Chapter 11: Blade and Bounty

The sky over Sector 13 was a canvas of soot and rust.

Kael stood at the checkpoint border, Kureha's hilt resting lightly beneath his fingers. The katana shimmered beneath fractured morning light — curved, silent, and precise. No longer just a weapon, it was his reflection. A blade forged not by quest rewards, but by scars.

He wasn't a wanderer anymore.

He was Ronin.

> [Quest System Unlocked]

[Primary Quest Available – Monster Nest Extermination]

Target: Sector 13 – Sublevel Clinic

Threat: Moderate

Objective: Eliminate the Nest Core

Reward: CP +80 | Equipment Drop (D+) | Reputation +2

Optional: Solo Clear Bonus – CP +10

Failure: None (Retry Permitted)

> [CP – Combat Points]: Used for purchasing skills, gear, and upgrades

[Reputation]: Social standing among survivors

[Global Rankings]: Top 1,000 visible to all players worldwide

That last line stayed on the screen longer than the others.

Global.

So it wasn't just Kael out here surviving. Others were climbing, killing, competing. Somewhere, the best still stood.

Kael didn't care about the top.

Not yet.

He just wanted to survive better.

---

The clinic was half-swallowed by collapse, its upper floor buried under twisted metal and broken glass. A jagged stairwell yawned downward — steep, wet, and stinking of rot.

Kael stepped inside without hesitation.

---

The first monster came fast.

> [Nestling – Lv. 5]

Traits: Blind, Agile, Pack Instinct

Weakness: Cutting Damage

It lunged—

He drew.

> [Draw Cut – Sync: 21.0%]

[Weak Point Hit – Instant Kill]

[EXP +45]

The body didn't even touch the ground before it scattered into light.

Two more crawled out from the dark. Kael didn't flinch.

> [Iaido Step – Activated]

He blinked between them — one clean horizontal slash, one sharp spin, and it was over. Another slashed from the side. He rolled behind a rusted cot, then pivoted mid-air and cleaved it through the spine.

Measured. Controlled. Quiet.

By the time he reached the sublevel atrium, the tally had risen to eight.

The air felt thicker here.

He stepped into a wide, circular hall. Corpses littered the edges — scavengers, maybe survivors. All dead. At the far end, something moved.

> [Boss Detected – Broodguard – Lv. 8]

Traits: Massive, Armored, Stun Attacks, Blind Rage

Kael's grip tightened.

The boss didn't wait.

---

The Broodguard tore through the wall like a boulder with legs — slick black chitin, arms like battering rams. It roared and charged, shaking the floor.

Kael ducked low, triggered Iaido Step, and reappeared behind it.

Too slow.

> [Stamina: 62%]

[HP: 150 / 170]

The Broodguard turned fast. A massive fist smashed downward — Kael rolled, but rubble caught his boot.

He stumbled.

The beast lunged.

> [Draw Cut – Attempted]

[Timing Failed – Disruption Detected]

[Mental Clarity -1]

[HP: 94 / 170]

He was flung back into a rusted console, sparks erupting on impact.

Kael groaned, vision blurring.

"Not this again…"

But he stood.

---

He steadied his breath.

The Broodguard roared and charged again. Kael sidestepped, waited until the exact moment—

Then drew.

> [Draw Cut – Sync: 23.2%]

[Weak Point – Knee Joint]

[Critical Bonus: +18%]

The blade tore through. The creature staggered.

Kael blinked forward, struck again — sharp, upward, at the neck joint.

> [HP: 63 / 170]

[Boss HP: 24%]

It swiped wildly — claw catching air. Kael took the opening, stepped back, and dropped into a final stance.

Silence fell.

He drew once more.

> [Draw Cut – Sync: 24.0%]

[Weak Point: Jugular – Clean Sever]

[Finisher Bonus: +30%]

[Boss Defeated – EXP +300]

The Broodguard collapsed. Its body convulsed once — then fractured into crimson shards.

---

> [Quest Complete – Monster Nest Extermination]

+80 CP

+10 CP (Solo Clear Bonus)

+2 Reputation

[Level Up – Lv. 8 → Lv. 9]

[EXP: 90 / 1200]

[Equipment Acquired: Plated Survival Vest (D+)]

[Title Gained: Nest-Culler]

Passive Bonus: +5% damage to swarming enemies

Kael dropped to one knee, blood still running down his side.

But he didn't collapse.

He exhaled. Let the shaking pass.

In this world, victories weren't handed out.

You carved them out of your own pain.

---

Later, back at the rooftop safe zone above Sector 10, Kael sat with his back to the fencing. The city sprawled below — blackened, breathing in smoke. His new armor gleamed faintly in the moonlight. Functional. Reinforced.

The screen blinked beside him.

> [CP: 122]

[Reputation: 2]

[Available: Skill Manual – Ronin Style I (Cost: 100 CP)]

He didn't rush.

Didn't need to.

He opened his status window and let the numbers speak for him.

---

📊 Kael Draven — Status (End of Chapter 11)

Level: 9

EXP: 90 / 1200

Class: Ronin (Unique)

Wounds: Minor – Healing

Mental Clarity: 6

Ash Memory: 8%

CP: 122

Reputation: 2

World Rank: Unlisted

Skills & Techniques

Draw Cut Lv. 1 (Sync: 24.0%)

Iaido Step Lv. 1

Reflex Trace Lv. 1

Phantom Draw Lv. 1

Perks & Titles

Edge Memory

Keen Edge

Swarmbane – +5% damage to swarming enemies

Nest-Culler – Title unlocked

Status: Sharpened. Tested. Still Standing.

Checkpoint: Sector 10 Beacon