The silver needle moved closer, its tip humming with a cold, spiritual light. Aris could feel the killing intent radiating from the Matron. She wasn't just testing him; she was hoping he would fail so she could prune the "family tree" of its weakest branch.
System, Aris screamed in his mind. Open the Shop!
[Opening Abyssal Shop: Starter Wing...]
[Current Balance: 0 AP (Loan Available)]
A translucent inventory screen flickered into his mind. Because he was only a few minutes old, most of the "God-Slaying" items were greyed out, but three items stood out in the "Starter" tab:
Item
Cost
Description
Shadow-Veil Essence
20 AP
Temporarily cloaks the host's Qi, making "Gold" talent look like "Grey" trash.
The Glitched Pill
50 AP
Forces a temporary "system error" in any spiritual tool (like the needle).
Infant's Malice
100 AP
A psychic spike that causes a 1-second distraction to anyone Level 50 or below.
[System Warning: Taking a Loan will bind your soul further to the Dying God. Do you accept a 50 AP Loan?]
I'm already dead once, Aris thought grimly. Accept! Buy the Shadow-Veil Essence.
[Transaction Complete. Remaining Balance: -50 AP (Debt).]
[Shadow-Veil Essence Activated.]
The Matron grabbed Aris's tiny ankle. "Let's see the filth you're made of," she muttered.
She plunged the Spirit Silver needle into his heel.
Normally, the needle would have reacted to Aris's Abyssal Heart by glowing a blinding, forbidden violet—a color that would have signaled his execution on the spot as a "Demon Seed."
Instead, as his blood touched the needle, the Shadow-Veil acted like a filter. It suppressed the godly aura, muting it, muddying it.
The blood dropped into the basin of Heavenly Spring Water.
Drip.
The water didn't turn Gold. It didn't turn the deep Crimson of a War-General. It swirled into a murky, pathetic brown.
The room went silent. Then, the Matron burst into a cold, mocking laugh.
"Brown?" She pulled the needle back with a flick of her wrist. "Not even the red of a commoner. This brat's blood is as stagnant as a swamp. He has no future in the House of Thorne."
She looked at the crying woman in the corner—Aris's mother, Elena, a former maid whose only "sin" was being beautiful enough to catch the General's eye.
"Take your trash, Elena," the Matron spat. "You are moved to the Shattered Pagoda at the edge of the estate. No servants. No pills. No monthly stipend. If the boy lives to see five, he can work the coal pits."
The Matron swept out of the room, her Level 42 pressure nearly crushing Aris's tiny lungs.
[Quest Completed: The First Deception.]
[Reward: 100 AP.]
[Debt Deducted: -55 AP (50 + 10% Interest).]
[New Balance: 45 AP.]
As his mother rushed over, sobbing and cradling him against her thin, worn dress, Aris looked at the Matron's departing back.
With his Abyssal Eye, he saw a faint, red string connecting the Matron to a hidden bottle of poison in her sleeve. She had been planning to kill him if he showed any talent at all.
You think you won, old hag? Aris thought, closing his infant eyes. You just gave me the one thing a villain needs most: Anonymity.
[Level Up! Host is now Level 1.]
[New Feature Unlocked: The Map of Thorne Estate (Fog of War).]