The Citadel at night was a different beast entirely. During the day, the white-walled corridors and manicured courtyards projected an image of order and safety. Under the artificial moonlight of the energy dome, however, shadows stretched long and deep, hiding the cracks in the fortress's armor.
Leo crouched behind a ventilation unit on the roof of the supply depot, overlooking the loading dock of the central cafeteria. The night air was cool, but sweat trickled down his spine.
[Current BP: 1/55] [Rage: 60% (Unstable)] [Hunger State: Critical]
He was running on fumes. Every movement felt sluggish, his muscles protesting the lack of fuel. The only thing keeping him moving was the System's nagging interface and the primal instinct screaming in the back of his mind.
"System," Leo whispered, his voice barely audible over the hum of the ventilation fans. "Activate Skill: Feral Senses."
[Skill Activated: Feral Senses (Level 1)] [Cost: 1 BP reserved for 5-minute duration.] [Warning: BP at 0. Host will suffer physical fatigue immediately after skill deactivation.]
The world snapped into focus.
It was disorienting. The smell of the garbage disposal units—usually a background stench of rot—suddenly hit him like a physical wall. He could smell the sourness of spoiled milk, the metallic tang of discarded organs, and the earthy scent of vegetable peelings. To a human, it was revolting. To the Wolf inside him, it was a buffet.
His hearing expanded. He heard the whir-click-whir of a security drone patrolling the perimeter two streets over. He heard the scratching of claws against metal.
Scratching?
Leo frowned. The disposal units were supposed to be sealed automated chutes. Nothing should be moving inside them.
He crept to the edge of the roof and peered down. The loading dock was bathed in the harsh yellow glow of a motion-sensor light. Three large, industrial dumpsters sat near the wall, their lids slightly ajar.
Something dark and slick moved near the base of the middle dumpster.
Leo focused, his pupils dilating.
[Analysis: Scavenger Roach (Class F)] [Description: A mutated pest common in Citadel waste systems. Carapace resistant to blunt force. Mandibles capable of shearing steel.] [Threat Level: Low (Individually), Medium (Swarm).]
It was a roach, but not the kind Leo had seen in the history books. This thing was the size of a terrier, with an oily black shell and twitching antennae that were three feet long. It was gnawing on a discarded beef bone, its mandibles clicking rhythmically.
And it wasn't alone. Leo's enhanced hearing picked up the skittering of at least four more inside the dumpster.
"They're eating my dinner," Leo realized, a flash of irrational anger spiking his Rage meter.
[Rage: 62%] [Quest Update: The Midnight Snack] [Obstacle Detected: Scavenger Swarm.] [New Objective: Clear the competition. Secure the biomass.]
Leo took a breath. He had no weapon. His body was weak. If he jumped down there as a human, a Class F Roach could easily snap his ankle or tear a chunk out of his leg.
He had to Shift.
[Reminder: Predator's Window available.] [You have 60 seconds of free transformation time. Exceeding this limit with 0 BP will result in Forced Reversion and Life Force Drain.]
"One minute," Leo muttered. "Five roaches. Twelve seconds per kill."
It was insane. It was suicide.
It was the only way.
Leo stood up on the edge of the roof. He calculated the drop—about fifteen feet. As a human, he'd break a leg. As a wolf? He'd land running.
"Shift."
[Dominant Form Selected: Wolf (Class F).] [Predator's Window Active: Timer Starts Now.]
[00:60]
The pain of the transformation hit him mid-air. His bones cracked and reshaped, his spine elongating, his jaw thrusting forward. By the time gravity took hold, Leo was gone. In his place was the sleek, black-furred predator.
He landed silently on the concrete, his paws absorbing the impact effortlessly.
[00:58]
The nearest Scavenger Roach turned, sensing the disturbance. It hissed, rearing up on its hind legs to display its serrated underbelly.
Leo didn't hesitate. He wasn't Leo anymore. He was hunger made manifest.
He lunged, a blur of black fur. He didn't bite the shell; he knew better. He aimed for the joint where the head met the thorax.
Crunch.
His jaws snapped shut. Green ichor sprayed across the concrete.
[Target Eliminated.] [00:55]
One down.
The noise alerted the others. Three more roaches scurried out of the dumpster, chittering aggressively. They were fast, scuttling sideways with unnerving coordination.
Leo growled, a low rumble that vibrated in his chest.
A roach leaped at him from the left. Leo pivoted on his hind legs, using his tail for balance, and swatted it out of the air with a heavy paw. The force of the blow cracked the roach's carapace, flipping it onto its back.
Before it could right itself, Leo was on it. He tore out its soft underbelly.
[Target Eliminated.] [00:48]
Two down.
The remaining two didn't attack. They hesitated. Animals knew fear, even mutated ones. But Leo couldn't let them escape. If they ran, they'd scatter into the vents, and he'd lose his meal.
