The scent of unwashed skin and the metallic tang of a rusted blade drifted through the gaps in the doorframe. Han Sen sat perfectly still on the edge of the bed. His 10 Health Points felt like a thin layer of ice over a deep, dark ocean. One mistake, one slip of a blade, and he would be gone.
Outside, the intruder's breathing was shallow and greedy. The man thought he was hunting a Level 1 rabbit. He didn't know he was standing at the edge of a localized tear in reality.
The door handle rattled. The intruder cursed under his breath, confused by the way the metal felt solid, as if it were part of the wall itself.
Han Sen didn't stand up. He didn't reach for a weapon. He looked at the shadows beneath the door and opened his skill list. He found a minor utility skill: [Basic Sound].
[Allocating Skill Points: 600,000]
[Basic Sound has evolved into: Echo of the Abyss (Max Level).]
Han Sen leaned forward and whispered a single word into the silent room: "Leave."
The word didn't travel through the air like a normal sound. It was an implosion of vibration. There was a faint hiss of displaced air, then a heavy, dull thud from the hallway.
The intruder didn't scream. The sound had bypassed his ears and vibrated directly into his brain, shattering his sense of balance and flooding his mind with primal terror. Through the [Eye of Truth], Han Sen saw the man's golden aura flicker and dim.
The weight of the "Gaze" Han Sen projected was so heavy the man scrambled backward, his boots scraping frantically against the floorboards. He fled down the stairs, leaving behind a trail of cold sweat and a dropped dagger.
"Pests," Han Sen muttered.
Nixi let out a soft, questioning chirp. She looked at the diamond-clear pill in Han Sen's hand.
"Not yet, Nixi," he said, his voice softening. "This pill is our ticket out of the mud. We need to find the Alchemist's Guild tomorrow. If I'm going to be a Level 1, I might as well be the Level 1 who owns the city."
He stood up and walked to the window. The city of Willow Creek stretched out below him, a sea of flickering torches and dark secrets. He felt the vibration of distant footsteps, the city's pulse through the soles of his feet.
[Ding! Soul-Bond Synchronicity Increasing.]
[Nixi has gained the skill: Phoenix Fire Breath (Lv. 1).]
Han Sen felt a sudden surge of warmth in his chest. Because of their bond, he could feel a tiny portion of Nixi's power flowing into his veins. It didn't increase his HP, but it made the 10 points feel a little more solid.
He spent the rest of the night practicing his [God-Hand Transmutation]. He took common stones from the floor and turned them into polished jade. He took a cup of muddy water and turned it into a concentrated mana potion.
By the time the first grey light of dawn touched the window, Han Sen had a small pouch filled with items that could buy a kingdom.
He put on his tattered cloak and hid Nixi back under the [Void Shroud]. He looked like a beggar, but his eyes were the eyes of a monarch.
"Let's go," he whispered. "It's time to slap some faces."
The tension in the slums was rising as the city woke up. Han Sen stepped out into the street, his mind already calculating the quickest path to the high-district. He didn't look at the thugs watching him from the corners. He didn't need to.
He was Level 1. And today, the world would learn exactly what that meant.