[NEW QUEST: SAVE SURA]

As I crouched in the alleyway, more glowing boxes popped up, highlighting potential entry points into the building.

[Entry Points Identified:

Main Entrance: Guarded by three thugs. High risk.

Second Floor Window: Cracked and loose, accessible by teleportation spell at a close range. Moderate risk.

Back Door: Guarded by one, but the lock looks fragile. Moderate risk.

Rooftop Hatch: Unattended, requires scaling the adjacent building. Low risk.]

"Alright, 'thing', you're starting to grow on me," I whispered, weighing my options.

The rooftop hatch seemed like the safest bet. Time to channel my inner monkey again.

As I was about to begin my ascent to the rooftop, a red 'X' appeared over the little nook I intended to use for climbing.

[Structural Integrity: Unstable. Might Break. Not Advised.]

"Huh… okay."

I changed my approach and slowly climbed to the top of the building. I could hear the guards chatting about something, but since I was far away, I wasn't able to hear them clearly. I needed to get close and listen. If they had my sister, I was sure she would be the main topic of their conversation.

I fired my last rope arrow to the adjacent building near the hatch, secured the other end, and walked along the rope, using it as a bridge.

[Out of Rope Arrows: Need Restock.]

"Yeah, no shot."

I jumped toward the building and instinctively used my teleportation spell in mid-air, forgetting my mana was literally lower than zero. I stopped the spell before it could activate and tried to grab a window sill. It was too late when I saw the little red 'X' appear on it.

[Structural Integrity: Unstable. Might Break. Not Advised.]

The sill cracked and I plummeted down. I shut my eyes, bracing my body for the impact.

Instead of hitting the ground, I felt myself slipping through a shadowy void. I emerged from a dark corner behind some crates, unharmed and out of sight.

"What just happened…" I opened my eyes in shock. "Shit – was that a spell I just used?"

[Available Spells:]

I turned my head to the big box that popped out near my face.

[1. Shadow Step: Instantly teleport within a limited range. Requires mana and a clear line of sight. Handy for quick escapes and stealthy movement.

2. Shadow Cloak: Temporarily shroud yourself in darkness, becoming nearly invisible and silencing your movements. Perfect for sneaking past guards or escaping detection. Drains mana continuously while active.

3. Shadow Bind: Summon shadowy tendrils from the ground to immobilize and restrain targets. Effective for disabling enemies without lethal force. Costs a significant amount of mana and requires focus to maintain.

4. Night Vision: Enhance your vision to see clearly in complete darkness, highlighting enemies and hidden objects. Useful for navigating dark areas and spotting threats. Minimal mana cost but limited duration.]

"But I have negative mana. How could I use any spell?"

[Linking between master and I was disrupted. Reason: Arrow killing master. Glitch detected.]

Another box appeared on top of the old one.

[Status: Dead.]

"Dead?" My hand went to my heart, checking for a pulse. "Nah, I'm alive. Phew… what kind of glitch is this?"

I recalled the moment I squeezed the blade earlier, causing my hand to bleed. I couldn't realize at that moment, but now that I think about it, something happened there. That must have initiated the linking process between me and the entity within the blade. But then, the arrow shot through my eye, killing me and disrupting the link. Somehow, I was brought back, but the process had left my mana in a chaotic state.

"Great, so now I'm stuck with negative mana and a glitchy… thing."

I paced back and forth, thinking about my next move.

"Okay. Let's try Shadow Step. So, I can use shadows and teleport. Just like my teleportation spell – but its range is much better."

I focused on the rooftop above. Normally, my blinking spell wouldn't have worked, as it was way too far away.

Taking a deep breath, I activated the spell. My body turned into a swirling black smoke, which rose quickly to the rooftop. Once there, the smoke reformed into my normal body.

"Okay –" I began to ramble out of fear. "Okay. Okay, Axel. Calm down. Need to find Sura. Then – I can freak out."

"Oi, is someone there up on the roof?"

[Shadow Cloak: Activate by crouching and focusing. Upon touching light, the spell will automatically deactivate.]

I crouched, and as soon as I did, I became almost invisible. The outline of my body was faintly visible if one were to fully focus on me. An invisibility spell, huh? A thief's dream come true.

My mana dropped to -2 momentarily before stabilizing back at -1 again. It seemed like that 'glitch' the thing talked about was affecting the spells I cast. Essentially, as long as I stayed in the shadows and avoided touching light, I could maintain Shadow Cloak indefinitely. This was getting better by the minute.

"Do you think – James will notice if I have my way with Sura?" The guard asked his friend.

"You didn't hear me, you idiot? He will take her virginity."

"Yeah – but she has two more holes?"

"No, you –" the guard smiled. "You're right. You're fucking right. Fuck this guarding job, no one will come. Let's go see that bitch."

Using Shadow Step, I reappeared on the roof of the abandoned building. Once I opened the hatch, I leaped down, landing carefully on a wooden beam that supported the district's flag beneath it. Inside the building was a modest dwelling with four rooms. The living area where I landed was poorly lit, illuminated only by a flickering oil lamp on a rickety wooden table. The walls were grimy and peeling, with patches of dampness spreading across the plaster.

The furniture was sparse and worn, with a large fireplace dominating one wall, its embers casting a dim glow across the room. Dust motes floated in the air, it smelled rotten and horrible.

From above, I trailed the two idiots who spoke ill of my sister. The wooden beam I crouched on extended along the inner walls of the house, providing a perfect vantage point.

"No, stay away from me!" My sister Sura's panicked voice came from the kitchen area. "Let me go!"

"Hey!" One of the two thugs jeered. "Looks like James is finally having his way with her."

"Yeah… shame we weren't the first ones to fu –"

"No!" The words burst from my lips before I even realized I was moving. I leaped down from the shadows, breaking my invisibility spell. Two daggers materialized in my hands as I landed.

"It's the Shadow Dancer!" one of the guards exclaimed. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

"Kill him!"

As they unsheathed their swords, the door to my left swung open. There he was – James, dragging Sura by her hair. She was fully clothed, thankfully unharmed physically.

"You fucking bastard!" I tore off my neck gaiter, my gaze locked on James's face. "I'll end you!!"

[Quest Completed: Find Sura.

Rewards: 5g.]

Another box opened before my eyes.

[New Quest: Save Sura.]

"Yeah," I growled, taking a defensive stance. "That's the plan…"