Kael expected the days after hitting Level 3 to feel different.
Not in any dramatic, superhero way. But his senses sat a little higher, his thoughts a little quieter, his muscles a little more ready.
It felt like his pieces were starting to fit together.
But introspection didn't last long—because the world around him had begun to shift.
People talked more in hallways.
Teachers whispered about strange sightings the night before.
And twice that morning, Kael noticed shadows on rooftops where no one stood a second earlier.
Someone was watching him.
Someone besides Cassandra.
He kept his head down. He moved quietly through classes, staying invisible. Leveling up hadn't changed that about him—he had learned to be unseen long before the system ever came into his life.
But his instincts were louder now.
His body was lighter on its feet.
His thoughts were clearer.
His awareness spread in every direction without effort.
Level 3 wasn't much on paper.
But combined with his skills, it made him something rare.
Not a fighter.
Not a hero.
Not yet.
But dangerous to underestimate.
By the final bell, Trade Instinct had been softly nudging him all day.
Something was coming.
And when Kael stepped outside the school, he felt it.
A low vibration under the street.
A pressure in the air.
He didn't know why he recognized it—some instinct deeper than the system. Something the Omniversal Trader class must have awakened.
Energy.
Not like Leo's spark.
Not like a metahuman flare.
This was… heavier.
Older.
Wrong.
Kael walked toward the park two blocks from school. Students filled the area with noise, skateboards clacking, kids shouting, a group playing basketball. Normal chaos.
Then a sound cut through it all.
A deep, mechanical whirring.
Kael froze.
No one else reacted.
He looked toward the far end of the park—toward the small trail leading into the wooded strip behind the river.
A figure stepped out.
Tall.
Covered in metal plating.
Glowing red eye lenses.
Left arm replaced with a cannon.
Back humming with a low, dangerous energy signature.
Kael's blood went cold.
A real threat.
A powered threat.
One that did not belong here.
The mech-suited man scanned the crowd slowly. His movements were deliberate—military deliberate.
Children froze.
One girl screamed.
A skateboard clattered to the ground.
The mech-armed man raised his cannon.
Kael didn't think—he ran.
Not away.
Toward the kids.
"Move!" he shouted, grabbing two near the front and dragging them behind a concrete bench. The cannon fired an instant later.
A blast of red energy tore through the spot where a group of freshmen had been standing. The shockwave shook the trees. Students scattered, screaming.
Kael's heart hammered, and fear punched up through his ribs like a spike.
But Resilience flattened the surge, leaving him focused instead of frozen.
His breath stayed steady.
His thoughts stayed clear.
He moved.
Even without a specific clarity-focused skill, his combined abilities and Level 3 stats gave him just enough control to stay sharp under pressure.
He ran.
Kael helped more kids get behind the bench. The mech man took three steps forward.
"Target not located," the masked figure said, voice modulated and cold.
Target?
Not random.
Not a rampage.
Someone specific.
And then Kael felt it—Trade Instinct flared violently, like a fire alarm in his skull.
A high-value trade opportunity was nearby.
Someone terrified.
Someone connected to this threat.
Kael scanned the fleeing crowd.
There—near the trees.
A boy about his age but smaller, face pale and eyes wide with terror, clutching a metal sphere the size of a baseball.
The mech soldier turned toward him.
"Target acquired," the machine-voice said.
The boy stumbled backward, shaking his head. "N-no–please—I didn't steal it! I swear!"
The mech cannon began to glow.
Kael charged toward the boy.
His body moved before thought.
Adaptive Flow made every step efficient.
Agility and Speed at Level 3 made him faster than he'd ever been.
Situational Awareness mapped every angle.
He grabbed the boy's arm and yanked him behind a tree just as the cannon fired again—
The blast obliterated a chunk of the path, leaving a crater of melted asphalt.
Kael pulled the boy to cover.
"Who is that?" Kael hissed.
The boy shook violently. "I—I don't know his name! I—I just took this—this thing as a dare! It was glowing! I didn't know it was dangerous—"
The metal sphere in his hands vibrated and pulsed.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
Not tech.
Not a bomb.
Not a toy.
Something… alive.
And Trade Instinct flared again, hitting Kael with a rush so sharp it almost made him stumble.
This sphere held value.
Immense value.
Ancient value.
The boy clutched it desperately. "Please—please help me!"
Kael didn't have time to think.
The mech soldier lunged forward, crushing a metal trash can under one foot.
"Return the artifact," it said. "Or be neutralized."
Fear crashed inside the boy's mind like a tidal wave.
Trade Instinct snapped open.
Trade Ready
Kael accepted instantly.
Offering: Protection, rescue, emotional stabilization
Receiving Options:
– Presence of Mind (Basic)
– Spatial Awareness (Weak)
– Adrenal Surge Control (Basic)
– Combat Flow Prediction (Weak)
Kael scanned the options.
One would stabilize his thoughts.
Sharpen decisions.
Cut through panic.
Exactly what the situation demanded.
He selected Presence of Mind.
Trade Complete
Skill Gained: Presence of Mind (Basic)
EXP +40
Clarity crashed into him like cold water.
Time felt slower.
Breath steadier.
Thoughts cleaner.
