The forest didn't announce danger, and that unsettled Kieran more than any obvious threat could have. Roaring predators declared themselves. Snapping traps gave warning. Even ambush predators gave away impatience in their weight shifts and breath patterns. This quiet felt deliberate—like the world had decided to watch him before deciding whether to act.
He moved anyway.
His posture stayed relaxed but ready, short sword hanging low. The weapon had a different presence than the dagger from earlier. Commitment changed the weight. A sword asked for intention; sloppy swings would punish him faster than a bite from any monster.
Mist drifted around his boots like it had been waiting for him to pass. It clung to the roots in threads, rising and falling with subtle movements of the air. A cold metallic scent lingered beneath the moss and earth—the smell of iron that had soaked deep into the ground.
He slowed until even his breathing settled into a steady rhythm. His senses extended naturally, awareness slipping into the environment instead of pushing outward. Night vision didn't brighten anything; it simply removed what he didn't need. Shadows held shape. Depth. Presence.
A quiet overlay pulsed at the edge of his
vision.
----------------------------------------------
Kieran Akane
Level: 2 EXP: 30 / 300
HP: 142 / 240
Mana: 152 / 152
Stamina: 100 / 174
Blood Reserve: 81 / 115
Strength: 12
Dexterity: 14
Endurance: 12
Perception: 13
Vitality: 14
--------------------------------------------------
Clean profile. No clutter.
The ground dipped into a small decline where roots thinned and stone began pushing through soil. Trees here bore long, weathered gouges—markings layered over years. Kieran brushed his fingers along one, feeling the ridges.
--------------
Area Discovered: Vestige Hollow
Exploration EXP Pending
Threat Level: Low
Recommended Level: 2–3
--------------
Low usually means grind. He adjusted his grip. "Fine."
Stone scraped behind him—slow, dragging.
He shifted left, slipping behind a cluster of rocks as a crude humanoid figure emerged. Limbs mismatched, proportions wrong, core flickering through fractured stone.
Stone Husk — Level 1
Traits: Brittle Armor, Blunt Attacks
HP: 90 / 90
The husk approached without urgency. Kieran waited until it stepped into range. He cut diagonally, sparks skittering.
Damage Dealt: 28
Enemy HP: 62
It swung clumsily; its fist grazed his forearm. A dull pain radiated through his muscles on impact. Enough to remind him he wasn't invincible.
HP: 142 → 132
Kieran pivoted inside the wide follow-through and drove his blade into the core. The husk collapsed instantly.
Enemy Defeated — +30 XP
EXP: 60 / 300
-------------
Skill Mastery Increased:
Blade Tempo: Lv. 1 → Lv. 2
• Transition efficiency improved
• Reduced post-strike recovery
--------------
He flexed his fingers, feeling the slight improvement in how the sword balanced after each swing. "Nice."
The hollow widened around him. Broken stones jutted upward like teeth. Faded patterns lined some surfaces, hints of design left behind by someone long gone. Water dripped rhythmically, the sound echoing through the space.
Kieran adjusted again, steps absorbing into the ground. Vampire Knight form control refined every motion—reducing noise, stabilizing weight, smoothing transitions. It didn't grant speed. It sharpened purpose.
Skittering broke the quiet.
Two shapes darted across stone, limbs twitching erratically.
Grave Crawlers — Level 2 (x2)
Traits: High Agility, Bleed Attacks
HP: 70 / 70 each
"Of course," he murmured.
They attacked together. The first met his blade; steel rang against claw. The second slipped under the arc and raked his thigh.
HP: 132 → 119
Status: Minor Bleed — 2 HP/sec
He forced space with a wide slash and killed the first as it leapt, skewering it mid-air. The second pounced onto his back, weight driving him forward.
HP: 119 → 101
He smashed his pommel into its skull, rolled, and crushed it beneath his weight before finishing it with a precise thrust.
Enemies Defeated — +60 XP
EXP: 120 / 300
------------
Technique Increased:
Footwork (Basic):Lv. 1 → Lv. 2
• Improved stance recovery
• Reduced stumble risk under pressure
-------------
His breath evened as regeneration dulled the bleed before it became dangerous. "Still hurts," he muttered. "Just more politely."
He pressed deeper. Natural stone gave way to deliberate architecture—broken walls, half-fallen pillars, geometric patterns etched into the floor where erosion hadn't fully won. A forgotten structure. Maybe a shrine. Maybe something less pleasant.
A faint pulse beat through the ground—slow, steady, like a buried heartbeat. His awareness latched onto it.
