result in muscle tear or temporary paralysis.
~----~
He exhaled slowly, a grin cracking across his face.
'Now we're talking'.
…
Later that night, back in the ruin he called home, he lit a stolen crystal shard and looked over the interface again.
The system now hovered in his vision at will, transparent but readable, tailored to him and only him.
~----~
[MUSCLE GENESIS INTERFACE]
Muscle Index: 1.0%
Ability Unlocked: [Hypermuscle Creation]
Muscle Charges: 1/5
Pain Tolerance: +2%
Daily Intake (Required): 2,000 kcal
Current Intake: 267 kcal
[WARNING: Nutritional Deficiency Detected. Efficiency dropping.]
Next Unlock at 2.0% - [Muscle Lock]
~----~
His stomach growled again.
But this time, Kairo didn't complain. This time, he smiled, because now he understood.
Every pain he endured fed his growth. Every punch he took made him stronger.
No allies, no mentors, no bloodline, but if muscle was all he had?
Then f*ck bloodline! He would grow so much of it that the gods themselves would kneel beneath the weight of his strength.
He rose again, slow but steady, his eyes filled with undiluted clarity now.
And he began another set.