The ceiling hadn't changed.
Kaelen stared at the familiar cracks spreading across his bedroom ceiling.
He rolled out of bed before dawn, his body pulled him into the routine that had become automatic. The apartment was silent except for the distant hum of machinery that never stopped in the lower tiers. His mother's door was closed, the faint light underneath suggesting she was already awake, probably reading or reviewing medical charts from her shift.
The morning air outside was cool. Kaelen moved through his daily quest with efficiency.
[Daily Quest Complete: Physical Conditioning]
[Rewards: +30 XP (Base & System) | +1 Stat Point]
[Base Level: 12] (2870/4000 XP)
[System Level: 11] (2960/3300 XP)
[Stat Points: 61]
He dismissed the notifications and headed back inside. The shower water was lukewarm, the building's heating system working at half capacity like it always did. But it washed away the sweat and cleared his head.
When he emerged, his mother was still in her room. Kaelen moved to the kitchen, pulling ingredients from their modest supply. Synth-grain bread, protein paste that could pass for eggs if you added enough seasoning, and some real vegetables he bought on his way back from the guild.
He worked quickly, the small kitchen barely large enough for one person to move comfortably. The electric heating plate took forever to warm up, but he'd learned patience with it over the years.
By the time his mother's door opened, breakfast was ready and plated on their small table.
She stopped in the doorway, surprise flickering across her face. "Kael..."
"Morning, Mom." He gestured to the table. "You should eat while it's hot."
"You didn't have to do this." She moved to the table anyway, her expression softening. "I'm supposed to be taking care of you."
"You do. Every day." Kaelen sat across from her. "Let me return the favor once in a while."
They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes. The food wasn't fancy, but it was warm and filling. His mother kept glancing at him, something unspoken sitting behind her eyes.
"What are you up to?" she said finally.
Kaelen looked up from his plate. "What makes you say that?"
"You're my son. I know when you're plotting." A faint smile touched her lips. "And you made breakfast without being asked. That's suspicious."
He managed a small laugh despite himself. "Just taking care of some errands today. Nothing dramatic."
"Errands." Her tone suggested she didn't quite believe him, but she wasn't going to push. Not yet. "Will you be home for dinner?"
"Probably late. Don't wait up if it gets past eight."
She intends to say something, but just nodded accepting that. They finished breakfast together, the morning light filtering weakly through their narrow window.
Kaelen stood, collecting the plates. "Mom, about the bills—"
"Kaelen." Her voice was gentle but firm. "Whatever you're thinking, don't. We're managing fine."
"We're barely managing." He kept his tone careful. "And I can help now. The academy payed a small stipend, and I've been saving—"
"The academy stipend is for you." She stood, moving to take the plates from him. "For supplies, equipment, whatever you need. Not for our household bills."
"But—"
"No." Her hand touched his cheek, the gesture carrying all the warmth and stubbornness that defined her. "I appreciate what you're trying to do. But this is my job. Taking care of us. You focus on your studies and becoming who you're meant to be."
Kaelen wanted to argue. But the conversation would go nowhere. His mother was as stubborn as he was, even more.
So he just nodded. "Okay."
She studied him for a moment longer, then smiled. "Good. Now go run your mysterious errands. And be safe, whatever you're actually doing."
"I will."
He returned to his room and dressed. Dark pants, flexible enough for movement. A fitted shirt, nothing too restrictive. The Bloodline Thread rested against his collarbone, hidden beneath the fabric. His new wristband sat comfortably on his left arm, the gray surface gleaming faintly. The F-rank adventurer badge hung from its chain around his neck.
His gauntlets and the Cinder Serpent Chain stayed in the Oblivion Pouch for now.
He checked his account balance one more time.
[Account Balance: 2,599,980 credits]
Kaelen grabbed his small pack, double-checked that everything was secure, and headed for the door.
...
The transit station was already busy when he arrived. Workers heading to day shifts, merchants hauling goods, the usual morning chaos of the seventh tier. Kaelen boarded the upward-bound car and found a seat near the window.
The city unfolded as they climbed. The seventh tier fell away, its cramped buildings and narrow streets giving way to the slightly cleaner sixth tier.
His first stop wasn't the guild terminal. It was the administrative district on the sixth tier, where some utility companies maintained their offices.
