"In a world where the strong climb, the weak are thrown to the depths. I didn’t climb, I was thrown… and I kept falling...until the Abyss stared back.”

When the world ended, the tower rose from the earth, and humanity was forced into a game of survival against nightmare-fueled monsters. Machines stopped working and amidst the chaos, Xior Arden, a broken orphan boy with empty eyes was cast into the lowest depths of the Abyss.

There, the weak don’t die quickly. They suffered and so he did suffer.

But the Abyss chose him.

With the power to absorb runes from fallen monsters, evolve his body into higher forms, and steal the essence of the creatures he kills. Xior begins to climb the tower, not as a hero. But as the thing which the Abyss itself fears:

A Monarch born in the dark.

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Additional Tags: TowerClimbing, Anti-hero, System, Revenge, WeakToStrong, MorallyGreyProtagonist, CunningProtagonist, ArrogantProtagonist

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Cover By: Shyrlo

Runes are the basic most important building block of the power system.


Runes can be used in a lot of things, they can be absorbed, used to forge weapons and even give racial traits of other races.


For every hunter there is an upper limit for how many runes they can absorb, it increases with an increase in their hunter rank.


1 - Elemental Runes: One of the two most common types of runes, they give the user power of said element.


2 - Stat Runes: The other most common type of runes, they give the user a set increase in one of the stats corresponding to what the stat rune was for.


3 - Skill Runes: Runes which gives skills which no stat rune and no elemental rune can give, they have a low chance of dropping.


4 - Void Runes: A very special type of Skill Runes which is considered as a separate type. These runes are dropped by the beings in The Abyss, such as the Demons, Demon Kings and other things which dwell inside the Abyss. The rest of the types will be revealed later on as they would be spoilers.


Elemental Runes are the runes which give the user the ability to use a certain element.


Basic Rune -> 1 skill unlocked at Level 1


Common Rune (5 Basics combined) -> Unlocks 2nd skill + upgrades 1st skill to Level 5


Uncommon Rune (5 Commons combined) -> Unlocks 3rd skill + upgrades 1st skill to Level 10, 2nd skill to Level 5


Rare Rune (5 Uncommons combined) -> Unlocks 4th skill + upgrades 1st skill to Level 15, 2nd to Level 10, 3rd to Level 5


Epic Rune (5 Rare's combined) -> Unlocks 5th skill + upgrades 1st to Level 20, 2nd to Level 15, 3rd to Level 10, 4th to Level 5


Legendary Rune (5 Epics combined) -> No new skills, but maxes skill levels and grants Elemental Mastery Bonus (passive buffs like immunity to own element, increased damage scaling, reduced mana cost) - At this point the user can freely control and shape a certain element.


Note - A person can have multiple elemental runes and could be a master for more than one.


Runes 101(Power System)[1]