The iron gate slid shut behind Rey with a dull clang.
Only then did he let out the breath he had been holding since the street corner.
'What a day…'
The scene from minutes ago replayed in his mind whether he wanted it to or not.
Two people.
A smiling couple.
Friendly. Warm. Too warm.
They had intercepted him just before he entered the house, positioning themselves perfectly beside him as if it were natural.
Neighbours, they claimed. Living two houses away. Excited to finally meet him.
If Rey hadn't already been warned—
He might have believed them.
But Aiden's voice echoed coldly in his head.
'They're watchers. Not locals. Not harmless.'
Mid-rank Apprentice Artists.
Both of them.
Their laughter had been rehearsed. Their concern is measured. Even their eye movements were wrong, always drifting back to him.
They clung to him shamelessly, spinning excuses, asking questions, pretending familiarity that didn't exist.
It took effort to shake them off.
More effort than he liked.
'Am I not even allowed to breathe freely now?' Rey thought as he entered the house.
'Hopefully, this madness ends once I'm at the University.'
The door closed.
Silence settled.
Rey walked into the drawing room and dropped onto the sofa, shoulders sinking.
"Hoh… look at this confidence," Victor's voice suddenly rang out. "You're already assuming you'll enter the University with competition like this?"
Rey paused, then smirked faintly.
"Oh. I forgot you were even here," he said lazily. "And yes. If I can't enter with all three of your abilities stacked on me, plus everything I've trained so far—"
He turned his head slightly.
"—then my training, and yours, is worthless."
Victor snorted.
"Heh. If you had even fifty percent of my training absorbed by now, you'd be hovering around Lv.60 or Lv.70," Victor shot back. "Not crawling at this pitiful level."
Rey's eye twitched.
He opened his mouth—
"Sir."
The door to the room opened softly.
The caretaker maid entered, holding a glass of water on a tray with both hands.
Her posture was perfect. Too perfect.
Rey accepted the glass and drained it in seconds. "Thanks."
She turned immediately. "I will bring another."
"No, that's fi—"
She had already left.
Rey stared at the doorway for a moment, then sighed.
'This house is….'
He didn't suspect the item they brought, as his abilities were more than enough to save him if things went wrong.
With nothing better to do, he stood up and laid his things out on the table.
Eight books.
A bow.
A dagger.
A bundle of arrows.
His katana.
And finally—
His badge.
Rey picked it up, stared at it for a second, then quietly put it away.
His fingers wrapped around the katana instead.
'Let's see what Rastin really did.'
───◈◈◈───
Silent Fang
TIER: 0 | RANK: Peak Stage 1+
TYPE: Katana (Double-Handed)
───◈ Item Description ◈───
A refined katana forged from the densest bones and fangs of Duskscale that reached Low Stage 2. The blade is lightweight yet reinforced, granting cutting power that begins to touch the threshold of Stage 2 weapons. Designed for speed and control, it excels in precise, fluid combat.
───◈ Item Effects ◈───
➤ Slightly reduces the sound produced when the blade cuts through air or flesh.
➤ Low stamina consumption during repeated strikes.
───◈◈◈───
Rey nodded slowly.
The blade itself met expectations.
The effects… were modest.
But he wasn't disappointed.
'As long as it grows with me.'
He set the katana aside and pulled out his old equipment.
A worn sword.
A spear with chipped edges.
Several damaged daggers.
A broken shield that had long outlived its usefulness.
He hadn't thrown them away for a reason.
Placing them together, Rey closed his eyes.
Dark particles surged outward.
Zero particles wrapped around the weapons, swallowing them whole in a blink.
[Ding! Detected several low-grade Tier 0 weapons devoured.]
[Host has gained image replication of devoured items.]
[Stat gains acquired:]
[+4 STR | +2 AGL | +1 VIT | +4 END | +1 STA]
[Devoured weapons can now be reconstructed using dark matter.]
Power flooded his body.
Rey clenched his fist as warmth surged through his limbs.
His endurance finally tipped over.
C+.
Every stat now firmly anchored in the same realm.
His muscles tightened, veins faintly visible beneath his skin.
He knew the feeling wouldn't last.
The body always reacted first before stabilising.
Still—
It felt good.
The maid returned quietly with a second glass of water.
"Sir," she said, "would you like dinner? It is already evening."
Rey nodded. "Yeah… I was about to ask."
At the dining table, food was served with mechanical precision.
The maid remained standing beside him.
Watching.
Every bite felt heavier than the last.
"Uh… you can go do other work," Rey said after a moment.
She didn't move.
"Sir," she replied calmly, "I am assigned to remain present while you eat. If you require food or drink, I will provide it. Only after your dinner is completed will I move on."
Her tone was flat.
Practiced.
Like a program.
Rey's appetite vanished.
'This isn't care. This is control.'
He finished quickly, eyes fixed on his plate.
Even when he stood up, she moved instantly to collect the dishes before he could touch them.
Rey stepped back.
Arguing was pointless.
He left the dining room without another word.
Downstairs, the training room awaited him.
A bunker-like space sealed from the outside world.
No windows.
No observers.
Only silence.
Here—
He could finally breathe.
Rey took out his bow and the wooden arrows, then picked up the book.
He flipped it open.
Most of it was theory.
Bow types.
Body compatibility.
Draw length.
