The Outer Reaches. A dilapidated shack.
Dampness seeped through the peeling walls, and the dirt floor reeked of musty mold.
Outside, the sun slanted through the gaps of the crude shelter, illuminating thick clouds of dust dancing in the air.
Elena leaned against a rotting wooden bed, a gnawing, cramp-like hunger clawing at her stomach.
It had been 10 days since she was cast out of the family and forced into this wretched hole in the Outer Reaches.
For 3 days, she hadn't swallowed a single grain of rice or tasted a drop of clean water.
She reached out with a withered, bony hand and pulled a few grime-stained copper coins from the depths of a hidden pouch tucked against her skin.
That pouch had originally held the 500 gold coins Jasper had secretly given her. But as soon as she moved in, the greedy landlord had snatched 100 gold as this month’s rent.
She didn't dare carry the remaining 400 gold on her person. In the lawless chaos of the Outer Reaches, flaunting wealth was a death sentence. She had hidden them deep within a crack in the shack's wall, carrying only a few loose coppers each time she ventured out, calculating every cent. But after buying medicine for her injuries over the past few days, the coins in her pocket had finally run dry.
To survive, she had to be frugal.
[System Notification]
Current Gold: 400
Current Status: [Severe Hunger] (All attributes temporarily reduced by 10%)
HP: 50 / 50
MP: 0 / 0 (Core has been seized)
Combat Power: 15
Elena looked at the few remaining coppers in her palm, her throat bobbing slightly.
Her body was too weak.
Due to chronic malnutrition and unhealed wounds, her legs felt like lead, and her vision swayed with every step.
She looked down at the ring finger of her left hand.
The old ring left by her mother sat there quietly, emitting a faint, almost imperceptible, dim glow.
Her entire set of expensive equipment slots had been torn away and locked when her core shattered, but this ring had miraculously remained, simply because it didn't occupy a formal equipment slot.
Elena gripped the ring tightly, the cold sensation of the metal offering a sliver of comfort.
"Mom..."
Her voice was hoarse and dry, like sandpaper rubbing together.
"What should I do..."
Without a Mana Core, she was nothing but a cripple in this world of predators.
Yet, the hatred and resentment in her heart burned like an inextinguishable wildfire, raging through her parched chest.
She couldn't die.
Even if she had to live like a dog, she would survive!
Elena forced her trembling body upright and pushed open the rickety wooden door.
She had to go to the market in the Outer Reaches and buy the cheapest black bread she could find to stave off the hunger.
The Outer Reaches Market.
The place was a chaotic, filthy, and deafening mess.
The ground was littered with animal entrails, rotting leaves, and stagnant sewage, filling the air with a suffocating stench.
Vendors shouted at the top of their lungs, and the crowds were a mix of tattooed gang members, destitute low-level adventurers, and numb-eyed civilians.
Elena pulled her tattered reddish-brown hooded robe tight, stuffing her signature long hair deep into the hood. She kept her head down, weaving through the narrow stalls.
However, no matter how much she tried to diminish her presence, her frail frame and unmistakable noble poise stood out like a sore thumb in this wasteland.
When she stopped before a wooden shed selling bread, the stout, fleshy-faced baker looked up and squinted at her.
A second later, his lips curled into a smirk of mockery.
"Well, well! If it isn't the great genius of House Nocturne, the S-Rank Shadowdancer herself, Lady Elena!"
The baker bellowed at the top of his lungs, his voice instantly carrying across half the market.
The bustling market fell into an eerie silence for a few seconds.
Countless gazes snapped toward Elena.
There was no sympathy in those eyes—only naked malice, jealousy, and the thrill of seeing a high-flier fall.
"It really is her! That cripple from House Nocturne!"
"Heh, how rare. The high-and-mighty S-Rank genius actually came to a trash heap like this to buy food?"
"I heard her own brother dug out her Mana Core. She probably couldn't even beat a common thug now!"
The whispers buzzed around her like flies.
Elena remained silent, her lips pressed into a thin line, her face as pale as parchment.
She didn't defend herself or acknowledge the mockery. She simply pointed a thin finger at a hunk of black bread in the corner of the stall—a piece so hard it looked like stone, speckled with white patches of mold.
"How much... for this?"
Her tone was flat and dry.
The baker sneered and kicked the basket holding the moldy bread, eyeing her sideways.
"Five silver coins."
Elena’s fingers froze.
A fresh loaf of black bread usually cost only 5 coppers. This piece of garbage, which had been sitting there for weeks and had already turned, was being priced at 5 silver?
