Chapter 14 – A Weapon in Hand
The weight in Kael's palm was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Heavy, balanced, alive. For a moment he simply stared, his breath caught in his throat, afraid that if he blinked it might vanish.
The weapon shimmered faintly in the dim lamplight—a short sword, forged of black steel that seemed to drink in the shadows. Its edge glowed with the faintest line of silver, sharp enough to reflect even the weakest glimmer. Strange etchings ran along the blade, glowing faintly like veins of blue fire.
Kael's hand trembled. Not from weakness this time, but awe.
"A sword…" he whispered, voice breaking.
For years, he had scavenged through scrap, wielded rusted rods and broken knives like a beggar pretending to be a warrior. But this—this was different. This was something forged for battle, for killing. This was power made tangible.
The system chimed softly.
[ Random Equipment Box Opened. ]
[ You have obtained: Ironfang Blade (Uncommon) ]
[ Attack: +15 ]
[ Durability: 180/180 ]
[ Passive Effect: Increases critical strike chance against lower-ranked monsters by 5%. ]
Kael's breath caught again. Numbers. Stats. Words that belonged to the hunters he had envied from afar were now his reality.
He raised the blade, feeling its perfect weight. It was heavier than the iron rod, but it moved like an extension of his arm. For the first time, he felt… armed.
A laugh bubbled from his chest, shaky at first, then louder, wild. "Finally… finally something that's mine."
He swung the sword once, twice, the blade cutting the air with a clean hiss. No drag. No imbalance. Just raw precision.
But his joy dimmed as his eyes fell back on the goblin corpses sprawled around him. Their yellow eyes stared lifelessly, their blood soaking into the cracked stone. The stench was sharp, metallic.
His stomach churned. He staggered, bile rising in his throat. He had killed before—the stray dogs, the rats he'd hunted to eat—but this was different. These were humanoid. They had eyes, hands, expressions.
Does this make me a monster too?
The question clawed at his mind, sharp and merciless.
He looked down at his trembling hands, blood dripping from his knuckles. His reflection glared back at him from the blade, distorted by the steel. A boy with hollow cheeks, eyes wide with shock and something darker lurking beneath.
"Am I…?" he muttered.
The system's cold voice interrupted his spiral.
[ Quest Complete. New Quest Available. ]
A new screen blinked before him.
[ Quest: Proof of Strength ]
[ Objective: Defeat 10 Goblins. ]
[ Time Limit: 48 hours. ]
[ Reward: +500 EXP, Equipment Upgrade Stone. ]
[ Failure Penalty: -10 Stat Points. ]
Kael's heart sank. His knees almost buckled. Ten more?
He wasn't ready. His body screamed in pain, his wounds burned, his vision still swam from blood loss. He had barely survived two goblins—how was he supposed to fight ten?
But then… he looked at the blade again. The way it fit in his grip. The way the silver edge gleamed as though hungering for more blood.
And the memory of Lira's gaunt face returned, unbidden. Her voice echoing in his head.
"Eat, brother. You need strength."
His hand tightened on the hilt until his knuckles whitened.
"I don't have the luxury of quitting," he said softly, voice trembling but resolute.
He sheathed the blade at his side with a strip of torn cloth. His wounds still ached, but his steps were firmer now as he left the ruined marketplace.
The slums stretched before him, silent and foreboding. Every broken window looked like an eye watching him. Every shadow whispered of danger. But Kael felt something new thrumming in his chest—a pulse that matched the beat of his heart.
Courage.
It wasn't the absence of fear. No, fear still gripped him, coiled tight in his gut. But now he had something to fight it with.
As he walked, notifications flickered.
[ Level: 3 ]
[ EXP: 140/600 ]
[ Stat Points Available: 10 ]
He pulled up his status window again. His eyes ran over the numbers like a starving man staring at food.
He hesitated, then funneled five points into Strength, three into Agility, and two into Endurance.
[ Strength: 12 → 17 ]
[ Agility: 10 → 13 ]
[ Endurance: 11 → 13 ]
A surge of energy rippled through his body. His muscles tightened, his breathing steadied, his limbs felt just a fraction lighter. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was real.
He clenched his fist, the veins along his arm standing out. "I can feel it… I'm changing."
The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying.
The night deepened as Kael made his way east, following the faint hum of the system's guidance. Somewhere in the distance, guttural chattering carried on the wind. Goblins. A nest, maybe. His blade pulsed faintly, as if eager.
He swallowed hard, pushing forward.
Every step was heavy. Every corner he turned could be death. But with each step, he whispered the same words under his breath.
"No running. Not anymore."
And in the darkness of the slums, a boy who had been powerless all his life walked toward the monsters that had once haunted his nightmares, weapon in hand, fire in his heart.
This was no longer survival. This was the beginning of war.