[Chapter 2 — The City of Nightreach] (Part 1)
The barren wasteland faded behind Shen Nightfall as he walked, his battered body wrapped in tattered black cloth.
Above him, the skies churned with a dark crimson glow — like an old wound refusing to heal.
Hours passed. Days blurred.
And then, beyond the endless dust... lights appeared.
A city.
Flickering torches. Towering stone walls.
A place still alive in this dead world.
[Location Detected: Mortal Territory — City of Nightreach.] [System Notice: First Visit Bonus Activated!]
Shen's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
Nightreach.
A hidden corner of the mortal realm where the weak clung to survival... and false gods fed on the desperate.
"Perfect place to begin."
He adjusted the ragged cloak around him, suppressing his divine presence until not even a whisper of chaos could be sensed.
A man among mortals now.
At the City Gates
Two bored guards leaned against spears, half-asleep.
Their armor was rusted, and a crooked sign above them read:
"Nightreach — Hope Fades, But We Endure."
One guard yawned.
The other squinted as Shen approached, boots silent on the cracked stones.
"Oi, traveler," the taller guard called out. "What's yer business in Nightreach?"
Shen lifted his head slightly, shadows veiling his expression.
"Work," he said simply.
The guards exchanged a glance.
Poor-looking, no weapons, no aura. Just another desperate soul.
They grunted and waved him through.
"No fights, no stealing, no worshipping gods not on the Council's List," the guard muttered.
Shen's lip twitched in a ghost of a smile.
Council of Gods, huh?
Inside Nightreach
The city was... broken.
Cracked cobblestone streets.
Shabby houses leaning like dying trees.
Temples — once grand — now served as markets, brothels, and arenas.
Over everything, the heavy scent of smoke and blood.
[Hidden Quest Detected!] [Objective: Uncover the Secrets of Nightreach.] [Reward: Unknown.]
Shen ignored the system window for now.
He had a clearer goal.
[First Godbreaker Quest: Slay a Lesser God.]
And this city stank of false divinity.
[Gift Pack Available — Open Now?]
A soft chime echoed in Shen's mind.
"Now's a good time."
He found a quiet, crumbling alley and leaned against a ruined wall.
[Opening Gift Pack...]
⚡⚡⚡
[Starter Weapon: Voidpiercer Dagger] — A weapon forged from fallen starsteel, sharp enough to pierce divine flesh.
[Starter Armor: Ashen Mantle] — A cloak woven from chaos ashes, granting stealth and minor protection.
[Starter Skill: Chaotic Slayer] — An instinctive, brutal strike empowered by raw chaos energy.
[Bonus Item: System Shop Token (x3)] — Useable for discounts or free purchases in the Hidden Shop.
⚡⚡⚡
Shen's hand tightened slightly as the dagger materialized — a sleek, black blade that shimmered unnaturally under the dying light.
The Ashen Mantle flowed over his battered form, turning him into a wraith among shadows.
And deep within him, power stirred — a sleeping storm reawakening.
"First steps," he whispered.
Suddenly — a commotion.
Shouts rang out from the nearby square.
Cries of fear. Crashes of destruction.
Shen moved like a ghost, silent and unseen.
At the heart of the chaos, a figure towered — a "Priest of the Sun God," draped in fake golden robes, beating a starving beggar with a staff glowing with fake divinity.
"Cursed rats!" the priest snarled. "Pay tribute, or face divine punishment!"
The crowd trembled but did not intervene.
Shen watched... and his golden eyes narrowed coldly.
[Target Identified: False God's Priest — Moderate Threat.] [Optional: Execute Target to Complete Godbreaker Quest.]
Shen stepped forward.
The system didn't even need to tell him.
He had already decided.
No false gods. No cowards in holy robes.
Only ruin.
To be continued...
[Chapter 2 — A Flicker of Chaos] (Continued -Part 2)
The moment Shen Nightfall accepted the first quest, his broken body surged with a flicker of returning power.
His golden eyes, half-lidded from exhaustion, snapped wide open.
"Time to hunt."
He moved through the charred ruins, his steps light but leaving faint cracks on the ashen ground. His rebirth was incomplete — yet even now, he was not something this dying world could contain.
The target was near.
He followed the threads of corrupted divine energy, leading him to a cracked cathedral at the edge of the ruins. Towering spires leaned drunkenly against the sky, stained glass shattered into a thousand bleeding colors.
Inside, the so-called "Lesser God" awaited.
A False One.
A parasite who fed on the prayers of desperate mortals.
Shen entered without a sound.
Inside, the "god" stood before a cracked altar, draped in rotting silk and fading light.
He wore heavy golden armor and a crown of thorns. His face, once human, was swollen with divine corruption — a twisted smile revealing rows of sharpened teeth.
The False God's eyes snapped toward Shen.
A growl rumbled from his throat.
"Who dares disturb the Herald of Light?!"
Shen said nothing.
The [System] chimed softly:
[First Target Identified: Corrupted Herald of Light — Lesser God Tier]
[Estimated Power: Mid-Divine Mortal]
[Danger Level: Manageable.]
[Quest Reward Multiplier Active: First Kill Bonus.]
A slow grin stretched across Shen's lips.
"Manageable?" he whispered, voice dry like dust and embers.
"You're already dead."
The Herald roared, lifting a jagged mace of pure holy energy — and charged.
The ground shook with every step.
Blinding golden light exploded outward — beams of divine judgment crashing through the cathedral walls like spears!
But Shen Nightfall walked through the light.
The divine energy hissed against his reborn form, but it couldn't burn him.
It couldn't even slow him.
His right hand tightened into a fist, dark energy coiling around his knuckles like writhing smoke.
[Skill Activated: Chaotic Slayer]
[Effect: +100% critical strike chance against divine beings. Minor Reality Disruption active.]
The next moment—
BAM.
One punch.
One clean, brutal strike.
The Herald's armored chest caved inward with a sickening crunch. His golden mace shattered mid-swing, pieces clattering harmlessly to the floor.
The False God staggered back, coughing up viscous golden blood.
His eyes — wide, disbelieving — met Shen's.
"W-what... are you...?"
Shen tilted his head slightly, as if considering.
"Chaos."
He blurred forward — faster than the human eye could follow — and drove his fist straight through the Herald's chest.
Light exploded outward.
The cathedral trembled.
And then... silence.
The body of the "god" collapsed like a puppet with its strings severed, dissolving into ash.
[First Godbreaker Quest Complete!]
[Rewards Granted: +1 Chaos Core Fragment, System Shop Gift Pack (Tier 2 Unlocked).]
A second Gift Pack materialized in front of Shen, gleaming and humming with power.
He exhaled slowly, lowering his bloodied hand.
One step closer.
One god down.
Endless thrones still to burn.
The System chimed again:
[New Quest Available:
Objective — Locate the City of Nightreach.
Hint — South of the Ashlands lies a place where mortal greed feeds a thousand false divinities.
Reward — ??? (Hidden).]
Shen wiped a smear of golden blood from his knuckles.
His golden eyes burned brighter than ever.
"Nightreach, huh?"
"Sounds like a good place to start a massacre."
He turned, black coat swirling around him like a living shadow — and walked into the rising dark.
The Age of Gods was ending.
The Age of Nightfall had begun.