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Kael Vance didn’t have time to catch his breath before the world threw another punch.
He stood in the top-floor apartment, crowbar slick with blood and ash, chest heaving from a day that refused to let up. The scavenged flashlight flickered weakly, casting jagged shadows across the room—peeling wallpaper, a shattered TV, a coffee table wedged against the door. Eighteen hours into this system-spawned hell, and he’d clawed his way to eight kills, each one pumping essence into his veins like a shot of liquid fire. But the latest system ping hung in his vision, cold and unyielding:
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Entity Detected: Ashstalker (Tier 2)
Strength: 22 | Agility: 18 | Endurance: 15
Threat Level: High
Essence Potential: 15
Description: A predator of the Ash, swift and relentless. Hunts with precision. Weakness: Unknown.
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The building shuddered, a deep crunch reverberating from below. Dust sifted from the ceiling, and Kael’s grip tightened on the crowbar. He’d holed up on the fifth floor to rest, to think—eight ashwolves down, a skill unlocked, a Tier gained—but this Ashstalker wasn’t giving him a breather. The timer ticked relentlessly: 18:22:47 until the First Wave ended. Nine kills out of 100.
“High threat,” he muttered, voice raw from dust and shouting. “Perfect. Just perfect.”
He edged to the window, peering through a crack in the boarded-up frame. The street below was a wasteland—twisted cars smoldering, fires flickering, the violet tear in the sky pulsing like a wound that wouldn’t heal. Ashwolves prowled in packs, yellow eyes glinting, and the hulking Ashbrute loomed closer, its silhouette a mountain of muscle and menace. Then he spotted it—the Ashstalker.
It wasn’t bulky like the brute or rabid like the wolves. It slunk through the shadows, lean and elongated, a panther-like nightmare with limbs too long and a tail that whipped like a razor. Its fur shimmered with ash, blending into the haze, and its eyes burned red—not yellow—tracking something below. Kael’s stomach knotted. It wasn’t climbing the building. It was already inside.
A low, rhythmic thump vibrated up through the floor—slow, deliberate, like a hunter stalking prey. Kael’s pulse spiked. “Shit,” he whispered, backing from the window. The flashlight beam danced as he scanned the room. The door was barricaded, the window a five-story drop, the walls cracked but holding. No exit but through whatever was coming.
He summoned his stats, the blue panel flaring:
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Kael Vance
Status: Mortal (Tier 1)
Strength: 12 | Agility: 11 | Endurance: 10 | Essence: 9/20
Vitality: 11 | Perception: 6 | Will: 7
Skills: Ashstrike (Tier 1)
Traits: Ashborn (Tier 1)
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Nine essence—not enough for another evolution, but enough to use Ashstrike a few times. The skill had crushed that last wolf’s skull, essence amplifying the blow. Against a Tier 2? He’d find out soon.
The thump grew louder—third floor, maybe fourth. Kael killed the flashlight, plunging the room into near-darkness, save for the violet glow seeping through the boards. He crouched behind the shredded couch, crowbar raised, muscles coiled. His thigh ached from the first wolf’s claws, but essence had dulled it to a throb. He’d survived worse today. He could survive this.
The door rattled.
Not a crash—a slow, testing nudge, like something sniffing the barricade. Kael held his breath, sweat beading on his brow. A faint scrape followed—claws on wood—then silence. Too long a silence. His perception, still a pitiful 6, strained for any sound, but the system stayed mute.
The wall exploded.
Plaster and brick erupted inward, and the Ashstalker lunged through—a blur of ash and sinew, red eyes locked on him. Kael rolled aside as its tail lashed out, slicing the couch in half like a blade through paper. He scrambled up, swinging the crowbar. It connected with the beast’s flank—thunk—but the stalker barely flinched, pivoting with terrifying speed.
Its tag flared: Strength 22, Agility 18. Double his stats. Kael gritted his teeth. “Alright, you bastard. Let’s dance.”
The Ashstalker pounced, claws gleaming. Kael ducked, air whistling overhead, and swung upward, triggering Ashstrike. Essence flared—2 points burned—and a gray aura wrapped the crowbar, amplifying the blow. It smashed into the stalker’s jaw, snapping its head back. The beast snarled, staggering, blood dripping from its maw.
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Ashstalker (Tier 2) Damaged
Essence Remaining: 7/20
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“Gotcha,” Kael growled, pressing forward. He swung again, aiming for its skull, but the stalker’s tail whipped around, catching his wrist. Pain flared as it yanked him off-balance, hurling him into the wall. The drywall buckled, and he hit the floor hard, crowbar clattering away.
The beast loomed, jaws parting to reveal serrated teeth. Kael kicked out, catching its chest, but it barely budged—22 strength laughed at his 12. Its claw swiped down, and he rolled, the strike gouging the floor. He lunged for the crowbar, fingers brushing it—just as the stalker’s tail stabbed at his back.
He twisted, taking the hit on his shoulder. The blade-like tip punched through flesh, and Kael bit down a scream, blood soaking his shirt. Vitality 11 kept him conscious, but the pain was a white-hot flare. He grabbed the crowbar and swung blind, Ashstrike igniting again. The blow caught the stalker’s foreleg, a crack echoing as bone splintered.
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Ashstalker (Tier 2) Crippled
Essence Remaining: 5/20
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The beast roared, limping back, agility faltering. Kael staggered up, shoulder throbbing, crowbar slick with his blood. “Not so fast now, huh?” he panted.
It lunged again, slower but desperate. Kael sidestepped, channeling another Ashstrike into a two-handed swing. The crowbar slammed into its skull, essence exploding in a gray burst. The stalker’s head caved, and it collapsed, twitching, red eyes dimming.
