The Grand Martial Grounds of the Thorne Estate were a coliseum of black stone and shouting voices.
Banners of the Crimson Tiger snapped in the wind, and the air smelled of ozone, roasted meat, and the nervous sweat of children about to be judged. This wasn't just a tournament; it was an audit. In the Thorne family, if you weren't an asset, you were a liability.
General Thorne sat on a high throne of obsidian at the northern end of the arena. He wore his ceremonial armor, and his mere presence—a heavy, suffocating Level 55 Aura—acted like a gravity blanket over the thousands of spectators. He didn't look like a father watching his children; he looked like a general inspecting new artillery.
"Next match!" the announcer's voice boomed, magically amplified to reach every corner of the grounds.
"The Second Young Master, Kaelen Thorne (Level 15), versus... the Fourth Son, Aris Thorne."
A wave of confusion, followed immediately by mocking laughter, rippled through the stands.
"Aris? The 'Cursed Brat'?"
"I heard he died three years ago. Why is he even in the register?"
"Look at him," a noble sneered, pointing a fan. "He looks like a stiff breeze would snap his neck. Kaelen will kill him just by sneezing."
Aris stepped onto the white marble platform.
He looked pathetic. He had used the Abyssal Nexus to manipulate his superficial biology—draining the color from his skin until it was translucent, sinking his eyes into dark, bruised sockets, and hunching his shoulders to hide his steel-dense frame.
Cough. Cough.
He hacked into a silk handkerchief, pulling it away to reveal a splatter of red (carefully prepared berry juice).
[Performance Check: Success.]
[Crowd Perception: "Pity/Disgust".]
Opposite him stood Kaelen. At ten years old, Kaelen was already a giant, fueled by expensive meat and pills. His hair was a burning red, and his skin radiated a visible heat.
[Target: Kaelen Thorne]
[Level: 15 (Qi Foundation - Rank 4)]
[Physique: Blazing Tiger Body (Low-Earth Grade)]
[Status: Arrogant / Bloodlust]
Kaelen looked at Aris with genuine disgust. He spat on the marble floor. "You should have stayed in your hole, trash. Fighting you is a stain on my record. If you surrender now, I'll only break one arm."
Aris looked up, his violet eyes wide with feigned terror. "I... I just wanted to see Father," he wheezed, his voice trembling perfectly. "They said if I participated, he would look at me."
In the stands, a few softer-hearted ladies murmured in sympathy. In the servants' section, Aris's mother, Elena, gripped her dress so hard her knuckles turned white, silently praying to whatever gods were listening.
General Thorne didn't even look at the stage. He was busy talking to a guest from the Heavenly Sword Sect, completely ignoring the "waste" below.
"Begin!" the referee shouted, stepping back quickly.
Kaelen didn't hesitate. He didn't treat this as a spar; he wanted to end the "embarrassment" instantly.
"Die!"
Kaelen channeled his Blazing Tiger Qi. His fists ignited with roaring orange flames. He lunged, the stone beneath his feet cracking from the force. It was a strike meant to shatter Aris's ribs and collapse his lungs.
[Combat Mode: Active]
[Time Dilation: 0.1x Speed]
To the crowd, Kaelen was a blur of fire. To Aris, he was a slow-motion video buffering at 10%.
The Abyssal Eye dissected reality. Aris saw the flow of Qi in Kaelen's body—a rushing river of orange energy.
[Analysis: Flame Pillar Strike]
[Technique Grade: Low-Earth]
[Detected Fault: Excessive Momentum.]
[Critical Bug: Right elbow is overextended. Qi flow is unstable in the left heel meridian.]
[Recommended Action: The 1% Counter.]
Too easy, Aris thought.
He didn't dodge. He didn't raise a guard. He waited until the flame-fist was one inch from his chest—close enough to singe his tunic.
Then, he stumbled.
It looked like a clumsy, panicked flail. Aris tripped over his own feet, falling forward. As he fell, his left index finger "accidentally" flicked out.
Tap.