The building was clean. Kaelen approached the main desk, where a tired-looking clerk was processing transactions on a holographic display.
"Can I help you?" The clerk barely looked up.
"I need to clear outstanding bills for this address." Kaelen pulled up the information on his wristband, transmitting it to the clerk's terminal.
The clerk's fingers moved across the display, pulling up records. "Seren Burn's account. Let's see..." His expression shifted slightly. "There's quite a backlog here. Power, water filtration, building maintenance fees. Total comes to three hundred ten thousand credits."
Kaelen didn't flinch at the number. "I want to pay it in full."
Now the clerk looked at him properly, surprise flickering across his face. "The entire balance?"
"Yes."
"That's... unusual for someone from the seventh tier." The clerk's tone wasn't judgmental, just stating fact. "Are you sure?"
"Please just process it."
The clerk shrugged and began working. The transaction took longer than Kaelen expected. Multiple confirmations, verification checks, system updates. But eventually, the clerk nodded.
"Payment processed. All outstanding balances cleared. Seren's account is now current with zero debt."
Relief washed through Kaelen's chest. "Thank you."
"Do you want a receipt sent to the account holder?"
Kaelen thought about that. His mother would see the cleared balance eventually, but maybe it was better if she didn't get a notification immediately. Give him time to figure out how to explain it.
"No receipt. Just update the account."
The clerk nodded, finalizing everything. Kaelen's wristband chimed with the deduction.
[Account Balance: 2,289,980 credits]
He left the administrative building and headed back to the transit station. This time, he stayed on the car as it descended, passing through the sixth tier and heading toward the ninth.
The barrier station sat at the base of the enclave. The architecture here was purely functional. Reinforced concrete and steel that stood about one-hundred meter high, designed to withstand the Beast incursions that occasionally tested the barriers. The Enclave was already covered with a force field. But this was a defense for the base, since there were multiple cases of the force field breaking at the base.
The main terminal was busy with morning traffic. Adventurers checking equipment, merchants arranging convoy escorts, security personnel monitoring barrier integrity.
Kaelen found a guild terminal near the center of the terminal. The holographic interface materialized when he approached, showing rows of available missions organized by rank and type.
He filtered for F-rank, then narrowed it to solo-appropriate tasks. The list was longer than he'd expected. Material gathering, beast suppression, escort duties.
One caught his attention.
>Mission: Suppression – East Freight Route
>Type: Hunt / Area Clearance
>Requested by: Logistics Cooperative
>Reward: Per confirmed kill
>Location: Scourged Zone, Safe Zone, 17 km from barrier.
>Request: Freight convoys traveling along the east route have suffered repeated attacks by Lesser Wire Weavers. The cooperative requests elimination of beasts within 1 kilometer of the route. Other monsters killed will also be rewarded.
>Conditions: Confirm kills with cores or remains.
Kaelen read it twice, processing the details. Lesser Wire Weavers were the same beasts Lira had fought during her registration assessment. F-rank arthropods that produced conductive webbing and paralytic venom. It was dangerous for nulls but an irration for trait users.
But something was off. He'd researched Lesser Wire Weavers after the assessment. They were subterranean creatures, living in caves or underground networks. They didn't typically surface unless something drove them out.
Multiple attacks on a freight route suggested either a nest had been disturbed, or something was forcing them above ground. Either way, it meant more Weavers than normal.
Kaelen selected the mission. The terminal processed his choice, updating his wristband with the mission details and providing a small tracking beacon.
"First mission?"
Kaelen turned. A woman stood behind the terminal desk, probably mid-forties. Her uniform marked her as station staff, not an adventurer.
"Yeah," Kaelen confirmed.
She studied him for a moment, her eyes tracking to the F-rank badge hanging from his neck. "Solo?"
"Yes."
Her expression shifted, concern mixing with resignation. "Look, I'm not going to tell you what to do. But beasts suppression usually gets assigned to D-rank teams. The cooperative's desperate enough to post it as F-rank, but that doesn't make it safe for F-ranks to handle alone."
"I'll be careful," Kaelen said.
"Everyone says that." She pulled up something on her terminal. "At least take emergency equipment. Here." She handed him a small device, maybe the size of his thumb. "Mission beacon. If you get in serious trouble, activate it. Nearest response team will be notified immediately."
