Mirch smelled of damp straw and old coal. A narrow alley cut between two sagging buildings, thrown into permanent half-light by overhanging eaves. I stood there—white hair catching what little moonlight bled through the gap—feeling exactly like a villain in one of those strategy games I used to play.
"System—open system store," I said.
A crystalline chime answered, and the menu unfolded in my head: clean, efficient, merciless.
[System Store]
[Choose category]
• Skills
• Affinity
• Bloodline
• Troops
• Artifacts
"It's late," I murmured, noticing my voice sounded thinner than I remembered. Summoning soldiers in the open would be noisy, but this alley was narrow and hidden—good enough. "Troops," I added, a sliver of excitement threading my words.
[TROOPS CATEGORY]
• Basic Swordsman — 1 SP / 100
• Basic Marksman — 1 SP / 100
• Basic Tier Mage — 2 SP / 10
• Basic Assassin — 2 SP / 100
[*** SPECIAL TROOPS ***]
• Demon Swordsman — 10 SP / 30
• Soul-Forged Knight — 10 SP / 20
• Umbra Assassin — 10 SP / 20
[More special troops unlock as bloodline and power improve.]
Special troops. The phrase tasted like victory. I tapped the name of each, probing the descriptions.
[Demon Swordsman]
A warrior fused with infernal essence; blade wrought from an arch-devil's bone. Each soul devoured grows the swordsman's power.
[Tier: Low — Formidable but mortal]
(Unable to summon: missing demon affinity / bloodline.)
[Soul-Forged Knight]
Armor bound from ancestral spirits and sacred flame. Guardians-in-training; precise, relentless, and unnervingly focused.
[Tier: Low — Battle-hardened]
[Umbra Assassin]
A fragment of pure shadow fused to flesh. Uncanny speed, spectral stealth, the power to slip through walls and become nothing but cold hush.
[Tier: Low — Lethal in darkness]
"Why can't I buy the Demon Swordsman?" I asked the quiet.
[Host: Special troops have purchase conditions. Demon Swordsmen require demon bloodline or demonic affinity.]
"How much for demonic affinity?"
[Five thousand SP.]
My jaw went slack. "Five thousand? That's daylight robbery." Up until now, most soldiers had cost tens of SP at most.
[Affinity unlocks large catalogues of demonic troops at reduced cost. It is an unlock path; hence the high price.]
I thought for a long second. Power came with price—and sometimes with offense. If I wanted shortcuts I'd pay them. But I didn't have 5,000 SP, and even if I did, such a steep buy screamed attention.
"Fine," I decided. "Forty Umbra Assassins. Twenty Soul-Forged Knights."
I'd barely sealed the command when the alley changed.
Shadow pooled and coagulated into silhouettes. First came the Umbra Assassins—tall, hooded figures whose bodies seemed stitched from midnight. Their cloaks clung like smoke; when they moved, the edges of their forms frayed into nothing. Eyes like molten silver watched me. They breathed without sound.
Then the Soul-Forged Knights arrived like a sunrise that hurt to see: armor embossed with faint runes, plate that glowed with a heart-light. Each step they took left a warmth in the air, like embers left behind on cold stone. Their presence carried the echo of old wars, of promises kept by blood.
"Lord," they intoned in voices that were not perfectly human; a chorus bound in iron.
They bowed as one. The sight of so many obedient figures made something in my chest loosen and tighten at once—fear braided with appetite.
"All rise," I said, because a voice can make a room into an army.
They obeyed.
I let the system readouts run through my thoughts, tasting their abilities like lines in a manual.
— Soul-Forged Knight — Abilities —
1. Soul Resonance: Borrow the armor's bound souls to spike strength and endurance. Runes flare.
2. Aegis of the Fallen: Conjure a spectral shield that blocks steel and sorcery; when broken, it erupts in purifying flame.
3. Ember Rebirth: If fatal damage is taken, the knight detonates in radiant fire, restoring life by consuming one bound soul.
4. Blade of Echoing Souls: Each swing channels multiple spirits—each strike a ghost's memory of war.
5. Sanctum of Flame: An aura that fortifies allies and saps enemies.
6. Soul Ascendance (Ultimate): Release all bound souls—transform into towering spirit-flame, unstoppable until the last ember fades.
— Umbra Assassin — Abilities —
1. Shadowmeld: Become one with darkness—near-invisible to normal sight. Holy light burns this veil.
2. Veiled Step: Walk without sound; traces erase themselves.
3. Shadow Blink: Teleport between connected shadows.
4. Fear Veil: Leak a wave of dread into enemy minds, sewing hesitation.
5. Eclipse Blade: Infuse the blade with darkness that devours light and life.
6. Umbral Phase: Partially incorporeal—walk through walls or flesh at terrible cost.
7. Shadow Dominion (Ultimate): Call the Umbra Realm—plunge the battlefield into living night where assassins are gods.
I breathed it in. Overpowered was an understatement. But "overpowered" belonged in game menus; this was real—my real.
"Umbra," I said, turning to the shadow-forms. "Twenty of you will infiltrate the officials' and city-lord's mansions. Gather proof of corruption, leak it, and spread rumors until the city turns its head. The other twenty—go to the garrison. Count guards, map patrols, catalog rot and weak points. Be invisible. Be absolute."
"And the knights?" I asked, looking at the soul-plate that hummed faintly.
"You protect me. Hold the center. Burn where I say burn."
They answered without hesitation. No fear. No questions. I felt the dangerous comfort of command settle like a cloak over my shoulders.
The alley exhaled. Mirch slept on, unaware that its fate was moving through the night, silent as a blade.