Chapter 72

Kaden skidded to a halt, gravel biting into the raw soles of his feet. His chest heaved, lungs burning as if he'd swallowed liquid fire. Around him, the evening air crackled with tension and the metallic tang of blood—his own, leaking from gashes on his palms where the dagger had torn his skin. A flicker of blue light pulsed in his vision, familiar yet still somehow intrusive:

[HP: 102/116]

He dismissed the notification with a blink, a gesture that had become second nature in the months since the System had appeared. Around him, the world had erupted into chaos, transforming the abandoned quarry into an arena of death.