He charged.
[Skill: Feral Senses assists targeting.]
He could hear the heartbeat of the roach on the right spiking. It was going to bolt.
Leo anticipated the move. He leaped over the center roach, landing directly on the fleeing one. His claws dug into the concrete, pinning the creature down. He delivered a swift bite to the neck.
[Target Eliminated.] [00:40]
The last roach tried to scurry back into the dumpster. Leo turned, snarling. He caught it by the rear leg, dragging it back out. The roach whipped around, its mandibles grazing Leo's snout. A sharp line of pain flared.
[Host Damaged. Rage: 68%.]
The pain fueled him. He shook his head violently, snapping the roach's leg, then crushed its head with a stomp of his forepaw.
[Target Eliminated.] [00:32]
Silence fell over the loading dock. Four dead roaches lay in pools of green slime.
Leo stood amidst the carnage, his chest heaving. The timer was ticking down in his peripheral vision, bright red numbers against the darkness.
[00:25]
He had done it. He had cleared the threat. But the quest wasn't over.
[Objective: Consume 1kg of biomass.]
Leo looked at the dumpster, filled with the kitchen scraps. Then he looked at the roaches.
[System Analysis: Scavenger Roach meat is rich in protein and tough fibers. Low taste rating, high efficiency rating.]
Leo felt his human mind recoil. Eat a roach? Are you sick?
But his wolf stomach roared. It didn't care about culinary standards. It smelled meat. Fresh kill.
[00:15]
He didn't have time to argue with himself. If he shifted back now, he'd pass out from hunger before he could climb into the dumpster.
He had to eat now. While he still had the jaws to chew through the shell.
Leo lowered his head to the nearest carcass. He shut off his human thoughts, letting the Wolf take the wheel completely.
He tore into the roach.
It was vile. It tasted like copper and bitter oil. But as the first chunk of meat hit his stomach, a wave of warmth spread through his limbs. It was euphoric.
[Consuming Raw Biomass (Class F Beast).] [BP Restoration: +5.]
[00:05]
He ate faster, tearing and swallowing without chewing.
[BP Restoration: +5.]
[00:00]
[Predator's Window Closed. Beginning BP Consumption: 4 BP/min.]
Leo didn't stop. He had BP now. He could afford a few more minutes. He moved to the second roach. Then the third.
He decimated the carcasses, leaving only the hardest parts of the shells.
[BP Restoration: +15.] [BP Restoration: +15.] [Current BP: 40/55.]
He was full. The gnawing void was gone, replaced by a heavy, satisfied fullness.
Leo staggered back from the mess, the bloodlust fading. He looked at what he had done. Green slime coated his muzzle. The metallic taste was overwhelming.
"Deactivate," he thought.
The shift reversed. The fur receded, the snout shortened. Leo fell to his hands and knees, retching. He didn't vomit—his body wouldn't let him give up the precious nutrients—but the dry heaves shook his frame.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. It came away smeared with green and red.
[Quest Complete: The Midnight Snack] [Reward: 10 Exp, BP Restored.] [Bonus Objective Complete: Pest Control.] [Additional Reward: 20 Exp.]
[Current Exp: 30/200]
Leo sat back against the cold brick wall of the loading dock, breathing heavily. He felt strong. Stronger than he had ever felt in his life. The weakness that had plagued him for sixteen years—the fragility of being a Zero—was gone.
But at what cost?
He looked at the scattered shell fragments. He had just eaten giant cockroaches. And he had enjoyed it.
[System Note: Adaptation is survival. Disgust is a weakness of the privileged. You are no longer privileged, Leo.]
"I know," Leo whispered, his voice steady. He stood up, wiping his hands on his pants. "I'm not a victim anymore. I'm a predator."
He quickly moved to the water hose spigot on the wall, washing the slime from his face and hands. He checked his reflection in a puddle. His eyes looked normal again, brown and human, but there was a hardness to them that hadn't been there yesterday.
He checked the time. It was 3:00 AM. Training started at 6:00.
He had three hours to sleep.
Leo climbed back up the drainage pipe to the roof, his movements fluid and sure. The Endurance point he had added was making a difference; the climb felt effortless.
As he made his way back across the rooftops toward the student dorms, a new notification pinged.
[Skill Proficiency Increased: Feral Senses (Level 1) -> (Level 1 - 15% Mastery)] [Rage Meter Stabilized: 20%]
He reached his room without incident, slipping through the window he had left unlatched. He collapsed onto his thin mattress, exhausted but sated.
Just as he was drifting off, the System chimed one last time.
[Daily Quest Generated: The Pack Hierarchy] [Objective: Establish dominance. Defeat a higher-ranked opponent in the Morning Sparring Session.] [Target: User Brock (Level 3 - Fire User).] [Reward: Skill Book (Random), 100 Exp.] [Failure Penalty: -10 Stats for 24 hours.]