A hundredfold markup.
Elena looked up, her reddish-brown eyes locking onto the vendor. "Too expensive. It’s worth 5 coppers."
"Too expensive?"
The vendor acted as if he’d heard the funniest joke in the world. He slammed his hand on the table and spat into the mud near Elena's feet.
"If it's too expensive, then get lost, you cripple!"
He pointed right at her nose and barked:
"You think you’re still some glorious noble lady? Here, the price is whatever I say it is! If you can’t afford it, go beg in the streets! Don’t block my business! Trash should know their place!"
The surrounding crowd erupted into a wave of unrestrained laughter.
"Hahaha! That’s hilarious! She can’t even afford moldy bread!"
"From a world-renowned genius to a failure lower than a beggar. How ironic."
"She deserves it! She used to look down on us from her high horse. Now she knows how cruel the real world is, doesn't she?"
The piercing laughter surged from all directions, cutting into Elena's heart like dull blades.
Her body trembled slightly.
Her fists clenched tight beneath her sleeves, her long nails digging deep into her palms until blood seeped between her fingers. She didn't feel the pain.
She didn't say another word.
Arguing with such small-minded people was pointless; it would only invite more humiliation.
Elena pulled back her few measly coppers, turned slowly, and walked away through the jeering crowd toward the edge of the market.
Behind her, the mockery continued to ripple through the air.
Leaving the noise of the market behind, Elena took the path back to her shack.
To avoid the malicious stares on the main road, she took a shortcut through a dark, narrow alley.
High walls towered on both sides, blocking out most of the sunlight and leaving the air damp and chilling.
Her boots made soft tap-tap sounds as she stepped over the slippery moss.
Suddenly—
She stopped.
At the corner ahead, three hulking, scarred Street Thugs stepped out, blocking the exit.
Behind her, two more thugs carrying wooden clubs closed in.
Their eyes were filled with ill intent, locked onto her.
A warning box flashed across Elena’s vision.
[Enemy Detected]
[Street Thug Leader]
Level: 4
HP: 220
Combat Power: 135
[Street Thug] x2
Level: 3
HP: 180 (each)
Combat Power: 120 (each)
The leader was tall with a hideous scar across his face, twirling a rusted dagger in his hand.
He looked over Elena’s tattered but still elegant silhouette, a lecherous grin spreading across his face.
"Hey, sweetheart. Isn't it dangerous for a girl to be walking in such a dark alley alone?"
The leader stepped forward, his tone dripping with cruelty.
"I heard you used to be the genius of House Nocturne? Shame you're a cripple now. But don't worry, the boys and I are in a good mood. We’ll take real good 'care' of you!"
The other thugs let out crude laughs, slowly closing the distance.
Elena backed up step by step until her back hit the cold, hard brick wall.
No way out.
She rapidly assessed the situation in her mind.
Her current Combat Power was only 15. The combined power of these three was 375!
A 25-fold difference!
If she were still the S-Rank Shadowdancer at her peak, she could have turned these men to ash with a flick of her finger. But now, with her Mana Core gone and her skills locked, she was so weak she could barely run a few steps without wheezing.
This was a death trap.
"Come here!"
The leader laughed, reaching out a hairy hand to grab Elena’s shoulder.
The wind whistled.
Elena bit her lower lip hard, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to calm down amidst the extreme panic and despair.
She was an assassin! And an assassin never stops thinking, even in the most hopeless situations!
Inhale—exhale—
The moment she took that deep breath, something strange happened.
No sunlight reached this alley, leaving it filled with shadows as thick as ink.
As Elena inhaled, she suddenly felt the stagnant shadows around her... stir.
It was as if invisible threads had connected her to the darkness.
Instinct drove her.
She took another deep breath, expanding her lungs to their limit.
In the next second, the shadows in the corners and on the ground—previously motionless—seemed to be drawn by a mysterious strength. They transformed into streaks of black light, invisible to the naked eye, and flowed continuously into her body!
Boom!
Her lower abdomen, which had been dead and discarded, suddenly flared with a cold, pure sensation.
The code boxes in her vision began to flicker frantically.
[Unknown Strength Activated]
Unknown Skill: Progress 0% → 0.8%
Effect: Physical Enhancement +8% (Temporary)
Duration: 15 seconds
[Attribute Change - Temporary]
Strength: 7 → 8
Agility: 15 → 16
Vitality: 6 → 7
A faint but undeniably real, cold, and refined strength flooded her withered limbs.
Her legs, which had been weak from hunger, suddenly found their footing again.
