Morning crept in slowly, painting the sky above Ashton's Hollow with dull hues of grey.
Kieran's entire body ached.
Real pain. Deep pain. The kind that made him feel alive.
Every muscle complained as he sat up on the thin mattress in his rundown room at the edge of town. The room smelled faintly of dust and damp wood. There was no luxury — only a broken drawer, a cracked mirror, and hope.
He pulled up his status.
───────────────
STATUS
STR: 3
AGI: 1
VIT: 2
INT: 1
WIS: 1
LCK: 1
───────────────
He traced the glowing numbers with his eyes.
Three points.
Small. Insignificant.
But they were earned, not given.
That made all the difference.
He swung his feet to the floor and winced. His calf muscles trembled.
Endurance grows through suffering.
Strength grows through effort.
He wanted to test something today.
Intelligence.
Would he gain Intelligence proficiency from studying?
Could he evolve his mind the same way he evolved his body?
A knock shook the door.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
"Kieran? You up?"
It was Mrs. Holloway, the landlady. Stern voice. Tired voice.
"Yes."
The door cracked open. She held an envelope between two bony fingers.
"You're a month behind on rent," she said plainly. "Either pay soon or I'll need the room emptied."
"I… just need a few more days."
She hesitated. Her eyes flicked over his exhausted form.
"Try the guild bulletin board. They accept anyone desperate enough to do low-tier work."
He nodded.
She left.
He stared at the envelope on the floor.
Rent.
Money.
Reality.
Power meant nothing if he froze or starved.
He checked the mirror — his reflection staring back with tired, determined eyes. He tied his hoodie tighter and stepped outside.
✦ GUILD DISTRICT ✦
The Guild Hall was a towering building of dark wood and steel, banners fluttering with the emblem of a silver wolf. Inside, boards were filled with mission papers, hunters bragging, and trainees polishing weapons.
Kieran approached the reception desk.
A girl with short red hair looked him over.
Her gaze paused on his ragged hoodie.
"Civilians can't take hunting quests."
"I'm here for labor tasks," Kieran said. "Anything that pays."
She tapped a panel and slid a paper toward him.
REQUEST: Move cargo from lower warehouse to upper storage
Reward: 4 copper
Difficulty: Very Low
Completion expected today.
She gave him a bored look.
"You'll be doing grunt work. No thanks, no glory."
Kieran took the paper.
"No problem."
As he turned, a group of trainees brushed past. They laughed loudly, voices smug.
"Did you hear? That kid failed awakening so badly they didn't even assign him a class."
"Tragic. At least he'll make a good errand boy."
Kieran didn't react.
He didn't need to.
His system responded for him.
───────────────
Emotion Detected: Suppressed Anger
───────────────
───────────────
Hidden Condition Met.
Passive Skill Acquired: IRON FOCUS (F)
Effect: Emotional stability during pressure. Concentration +2%
───────────────
He blinked.
A passive skill.
From holding back?
His system rewarded not only effort…
…but self-control.
Interesting.
✦ LOWER WAREHOUSE ✦
The task involved lifting heavy crates up a sloped ramp.
Other workers struggled in pairs.
Kieran lifted one alone.
His muscles trembled… but held.
───────────────
Strength Proficiency +0.6%
───────────────
Another crate.
───────────────
Strength Proficiency +0.7%
───────────────
A third.
───────────────
Strength Proficiency +0.8%
───────────────
He kept going — sweat soaking his shirt.
The foreman, a thick-armed man with a beard, stared.
"You're new. What's driving you?"
Kieran kept moving.
"Rent."
The man snorted. "Fair enough."
By noon, Kieran had moved more crates alone than two workers combined.
When he set down the last crate—
───────────────
Strength Proficiency 100%
Skill Upgraded → STRENGTH (E)
───────────────
───────────────
STR +1
───────────────
He nearly collapsed.
Not from the work.
From the realization:
He grew faster through hard labor than killing weak monsters ever would.
He checked his status screen.
───────────────
STATUS
STR: 4
AGI: 1
VIT: 2
INT: 1
WIS: 1
LCK: 1
───────────────
The foreman tossed him a small pouch of coins.
"You're strong for a twig," he said. "Come back tomorrow."
Kieran nodded.
He didn't feel strong.
But he felt progress.
Slow. Painful. Earned.
✦ ON THE WAY HOME ✦
The street was quiet.
Too quiet.
KSSSHHH—
A thin whistle cut the air.
Kieran's body moved before he consciously reacted — the training run from yesterday guiding him instinctively.
He ducked.
An arrow hissed past his cheek, embedding into the wall.
His heart froze.
Someone—
had just tried to kill him.
From the rooftop, a figure in a dark cloak whispered:
"…the system anomaly has started evolving."
Kieran's blood ran cold.
Someone knew.
But before he could speak, the figure vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only the arrow and a chilling echo:
"He must not be allowed to grow."
Kieran clenched his fists.
The world wasn't just ignoring him anymore.
It feared him.
───────────────
Main Quest Updated:
Survive the people who fear your evolution.
───────────────
Kieran looked up at the rooftops.
His pulse was steady.
His eyes sharp.
His system glowed.
"Then watch me."
End of Chapter 3