Kael grabbed the boy's shoulders.
"Run toward the crowd," he said. "Drop the sphere if you have to. I'll distract him."
The boy looked like he wanted to argue.
Kael's voice hardened.
"Go. Now."
Presence of Mind carried the force behind his words, and the boy finally ran.
The mech soldier fired.
But Kael moved at the same time.
He dove left, rolled behind a cement pillar, and the blast tore a smoking line through the dirt where he'd been standing.
Combat Flow Prediction would've helped—but Presence of Mind filled the gap enough.
The mech soldier tracked Kael now.
Not the boy.
Kael cursed under his breath.
"Unknown third party interfering," the machine said. "Neutralization authorized."
The mech cannon charged.
Kael moved.
He sprinted toward the left, weaving through benches and trees. The soldier fired repeated blasts—each one growing hotter. Kael felt the heat on his back as one explosion nearly clipped him.
His instincts screamed for him to dodge.
He leapt over a bench as another blast hit it, shredding metal and wood in a violent burst.
Kael barely landed before rolling, using the momentum to get behind a tree thick enough to provide real cover.
The mech clomped forward, scanning.
Presence of Mind sharpened everything.
Weak points in the plating.
Vents in the side.
Recharge delay between shots.
Limited turning radius.
Sound of the servo in the left leg—slower, damaged.
A plan formed.
Kael grabbed a fist-sized rock from the ground.
Adaptive Flow aligned his arm.
Level 3 Strength boosted the throw.
He hurled the rock at the mech's face.
It pinged uselessly off the mask—but the mech reacted exactly as Kael hoped: it raised its arm-cannon to block.
Left side exposed.
Kael sprinted out from behind the tree—straight at the mech.
The machine dropped its arm to aim—
Kael slid under the cannon, using the wet grass as momentum—
And slammed the full force of his Level 3 Strength into the mech's knee joint.
Metal cracked.
The mech staggered with a glitching buzz.
Kael scrambled out of the way before the cannon fired point-blank into the ground, scorching dirt instead of flesh.
The mech twisted awkwardly, movements glitching.
"Knee actuator damaged," it said. "Combat function impaired."
Good.
But not enough.
The boy had escaped into the crowd by now, the sphere clutched to his chest. Police sirens wailed in the distance. People screamed and ran.
Kael stood his ground.
The mech soldier aimed at him again.
Kael's heart hammered.
But his breath remained steady.
Presence of Mind kept him clear.
The cannon charged.
Kael moved.
The mech fired.
And Kael dove forward—directly under the blast—slamming his shoulder into the mech's damaged leg.
The entire lower half of the machine buckled.
The mech collapsed face-first into the dirt.
Kael gasped for breath, chest burning, ribs aching, fingers trembling. Every muscle in his body screamed, but he forced himself upright.
He took two steps back, ready to react.
The mech attempted to rise.
One servo sparked.
Its cannon glowed faintly but didn't charge.
Kael took a deep breath.
"It's over."
The mech's red eyes flickered.
"Target… compromised. Mission… fail…"
The machine went still.
The system pulsed.
Combat Victory
Opponent Difficulty: Low-tier superpowered threat
Experience Gained: +50
Skill Usage Bonus: +20
Adaptive Flow Integration: +10
Emotional Trade Bonus: +5
Total EXP gained: 40 (trade) + 50 + 20 + 10 + 5 = **125 EXP**
Kael's breath caught.
He only needed 300 EXP for Level 3.
He had 0 after leveling…
Now he had:
125 / 300 EXP.
No instant level up.
No explosive evolution.
Just progress.
Kael staggered back, leaning against a tree as sirens grew louder.
Before police could reach him, a soft rustle hit the ground beside him.
Cassandra Cain landed perfectly silently.
She looked at the destroyed mech suit, then at Kael's bruised arms and shaking hands.
"You fought a machine," she said quietly. "And won."
Kael swallowed. "Barely."
Cassandra stared at him, her expression unreadable.
"You're not normal," she whispered. "You keep changing."
Kael held her gaze. "I'm trying to help."
She nodded once, as if she already knew the truth behind the words.
Then, with the same quiet grace, she faded back into the shadows.
Kael stood alone as police and heroes approached the wreckage.
He slipped away before anyone noticed him.
Level 3.
A handful of skills.
A growing reputation in shadows.
And a world that was beginning to see him.
Kael exhaled slowly.
He wasn't ready for what came next.
But he would be.
One trade at a time.
---
KAEL STATUS – END OF CHAPTER 10
Level: 3
EXP: 125 / 300
Physical Stats
Strength: 9
Speed: 10
Endurance: 9
Agility: 9
Durability: 8
Stamina: 13
Regeneration: 3
Mental Stats
Intelligence: 25
Memory: 30
Perception: 19
Willpower: 22
Instinct: 16
Multiversal Awareness: 5
Energy Stats
Energy Capacity: 35
Energy Recovery: 9
Energy Control: Basic
Energy Compatibility: High
New Skill
Presence of Mind (Basic)
– Enhances clarity under pressure
– Improves decision-making during stress or combat
– Slight resistance to confusion, panic, and shock
– Increases reaction efficiency when overwhelmed