Leo's eyes snapped open.
Defeat Brock? In a sanctioned sparring match?
Brock was a Level 3. He could shoot fireballs. He had military training. Leo was a Level 2 with a biting fetish and a time limit on his powers. In a public sparring match, Leo couldn't shift into a wolf without exposing his secret. If the military found out he was a Shifter—a host to a beast system—they wouldn't train him. They'd dissect him.
He had to fight Brock as a human.
"How am I supposed to beat a Fire User without shifting?" Leo whispered.
[System Hint: You are a Shifter. You possess the attributes of the beast even in human form. Use your Feral Senses. Use your speed. And remember the rule: Power Normalization Law.]
Leo frowned. The Power Normalization Law meant that if he shifted into a dragon, it would be weak. But did it work in reverse? Did his human form gain the passive traits of the wolf?
He squeezed his hand into a fist. His grip felt tighter. His fingernails felt harder.
He grinned in the dark.
"Challenge accepted."
Morning Training Grounds - 06:00 Hours
The sun was barely up, casting long shadows across the sparring rings. The air was filled with the sounds of grunts, the clash of training weapons, and the crackle of elemental abilities.
Instructor Harrow, a towering man with a scar running down his cheek and a mechanical arm, stood in the center of the ring.
"Alright, maggots!" Harrow barked. "Today is assessment day. I want to see how soft you've gotten over the weekend break. Pair up! Levels 1 and 2, stick together. Level 3s, find a partner who won't cry when you burn them."
Leo stood at the edge of the group, wrapping tape around his hands. He saw Brock across the field, laughing with Sarah and Tom. Brock looked confident, relaxed.
Leo walked straight through the crowd. He didn't look at the other Zeros or the Level 1s. He walked right up to the Level 3 circle.
The chatter died down as Leo stepped into the open space.
"Instructor," Leo called out, his voice clear and loud.
Harrow turned, raising an eyebrow. "Thorne? You're in the wrong section. The sandbags are over there."
A ripple of laughter went through the students.
"I want to challenge a Level 3," Leo said, pointing a taped finger directly at Brock. "I challenge Brock."
Silence descended on the training ground. It was heavy, thick with shock. A Zero—or at best, a weak Level 1—challenging a Level 3 was unheard of. It was suicide.
Brock blinked, then laughed. It was a cruel, barking sound. "You must have hit your head harder than I thought, Leo. You want to fight me? Here? Where everyone can see you bleed?"
"Are you scared?" Leo asked, tilting his head. "Afraid the porter might embarrass you?"
Brock's face went red. "Instructor, permission to teach this trash a lesson."
Harrow looked from Leo to Brock. He saw the fire in Leo's eyes. He saw the way the boy stood—relaxed, balanced, predatory. It wasn't the stance of a victim.
"Permission granted," Harrow said, stepping back. "Medical bot, on standby. Begin!"
Brock stepped into the ring, his hands igniting with flames. "I'm going to melt that tape off your hands, Leo."
Leo stepped forward. He didn't raise his fists. He lowered his center of gravity. He breathed in through his nose.
[Skill: Feral Senses - Active (Low Output Mode)] [Cost: 1 BP/10 mins]
He smelled the ozone of the fire. He heard the sudden spike in Brock's heart rate as he prepared to launch a fireball.
Left hand. He's leading with the left.
Brock thrust his palm forward. A ball of fire the size of a basketball roared toward Leo's face.
The crowd gasped.
Leo didn't flinch. He didn't block.
He moved.
To the onlookers, it looked like a blur. Leo ducked under the fireball, the heat singeing his hair. He closed the distance in a single, explosive step.
He was inside Brock's guard.
Brock's eyes widened. "What—"
Leo drove his fist into Brock's liver.
It wasn't a normal punch. It carried the torque of a wolf snapping its jaws.
Thud.
Brock gasped, the air leaving his lungs instantly. The fire in his hands sputtered and died.
Leo didn't stop. He grabbed Brock's collar with one hand and swept his leg with the other. Brock hit the mat hard.
Leo stood over him, fist cocked back.
"Yield," Leo growled.
The entire training ground was silent. Instructor Harrow's mechanical hand twitched.
Brock wheezed, clutching his side, staring up at Leo in disbelief. The power gap was supposed to be absolute. A Level 3 was a god to a Zero.
But looking into Leo's eyes, Brock saw something that terrified him more than the pain. He saw a beast looking back.
"I... I yield," Brock whispered.
[Quest Complete: The Pack Hierarchy] [Reward: 100 Exp.] [Skill Book Reward: Delivered to Inventory.]
Leo straightened up, untaping his hands. He looked at Harrow.
"Who's next?"