The following morning, the academy cafeteria was a loud mix of clanking trays, shouting students, and the faint buzz of surveillance drones scanning for unrest. Even in Class Zeta's corner, the atmosphere had shifted.
Everyone had heard.
Kael Draven beat Griff Tark.
Not with flashy essence abilities. Not with a brute-force brawl. But clean. Controlled. Clinical.
Even the upper classes had taken notice. Some watched him with amusement. Others with quiet curiosity.
Kael didn't care about any of them.
He sat alone, chewing the bland protein bar issued to low-tier combatants, eyes fixed on the system screen only he could see.
---
[Quest: Establish Dominance – Progress]
Target 1/3 Defeated: Griff Tark ✅
Next Target: Nero Vren
Location: Zeta Courtyard, Combat Circle 2
Time Limit: 48 Hours
> Optional Objective: Win without using active skills.
---
Kael narrowed his eyes. Nero Vren—a duel specialist with a telekinetic blade style. Known for humiliating weaker students in public displays.
Another predator.
Kael didn't mind predators.
He liked making them bleed.
---
Later – Zeta Courtyard
Nero was already waiting when Kael arrived.
Slender, cocky, wrapped in dark silver combat gear, twin daggers floating lazily at his sides. His hair was dyed neon-blue, eyes glinting with mockery.
"Well, if it isn't the bloodless wonder," Nero said with a smirk. "You think beating Griff makes you something?"
Kael shrugged. "Not yet. But beating you helps."
The crowd murmured.
Dueling twice in two days wasn't normal. But Kael wasn't normal.
He was on a clock.
> [Begin Duel? Y/N]
Kael accepted.
---
The moment the signal sounded, the daggers launched toward him with unnatural speed.
Kael sidestepped, the first blade grazing his jacket. The second twisted midair, curving back—
He ducked, slid forward, grabbed a chunk of dirt, and threw it at Nero's eyes.
"Cheap shot!" Nero snarled, blinking.
Kael didn't answer. He closed the gap, fists moving like shadows, each strike calculated, silent, sharp.
One punch to the ribs. Another to the shoulder. A knee to the thigh. Just enough to unbalance. Enough to make Nero desperate.
The crowd grew quiet.
Where most students relied on their abilities, Kael fought with raw, brutal efficiency—like a soldier. Like a beast who had learned control.
When Nero swung both blades at once in a desperate arc, Kael ducked, stepped into his guard—
And elbowed him in the throat.
Nero crumpled, gagging.
"Yield," Kael said coldly.
Nero coughed blood. "Y-Yield...!"
---
[Duel Complete]
> Victory: Kael Draven
BP Gained: +140
Bloodline Progress: +2%
[Target 2/3 Defeated]
Bonus Objective Complete: +1 Trait Unlocked
> New Trait: [Combat Intuition Lv. 1]
You sense subtle openings and weaknesses in enemies' movement.
---
Kael stood still as the crowd dispersed.
Not all eyes were impressed.
Some were calculating.
Including hers.
---
Observation Deck – Above the Courtyard
Lyra Voss watched Kael from the shadows, arms folded, expression unreadable.
"He fights like he's been trained," she murmured. "But not by the academy."
Another voice replied from beside her.
"He doesn't smell like an essence user," said Instructor Vane, a tall man with pale gray eyes and long gloves that never came off. "Too clean. Too still."
Lyra frowned. "Then what is he?"
Vane didn't answer.
He just stared at Kael with that eerie stillness.
Watching. Measuring. Waiting.
---
Back in the Dorm
That night, Kael tried to sleep—but the system pulsed softly in his mind.
> [Crimson Hunger: 28%] – Stable
Feed soon to avoid aggression or emotional instability.
> New Bloodline Message Unlocked:
"You are being watched. The blood remembers its enemies."
Kael sat upright.
Sweat clung to his skin. Not from fear. From instinct.
Someone was tracking him.
And not just students or instructors.
Something older.
He stood, walked to the mirror, and stared at himself.
Red eyes. Slight fangs. A face too calm for someone who had killed twice in two days.
> I'm becoming what they fear.
> But I have to go further.
His gaze hardened.
Tomorrow, he'd complete the quest.
And if someone tried to stop him—
They'd learn exactly what the Cursed Bloodline meant.
---
End of Chapter 4