The courtyard felt different now.
The damp stone and stale air were the same, but the space between Liam and the earless guard had transformed into an arena. The flagstones seemed to demarcate a circle of consequence.
Lilith watched from her seat, a queen observing a gladiatorial match. Eri had retreated further into the shadows, her fan still.
"Kraz," Lilith gestured, the single word a command.
The guard—Kraz—gave a curt nod.
He didn't assume a formal stance. He simply stood, a monument of scar tissue and violence, his body alone told stories of blood earned survival.
It was more intimidating than any flourish.
Liam exhaled, and the new knowledge within him settled. His feet shifted automatically, his weight distributing evenly, his center of gravity dropping.
His hands came up, not in a boxer's pose, it was something more fluid—a ready position that could deflect, grab, or strike.
The Martial Combat skill was instinct.
For a long moment, they only watched each other.
Liam's heart was a drum in his chest, but his mind was preternaturally calm. He was analyzing, just as he would analyze a scene partner. Kraz's shoulders were relaxed, his breathing imperceptible.
He gave nothing away.
Then, Kraz moved.
It wasn't the blinding teleportation of the stabbing, but it was brutally efficient. He closed the distance in three swift strides and threw a straight, open-handed strike at Liam's chest.
It was meant less to maim, but to test, to measure.
Two hours ago, the blow would have shattered Liam's ribs.
Now, his body reacted without conscious thought. He pivoted on his back foot, the strike whistling past his torso.
Simultaneously, his own hand snapped out, deflecting the arm further outwards, unbalancing the demon for a fraction of a second.
It was a perfect, economical parry.
A flicker of something–acknowledgment–passed through Kraz's dead eyes.
Liam pressed the microscopic advantage.
He stepped in, driving a low kick into Kraz's lead leg. The impact sent a jolt up his own shin—it was like kicking a tree.
Kraz didn't even grunt, but his stance stiffened.
The retaliation was immediate.
Kraz ignored the kick and lunged forward, his arms wrapping around Liam's torso in a bear hug meant to crush the air from his lungs.
The pressure was immense, iron bands tightening around his ribs. Spots danced in Liam's vision.
'He's stronger. Far stronger.'
The thought was a cold spike of panic. The System's knowledge could give him form, but it couldn't instantly grant him a demon's physique.
But he had cunning.
Instead of struggling uselessly, Liam went partially limp, lessening the strain for a precious second. Then, he brought his head forward and snapped it back, the hard bone of his skull cracking against the bridge of Kraz's nose.
It was a dirty, desperate move from his bar-fight days, amplified by professional technique.
Kraz's grip loosened by a hair, a wet, guttural sound escaping him. It was the first sign of damage.
Liam tore himself free, stumbling back, gasping for air.
He could feel a warm trickle of blood on the back of his neck. Kraz wiped a smear of black blood from his nose, his expression unchanging, but the air around him grew cold.
The test was over.
"Enough playing," Lilith's voice cut through, laced with a sharp edge. "Show me you were worth the dagger, pretender."
Kraz's body seemed to swell. A faint, crimson aura flickered around his fists—the visible manifestation of his magic.
He charged. This time, there was no testing, no measuring. It was a killing rush.
Liam's mind raced, options flashing. He couldn't block. He couldn't match the strength. He had 8 Evolution Points.
He needed something now.
His eyes darted to the Unlockable Magic Skills. Hell's Flame. 5 EVP. It was a gamble. He had no idea how to control it.
But he was an actor. And sometimes, the best performance was a spectacle.
As Kraz closed in, fist pulled back and wreathed in destructive energy, Liam didn't try to dodge. He stood his ground, his body screaming at him to flee.
He raised his own hand, palm outward, toward the charging demon.
[5 EVP Spent!]
[Skill Unlocked: Hell's Flame (Unevolved).]
A torrent of understanding flooded him—the feel of embers in his blood, the whisper of damnation, the shape of conflagration. And with it, a surge of power erupted from his new Magic Core, channeling down his arm.
A whip-thin tendril of black-and-crimson fire, no thicker than a rope, snapped from his palm. It wasn't the world-ending inferno he'd imagined.
This was small, controlled, and viciously hot.
Not aimed at Kraz's body, but at the space before him.
CRACK!
The hellfire whip struck the flagstone at Kraz's feet.
The solid rock did more than scorch; it sublimated, erupting into a cloud of superheated dust and shrapnel.
The concussive blast and the wave of searing heat threw Kraz off his charge, his demonic aura flaring as a shield against the debris.
Silence.
The cloud of stone dust settled.
Kraz stood a few feet away, his armor pitted with tiny, glowing marks, his expression finally, truly, shocked. He was unharmed, but he had been stopped.
Liam held his hand out, the faintest wisp of black smoke curling from his fingertips. His heart was hammering against his ribs, his breath coming in uneven gasps.
The single, precise use of hellfire had drained him; he felt a tangible drop in the "Essence" listed on his status screen.
He looked past Kraz, his gaze finding Lilith.
She was no longer lounging. She was leaning forward, her goblet forgotten in her hand.
The assessment in her eyes was gone, replaced by a blazing, intense focus. The satisfaction he'd seen after the execution was a pale shadow compared to this.
He had done more than pass a test.
Liam lowered his hand, the slate in his eyes hardening into black stone.
"So what do you think partner," he said, his voice quiet but carrying perfectly in the stunned silence, "Am i worth your dagger?"
Lilith simply stared at the smoldering crater in her floor, a slow, dangerous smile finally spreading across her lips.
[Fear Detected: 2 Entities]
[+85 EP]
[True Essence +4]
[Infamy has increased: Local Tier -> Notorious Tier (+10EVP)]
The game had changed.