Elena's pupils constricted, a tidal wave of shock crashing through her mind.
What?!
What kind of power was this?
Her Mana Core was destroyed—why could she still absorb energy from the shadows? And her body... it really was getting stronger!
There was no time to think. The leader's meaty fist was already hurtling toward her face, carrying a foul stench!
A moment ago, she wouldn't have been able to dodge.
But now, with her Agility temporarily boosted to 16, her battle instincts exploded with stunning reaction speed.
She tilted her head.
Whoosh!
The fist whistled past her hair and slammed into the brick wall behind her, sending stone fragments flying!
The leader’s punch hit nothing but air, his momentum throwing him forward. The lecherous grin on his face froze.
"Huh? She dodged?"
He blinked in disbelief.
The other two thugs were equally stunned. "Boss, what happened? Isn't she a cripple?"
"Shut up! Get her! Grab her alive!" the leader roared, pulling his fist back and lunging again.
A flash of ruthless determination crossed Elena’s eyes.
Live! Fight your way out!
Her left ring finger twitched, and her mind delved into the ring.
Although her equipment slots were locked by the system, the ring her mother left her had a miniature storage space of its own. This space was unaffected by the destruction of her Mana Core!
A flash of cold light appeared!
An ancient-looking dagger, glowing with a faint blue light, appeared in her right hand.
[Shadowfang Dagger]!
It was the only weapon she had left.
The moment the cold hilt touched her palm, the killing memories buried deep in her muscles were fully awakened.
Thrust!
Dodge!
Counter-slash!
Her movements were a bit stiff due to her physical exhaustion, but with the mysterious shadow energy constantly reinforcing her, she used her superior combat experience to force a gap in their encirclement.
[Combat Log]
Elena launches an attack!
Base Damage: 18! (Str 7 + Agi 8/2 + Base Weapon Attack)
[Street Thug] HP: 180 → 162
Thug launches a counterattack!
Elena triggers Evasion! (Agi 16 vs Enemy Agi 12)
Result: Evasion Successful!
Squelch!
The dagger sliced through the left thug’s arm, spraying blood.
"Ah! My hand!" the thug screamed, stumbling back.
Elena gasped for air, her eyes as cold as a polar glacier.
The more she fought, the more shocked she became.
The shadows in the alley were like an inexhaustible supply depot. With every breath and every move, they seeped into her body.
The data on her panel was skyrocketing.
[System Notification]
Unknown Skill Progress: 0.8% → 1.5% → 2.3%
[Attribute Change - Temporary Boost Increase]
Str and Agi Enhancement: +8% → +12% → +15%
Agility: 15 → 17
Faster! Even faster!
Elena’s figure became a blurred reddish-brown shadow in the narrow alley.
With 17 Agility and her masterful S-Rank Shadowdancer footwork, she was devastating.
The thugs' attacks missed repeatedly, their wooden clubs thudding against the walls, unable to even touch the hem of her cloak.
"Damn it! What's wrong with this woman?!"
"I thought her Mana Core was shattered! How is she so fast?!"
The two common thugs were completely panicked now, fear clouding their eyes.
The leader was drenched in sweat, a terrible omen rising in his gut. The pale girl before him wasn't a lamb for the slaughter—she was a wounded but lethal leopard!
Now!
Elena caught a massive opening in the leader's panicked stance.
She kicked off the wall, launching herself forward and sliding low across the ground.
Cold light exploded.
The [Shadowfang Dagger] traced a sharp arc, sinking ruthlessly into the leader's inner thigh.
[Combat Log]
Result: Critical Hit! Hit a Vital Weak Point!
Damage: 45!
[Street Thug Leader] HP: 220 → 175
Additional Debuff: [Bleeding] (Loss of 5 HP per second for 10 seconds)
"AAAAAAAH!"
The leader let out a blood-curdling shriek and collapsed, clutching his thigh. Blood sprayed like a broken faucet, instantly staining the dirt red.
"Boss!"
The other two thugs turned pale, their legs shaking.
They looked at their leader screaming in a pool of blood, then at Elena, who stood there with her dagger, her eyes as cold as death. Their greed was instantly shredded by terror.
"Monster... there's something wrong with this woman!"
"Run! Just run!"
Discarding their lust and bravado, they threw down their clubs and scrambled toward the other end of the alley, abandoning their wounded leader.
The leader crawled desperately along the ground, shouting in terror, "Don’t... don't kill me! I'm going! I'm leaving right now!"
He scrambled after them, leaving a trail of gruesome blood behind until he disappeared around the corner.
