Chapter 2 – Whispers of the Tower
Three Days Later – Velden City, Outer Sector
A cold drizzle fell from the grey sky, soaking the alleyways and washing the blood off the cobblestones.
Aayu crouched beside a dying man.
> [Name: Halek] – Level 6 – Intent: Ambush / Mugging (Failed)]
[Affiliation: Local Gang – Black Hounds]
The thug's eyes were wide with disbelief as he clutched the dagger lodged between his ribs.
"You… you're just a brat," he choked.
Aayu tilted his head. "You were sloppy."
Withdrawing the blade, he wiped it clean on the man's cloak. No hesitation. No remorse.
> [Evil Human Defeated – +5 Store Points]
[Current SP: 13]
Another step forward, Aayu thought.
---
Velden Adventurer Guild – Observation Hall
"Another one?"
Guildmaster Thoren scowled as he scanned the report. His thick beard twitched with frustration.
"That makes five gang enforcers dead this week," said the receptionist beside him. "No witnesses. No bodies found, just blood trails and broken blades."
Thoren tapped the parchment. "It's surgical. Clean. Too clean for amateurs."
"Assassin?"
"Maybe. Or…" He glanced toward the east, where the spires of the Magic Tower loomed like jagged teeth.
"Something else entirely."
---
Hidden Rooftop – Aayu's Shelter
Aayu leaned against a slanted chimney, cloak damp, eyes fixed on his flickering System.
> [Store Points: 13]
[New Skills Unlocked]
— Stealth Movement I – Cost: 8 SP
— Threat Assessment – Cost: 10 SP
— Shadowbind (Limited Use) – Cost: 20 SP
He hesitated.
Skills were expensive. But he couldn't keep relying on instinct forever.
> Purchase Skill: Stealth Movement I?
Confirm.
> [Skill Acquired: Stealth Movement I – Your footsteps become lighter, harder to detect. Slight reduction to sound and visibility while moving.]
[SP Remaining: 5]
He stood and moved across the rooftop.
Silent.
Even the rain didn't register his presence.
A smirk touched his lips. "Now we're getting somewhere."
---
Elsewhere – The Magic Tower
The grand arcane structure stretched into the clouds, surrounded by storm wards and lightning rods that hummed with captured energy.
Deep within, Archmage Elrien, one of the High Arcanists, adjusted her monocle and whispered to a crystalline orb.
"Six have been confirmed. System bearers. Each awakened by different phenomena—divine dreams, cursed flames, corrupted blood... and now…"
She tapped the orb.
"A seventh. Location: Velden."
An assistant looked up from his notes. "Shall I alert the Tower Council?"
Elrien's lips twisted into a thin smile.
"Not yet. I want to see if this one burns brighter… or collapses."
---
Holy Church of Lumis – Inner Sanctum
High Pontiffo Thalric stood before the sacred mirror, hands trembling.
The mirror pulsed once.
Seven lights flared in a constellation.
Six were dim.
One… gleamed gold.
"The Shop," he muttered. "The one who can purchase fate itself."
He turned to a robed figure kneeling nearby.
"Send word to our Eyes in Velden. Discreetly. We must know who this chosen is… before the Demon Kings do."
---
Velden City – Marketplace (Daytime)
Aayu blended into the crowd, pretending to study old maps at a merchant's stall.
In truth, he was watching someone.
> [Name: Dera Valenne] – Level 9 – Affiliation: Magic Tower – Intent: Investigation]
[Alert: High Observation Resistance Detected]
His eyes narrowed.
A cloaked woman stood near the fountain, seemingly casual—but her body language was sharp, trained.
She knows how to hunt, Aayu thought.
And she's looking for something.
Or someone.
He backed away and vanished into the crowd, activating his new skill.
> [Stealth Movement I: Active]
Her gaze swept the street… and passed over him.
---
Later – Abandoned Armory
Aayu sat cross-legged in the dust, a single flame dancing atop a broken lantern.
He pulled out an old notebook—worn leather, filled with cramped writing. His own record of monsters, strange people, and system effects.
"I'm not the only one," he said aloud, softly. "Seven of us."
He didn't know how he knew. Maybe the System hinted it. Or maybe it was instinct.
But he was sure.
And he was also sure of something else:
> [Shopbearer – Title Unique to You]
Only one chosen may access the Shop.
Others may have powers… but only you may evolve through trade.]
Aayu ran his thumb along the edge of his dagger.
"They'll come for me eventually."
But he didn't fear them.
He welcomed the challenge.
---
Forest Beyond Velden – That Night
The sky burned violet.
Something massive tore through the underbrush.
A beast—twenty feet tall, with bone armor and blazing runes etched into its flesh—smashed through a clearing.
Its head snapped upward.
A lone figure stood in its path.
The woman raised one hand, revealing a mark on her palm—a glowing ring of glyphs.
> [System Authority: Gravity Breaker]
She brought her hand down.
The monster collapsed, crushed by unseen pressure. Its bones shattered like glass.
Blood splattered her cloak.
She didn't flinch.
Her System whispered in her mind.
> Target Defeated. No Store Points Gained. Ability cannot evolve.]
Her eyes narrowed.
"That bastard in Velden," she muttered. "He has the Shop."
---
Aayu's Shelter – Hours Before Dawn
He dreamed.
But it wasn't his dream.
The sky cracked apart. Fire rained from the heavens. A towering figure, wrapped in chains, laughed as cities burned.
Twelve thrones stood behind it.
One by one, cloaked figures sat upon them.
The Demon Kings.
Their voices echoed like thunder.
"Resurrect the god. Reclaim the world. The Systems are merely seeds… but the Shopbearer is the key."
Aayu woke with a start, drenched in sweat.
> [New Title Unlocked: Dream-Touched]
You've glimpsed the true endgame. Paths may now diverge.]
He clutched his chest.
It was real.
All of it.
The world wasn't dying yet…
But it would.
Unless he got stronger.
Fast.