The three monsters moved slowly through the dark street.
Their glowing red eyes locked onto Rayan.
Each step they took echoed in the empty road.
Rayan tightened his grip.
"Three of them…"
His heart was beating fast, but the strength from the Strength Boost still flowed through his body.
The system window floated in front of him.
[Level: 2]
[Dark Points: 0]
[Skill: Shadow Strike]
Rayan took a deep breath.
"So no more points… no more tricks."
The monsters growled.
One of them suddenly lunged forward.
Rayan moved quickly.
He stepped aside and swung his arm.
Dark energy gathered around his hand.
"Shadow Strike!"
SLASH!
A wave of dark energy shot forward and hit the monster directly.
The creature was thrown backward and crashed into a wall.
But the other two monsters attacked at the same time.
One claw slashed toward his chest.
Rayan barely blocked it with his arm.
SHRRRK!
The claws cut his sleeve, leaving a shallow wound.
"Damn!"
The second monster jumped toward him from the side.
Rayan ducked just in time.
Its claws passed right above his head.
"Okay… this is bad."
The monsters slowly surrounded him.
Rayan's mind raced.
"If I fight them head-on… I might actually die."
Suddenly—
A new system message appeared.
[Hidden Skill Detected]
Rayan blinked.
"Hidden skill?"
Another message followed.
[Condition: Extreme Danger]
[Skill Unlocked: Shadow Drain]
Before Rayan could even understand what it meant, dark shadows began moving across the ground.
They stretched toward the injured monster lying nearby.
The shadows wrapped around its body like black vines.
The monster roared in panic.
Then something strange happened.
Black energy began flowing from the monster… directly into Rayan.
Rayan felt a surge of power.
His wounds slowly started healing.
His strength increased again.
"What is this…?"
The system responded calmly.
[Shadow Drain allows the host to absorb energy from defeated enemies.]
Rayan's eyes widened.
"So I can steal their power…"
A slow grin appeared on his face.
The two remaining monsters charged toward him again.
But this time—
Rayan stepped forward.
Dark shadows gathered around his body.
"Alright…"
He raised his hand as black energy formed around it.
"Round two."
The monsters leaped toward him.
And Rayan attacked first.
Far away, inside the underground control room, the people watching the screens became silent.
One of them whispered in shock.
"He's getting stronger during the fight…"
The leader leaned forward with interest.
"A cursed system user who evolves in battle…"
He smiled coldly.
"Capture him."
Back on the dark street, Rayan had no idea that while he fought for survival…
Someone powerful had already started hunting him.