Kaelen took the beacon, clipping it to his belt. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. Just don't make me process a casualty report." She waved him toward the exit. "Bike rental is through the side door if you want one. Makes travel faster in the Zone."
Kaelen headed toward the indicated door, finding a smaller room filled with equipment. Hover-bikes lined one wall, ranging from basic models to expensive racing types. A bored-looking attendant sat at a desk, reviewing something on a tablet.
"Need a bike?" the attendant asked without looking up.
"Basic model. How much?"
"Twelve hundred credits base rental. Charged by the hour after the first six. Damage fees apply if you bring it back broken." The attendant finally looked at him. "You know how to ride one?"
"I've ridden before." Not often, but enough. Hover-bikes weren't complicated, especially the basic models.
The attendant processed the rental, scanning Kaelen's wristband and badge. "Bike's tagged with a tracker. Don't try to steal it. We will find you."
"Not planning to."
"Everyone says that too." The attendant gestured to the nearest bike. "That one's yours. Bring it back in one piece."
The bike was simple. Streamlined design, basic controls, no fancy features. It hovered about a foot off the ground when activated, the anti-gravity formations humming softly beneath the seat. Kaelen climbed on, testing the balance. The controls were intuitive. Throttle on the right grip, braking on the left, steering through body weight and subtle handlebar adjustments.
He guided the bike toward the exit, joining a small group of other adventurers heading into the Zone.
The barrier shimmered ahead of them, a translucent wall of light that stretched across the horizon. Protective formations pulsed with steady rhythm, maintaining the boundary between civilization and wilderness.
Kaelen rode through without hesitation. The sensation was strange, like passing through a curtain of water that wasn't wet. His skin prickled slightly as the formations scanned him, verifying his adventurer credentials.
Then he was through. And the Scourged Zone spread out before him.
The change was immediate.
The air quality shifted first. Less filtered, carrying scents his nose couldn't quite identify. Not unpleasant, but foreign.
The landscape was beautiful and unsettling in equal measure. Trees grew in twisted patterns, their bark carrying crystalline growths that pulsed with faint bioluminescence. The ground was carpeted with moss that glowed softly blue-green, responding to pressure by brightening briefly wherever weight touched it. Flowers bloomed in colors.
The sky was different too. The Veil's glow was more visible out here, not filtered through layers of smog and artificial light. It painted everything in shades of violet and silver, making the Zone feel perpetually caught between day and night.
Kaelen opened the throttle, the bike responded smoothly. The path ahead was well-traveled, a dirt road maintained by the freight convoys that used it regularly. Other adventurers were visible in the distance, some riding bikes, others walking in small groups. The safe zone was busy during daylight hours.
He passed a team of three heading back toward the barrier, their bikes loaded with materials. One of them, a woman with visible Mutation features, scales along her arms, nodded to him as they passed. Acknowledgment between hunters.
The ride was peaceful for the first few kilometers. Kaelen tracked his progress on the wristband's map, a simple display showing the freight route and his current position. Seventeen kilometers to the mission zone. At current speed, maybe twenty minutes.
He passed more adventurers. Solo hunters, small teams, even a merchant convoy being escorted by D-rank guards. The safe zone earned its name. Beast attacks were rare this close to the barrier, and most creatures avoided the heavily traveled routes.
Then something changed.
Kaelen felt it before he saw it. A prickle along his spine, his Spatial Awareness passively activated.
He glanced back.
Three shapes were pursuing him. Bear size, moving with fluid coordination. Aether Scourge Wolves, their crystalline spine that seemed to be crackling with aether. Their eyes glowed a faint amber, tracking him with predatory focus.
He recognized them, the first beasts he fought entering the safe zone.
The wolves split, two flanking left and right while the third stayed directly behind. They were trying to box him in, and cut off his escape routes.
Kaelen didn't panic.
The wolf on the right accelerated, leaping forward with jaws open. Kaelen twisted the throttle, the bike surging ahead. The wolf's teeth snapped on empty air where he'd been a moment before. But the movement had closed the distance for the other two.
The left wolf jumped, aiming for his side. The rear wolf lunged for his legs.
