Dawn arrived like it owed the orphanage nothing.
Kai woke before the morning bell, eyes open in the gray light that leaked through the dirty window. The thin mattress had done its usual work—his back ached, his neck was stiff, and the fever-sweat smell still clung to the blanket. None of it mattered.
The System window was already waiting.
[Tutorial Quest Complete]
Host has survived the full cycle. Calculating final rewards...
A soft chime rolled through his skull.
[Rewards Granted]
- Desire Points: +100
- Body Reinforcement upgraded (Rank F → Rank E)
- New Passive Unlocked: Minor Presence Concealment
- System Note: Host has demonstrated acceptable adaptability, consistent degeneracy, and early target acquisition. Full operational mode enabled.
- Current Desire Points: 205
Kai sat up slowly and flexed his hands.
The difference was small but real. Rank E Body Reinforcement didn’t turn him into a fighter. It simply removed the last of the glass-doll fragility. His limbs felt like they belonged to someone who had eaten real food for a week instead of someone one bad cold away from collapse.
Presence Concealment sat in the back of his mind like a dimmer switch—nothing dramatic, just a subtle pressure that would make casual eyes slide off him if he didn’t draw attention.
Two hundred and five points. Rank E body. A stealth-lite passive. And the training wheels are officially off.
He pulled on the same oversized shirt and pants, tied the frayed rope at his waist, and opened the door.
The hallway already carried the usual morning noise—bare feet, coughing, the distant clang of the breakfast bell. Kai moved with the new concealment active, just enough to test it. A pair of younger boys passed him without the usual double-take. Useful.
In the main hall the porridge was the same gray paste. He took a bowl and claimed a seat at the end of the table, Desire Sense sweeping the room out of habit.
Garren’s signature burned a dull, sullen red near the far end. The bully had clearly waited up for a confrontation that never came and was now paying for it with a short temper and dark circles. His two lackeys sat close, quieter than usual.
Lira was already in her usual spot, booklet open beside an untouched bowl. Her emotional signature registered the moment she noticed him—quick spike of relief, followed by the familiar tight irritation, followed by something warmer that she immediately tried to smother.
Kai watched her over the rim of his bowl.
Morning light through the high windows caught the side of her face. The brown hair was pulled back again with the same scrap of cloth. The plain dress sat on her the way it always did—loose in some places, unintentionally fitted in others. She had the kind of modest chest that made the fabric look like it was still waiting for her to grow into it properly. Narrow waist. Soft line of her throat when she swallowed. Ink stains on two fingers.
She came out in the rain for me yesterday. Gave me the side door. Sat across from me and called me an idiot while her dress was still wet. I want to know what her voice sounds like when she’s not scolding me. I want to know if she bites her lip when she’s concentrating on something harder than stolen theory. I want to put that booklet down and—
[+6 Desire Points]
Morning visual assessment of primary interest target.
Host’s focus remains consistent.
Kai looked away before the number could climb higher and forced the rest of the porridge down.
Miss Helga’s voice cut across the hall, assigning the day’s chores in the same flat tone she always used. Kai received laundry duty—hauling wet cloth and stirring the lye pots. Undignified. Useful for staying near the side door. He accepted the assignment without comment.
As the hall began to empty, Lira passed his table. She didn’t stop. She simply set something down beside his empty bowl with two fingers and kept walking.
A folded scrap of paper.
Kai waited until he was alone at the table before opening it.
Neat, precise handwriting:
Garren is planning something after evening chores. Don’t use the main stairs tonight. Side door still works. — L
No greeting. No signature beyond the initial. Pure practical information delivered like she was already tired of having to give it.
Kai folded the note and slipped it into his pocket, the corner of his mouth curling.
She’s already managing my survival for me. Quiet, sharp, and making decisions that put her in the middle of problems she didn’t create. Rena would call her soft. The System is going to call her valuable. I’m going to call her trouble of the best kind.
He stood, collected his bowl, and headed for the laundry shed with two hundred and eleven Desire Points ticking quietly in his vision and a clearer short-term list forming in his head.
One: Avoid whatever Garren was cooking up.
Two: Find a way to turn copper into something more permanent than stew.
Three: Decide when—and how—to use the Claim Mark.
Four: See Rena again before the lower district decided she was done with him.
The Tutorial was over.
The collecting could begin.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter