The city's spine creaked with wind.
Lucen was leaning his back against split stone, and his fingers curled slackly about a half-broken matchstick. He was sore all over. He was breathing steadily, only shallowly. Each pain pulse set him straight... pure, mathematical.
In snatches he re-lived the combat. When the initial Soulprint had ignited, it had been hotter than projected. His response to the Grask Deadend was a step too late. Before spiral burst, his foot placing had been inefficient. He would correct all of it. Next time.
The Soul Ledger stirred again.
[Combat Evaluation: Complete]
[Efficiency Rating: A]
[Trigger: Soulprint Integration, Consecutive Skill Use, Near-Death Margin]
[Ledger Adaptation in Progress...]
He blinked.
The upgrade hit like a soft pulse in the center of his skull. Not pain. Not heat. Just... more.
[Soul Ledger v2.0 Activated]
[Stat Interface Unlocked]
[Soul Point Tracking Enabled]
[Enemy Vital Feedback: Enabled]
[Damage Metrics: Live Feed Engaged]
[Corruption Monitoring: Dormant]
A clean window unfolded behind his vision. Lucen instinctively focused.
---
Lucen Vale – Soul Ledger v2.0
HP: 132 / 200
STR: 12
AGI: 15
DEX: 14
INT: 19
WILL: 21
SYNC: 10
COR: [LOCKED]
Unspent Soul Points: 3
Equipped Soulprints:
• Crimson Threadfire (Tier II)
• Stone Skin (Tier I, Damaged)
• Ashbreaker Knuckles (Tier II)
---
His fingers moved in tiny ways as if they were tapping on invisible keys.
Now everything came clear, quantifiable. Power, agility, intellect, and endurance all for the taking, and all of it scalable.
He floated over to INT and focused.
INT affects: Soulprint cooldown, Echo pressure resistance, enemy HP recognition.
Then went over AGI.
AGI affects: Step precision, dodge timing, thread control speed.
Still too early to spend Soul Points. He closed the panel.
A notification flashed.
[Skill Integration Stability: 87%]
[Ashbreaker Knuckles usable in next combat]
[New Feature: Passive Buff Log Available]
---
Passive Buffs (Active):
• Flame Thread Sensory : Minor spatial awareness increase
• Stone Skin Layer : +1 DEF (base layer)
• Soulprint Sync : +2 WILL (multi-print activation)
---
A sharp hiss broke the stillness.
Lucen's eyes narrowed as something emerged from a cracked sewer pipe ahead. A mutated rat-like creature, its veins glowing faint blue, spine arched unnaturally. Its system tag appeared instantly.
---
Soulbeast: Waste Spine Gnawer
HP: 94 / 94
Threat Rating: Low
Status: Enraged. Minor Soulprint Signature Detected
---
The thing lunged.
Lucen didn't flinch.
Skill Activated: Ashbreaker Knuckles – Pulse Jab
Damage Dealt: 76
Target HP: 18 / 94
Status: Skull fracture. Burn (5s). Knockback
The impact crushed the creature's face into the alley wall. A flick of flame pierced its skull before it even hit the ground.
Enemy Eliminated. Soul Points: +1
Lucen wiped the soot from his knuckles using a cloth from his sleeve.
A slow breath.
Not a fight. A test.
His eyes flicked to the updated interface.
---
Lucen Vale – Soul Ledger v2.0
HP: 132 / 200
Unspent Soul Points: 4
New Skill Feedback:
• Pulse Jab – Effective. Flame burst scaled with STR
• Flame Resonance Detected. Further upgrades possible
---
This was control.
Not luck. Not raw power.
Control.
Lucen turned, and with that same quiet stillness, disappeared into the shadow-choked streets of Rothveil.
---
End of Chapter 6