When I woke, the city outside was eerily silent, the aftermath of yesterday's chaos lingering in the air like a bitter perfume. I decided it was time to hunt seriously.
Shadow slid into my shadow, his form invisible beneath me, and together we moved through the streets. Goblins didn't even have a chance. They charged, knives raised, but it was laughably easy. My sword flashed; Bloodlust Strike pulsed when I needed it. Shadow moved like a shadow itself, teeth sinking into throats, claws tearing limbs.
By the time we returned to the camp, the streets were quiet again. My armor was slick with blood, my boots sticky, but I felt… satisfied. Not full. Not yet.
I opened my system.
Name: Leon
Level: 3 (EXP 200 / 300)
Race: Human (Blocked)
HP: 120 / 120
MP: 180 / 180
SP: 145
STR: 12+
DEX: 12+
CON: 12+
INT: 18+
Contracts: 1
• Shadow (Named)
Skills:
Bloodlust Strike (Wrath)
Steal (Envy)
I tapped on Contracts.
A flood of options appeared, each with a brief description. I scrolled past the obvious useless ones—contracts for crafting, simple buffs, minor summoning. Then one caught my eye, like a pulse through the static:
I leaned closer.
Control over blood. All blood. Life itself at my fingertips. The power… it called to me. A shiver ran down my spine as I considered the price. Hunger would be permanent. A physical craving I would never satisfy with ordinary means.
Delicious, I thought. Exactly the kind of price that separates the weak from the strong.
Shadow shifted beside me, ears flicking. He didn't understand yet. But he would.
I hovered over the "Accept" button. My SP burned in anticipation. 50 SP? 100 SP? I didn't care. Power had a cost—and I had learned to pay it willingly.
Tomorrow… I would taste the first real edge of it.
This contract wasn't just a skill. It was evolution.
And the world… would bend to me even more.
I took a deep breath and clicked Accept.
A pulse of red light flooded my vision, sharp and warm, like molten iron flowing through my veins. The system chimed.
I flexed my fingers, feeling a faint tingle crawl along my veins, a hum deep in my chest.
So… this is it.
Shadow stirred beside me, his amber eyes gleaming as if he sensed the change. I tested it carefully, focusing on a small puddle of goblin blood left from yesterday's hunt.
The puddle shivered, then lifted slowly, swirling in the air like a living thing. I directed it toward a nearby rock. The blood twisted, wrapped around the stone, and flung it against the wall with satisfying force.
A thrill unlike anything I'd felt surged through me. The taste of power, raw and liquid, filled my senses.
I turned my attention inward, feeling my own blood as if it were separate from me. My heartbeat thrummed like a drum, and the system highlighted my new stat bonus:
Blood Manipulation: Level 1 — Control minor amounts of blood (self and others), extendable range with SP and skill growth.
SP Remaining: 95
Skills: Bloodlust Strike, Steal, Blood Manipulation
A thought crept in, sharp and dangerous:
Food… nothing else will satisfy me now. Only blood.
The cost didn't scare me. It thrilled me. Hunger was power waiting to be fed, a constant reminder that I was no longer human in the ordinary sense.
Shadow nudged my leg, sensing the excitement. I smiled, the red glow from my veins casting faint shadows across the walls.
Tomorrow, I thought, I'll see how far this power can reach.
The world had just gotten a little more… mine.
The next morning, I left the safe camp before most people had even stirred. Shadow slipped silently beside me, a silent extension of my will. I had a target in mind—two goblins patrolling the nearby alley, unaware of the shift in power that had taken root in me overnight.
I focused. The hum in my veins pulsed louder as I extended my senses to the first goblin.
I could feel the blood in its veins, warm and alive. It throbbed with each heartbeat, as if calling out to me. Carefully, I tugged at it—not too hard. Just a test.
The goblin stumbled, pausing mid-step as a faint red aura shimmered around its body. Its knife twitched uselessly in its hand. I smiled.
Interesting.
With a thought, I pulled harder. Its limbs jerked, controlled by an invisible force, until it staggered forward, face contorted in confusion. Shadow leapt silently, and I directed the blood in a thin stream to encircle the second goblin's arm. It screamed as its movement became jerky, unnatural, bending to my will without me touching it.
I increased the flow, forcing both goblins to collapse to their knees, unable to move properly. Their blood danced in the air, a puppet show of horror I orchestrated.
I let go partially, letting them regain some control—just enough to panic. The skill was… intoxicating. Every movement I directed, every pulse I pulled, felt like stealing life itself.
Finally, I extended it fully, sending a controlled stream of blood from the first goblin into the second's wound. It flailed violently, eyes wide with terror, until Shadow sank his teeth into its throat, ending it in a flash.
The first goblin collapsed to the ground immediately after, unable to fight or flee. I stepped forward, pressing the tip of my sword to its chest.
And that, I thought, is how you taste real power.
I headed back toward town, Shadow gliding silently beside me. The streets were quieter than before, survivors huddled in buildings or running errands with nervous eyes. And then I saw him.
The Paragon.
Still standing there, bathed in that infuriating glow of righteousness, still helping people, still moving as if the world belonged to him. Tall, pristine, untouchable. Every movement calculated, every gesture flawless.
And it thrilled me.
Not because of admiration. Not because I respected him.
Soon… he'll be gone.
The thought slithered through my mind, cold and deliberate. Watching him move, seeing people cling to him, knowing what I was capable of now… I could almost taste it. Power, control, dominance. The Paragon's purity wasn't strength—it was a weakness. And I had the tools to exploit it.
I flexed my fingers, feeling the pulse of Blood Manipulation and the hum of Steal beneath my skin. Shadow flicked his tail at my side, eyes gleaming. He sensed my intent.
He doesn't know what's coming. No one does.
I allowed a slow smile to spread across my face. The people cheering, the Paragon standing tall… they were all part of the stage now. And I? I was the shadow behind the curtains, ready to pull the strings.