Deathly silence returned to the alley.
[Combat Result]
Combat Duration: 4 minutes 12 seconds
Damage Received: 35
HP: 50 → 15 (Heavy Injury state)
[Loot Summary]
Experience: 0 (System Offline, unable to gain XP)
Gold Obtained: +8 (Dropped by enemies)
[Special Notification]
[Unknown Skill] Progress: 2.3% → 3.8%
[New Attribute Unlocked]
Shadow Energy: 8 / 100
[Physical Adaptation]
Vitality: 6 → 7 (+1 from combat pressure)
Agility: 15 → 16 (+1 from combat training)
Once the last thug had fled, Elena collapsed against the wall, her strength spent.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Her heavy breathing echoed through the narrow space.
Cold sweat poured down her forehead, her face was ghost-white, and her battered body throbbed with tearing pain.
She only had 15 HP left.
If she had taken even one more hit from a club, she might have actually died here.
But... she won!
As a cripple with 15 Combat Power, she had taken down three thugs with a combined power of 375!
Elena leaned against the wall, slowly lowered her head, wiped the blood from her dagger, and returned it to the ring.
Then, with a thought, she summoned her panel.
The attribute panel, once gray and lifeless, had undergone a radical change.
[Status Updated]
Name: Elena Nocturne
Level: 1
HP: 15 / 60 (Vitality increase boosted the cap)
MP: 0 / 0
Shadow Energy: 8 / 100 (New Attribute Unlocked!)
Combat Power: 32 (15 → 32)
[Base Attributes]
Strength: 7
Agility: 16 (15 → 16)
Vitality: 7 (6 → 7)
[New Skill - Incomplete]
Skill Name: [Unknown Skill] (Current Progress 3.8%)
Skill Type: ???
Skill Effect: Absorbs Shadow Energy from the environment to directly enhance the body and combat reflexes.
Special Note: This skill operates and guides itself without the need for a Mana Core!
Class: Shadowdancer (S-Rank)
Title: [The Fallen Genius] (Forced)
Status: [Injured] [Severe Hunger]
Looking at the shimmering text on the panel, Elena’s body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Her eyes widened, her pupils erupting with unprecedented joy and shock.
"What... kind of power is this?"
She lifted her hands.
The feeling of drawing the shadows into her body and converting them into raw physical strength was still etched into her nerves.
It didn't need a Mana Core!
Every Awakened in this world, whether Mage or Assassin, relied on the Mana Core in their abdomen to circulate mana.
But this mysterious skill could bypass the Mana Core entirely, absorbing external Shadow Energy to strengthen the body directly!
"My core is gone... but I can still absorb shadows?"
Elena grit her teeth so hard that a tear escaped the corner of her eye.
It wasn't a tear of weakness, but one of absolute ecstasy at finding hope in the jaws of death.
Vincent had dug out her core, thinking he had stripped her of everything and trampled her into the mud.
But they had no idea...
"This isn't the end..."
Elena gripped the old ring on her finger, the hatred and obsession in her eyes turning into a world-destroying flame.
"This doesn't need a Mana Core... Could this be a different path? A path of shadow that is stronger and purer than before?!"
Though the skill was only at 3.8% progress, and her Combat Power was only 32.
A breakthrough from 0 to 1 meant hope.
Given enough time and Shadow Energy, she could rise again, climb back to the peak, and unleash a bloody vengeance on everyone who had betrayed and humiliated her.
Elena took a deep breath, enduring the pain and hunger. She wrapped her tattered robe tightly around her and pushed herself off the wall.
She stepped over the 8 copper coins dropped by the thugs, leaned down to pick them up, and then walked steadily toward the alley’s exit.
However, Elena failed to notice—
Deep in the shadows of the crumbling roof above the alley.
A figure cloaked in black, with the Equilibrium Seal of the black market hanging from his waist, crouched among the tiles.
The Broker’s sharp eyes, hidden beneath his hood, had witnessed the entire lopsided counter-attack from beginning to end.
"Interesting... truly interesting..."
The Broker murmured under his breath, his finger lightly tapping the token at his waist. His eyes shone with the characteristic spark of a merchant’s greed and wonder.
"The rumored cripple of House Nocturne... can still fight without a Mana Core?"
"And that burst of energy just now... it definitely wasn't a standard mana fluctuation."
"Was that... pure shadow?"
The Broker’s lips curled into a playful arc, and his form silently melted back into the shadows of the roof.
"It seems this failure the whole city looks down on... is hiding a staggering secret."