The reek of stale blood and sewage was overwhelming. Three years into the Great Shift, the Metro Tunnels were a constant, brutal maze. For Kai, a broken Zero-Blood, this dark, flooded corner was his final resting place.
He lay crushed against a concrete support, his consciousness fading rapidly. He wasn't bleeding out from a monster attack; he was bleeding out because Elara and Ronan had deemed him an acceptable sacrifice after he had secured their goal.
"It has to be this way, Kai," Elara had said moments ago, her voice devoid of regret, as she pocketed the pulsing, cracked gem that was the Shattered Core of the Ogre King—his inheritance, meant for his grandfather's line. "You did your part. But this treasure, this power, belongs to the Epic bloodlines now."
Ronan, having delivered the final, crippling blow that pinned Kai, smiled cruelly as the massive, dual shadow of the Berserk Twin-Headed Ogre lumbered out of the tunnel mouth.
[Health Critical.]
[Life Protocol Failure.]
[Devouring Sequence Commencing.]
The Ogre roared, its twin heads descending. He felt the sickening, final pull of his life essence being consumed.
I won't be devoured. You won't steal everything.
In that ultimate, terminal instant, his dying hand clenched the dark fang necklace—the simple heirloom. Soaked in his blood, the fang flared with an ancient, forbidden light, shattering the temporal rules.
[Temporal Anomaly Detected.]
[Localized Time-Stream Reversal Initiated.]
[WARNING! Forbidden Bloodline Core Discovered within Artifact.]
The horrifying sensory input of being devoured snapped violently into reverse.
Kai gasped, his eyes flying open. He was sitting at a wooden desk in a brightly lit college lecture hall. He was whole, and the time was precisely 2:58 PM—the exact moment the Great Shift was destined to begin.
The dark fang necklace dissolved, its essence surging into his soul.
[ERROR! Contradictory Bloodline Signatures Detected.]
[Temporal Bloodline Clash! Initial Bloodline Assignment Overridden.]
[FATAL SYSTEM CONFLICT.]
The crimson script flared, dominating his vision:
[RESOLUTION PROTOCOL 00-B INITIATED]
[Soul of the Alpha successfully integrated.]
[Congratulations! You have successfully awakened the Hidden Bloodline: Lycan Alpha-Zero (The Maligned Variant)]
[Origin: Soul of the Alpha integrated.]
[Rarity: Mythic]
The System immediately began generating his stats and passive skills:
[Bloodline Passive Unlocked: Night Predator's Hunger (Lv. 1).]
Effect: All STR, Vitality, and Agility increased by 15% at night or in areas of low light. Increase doubles when exposed to the light of the Moon.
[Starting Skill Unlocked: Shadow Stalker (Lv. 1 - Rare).]
Effect: Allows the user to blend temporarily into any ambient shadow, granting brief invisibility and a 5-second movement speed boost upon exit.
A searing, synthetic CHIME shattered the lecture hall's silence. The Great Shift had officially begun.
[GLOBAL SYSTEM INITIALIZATION: COMPLETE]
[THE GREAT SHIFT HAS BEGUN.]
[PHASE I: THE TUTORIAL COMMENCE.]
[Awaiting Class Selection. Choose wisely. This defines your path. Current Options:] [Warrior (Common) | Mage (Common) | Rogue (Common) | Archer (Common) | Assassin (Common)...]
Kai stared at the Class list. In his past life, his only value was his speed; he had been their dedicated scout and rogue. He knew this role. More importantly, his new [Shadow Stalker] skill and the inherent fragility of the [Maligned Form] made the high-defense, slow classes suicide.
"I choose Assassin," he muttered.
[Class Selection Confirmed: Assassin (Common).]
[Mythic Bloodline/Skill Synergy Detected. Activating Hidden Class Protocol.]
[Initial Class: Assassin (Common) -> Overridden.]
[New Class Assigned: Apex Predator (Unique)]
The power was terrifying—raw, unrefined, and demanding. He was no longer a common Inheritor, but a Mythical Anomaly.
[STATUS UPDATE]
Level: 1
HP: 100/100
MP: 50/50
EXP: 0/50
Core Stats: Strength: 8 | Vitality: 10 | Agility: 15 | Intelligence: 5 | Perception: 5
The lights in the classroom flickered and died. A thick, ominous grey smog, smelling of earth and rot, instantly descended over the campus.
[TUTORIAL INVASION COMMENCE.]
[Zone: College Campus. Primary Incursion: Goblins (Common).]
He looked out the window. The gloom outside was heavy—already the perfect conditions for his Night Predator's Hunger to activate, boosting his STR, Agility, and Vitality.
[Status]
[Core Trait: Devourer of Lineages Activated.]
Primary Function (Stats): Automatically gains a percentage of permanent stats upon defeating an opponent. No cooldown or usage limit.
Secondary Function (Traits): Allows permanent integration of a defeated opponent's Bloodline Trait.
(Trait Uses: 5. Cooldown: 1 Month. Trait potency and benefits increase with every 10 levels gained.)
[Bloodline Flaw: Maligned Form - Base Defense rating is 65% lower than standard Lycan forms. Caution Advised.]
"Ronan. Elara. if you chose the light" Kai rasped. "Then I'll choose the shadows."
The transformation was fast and agonizing. His muscles hardened, the midnight black hair erupted and lengthened, and his eyes glowed with feral red light.
[Lycan Alpha-Zero Transformation Initiated.]