[Ding!]
[Bonus Quest: Entangle the Duskwood Flower Completed!]
[Rewards: +50 Domination Points | +10 EXP | +5 CHA ]
[Efficiency Bonus: (Quest completed in under 1 hour.)]
+2 All Stats
1x Adrenaline Pill (One-time use. Temporarily boosts all stats by 3x for 10 seconds.)
Then Caleb raised his cane again and whipped it at Alaric's face.
But this time—
Crack!
Alaric's hand shot up and caught it mid-swing.
Caleb's eyes widened in disbelief. "What the—"
Alaric slowly lifted his head, blood still running down his cheek.
His eyes—no longer apologetic, but burning with silent fury.
Locked onto Caleb's, unblinking.
His expression was blank, but inside.
He was screaming.
How the hell is this brat so damn strong?!
[Reminder, Caleb Duskwood has awakened his Essence Path. Host has not.]
Of course... Alaric thought bitterly.
That explained the unnatural strength.
[Do you wish to consume the Adrenaline Pill?]
"Yes," Alaric muttered under his breath.
In the next instant, a small, round pill materialized on his tongue.
He swallowed it in one smooth gulp.
Then—
Heat surged through his veins.
A violent rush of energy exploded in his chest, spreading like wildfire through every muscle, every nerve.
His limbs buzzed.
His senses sharpened.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Brandon
(Past Life: Alaric Noir)
Race: Human
Age: 19
Title: Slave, (The Fallen King)
Essence Path: None
Rank: Unawakened
EXP: 24 / 100
Stats:
STR: 7 (21)
AGI: 7 (21)
END: 6(18)
WIL: 15 (45)
CHA: 15 (45)
INT: 8 (??) [24]
Domination Points: 50
Daily Quest: Completed!
Bonus Quest: Entangle the Duskwood Flower (Completed!)
Main Quest: Subjugate Selene Gilmore (In Progress)
System Level: 1 (Requires 150 Domination Points to Upgrade)
??? (Locked – Requires System Level 2)
Meanwhile, Caleb snapped out of his shock. "How dare you—how dare a slave touch me—"
But before he could finish, Alaric cut inleaning slightly, eyes narrowing—his voice low.
"You swing this stick like a coward hiding behind a name. Without it, you're just a beggar in the gutter. I've seen dogs with more spine."
Caleb's face went red. His hand trembled from rage.
"Y-You fucking slave!" He snarled and tried yanking the cane back from Alaric's grip.
But Alaric moved first.
In one swift motion, he shifted his hold, twisted Caleb's wrist, and swung him sideways.
BAM!
Caleb's face smashed into the cold stone pillar, his groan muffled by impact.
With a sharp yank, Alaric bent Caleb's arm into a twisted angle, forcing the cane to clatter to the floor.
"Gah—damn you, bastard!" Caleb growled and shoved back with all his strength, his shoulders ramming into Alaric's chest.
Alaric staggered, but stayed grounded.
Then Caleb whirled around and threw a punch, aiming straight for Alaric's head.
But Alaric ducked low, sidestepped smoothly, and swept his foot behind Caleb's ankles, hooking him off balance.
In the same motion, he grabbed Caleb's hair from behind, yanked his head down and—
SLAM!
Slammed his face hard into the cold marble floor, with a sickening crack.
Caleb groaned, writhing, thrashing his free arm in disoriented fury.
Alaric stepped back, eyes cold, chest heaving, not from fear, but the burning rush of temporary power flowing through him.
The hallway fell quiet, save for Caleb's pained gasps.
Caleb stood up, blood dripping from his nose, eyes blazing with humiliation and rage. He wiped his face with the back of his sleeve.
"You're dead," he growled, and lunged forward.
Alaric didn't flinch.
He dropped into a loose stance, eyes half-lidded with disdain.
Caleb feinted left—fast.
But not fast enough.
"Pathetic."
Alaric grabbed his leg mid-motion.
Lifted him clean off the ground, and swung him like a sack of grain into the nearest pillar.
CRACK!
Caleb's head smashed into the stone again, his body slumping briefly before dropping to the floor in a daze.
Alaric stepped forward, looming over the groaning boy, eyes cold and merciless.
"It'll take you a hundred years to even touch me, brat."
His tone was calm.
Like a king looking down... on a worm.
Just as he took another step, a translucent blue panel popped up before his eyes.
[Ding!]
[Time's up. Temporary stat boost ending... returning stats to normal.]
"Shit," Alaric muttered, his body already feeling heavier.
Caleb groaned and pushed himself up. His eyes gleamed—wildly, his pride in tatters, he let out a guttural roar and lunged forward again.
Alaric tried to move, but he was too late.
Caleb's fist smashed into Alaric's chest.
Crack!
A sickening crunch echoed in the hall.
Pain exploded in Alaric's ribs. He was launched back, crashing into the stone wall behind him with a dull, sickening thud.
He collapsed to the ground, gasping, blood dribbling from his lips.
His vision blurred, colors bleeding together, the world spinning.
"Fuck..." he groaned, clutching his side.
This bastard broke a few ribs.
His fingers curled into fists as he blinked through the haze, trying to stay conscious.
Caleb stretched his hand back, his expression twisted in rage.
"Die, you bastard!" he snarled, Flames ignited around his fingertips.
Alaric's breath hitched.
So, this... this is what magic looks like in combat.
Even with his body wrecked, pain radiating from his ribs, he couldn't help but stare—drawn to the hypnotic dance of fire around Caleb's hand.
The raw power. The fluid grace. The way the flames curled and twisted like a living thing.
A small, bitter smile touched his lips.
Beautiful, he thought.
He wasn't without fear, but for a man who'd fought wars, slaughtered his enemies, and even faced death...
This wasn't a terrifying sight.
This was beauty.
This was power.
But just as Caleb's arm began to move forward—
FWOOOSH!
The temperature dropped.
Not like a breeze.
Like the air itself recoiled.
A bone-deep chill crept through the corridor, sinking into their spines.
The very flames on Caleb's hand snuffed out in an instant, as if afraid to exist.
Then came the voice.
Low.
Cool.
Soft as silk.
But Deadly.
"What's going on here?"
Both of them froze.
Alaric slowly turned his head toward the sound.
Click! Click!
A pair of heels echoed through the corridor before her silhouette emerged from the shadows.
Her silver-white nightgown clung to her frame like woven moonlight, her long dark hair cascading over her smooth shoulders.
And with those glacial emerald eyes burned with cold fury, staring them was...
Selene Glimor.