The slums were quiet when Kael finally stepped out of the ruins. The distant hum of life barely reached his ears, muffled by the sharp ache in his body and the haze of exhaustion clouding his mind. He dragged his feet over cracked stone, each step feeling heavier than the last.
His hand tightened instinctively around the rusted pipe still hanging loosely by his side. It was bent, dented, and slick with golden blood—a relic of the impossible battle he'd just survived.
Kael winced as a sharp pain shot through his ribs. The thrill of absorbing the Essence Core was fading, leaving him acutely aware of the bruises and cuts littering his body.
"I need to rest," he muttered under his breath, though the thought of collapsing on the cold, uneven ground wasn't exactly appealing.
The quiet stretched around him as he trudged forward, his thoughts drifting back to the fight. He could still hear the beast's snarls, still feel the weight of its claws as they tore through the air inches from his face. It had been faster, stronger, smarter than him in every way.
And yet, he'd won.
Kael's lips curled into a faint, bitter smile. "Won," he repeated, the word tasting strange on his tongue. What kind of victory left you on the brink of death?
[New Status Detected: Exhaustion. Recovery period required before engaging in Rank E quests.]
Kael snorted at the system's message. "Yeah, no kidding," he muttered. "Thanks for the heads-up."
The system had been silent during the fight, leaving him to rely entirely on the fragments of a warrior's memories. Without them, he wouldn't have survived. That much was clear. But what if they hadn't been enough? What if the beast had been stronger?
Kael's grip on the pipe tightened, his knuckles white. He hated the thought of relying so heavily on something he didn't fully understand. The Echo of Eternity had saved him, yes, but he needed to be more than just a vessel for borrowed skills. He needed to be strong on his own.
His eyes drifted to the darkened sky, where the shattered celestial realms floated high above. Each one glittered faintly, a constant reminder of the divide between him and the powerful.
"Rank E," Kael said aloud, the words feeling like both a promise and a curse. The system wanted him to fight a Rank E creature next—a beast even stronger than the Apex Beast. He couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the absurdity of it all.
The Apex Beast had nearly killed him. What chance did he have against something even more dangerous?
But even as the doubt crept into his thoughts, a flicker of determination burned in his chest. He clenched his fists, his body trembling with equal parts exhaustion and resolve.
"I'll figure it out," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "I have to."
As Kael entered the outskirts of the slums, the familiar stench of decay and desperation filled the air. Broken homes and makeshift shelters lined the streets, their occupants hidden in the shadows. It was a place where weakness thrived and hope withered, a reminder of the life Kael had been forced to endure.
But as he walked through the narrow alleys, he felt… different. Stronger. For the first time, he wasn't just another forgotten soul scraping by. He had power now—real power—and the potential to grow even stronger.
A flicker of movement caught his eye, and Kael turned his head to see a group of children huddled in the shadows, their wide eyes fixed on him.
"You're bleeding," one of them whispered, her voice barely audible.
Kael glanced down at himself. His shirt was torn and stained with blood—both his and the beast's—and his arms were littered with cuts and bruises. He must have looked like he'd crawled out of a war zone.
"I'm fine," he said, his voice rough but kind. "Don't worry about me."
The children didn't move, their gazes lingering on the pipe in his hand. Kael turned away, the weight of their stares heavy on his back. He knew what they were thinking. To them, he was no different from the gangs that roamed the slums, taking what they wanted by force.
The thought made his chest tighten. He didn't want to be like them.
By the time Kael reached the small, crumbling shack he called home, his legs felt like they might give out beneath him. He pushed the door open, the rusted hinges groaning in protest, and stepped inside.
The space was barely big enough for a bedroll and a pile of scavenged supplies, but it was his. For now, it was enough.
Kael dropped the pipe onto the floor with a dull clang and collapsed onto the bedroll, his body sagging into the worn fabric. The silence of the room wrapped around him like a blanket, and for the first time since the fight, he allowed himself to close his eyes.
[Recovery initiated. Estimated time: 6 hours.]
The system's message hovered faintly in the corner of his vision, but Kael ignored it. His mind was already drifting, the exhaustion pulling him under like a tide.
As sleep claimed him, his thoughts lingered on the path ahead. The system had given him a goal—a new quest to pursue—but it was up to him to decide what came next.
For the first time in his life, Kael had a chance to change everything.
And he wasn't going to waste it.