Kai sat on the edge of his bed, wincing as he gently swallowed the weak Relief Pill that he created for his bruised ribs. The pill was barely effective — more like a mild painkiller from Earth than the miraculous cultivation medicine he'd read about in novels. Still, it took the sharpest edge off the pain.
Mei hovered nearby, her eyes red from crying. "Big brother, we should tell Mom when she gets home. Those Iron Fang people are getting worse."
"I know," Kai said softly, managing a reassuring smile despite his swollen lip. "But let's not scare her more than necessary tonight. I'll talk to her."
The apartment door clicked open a short while later. His mother stepped in, looking exhausted from her long shift at the Mana refinery. Her eyes immediately landed on Kai's bruised face and Mei's worried expression.
"Kai! What happened?" She rushed over, dropping her bag.
"Guild collectors," Kai replied honestly. "They came after the Awakening news spread. Said we have until tomorrow to pay five thousand crystals."
His mother's shoulders sagged. She sat down heavily at the small table, rubbing her temples. "Five thousand… I only managed to save eight hundred this month after rent and food. The refinery pay is barely enough. If we miss this payment, they might take the apartment or worse."
Mei looked between them, biting her lip. The fear in the small room was thick.
Kai felt a quiet anger stir, but he kept it controlled. *I'm not going to let this family break.* "We'll find a way. I have… some ideas. For now, you both should rest. I'll clean up and think."
After helping his mother tend to his visible bruises with what little medical supplies they had, Kai retreated to his room once everyone had gone to bed. The apartment fell into silence, broken only by the distant hum of the city outside.
He sat cross-legged on the floor, back against the wall. The blue Creation System interface still felt alien. He didn't fully understand it yet. No automatic knowledge, no helpful tutorials. Just raw potential and harsh limits.
[System Panel]
[Host: Kai Voss]
[Level: 1 Mortal Realm - Layer 1]
[Talent: Shadow Walker F-rank potential — newly awakened]
[Creation Authority: Unranked]
[Stats:]
[STR:9]
[AGI:8]
[END:10]
[MAN:8/18]
[VIT:12]
[INT:46]
[PER:19]
[LUK:7]
[Mana Regeneration: 1 Mana every 4 minutes]
Kai stared at the numbers for a long time. *Everything is low. Especially MANA. No wonder big creations drain me so fast.*
He decided to practice slowly, one tiny thing at a time.
First, another cup of water. He focused hard, trying to make the image clearer in his mind — smooth glass, cool temperature, pure liquid. It took longer than before, but the cup formed more steadily.
[Mana Cost:5]
[Current Mana:3/18]
He drank it, then waited. Four minutes passed. +1 Mana. Another four minutes. +1 more. The slow regeneration was frustrating, but he noted it mentally.
Next, he tried something edible for tomorrow — a simple, dense Energy Bar. The visualization was still shaky, but better than earlier.
[Mana Cost:3]
[Current Mana:0/18]
A plain but nutritious bar appeared. He broke off a piece and ate it. The taste was decent. It gave a small boost to his energy. *At least I can feed the family better than nutrient paste. But I need to raise my MANA stat soon if I want to create anything useful in a real fight.*
He spent the next hour resting and regenerating Mana while trying to understand Shadow Walker. He stood in front of the cracked mirror and attempted to activate it again and again. Sometimes his outline would blur faintly. Other times, nothing happened. It felt like trying to move a muscle he didn't know existed.
*This is going to take practice. Lots of it.*
By the time the sky outside began to lighten toward morning, Kai had created two more Energy Bars and another weak Relief Pill. His Mana hovered around 12/18, and his body felt drained but his mind was clearer.
A soft knock came at his door. His mother peeked in.
"Kai… thank you for the food last night. It was the best meal we've had in weeks. But about the debt—"
"I'll go out early," Kai said, standing up carefully. "Maybe scavenge near a low-rank dungeon perimeter. Shadow Walker might help me stay safe. You and Mei stay home."
His mother looked like she wanted to argue, but exhaustion and hope won out. She hugged him tightly. "Be careful. Please."
As the sun rose over the floating platform, Kai slipped out of the apartment with a quiet determination.
The Iron Fang collectors would return later today. He needed resources — any resources — to buy time.
And he needed to get stronger, fast.
**To Be Continued...**