2025-11-26 04:01:03
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HUNTERS IN THE SHADOWS
The maintenance tunnel suddenly felt smaller, tighter, like the walls were closing in. The air had turned cold, damp, and heavy, carrying the faint metallic scent of rust and electricity. Shadows stretched long and moved strangely, flickering in the weak, dying lights above. Draven kept his hand on the hilt of his knife, eyes fixed on two glowing pinpoints in the darkness. The broker swallowed, his face pale. “Th...that… that’s not one of my men,” he stammered, voice shaking. “No kidding,” Draven muttered, his gaze never leaving the shadows. A low growl rolled through the tunnel, wet, rough, and hungry. The creature stepped forward, and its body came into view. Long, spindly limbs that seemed to bend in impossible ways. Skin black as ink, shining faintly under the flickering lights. Its face was stretched too wide, teeth sharp and dripping with thick saliva. A Shadow Stalker. Draven’s voice dropped. “In the Citadel? Inside the walls? How?” The broker shook his head violently,
SHADOWS IN THE CITADEL
The Citadel loomed like a giant fortress. Gray stone walls were carved with glowing runes, and energy shields hummed quietly. Power and control seemed to radiate from every corner.The next morning, Draven was led down cold, metal corridors into a bright, white room. Everything was sharp and clean. Nothing felt welcoming.Inside stood a woman as cold as the room itself: Dr. Aris. Her posture was rigid, her face hard, eyes sharp. Even the machines around her seemed to defer to her presence.“Draven Ashford,” she said flatly. “The scout who supposedly turned a Foundation Beast to dust.”She didn’t blink. She didn’t smile. She simply pointed at a heavy chair bristling with needles, wires, and sensors.“Sit,” she ordered. “We’re going to examine every part of you.”Draven slid into the chair, trying not to show his nerves. The metal was icy against his skin. Lights scanned him, needles pierced at precise intervals, and machines hummed in a steady rhythm. Every second felt like the Citadel
THE AFTERSHOCK
CHAPTER SEVEN Draven met Corbin’s eyes, calm and steady. The new System messages glimmered faintly in his mind, each one sharp and clear. “You think you’re safe behind these walls,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “But you have no idea what’s growing right under your noses.” He brushed the dust off his clothes, straightened his back, and let a small, controlled smile form. “My name’s Draven,” he said. “Just a scout… for now.” From the perimeter, Hendricks lowered his binoculars. His face was pale, almost ghostly. He looked over at Lena, who could only shake her head in stunned silence. “You crazy son of a gun,” Hendricks breathed, a reluctant grin spreading across his face. “You actually did it.” The warehouse around them was anything but celebratory. The roof had collapsed in places, piles of rubble littered the floor, and water dripped somewhere in the shadows. The soft crackle of fading earth-Aura added an eerie soundtrack to the scene. Draven stood in the middle of the
MARROW REFINING
By the time the swarm broke and retreated, Draven was the only one still breathing normally.The others collapsed in a sweaty heap.He didn’t say anything, but their quiet looks told him everything. They respected him now.But Draven’s mind wasn’t on praise.He needed to reach Marrow Refining. The system’s message hovered constantly in his vision.[Sub Objective: Reach Marrow Refining Lv. 1]He scanned the wall, frowning. “The problem is energy. There’s not enough Aura in this place.”The city was drained dry by thousands of cultivators. Even the locust cores were weak, barely worth absorbing.He clenched his fists. “I need something stronger… something big.”His chance came sooner than he expected.During a night patrol, a siren wailed across the city, sharp and angry.Lena groaned. “What now?”A thunderous crash shook the ground.A Boulderhide Rhino, a Foundation level beast, was rampaging through the secondary defenses. Alarms blared. Every Warden in the city was being called out.
THE UNBROKEN GATE
He stayed at the Serpent Mound for a full week, doing nothing but training and absorbing Aura. With Aura Sight active, the world around him glowed in smooth streams of color, like a moving painting. “This… this is incredible,” he whispered. The mound pulsed with strong green and brown energy. He could see the small, flickering auras of tiny animals and the bright, dangerous cores of the larger beasts hiding deeper in the woods. “No more guessing,” he said with a grin. “I can see it all now.” One morning, while meditating at the base of the serpent’s stone head, something new appeared in his mind. [New Mission: The Unbroken Gate] Objective: Travel to Columbus, Ohio, and sneak into the territory controlled by the ‘Unbroken’ Faction. Sub-Objective: Reach Marrow Refining Level 1. Reward: Unlock System Map + 200 Aura Points. Warning: The faction is highly organized. Your current cultivation is only Militia-Grade. Proceed carefully. Draven’s lips curled into a slow, excited smile.
PERFECTING THE HUNT
Draven wiped the blood off his arm and winced. “Those Aura-hounds… damn. At least I got something out of it.”A soft chime rang in his head.>Draven let out a shaky laugh. “Yeah, yeah. Small wins. I’ll take it.”Not long after, an Aura-charged storm hit him. The wind carried sharp, burning sand that stung every part of his skin.He ducked under a broken billboard, teeth clenched. “This storm feels like it’s trying to peel my skin off!”Another chime echoed.>Draven stood and forced himself back onto the road. His body hurt, but his eyes were sharper now.“I’m not walking like a scared scavenger anymore,” he muttered. “Feels like… I’m starting to hunt. Alright, world show me the next nightmare.”He walked for hours through heavy Aura-filled air. It felt thick like pushing through warm fog. Then he stopped in his tracks.“Whoa…”The Serpent Mound lay in front of him huge, glowing softly, like a massive creature curled across the land. T
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