It was a touch lighter than a feather. But it landed on a microscopic pressure point on Kaelen's wrist—the exact junction where the Fire Qi was channeling into the fist.
[Skill Activated: Abyssal Feedback.]
Aris injected a tiny, undetectable needle of Void Qi into the junction. It acted like a virus code injected into a running program.
[System Error: Qi Backflow Initiated.]
Instead of hitting Aris, Kaelen's own Fire Qi hit a wall and reversed direction.
BOOM.
A small, violent explosion of orange fire erupted—not on Aris, but from inside Kaelen's own arm.
"GAAHHH!"
The "Genius" screamed. The feedback loop blasted him backward. He flew ten feet through the air, spinning uncontrollably, before crashing face-first into the dirt outside the ring.
Smoke rose from his arm. He lay there, twitching, knocked unconscious by his own power.
Aris collapsed on the stage, clutching his chest and coughing violently.
The stadium went dead silent. The wind stopped. The banners stopped snapping. Even the birds seemed afraid to chirp.
"Oh..." Aris wheezed into the silence, looking around with wide, confused eyes. "Are... are you okay, Brother? I... I just panicked and tripped..."
[Quest Progress: 100% Complete.]
[Reward: 500 AP, Hidden Map: The Emperor's Vault.]
[Bonus: Chaos Factor +50 (The family's belief in 'Fate' has been rattled).]
General Thorne stopped talking mid-sentence.
Slowly, terrifyingly, the General turned his head.
For the first time in five years, General Thorne looked at his Fourth Son.
[Warning: General Thorne is attempting a 'Deep Soul Scan'.]
[Threat Level: Critical.]
Aris felt the pressure. It was like a physical weight trying to crush his skull. The General was searching for the truth. He was looking for the hidden strength, the secret master, the trick.
[Counter-Measure Active: 'The Living Curse'.]
The System projected the false data. The General pierced the Shadow-Veil, but all he found underneath was the rotting, black energy of the "Death Curse."
To the General, it looked like Aris's body was a ticking time bomb of bad luck and necrotic energy. Kaelen's fire must have reacted to the curse and backfired.
"Luck," the General muttered, his lip curling in disappointment. "A curse's luck."
He waved his hand dismissively. "Healer! Get Kaelen off the field. And get that... thing... out of my sight before it infects the others."
The pressure lifted.
Aris scrambled up, bowing clumsily to his father (who wasn't looking) and limping off the stage.
As he walked into the dark tunnel leading to the locker rooms, the "fear" vanished from his face instantly. A cold, predatory smirk replaced it.
"That went well," Aris whispered.
Nox purred from his shadow.
[Abyssal Nexus: Post-Match Status]
[System Notification: Level 10 Reached!]
[The Tutorial Phase is Complete.]
A massive, golden interface appeared in front of Aris, blocking his vision of the tunnel.
[Class Evolution Available]
You have reached the threshold of the First Realm. You must now choose the direction of your villainy. This choice is permanent.
Option 1: The Shadow Sovereign
Focus: Formations, Stealth, Minion Control. Core Ability: "Shadow Army" – Turn defeated enemies into permanent shadow soldiers. Playstyle: Rule from the dark. Never fight your own battles.
Option 2: The God-Eater
Focus: Physical Combat, Devouring, Tanking. Core Ability: "Void Maw" – Consume artifacts and spells to permanently gain stats. Playstyle: Crush all who stand before you. Be the Raid Boss.
Option 3: The Forbidden Alchemist
Focus: Creation, Manipulation, Economy. Core Ability: "Matter Rewrite" – Alter the fundamental properties of items and pills (e.g., turn a healing potion into a delayed poison). Playstyle: Control the world's economy. Own the supply chain. Make the Heroes beg you for the cure to the disease you created.
Aris stopped walking. He looked at the three floating cards.
"Fighting is for grunts," Aris mused. "And sneaking is for thieves. But owning the system? That's for Kings."
He reached out his hand.
"System. I choose Option 3."