Kael's eyes blinked open to the dim glow of the cave ceiling. The air was thick with mana, still pulsing faintly from the battle days before.
He sat up slowly, his body aching but intact.
He checked his wristwatch.
Three days. He'd been unconscious for three entire days.
> System Alert — Pending Notifications: 19
Level Up! x3
New Title Gained: The Shadow Prince
Story Unlocked: The One Who Killed a Titan
Stat Growth Achieved
Shadow Lord compatibility increased by 3%
The messages rushed in like a tide.
He opened his System Window, and it gleamed with changes:
---
Name: Kael Vernier
Age: 16
Level: 5
Sword Art: Shadow Arts
Core: Unawakened
Class: Swordsman
Title: The Shadow Prince
HP: 400/400
Stamina: 120/300
Exp: 63/500
Strength: C-
Agility: B-
Endurance: D+
Intelligence: B
Perception: C-
Willpower: C+
Mana: ??? (Locked)
---
Skills ↓
Story ↓
New Story Gained: The One Who Killed a Titan
→ Bonus: Increased resistance to large-type and construct-type enemies. Shadow-based attacks deal 25% more damage to enemies larger than you.
Kael stared in awe. His stats had soared especially agility and intelligence. His strength was no longer average. His mana... still unreadable. Still locked. But undeniably growing.
His title had changed too.
> The Shadow Prince.
It radiated nobility, darkness, and dominance. He wondered for a moment if it was connected to the strange bloodline or perhaps… his unknown past.
But one thing was certain: this kind of growth would start drawing attention. Unwanted attention.
"I'll need to hide my power," Kael muttered. "Not completely though."
He focused his thoughts using his Story Distortion ability, crafting a new passive skill:
---
New Skill Created: Cloak of Glass (Passive)
→ Masks stat window and suppresses visible aura. Appears as whatever user wants to appear to observers.
Cost: 150 Points (Paid)
Side Effect: Can't use Shadow Lord while cloaked.
---
Perfect.
With that done, he stood up, breathing deeply.
He turned to the pedestal.
There it was.
The black sword, humming with restrained energy. It felt… alive. Beckoning him. Shadows curled around its edge like a snake coiling around its master.
He stepped forward, his heartbeat steady.
"Looks like you're mine now," he whispered.
His hand touched the hilt.
The aura flared.