HEAVEN'S FORSAKEN SON

The Dragon Vein fist

The torches burned bright in the night wind.

Hunters stood tall in their beast-leather armor, scarred and confident. Their weapons gleamed beneath the moon. Clan youths of which Kael was among them grinned, puffed their chests, and spoke of glory as if it were already theirs.

“Tonight, we must return with blood on our blades,” Kael declared with fire sparking faintly at his fingertips. “Let the beast learn who the Darkveil are.”

The crowd cheered.

Arin, however, lingered at the edge of the gathering.

He wasn’t called. He wasn’t invited. No one expected the cripple to step forward. 

But when the volunteers marched into the forest, Arin slipped behind them. He was as silent as night. The scrap of his mother’s cloth tied around his wrist.

His heart pounded. The system had chimed before he left.

“Ding! Special Quest Generated.

Objective: Witness a Spirit Beast Hunt. Optional: Land a killing strike.

Reward: Reputation +10, Meridian Repair Fragment

Penalty: –3 years lifespan.”

Arin couldn’t walk away. The deeper they went, the thicker the darkness grew.

Every branch stood like a warning as every rustle made hearts tighten.

The clan youths boasted loudly at first, but their voices faded as the night grew heavier. Only the hunters remained calm with their spears and blades at the ready.

Arin followed behind them from a distance. His breath measured and his steps were light so that their attention won't be called. 

The system whispered instructions as he moved,

“Lower stance. Reduce noise. Focus peripheral vision.”

It was as if the forest itself sharpened around him. He could almost feel the weight of the danger before it came. 

A roar suddenly split the silence. The trees trembled.

From the undergrowth burst a beast. Its fur bristled with spikes and its eyes glowed red like embers. It was a Razorback Boar. Its tusks were as long as swords. Its weight crashed into the earth like a boulder.

The youths froze.

The hunters stepped forward, shouting orders. They darted their spears and slashed their blades. The beast’s hide cracked beneath the blows, but it did not fall.

Then, a long panic came after a moment.

One youth’s strike faltered, leaving his guard open. The beast swerved making sure its tusks aimed straight for his chest.

“Move!” The hunters weren’t close enough.

Arin’s body moved before thought.

The system chimed coldly,

“Ding! Emergency Quest Triggered.

Save one life. Reward: Combat Instinct +1. Penalty: –5 years lifespan.”

He had no choice.

His feet slammed the ground. His body coiled, awkward yet precise.

He shifted his weight and then gather force through the arm.

The beast’s tusk gleamed as it drove toward him.

Arin’s fist rose in a motion that twisted through his torso, his shoulders and his bones. They were all aligning for one devastating release.

The air hissed. His fist crashed against the Razorback’s skull.

For a moment, there was a long silence.

Then, an impact.

The beast shrieked. Its body convulsed as the force rippled through his bone and brain. Its legs buckled. Its tusks cracked.

And with a final, shuddering cry… it collapsed, dead.

The forest held its breath.

The youths stared. Each of their eyes wide. The hunters froze, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

A cripple. A boy with broken meridians had just felled a mid-rank spirit beast with a single strike.

The whispers began.

“That move…”

“It looked like the Dragon Vein Fist.”

Kael’s face twisted. It became pale with disbelief and then red with rage. His fists clenched so hard flames flickered unbidden with his teeth grinding audibly.

No one was cheering for him at the moment. 

All eyes were on Arin.

“Ding! Quest Completed.

Reward: Combat Instinct +1. Reputation +10.”

“Ding! Optional Objective Achieved.

Reward: Meridian Repair Fragment.”

A fragment of golden light sank into Arin’s body. His broken channels stirred with tiny cracks stitching faintly, allowing the flow of qi to seep a little deeper than before.

Warmth filled his chest and his limbs felt lighter.

The hunters surrounded the Razorback’s corpse, murmuring in awe.

“How…?” one muttered. “How could a cripple strike with such force?”

“That was the Dragon Vein Fist,” another whispered. “But that technique hasn’t been practiced properly in years.”

Their gazes turned toward Arin. It was not with scorn, not with mockery but with curiosity.

Kael’s jaw clenched so tightly a vein bulged across his forehead.

“That trash… that trash!” His voice shook as he glared at Arin. “You think one lucky strike makes you someone? You are still nothing!”

But no one laughed with him this time.

Some looked away. Some glanced at Arin with guarded respect.

And that silence was worse for Kael than laughter.

That night, as the hunt returned with the Razorback’s corpse, the system whispered again in Arin’s mind.

“Ding! Hidden Quest Unlocked.

Objective: Prove Dragon Vein Fist again before elders.

Reward: Major Meridian Repair Fragment.

Penalty: –7 years lifespan.”

Arin’s heart pounded. “Prove myself before the elders?” His eyes widened upon realization that the system was forcing him out of the corners he had hidden for a long time.

As he walked among the group, dragging the weight of exhaustion in his limbs, Arin felt something strange… knives pointed at his back ready to stab him. 

………..

……

When they returned, the elders convened in secret.

The Second Elder stood at the center. Kael lurked behind him with clenched fists.

“You all saw it,” the elder said grimly. “The cripple killed a Razorback. With a technique that should not be his.”

The council muttered uneasily. 

The First Elder frowned. “Perhaps the Heavens have chosen to bless him.”

“Bless?” The Second Elder’s voice cut sharp. “A cripple who suddenly wields forbidden strength? That is not a blessing. That is danger.”

The chamber fell silent.

And in that silence, one word spread across their lips, “Danger.”