IN THE MORNING
XAVIER
Morning came as if nothing had happened. Which was rude. I woke up stiff, sore, and very aware that my dreams had involved too many teeth and not enough distance. For one stupid, hopeful second, I thought I might be back in my apartment. Then I smelled bread. Real bread, warm and yeasty. I was hungry like I would have been in my actual room back home.
"Okay." I muttered, sitting up. "Still trapped in the murder MMO."
I dragged myself downstairs and into the town square, keeping my hood up like yesterday hadn't involved me impaling wildlife with carpentry. Breakfast first, panic later. A small stall near the fountain sold flatbread, eggs, and something that looked like fried mushrooms. The vendor, a broad shouldered Beta with a scar through one eyebrow, looked me up and down.
"You look like you wrestled a bush and lost." He said.
"I fell." I replied instantly.
Introvert reflex, lie first and explain never.
"That will be five Mega."He snorted.
I handed over the coins, relief washing through me when he didn't ask follow up questions. Food was placed into my hands hot, solid, real. I took a bite and almost cried.
"Oh wow." I whispered. "This is unfairly good."
That was when the world flickered. Not glitchy, not A soft blue light slid into my vision like a polite intruder. System Notification. I froze mid chew.
"No." I said quietly. "Nope, absolutely not. I am eating."
The words didn't care.
"Cursed Upgrade Available. Trigger Condition Met: First Kill + Sustained survival + Omega classification. Upgrade Type: Passive – Instinctual adaptation."The system said.
I choked.
"CURSED?" I hissed, slapping my chest.
The vendor stared at me like I was about to start foaming.
"You alright, kid?"He asked.
"Yep." I wheezed. "Love breakfast. Big fan. Totally normal."
The screen expanded anyway.
"Upgrade Name: Prey That Bites Back. Description: Your Omega instincts sharpen under threat. Fear enhances perception. Pain accelerates learning. Survival actions may override conscious hesitation."The system said.
I stared.
"That's not a buff." I whispered. "That's a threat."
"Side Effects: Heightened awareness of hostile intent. Increased adrenaline response. Reduced freeze response under danger. Social penalties with Alphas (unintentional provocation)."The system explained.
"Excuse me?"I asked.
"Upgrade Applied. Status: Permanent. Cannot be disabled."The system said.
The blue light vanished so did my appetite. I stood there, flatbread forgotten in my hands, suddenly hyper aware of everything. The way two Alphas across the square glanced in my direction and how my skin prickled, instincts whispering attention, attention, danger adjacent. I swallowed.
"Oh." I murmured. "So this is my life now."
"You sure you are okay?"The vendor frowned.
"Yeah. Just realized something."I nodded too fast.
"What?"He asked.
I looked down at my hands, they weren't shaking this time.
"I am apparently a cursed Omega herbalist." I said, deadpan. "With combat instincts."
He stared.
"That will be another five Mega if you want seconds."Vendor suggested.
As I moved through the square, I felt it the upgrade working. My posture adjusted without me thinking. My steps avoided blind spots. My gaze flicked automatically to exits, shadows, rooftops. It was terrifying, it was useful and worst of all? It felt natural.
"Fine." I muttered under my breath. "If the system wants to turn me into some feral survival experiment…" I glanced back toward the forest line, where yesterday I would've looked away.
"Then I'll survive long enough to break it."
The adventurer's guild was louder than it had any right to be. I slipped inside, heart thudding, instincts already mapping exits and bodies without asking permission. I hated that part now. Yesterday, I had been invisible. Today, my skin felt like it was listening. I went straight to the counter. Same clerk, same sharp eyes.
"Can I sell a kill?"I cleared my throat.
She paused, quill hovering mid air.
"You are registered as non combat." She said without looking up.
"I know." I replied. "That's why I am asking."
That finally got her attention. She looked me over once really looked this time then nodded.
"Alright. What did you kill?"She asked.
I reached into my satchel and set the item on the counter. Gray fur, coarse, threaded with dark veins of weak mana. Still faintly warm. The clerk picked it up.
"Night gnawer." She said.
A couple of adventurers nearby glanced over.
"That's a forest scavenger." Someone muttered. "Barely aggressive."
"Only bites if it thinks it can win." Another added.
My stomach tightened.
"Yes." I said quietly. "It tried."
The clerk examined the pelt more closely. Her eyes narrowed at the wound.
"No blade." She murmured. "No spell focus." She looked up. "How?"
'It charged me." I said. "Near the forest edge. I tripped. It lunged. I grabbed a branch and hit it."
"You killed a Night gnawer." She said slowly. "As an Omega herbalist."
"Yes."I said.
"With an improvised weapon."She said.
"Yes."I said.
She didn't laugh instead, she pulled up a system panel.
"Creature: Night Gnawer Threat Level: Low (Situationally Hostile). Recommended Response: Avoid / Scare Off. Kill Credit: Valid (Beginner Survival)."
"It's not considered dangerous." She said. "But they will attack if desperate. Especially near the forest."
"It was desperate."My jaw clenched.
She nodded once, acknowledging that without comment. A soft chime rang out.
"Item Sold: Night Gnawer Pelt (Crude). Reward: 12 Mega."The system said.
The coins slid toward me, not much, not impressive.
"You won't get praise for this." She said evenly. "Night Gnawers are starter fauna. Most adventurers kill one in their first week."
"I wasn't looking for praise."I nodded.
Her eyes lingered on me a second longer than necessary.
"But." She added, quieter. Most Omegas don't kill one alone. They run."
That landed heavier than any insult. I took the coins and stepped back. Behind me, I could feel the shift, not laughter, not admiration. Recalculation, I hadn't slain a monster. I had survived an encounter I wasn't supposed to win and somehow, that felt worse.