The apothecary's shadow stretched over Izuku and Hana like a burial shroud. Izuku's ribs pressed against his skin, his breath rattling like dry leaves. Beside him, Hana crouched, her eyes narrowed at the guards patrolling the building.
"Shift change at midnight," she whispered. "They'll leave the door unlatched for a minute. Maybe two."
Izuku nodded. The system's countdown pulsed in his vision: 01:30.
[Quest: Infiltrate the Apothecary]
[Reward: +0.003 Vitality | +0.01% Pain Resistance]
"Ready?" Hana asked, her voice steady but her hands trembling.
Izuku flexed his fingers. "No."
"Good. Means you're not stupid."
They crawled through a shattered basement window. Glass sliced Izuku's palms, blood pooling in his cupped hands.
[Injury: Lacerated Palms]
[Pain Sensitivity: 300% — Dexterity -40%]
Hana tossed him a rag. "Wrap it. You're dripping everywhere."
He did, teeth gritted. "Thanks."
"Don't. Just don't die."
The storeroom reeked of mold and desperation. Hana shoved a bundle of dried herbs into her shirt.
[Bloodroot Acquired: 1/3.]
Floorboards creaked overhead.
Hana froze. "Guard's coming."
Boots thudded down the stairs. The guard was a mountain of muscle, cudgel swinging. Izuku's legs locked—his mind screamed attack, but his body screamed run.
The guard's lantern swept the room. "Who's there?!"
Hana hurled a jar at his head. "Move, Izuku!"
He lunged, biting the guard's thigh.
Crack.
The cudgel smashed into his collarbone. Izuku crumpled, pain exploding like fire in his veins.
[Critical Injury: Fractured Collarbone]
[Pain Resistance: 0.18% (+0.01%)]
"Pathetic slum rat," the guard spat.
Hana leapt onto his back, clawing at his eyes. "Get OFF him!"
Izuku grabbed a shard of glass and stabbed blindly. The guard roared as it sank into his calf.
"Run!" Hana dragged Izuku toward the window. Blood smeared the floor.
They collapsed in a sewage ditch, gasping. Izuku's collarbone jutted sideways. Hana's cheek was split open.
She shoved a vial of green sludge into his hand. "Use this. Now."
He fumbled with the cork. "You first."
"Your bone's sticking out, idiot!"
The salve reeked of rot. Izuku hissed as she smeared it on his wound.
[Infection Risk: 85% → 70%]
[Vitality: 0.213 | Pain Resistance: 0.19%]
Hana slumped against the ditch wall. "Heard something today. The Imperial Magic Academy's taking students."
Izuku stared at his hands. "So?"
"They train kids to use magic. Real magic. But you gotta be fourteen." She laughed, sharp and bitter. "And rich. And noble. And not us."
Izuku's jaw tightened. The Academy—a path to power, to breaking Heaven's curse. But even if they lived to fourteen, they'd still be slum rats.
"Worthless," Hana muttered, echoing his thoughts.
The system flickered:
[Hidden Parameter: Ambition (Locked)]
[Condition: Survive.]
Night deepened. Hana slept. Izuku lay awake, the guard's cudgel flashing in his mind.
Memory: The Heavenly Severance Blade, gleaming in his grip as he stood over the Demon King. Now, he couldn't lift a spoon.
The system glitched, text bleeding gold:
[Legacy Skill: Heavenly Severance Blade]
[Condition: Survive.]
Izuku's laugh was a dry rasp. "Working… on it."
To Be Continued in Chapter 8 – The Debt of Mercy