Kaelen hit the brakes hard, the bike's momentum killing instantly. He leaned forward, the leftward wolf sailing over his head as its trajectory carried it past. The rear wolf's jaws closed on his left leg.
No. They closed where his leg had been. Kaelen had pulled his feet up onto the bike's pegs, the wolf's bite catching only air. The creature hit the ground awkwardly, its momentum carrying it forward into a tumbling roll.
Kaelen didn't waste the opening. He formed an Aether Burst in his right hand, the energy condensing rapidly.
[–29 A.E.]
He released it toward the recovering wolf on the right. The explosion wasn't meant to kill, just disorient. The compressed aether detonated two meters in front of the creature, the shockwave throwing it backward with a startled yelp.
Simultaneously, Kaelen formed two Spatial Lances in his left hand. The spatial tears condensed into lance shapes, their edges shimmering with distortion.
[–38 A.E.]
[–38 A.E.]
He launched both at the wolf on the left. The first lance shot forward, the creature's instincts screaming danger. It dodged desperately, the spatial tear missing by inches. But the second lance was already following, tracking the creature's evasion path. The wolf tried to change direction mid-dodge but it was too slow.
The second Spatial Lance caught it in the right side. The spatial distortion tore through flesh and bone like they weren't there. The wolf's entire right flank opened, organs spilling as it dropped.
[+150 XP]
Two left.
The disoriented wolf from the Aether Burst was recovering, shaking its head as it tried to clear the ringing from the explosion. The third wolf, the one that had missed his legs, circled back around to join its companion.
They paused, assessing the loss of their comrade. But they didn't retreat.
The wolf in front leaped, going for his throat. The one behind went low, aiming for his legs again.
Kaelen had already dismounted, his feet hitting the ground in a stable stance. He coated both fists with Aether Manipulation, the energy forming thick gloves around his hands.
[–8 A.E.]
The forward wolf was mid-leap when Kaelen's right fist met it. It caught the creature's jaw at the perfect angle. The impact was devastating. Bone cracked audibly, the wolf's jaw dislocated as its momentum reversed. It hit the ground hard, twitching.
The rear wolf latched onto his left leg. Teeth scraped against the aether coating on his pants, not penetrating but grinding hard enough to hurt. Kaelen reached down, his left hand closing around the wolf's snout before it could adjust its grip.
His fingers dug into fur and flesh. The wolf tried to shake free, its powerful neck muscles straining. But Kaelen's strength had improved significantly. His base stats, the constant training, the cultivation progress. All of it combined in his grip.
He twisted.
The wolf's neck snapped with an audible crack, its body going limp instantly.
[+150 XP]
Kaelen dropped the corpse and moved to the last wolf. It was still alive, but barely. The broken jaw had destroyed its ability to breathe properly. Blood leaked from its mouth as it tried to drag itself away with its front legs.
Kaelen knelt beside it, his hand moving to its head. In one quick motion, Kaelen ended it. Mercy for a creature that had just been following its instincts.
[+150 XP]
He stood, breathing steadily despite the brief fight. The whole encounter had taken maybe a minute.
[–10 A.E.]
He activated his Oblivion Pouch. He retrieved a blade. One he had got for harvesting beast's crystals and materials. He cut into each wolf harvesting what he could. The F-rank crystals came out easily, small stones that glowed faint blue. He stored them in the Oblivion Pouch alongside some usable pelts and claws.
[–10 A.E.]
[–10 A.E.]
[–10 A.E.]
[–10 A.E.]
[–10 A.E.]
[–10 A.E.]
[–10 A.E.]
[–10 A.E.]
[–10 A.E.]
The rest he left for scavengers. The Zone would recycle what remained within hours.
[Base Level: 12] (3310/4000 XP)
[System Level Up!]
[System Level: 12] (110/3600 XP)
Kaelen pulled up his status, checking the changes.
[HP: 435/435]
[A.E.: 382/555]
The fight had cost him about one hundred thirty aether and the rest was from the oblivion pouch activation. His regeneration has kicked in and would recover all before he reached the mission zone.
He climbed back onto the bike and continued riding. The freight route stretched ahead, winding through crystalline forests and moss-covered clearings.
The bike hummed beneath him, carrying him deeper into the Scourged Zone's embrace.