He circled around, making it a priority to continue to clear threats.
A Hollow Shade melted out of a wall, nearly catching him in its reach. He only avoided the shadow-wrapped swipe because the air shifted wrong a moment earlier. The counterstrike dispersed it in a burst of oily smoke.
Enemy Defeated — +40 XP
EXP: 160 / 600
A Cracked Warden dragged itself from rubble, shield raised. Its charge came faster than expected, slamming into his left side.
HP: 101 → 92
He repaid the aggression with careful dismantling—baiting swings, slipping into angles, driving the blade beneath the broken plating around its spine. The Warden collapsed face-first.
Enemy Defeated — +80 XP
EXP: 240 / 300
Kieran wiped sweat from his cheek, more annoyed than strained. "You'd be fun if you were stronger," he told the ruined armor.
He felt the difference—movement smoothing out, sense range widening subtly, stamina holding more reliably.
He wasn't done.
He moved toward a deeper pocket of shadow and felt the air shift. Something waited there. Patient.
A low rumble rolled out.
A larger creature stepped into view—four-limbed, heavy, stone-plated like the husk but more refined. Lines carved into its surface glowed faintly.
Ruinbound Guardian — Level 3
HP: 180 / 180
Traits: Stone Plating, Charge, Defense Shift
Behavior: Territorial
"Alright," Kieran murmured. "Show me."
The Guardian charged, ground cracking under its momentum. Kieran stepped aside but misread the follow-through. The tail clipped his hip.
HP: 92 → 68
He gritted his teeth and circled. The Guardian turned with grinding stone. Slow… but not predictable.
He waited for the breath of stillness between shifts.
There.
He darted in, striking where plates overlapped. Chips scattered. The Guardian roared silently—air trembling rather than sound.
It stomped down. Cracks spidered. He dodged late; fragments cut his calf.
HP: 68 → 59
He inhaled. Centered.
Then he moved with purpose—steps tight, transitions smooth. He stayed inside the Guardian's slower arcs, carving deeper with each pass until he reached the core seam. A final thrust dimmed its glow. The Guardian collapsed in layers.
Enemy Defeated — +120 XP
----------------------------------------
Level up
2 → 3
EXP: 60 / 600
Health: 100 / 276
Mana: 168 / 168
Stamina: 50 / 203
Blood Reserve: 75 / 130
Attributes:
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 16
Endurance: 14
Perception: 14
Vitality: 16
Skill Mastery Increased:
Swordsmanship: Lv. 1 → Lv. 2
• Core strikes more stable
• Reduced stamina drain on clean hits
------------------------------------------------------
Kieran exhaled slowly. "Worth the bruises." The hollow under his sternum returned in a dim pulse—hunger edging forward, quiet but present.
A steady glow pulsed from deeper within the hollow.
Now.
He followed it to a chamber cut into stone. Sigils lined walls with surprising clarity. Crimson veins pulsed faintly. A pedestal stood at the center—waiting.
-------------
Hidden Cache Detected
Compatibility: Confirmed
Challenge Requirement: Cleared
--------------
Stone slid aside, revealing a blade. A stark white blade, with a black wrapping on the hilt, and a silver crossguard, with a clear pommel gem like a mountain spring
He studied it first. The faint pulse aligned with his heartbeat. No demand. No lure. Just a quiet expectation.
He reached out.
His fingers closed around the hilt.
Something clicked into place beneath his awareness—an internal alignment.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Item Acquired: Noctis Edge
Rank: Epic
Type: Short Sword
Restriction: Vampire / Rogue
Effects:
+18 Attack Power
+12% Night Damage
Bleed scales with Dexterity
Passives:
• Shadow Edge — +20% Critical Damage from concealment
• Blood Resonance — +0.5 HP/sec regeneration while equipped
Technique Gained:
Silent Step (Unrefined)
• Enemies find it harder to track movement.
• Purely footwork enhancement
• Mastery progression unlocked
-------------------------------------------------------------
Kieran lifted it, testing balance, noting how it settled naturally toward dimmer parts of the room—as though aware of where he worked best.
The hollow grew still around him, as if acknowledging a completed exchange.
"They took their time," he said softly. "Good craftsmanship."
Somewhere beneath the stone, something deeper shifted. Not awakened. Not alarmed. Acknowledging him, marking his presence in its long memory.
Parallel rewarded endurance, not rush.
He sheathed Noctis Edge, posture steady.
Then he turned and walked toward the surface.
Endurance first. Strength later.