Balance.
By the time he finished, a realization settled in.
His old bow—Shadowbranch—had never truly suited him.
The new bow he bought today, though—
It matched his build. His strength. His instincts.
'So that's why it felt right.'
He strung the bow once.
A sharp sting ran across his fingers.
Rey frowned.
'I need protection.'
Memory flashed.
Gloves.
Thin-layered gauntlets he already owned.
He equipped them and tried again.
Smooth.
No resistance. No pain.
Satisfied, he turned to the back of the book.
Two techniques.
Multi-Shot.
An intermediate skill. Two arrows first. Then more.
Rey nodded. Manageable.
Then—
Curve Shot.
High intermediate.
Originally, an advanced technique when paired with energy.
But the basic form…
Within reach.
Rey exhaled slowly.
Without hesitation, he stepped into position.
Arrow drawn.
Posture aligned.
'Let's begin.'
The string tightened.
And the training began.
He felt the urge before logic caught up.
"Hoh… let's start simple," Rey muttered. "A hundred arrows first. Then I'll move on. I also need to test that idea… using my ability with the bow."
The thought had been lingering in his head since morning.
He reached down, grabbed a handful of arrows, and deliberately filled his quiver to near capacity. Not because he needed that many now, but because muscle memory mattered. In real combat, hesitation killed faster than blades.
Once done, he stepped forward.
The reinforced dummy stood silently at the far end of the room, its surface layered with Zero matter.
Rey drew the bow.
Twanged.
The first arrow struck.
Then the second.
Then the third.
One after another, arrows flew from the string in a steady rhythm. His movements were clean, his posture disciplined, but the result told the truth.
E+ Peak.
Stagnant.
No matter how many arrows he fired, the ceiling didn't budge.
"Tch…" Rey clicked his tongue. "Without mana, this is as far as it goes."
He lowered the bow and closed his eyes.
Again.
Deep inside, he reached for the familiar pull.
Aiden appeared beside him, arms folded, eyes sharp with interest.
A moment later, Victor manifested as well.
"Do you really think he can use that ability properly yet?" Victor said, watching Rey's still figure. "Without that elemental permission, forcing it will only backfire."
"Nah," Aiden replied casually. "He'll manage. That element ego of his has been dormant for too long anyway."
Victor's brows furrowed.
"No… I don't think so."
Aiden glanced at him. "And why's that?"
"In the cave," Victor said slowly, "he manifested the tentacles of the beast he devoured almost perfectly. But the bird's eyes? They're unstable. They never appear the same way twice."
Aiden paused.
"I think the element itself is interfering."
Aiden scoffed lightly. "You're overthinking. That cave was a life-or-death situation. He broke his Arsenal proficiency limit there, too, remember? Same thing. He'll stabilise it with repetition."
Victor didn't answer immediately.
His gaze stayed fixed on Rey.
'I hope you're right,' he thought.
'Otherwise, this kid's going to hit a wall when it matters most.'
At the center of the room, Rey stood unmoving.
This was his eighth attempt.
Sometimes there was darkness.
Sometimes his vision shattered into useless blur.
Other times, he couldn't see anything at all.
Rey clenched his jaw and focused harder.
'The bird… its gaze… its stillness…'
He synchronised his breathing, aligning his mind with the image burned into his memory.
Then—
Something clicked.
A subtle shift.
Rey's eyelids fluttered.
When he opened them, the darkness didn't swallow the world.
Instead, it retreated.
The shadowy veil only lingered at the edges of his vision now, like a thin frame. The center felt… sharp.
Too sharp.
"Aiden!" Rey shouted, voice bursting with excitement. "Look! I think it worked! Come see this!"
"Hm?" Aiden glanced over. "Good. Then practice. What are you waiting for? Do you need permission now?"
Rey twitched.
"I was just saying— I don't need anyone's permission to do anything!" he snapped, muttering the last part under his breath.
Unfortunately for him, Aiden heard it.
Aiden sighed.
'Still too easy to please,' he thought. 'And too quick to doubt himself.'
Rey turned back to the dummy.
Focus returned.
He raised the bow.
This time, the world felt… closer.
The dummy's surface wasn't just a shape anymore. He could see subtle grooves. Density differences. The exact point where the Zero matter reinforcement was thinnest.
His fingers tightened.
Twanged.
The arrow struck precisely where his mind had locked on.
Rey's breath hitched.
Again.
Another arrow.
Another hit.
Not perfect.
But better.
With every shot, the strange sensation in his eyes grew stronger. The distance compressed. Depth sharpened. The earlier blur faded, replaced by clarity that felt almost alive.
'It's adapting…'
Arrow after arrow, his vision adjusted on the fly.
The darkness that once drowned his sight thinned further, dissolving into nothing.
Inside his skull, it felt like something settled into place.
Like eyes that were never meant to be human.
"Aiden!" Rey shouted again, unable to hold it in. "My eyes— they're fixed now!"
"Kid," Aiden replied lazily, eyes flicking through Rey's panels, "can you stay quiet for five minutes? You've barely been practising for half an hour."
"No, listen, I mean—"
Ding...Ding...Ding...
The sound cut him off.
Multiple panels unfolded in front of Rey's vision.
His pupils shrank.
"What the hell…" he whispered.
The glowing screens hovered silently before him.
[ … ]