The transformation stabilized into its semi-humanoid state. Kai's skin remained pale, but it was pulled taut and hardened over cords of newly acquired muscle. His hair had lengthened and darkened to the color of soot, and his eyes, now slitted, burned with a relentless crimson glow that pierced the dim light of the classroom. His hands were the most pronounced change: they were now equipped with midnight-black claws—razor-sharp and two to three inches long—capable of shearing through flesh and bone with terrifying ease.
AGI is 15. With the Night Predator's Hunger passive active in this gloom, that's already boosted by 15%, making it 17.25. His mind raced, calculating the optimal route. He couldn't afford to waste a single second on common Goblins.
The tutorial was a scripted event, and Kai knew the script better than the System itself. The Goblins were merely cannon fodder designed to kill the slow and panic the masses. The actual early-game power was centered on hidden resources locked away in safe zones that the System only revealed to Epic or Legendary Bloodlines once they reached Level 5.
Ronan, with his fragmented future knowledge, would be rushing to the Biology Hall Library. The Library Key.
That particular college library contained the Primordial Text of Transmutation, a crafting schematic necessary to forge high-level artifacts three years down the line. But what Ronan didn't know was that the schematic was sealed by a high-grade security lock, the key to which was kept in the University Chancellor's Office. The office was on the sixth floor of the administration tower—a floor the tutorial intended to be inaccessible until the end of Phase I.
"The time for vengeance starts now," Kai snarled, his voice a low, primal rasp.
Kai used the new length and power in his legs, leaping over desks and shattered monitors. He was a streak of shadow, the Apex Predator class granting him an innate, unnatural efficiency of movement.
He hit the hallway, now filled with screaming students stumbling over their new status windows. He ignored them. The only things that mattered were time and the location of the Chancellor's Office.
He heard the first sounds of combat: a muffled cry of pain, followed by the wet thwack of wood striking flesh. A small pack of Goblins (Lv. 1, Common), their skin sickly green and wielding rusty shivs, were swarming the stairwell.
Kai didn't slow down. He targeted the ambient shadow pooling in a corner left by the dead emergency lights.
[Skill Activated: Shadow Stalker (Lv. 1).]
He melted into the darkness, the world blurring into negative colors. He wasn't truly invisible, but the effect was potent enough to make him impossible for the low-level, unperceptive Goblins to track. He shot up the stairs in silence, moving so fast that his Agility stat—boosted by his passive—felt like a cheat code.
He arrived at the sixth floor landing, the door to the Chancellor's office dead ahead. He deactivated the skill just as three Armed Security Goblins (Lv. 3, Uncommon), wearing scavenged riot gear, turned the corner.
[WARNING! Threat Detected: Lv. 3 Opponents.]
Their stats were low, but they were the strongest enemies currently on campus, and they had seen him. I need their EXP. More importantly, Ronan will be here soon.
Kai lowered himself, his predatory instincts taking over. He realized the Primary Function of his Devourer of Lineages had no limits. Every kill would instantly and permanently boost his base stats.
"Come," he whispered, a predatory glint in his red eyes.
The three goblins rushed him, their crude metal clubs raised. Goblin #1 was the lead attacker. Kai met the blow with a deflection from his hardened forearm, absorbing the weak impact. He used the core of his new power.
[Apex Predator Class Bonus: Enhanced Critical Strike Chance on Low-Defense Targets.]
Kai's claws slashed across the Goblin's throat and chest in a devastating, precise X. The kill was instant.
[Enemy Defeated: Armed Security Goblin (Lv. 3).] [EXP Gained: +30] [EXP: 30/50]
A brief, warm sensation flooded Kai's chest, not just from the EXP, but from the Bloodline itself.
[Devourer of Lineages (Primary Function) Activated.] [+0.2 Strength permanently integrated.] [+0.1 Vitality permanently integrated.]
Goblin #2 panicked and raised its shield. Kai used his speed to phase around the shield's edge, utilizing his high AGI. He didn't target the body; he targeted the arm holding the shield, severing the tendons with a quick, brutal slash. The Goblin screamed, dropping the shield. Kai finished it with a precise, clean strike to the heart.
[Enemy Defeated: Armed Security Goblin (Lv. 3).] [EXP Gained: +30] [EXP: 60/50]
[LEVEL UP! Kai has reached Level 2!]
[All Core Stats increased by 1!] [You have gained 5 unspent Attribute Points!] [EXP: 10/100]
[Devourer of Lineages (Primary Function) Activated.] [+0.3 Agility permanently integrated.] [+0.1 Strength permanently integrated.]
Goblin #3 attempted to flee, heading back down the stairwell. No one escapes. Kai shot forward, covering the distance in less than a second, his speed now slightly augmented by the Level Up. He gripped the Goblin's head, the black claws sinking in effortlessly, and wrenched, silencing the creature instantly.
[Enemy Defeated: Armed Security Goblin (Lv. 3).] [EXP Gained: +30] [EXP: 40/100]
[Devourer of Lineages (Primary Function) Activated.] [+0.1 Vitality permanently integrated.] [+0.2 Strength permanently integrated.]
Kai stood over the corpses, the smoke-filled air already dissipating the gore. In the space of three seconds, he had executed three enemies, permanently boosted his stats, and reached Level 2.
Current Status (Post Level Up & Devour):
Level: 2
EXP: 40/100
Core Stats: Strength: 9.5 | Vitality: 11.2 | Agility: 21.3 | Intelligence: 6 | Perception: 6
Unspent Points: 0 (All 5 points allocated to Agility)
The power was undeniable. He had three targets left: the lock, the key, and Ronan. He immediately dumped all 5 Unspent Attribute Points into Agility—his life depended on speed.
He turned to the massive oak door of the Chancellor's office. It was secured by a heavy lock, meant to withstand beginner-level damage. He raised his clawed hand, concentrating his strength. With a primal yell, he didn't pick the lock; he simply tore the heavy brass handle from the door.
The path was open. He knew the key was inside, hidden beneath a loose floorboard near the ancient globe, exactly where Ronan would have headed in his past life.
"Ronan. You chose the light, and you betrayed me. Now I choose the shadows," Kai repeated the vow, taking the first step towards his destiny.
He found the key and the scroll:
[Item Acquired: Library Master Key] [Item Acquired: Tutorial Phase I Reward Scroll]
I have 90 EXP toward Level 3. The Tutorial Phase I needs to be completed, and the only remaining named boss is the Gargoyle Omen on the Clock Tower roof.
He burst out of the Administration Tower and scaled the Clock Tower, easily dispatching the Gargoyle Omen (Lv. 5 - Rare), which granted him 50 EXP.
[Enemy Defeated: Gargoyle Omen (Lv. 5 - Rare)] [EXP Gained: +50] [EXP: 90/100]
He picked up the smooth, pulsating stone shard.
[Item Acquired: Gargoyle Heartstone]
[GLOBAL SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: TUTORIAL COMPLETE.