Kael dropped to his knees, gasping. The system chimed:
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Ashstalker (Tier 2) Defeated
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Experience Gained: 25
Essence Absorbed: 15
Essence Capacity Exceeded: 20/20
Evolution Triggered
Processing…
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Power surged—hotter, fiercer than before. His vision blackened, then snapped back, sharper. Muscles tightened, the shoulder wound sealing to a raw scar. His stats updated:
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Evolution Complete: Tier 1 → Tier 2
Strength +3 | Agility +3 | Endurance +2 | Vitality +2
Essence Reset: 0/50
New Stats:
Strength: 15 | Agility: 14 | Endurance: 12 | Essence: 0
Vitality: 13 | Perception: 6 | Will: 7
Trait Enhanced: Ashborn (Tier 2)
New Effect: Essence absorption rate increased. Skills evolve with Tier.
Skill Upgraded: Ashstrike (Tier 2)
Description: Infuse essence into a strike, increasing damage by 30%. Cost: 2 Essence.
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Kael flexed his hands, feeling the shift—stronger, faster, tougher. The stalker’s corpse crumbled to ash, leaving a larger orb, pulsing brighter. He absorbed it:
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Essence Orb Consumed
Essence +5 | Total: 5/50
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“Tier 2,” he muttered, standing. “Not bad for a guy who couldn’t pay his bills.”
The building groaned, the fight’s chaos weakening its bones—walls cracked, floor splintered. Through the stalker’s breach, Kael saw the street: ashwolves circling, the Ashbrute lumbering closer. The timer read 18:19:22. Nine kills down, 91 to go.
A sharp, skittering sound echoed from the hall—claws on concrete, fast and numerous. Kael gripped the crowbar, blood dripping from his shoulder. “No rest for the wicked,” he grumbled, turning to the door. He shoved the table aside, stepping into the dark stairwell.
The air was thick—dust, ash, the copper tang of blood. His flashlight beam cut through the gloom, revealing smears on the walls—claw marks, human blood, signs of a massacre he’d missed in his climb. The skittering grew louder, below and above. He descended, crowbar ready, every step a test of his new stats.
Fourth floor. The landing was a mess—doors smashed, a child’s shoe lying in a puddle of red. Kael’s jaw tightened. He wasn’t a hero—never had been—but the sight twisted something in him. The system didn’t care about sentiment, though. A new tag flared:
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Entity Detected: Ashskitter (Tier 1) x3
Strength: 10 | Agility: 15 | Endurance: 8
Threat Level: Low
Essence Potential: 4 each
Description: Scavengers of the Ash, small but swift. Overwhelm through numbers.
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Three shapes darted from the shadows—rat-like, the size of dogs, with spindly legs and glowing yellow eyes. They hissed, circling him. Kael didn’t wait. He swung the crowbar, catching the first mid-leap. It crumpled with a squeal, ash spilling. The second skittered up the wall, lunging at his back. He spun, Ashstrike flaring—essence dropped to 3/50—and smashed it into the floor, bones shattering.
The third hesitated, then bolted. Kael chased it down the hall, cornering it near a broken window. One swing ended it, the body dissolving into ash.
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Ashskitter (Tier 1) x3 Defeated
Experience Gained: 15
Essence Absorbed: 12
Essence Total: 15/50
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Kael leaned against the wall, catching his breath. Twelve kills now—small fry, but every bit helped. He absorbed three orbs, pushing essence to 21/50. The rush was weaker, but steady.
He explored the floor, scavenging what he could—a half-empty water bottle, a rusted pipe to replace the bent crowbar, a torn jacket he wrapped around his shoulders. The building creaked, the Ashbrute’s distant roars shaking the foundation. Kael needed more essence, more power, before facing that thing.
Third floor. The stairwell opened to a hallway choked with debris—furniture, glass, a dead ashwolf someone else had killed. Kael paused, listening. Silence, then a low hum—not a growl, but something mechanical. He crept forward, pipe raised, until he found the source: a glowing rune etched into the wall, pulsing violet like the sky’s tear.
The system pinged:
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Object Detected: Essence Node (Tier 1)
Description: A fragment of the Trial’s power. Interact to claim essence. Warning: May attract entities.
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Kael hesitated. “A trap or a jackpot?” he muttered. He touched it, and energy surged into him, sharp and cold.
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Essence Node Claimed
Essence +10 | Total: 31/50
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The hum stopped, but a howl answered—close, too close. Kael spun as an ashwolf barreled down the hall, bigger than the others, its tag flaring:
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Entity: Ashwolf Packleader (Tier 1)
Strength: 17 | Agility: 13 | Endurance: 12
Threat Level: Moderate
Essence Potential: 10
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It charged, jaws wide. Kael met it with the pipe, Ashstrike flaring—essence dropped to 29/50—and the blow cracked its ribs. The wolf snarled, clawing his chest, but he shoved it back, smashing its skull with a second hit. It collapsed, ash spilling.
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Ashwolf Packleader (Tier 1) Defeated
Experience Gained: 20
Essence Absorbed: 10
Essence Total: 39/50
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Thirteen kills. Kael wiped blood from his chest—shallow cuts, thanks to vitality 13. He absorbed the orb, hitting 44/50. “Almost there,” he muttered. Another evolution loomed, and he needed it.
The building shook harder—cracks spiderwebbing the walls. Kael glanced out a window: the Ashbrute was blocks away, tearing through cars, wolves trailing it. But a new sound—deep, resonant—rumbled from above.
The system pinged:
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Entity Detected: Ashwraith (Tier 3)
Threat Level: Extreme
Essence Potential: 30
Description: A specter of the Ash, born of death and ruin.
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Kael froze. A shadow flickered on the ceiling—ethereal, humanoid, descending through the floors. Alone, stronger, but outmatched. The hunt was far from over.