Kai straightened slowly in the dim alley, his body still adjusting to the new reality of the day. The three older academy students blocked the narrow exit, their academy jackets marked with the crude emblem of the Iron Fang Guild — a snarling wolf's head. They were clearly Awakened, their faint auras giving off a sense of superiority that Kai could feel even without understanding the details.
The leader, a broad-shouldered guy with a visible **D-rank Stone hide talent it was a defensive Talent that hardened skin and muscles, crossed his arms and sneered. "Voss. F-rank Shadow Walker trash. We heard about your pathetic Awakening. Your family's debt to Iron Fang is overdue. Five thousand Mana Crystals by tomorrow, or we start collecting with interest."
His two companions chuckled. One had flickering sparks dancing between his fingers — an E-rank Flame Spark Talent, focused on minor fire bursts. The other moved with unnatural jittery speed — E-rank Quick Step, probably for agile strikes.
"Pathetic," the Flame Spark guy muttered. "Another low-rank Awakener who'll never amount to anything. At least cultivators know their place — they couldn't even awaken a proper Talent, so they just sit around meditating like idiots. But you? You got a Talent and still ended up F-rank. Even worse."
Kai's mind raced. Everything felt new and overwhelming. The Shadow Walker Talent was just a vague, slippery concept in his head — he had no idea how to activate it properly. And this blue "Creation" interface that had appeared minutes ago? He barely understood what it meant. No muscle memory, no practiced moves. Just raw inexperience.
He tried to reason. "We need more time. My mother is working extra shifts—"
The Stone Hide leader didn't wait. He stepped forward and shoved Kai hard in the chest. Kai stumbled backward, hitting the alley wall. Pain bloomed across his back.
He instinctively tried to use Shadow Walker. He pictured blending into the shadows like the name suggested — but nothing happened smoothly. Only a faint, awkward ripple around his body that lasted half a second before fizzling out, leaving him off-balance.
The three burst into laughter.
"Look at him! The F-rank doesn't even know how to use his own trash Talent!"
The Quick Step guy blurred forward and delivered a sharp kick to Kai's side. Kai gasped, doubling over. He tried to create something — *anything* — a simple stick or shield in his mind, but the image was blurry and panicked. A weak, half-formed wooden splinter appeared in his hand for a second before dissolving.
[Mana Cost Attempted: 9]
[Current Mana: 9/18]
The System felt foreign. He had no control yet.
The beating was methodical and humiliating. Punches to the stomach and ribs. A backhand across the face. Kai curled up, protecting his head as best he could, tasting blood in his mouth. He was too new to everything — no combat instincts, no fluent Talent use, no reliable creations under pressure. His low stats and malnourished body made it worse.
"Tell your mother we'll be back tomorrow," the Stone Hide leader spat, delivering one final kick. "Five thousand crystals. Or next time we bring friends and visit your little sister too."
The three Awakened laughed again as they walked away, clearly pleased with themselves for bullying an F-rank.
Kai lay on the dirty alley ground for several long minutes, breathing shallowly. Pain throbbed everywhere. The blue interface flickered weakly.
[System Panel]
[Host: Kai Voss]
[Level: 1 (Mortal Realm - Layer 1)]
[Talent: Shadow Walker F-rank potential — newly awakened]
[Creation Authority: Unranked]
[Stats (Healthy adult baseline ≈10. Currently lower due to malnourishment]
[STR:9]
[AGI:8]
[END:10]
[MAN:9/18]
[VIT: 10]
[INT: 46]
[PER: 10]
[LUK: 7]
[Mana Regeneration: 1 Mana every 4 minutes ambient, limited by low MANA stat and malnourished condition]
He slowly pushed himself up, wincing. *This… hurts more than I expected.* He had no idea how to use his new powers effectively yet. Creation felt like trying to draw with his non-dominant hand while blindfolded. Shadow Walker was even worse — just a vague instinct he couldn't control.
But he refused to stay down. Using the little control he had, he focused on something very simple: a cup of clean water.
The image in his mind was shaky. A slightly misshapen cup appeared, spilling some water.
[Mana Cost: 6]
[Current Mana: 3/18]
He drank it, then tried a basic Relief Pill — something to dull the worst of the pain. The visualization was poor, but it partially worked.
[Mana Cost: 3]
[Current Mana: 0/18]
A weak pill appeared. He swallowed it. The pain eased slightly, but not nearly enough. A wave of tiredness reminded him how fragile his current state was.
Limping out of the alley and heading home, Kai kept to the shadows as best he could. The city lights blurred through his swollen eye. *I need time. Time to understand the System. Time to practice. Time to raise my stats so I can actually create useful things without nearly draining myself dry.*
When he finally reached the apartment, Mei opened the door and gasped at his bruised face.
"Big brother! What happened?!"
"Some guild thugs," Kai said quietly, trying to keep his voice steady for her sake. "Don't worry. I'll handle it."
His mother would be home soon. The debt deadline loomed tomorrow. And Kai Voss — the transmigrator who had barely begun to understand his powers — sat down heavily, already planning his next careful, painful steps forward.
He had a long road ahead. But he would walk it.
**To Be Continued...**