Alpha Phantom didn't go home.
Home was a weakness.
Instead, he moved through the city until Shadow Sense found something familiar—anger, desperation, hunger. The kind that gathered in forgotten places.
An old boxing gym.
The sign was cracked. The windows were taped. Inside, fists still flew.
Alpha stepped in.
The smell hit first—sweat, iron, ambition. A handful of men sparred in the ring. Others worked bags that had seen better decades.
Every eye turned to him.
Not because he was threatening.
Because he didn't belong.
A thick-necked man leaned against the ropes. Scar down his cheek. Fighter's posture.
"You lost?" the man asked.
Alpha shook his head. "Looking for opportunity."
Laughter rippled.
The scarred man stepped closer. "Opportunity costs."
Alpha met his gaze. "So do mistakes."
Silence.
The man studied him, then jerked his head toward the ring. "Show me."
Alpha removed his jacket and stepped between the ropes.
No rules were stated.
Good.
The bell rang.
The scarred man moved fast—clean jab, trained footwork. This wasn't a thug. This was someone who'd bled for skill.
Alpha let the first punch graze him.
[Combat Data Acquired.]
He stepped inside the second and drove a short punch into the man's ribs. Not hard.
Precise.
The fighter grunted, surprised.
They traded.
The crowd leaned in.
Alpha's body adapted with every exchange. Muscles aligned. Bones hardened.
[Body Tempering: Stabilizing.]
[Efficiency: +3%]
The scarred man overcommitted.
Alpha ended it with one blow.
The man dropped.
Silence.
Alpha stepped back.
"I want this place," he said. "Not ownership. Influence."
The scarred man got to his feet slowly, wiping blood from his mouth. He laughed.
"What's your name?"
"Phantom."
The man nodded. "People call me Rex."
He extended a hand.
Alpha shook it.
[Minor Faction Contact Established.]
[Trust Level: Neutral.]
Rex leaned in. "You're not just a fighter."
"No," Alpha said. "I'm a foundation."
Rex smiled. "Then you picked the right ground."
Alpha felt it then—a shift.
Not power yet.
Position.
[Power Base Progress: 7%]
His phone buzzed again.
A new message. Different number.
We noticed you.
Meet us, or be erased.
Alpha looked up at the gym.
This would do.
He typed one word back.
Location.