The fire in the cavern had burned low. Shadows stretched long across the rough walls, their edges flickering.
Lucien stood with his arms crossed, watching Ming as if weighing every word before he spoke. The girl sat near the fire, arms wrapped around her knees, her gaze flicking nervously between the two men.
Ming gripped his sword and finally broke the silence.
"lucien You should take the girl and go find Kael. Meet me back here in a month.
Lucien's brow furrowed. "And you?"
"I'll handle myself." Ming's voice was iron. "I can't protect anyone right now. Not until I get stronger. He looks at the trail notification it says trail starting in 3minutes. Then his sighed. If I stay with you, it will be no time till something kills us. So I will take my time and grow stronger i must get stronger." His eyes darkened. "I'll sharpen myself until I can cut down the cosmic beings themselves."
Lucien studied him quietly, then nodded once. "You haven't changed. Always carrying the weight alone." His lips twitched into a faint smile. "Fine. We'll find Kael and come back. One month. Don't you dare die before then."
The girl opened her mouth as if to protest but stopped when she met Ming's gaze. Something in his eyes—the storm of grief and fury—made her lips press shut. She stood and followed Lucien.
Ming watched them go, their footsteps fading into the night until the cavern was silent again. He exhaled slowly, then sat cross-legged on the stone floor.
The moment his eyes closed, the System stirred.
> [Second Trial starts in 3.2.1.]
What would this trial be about.
he said while drifting into slumber.
Darkness swallowed him whole. His soul drifted, stripped from flesh, until it hovered in a vast void. No monsters. No blades.
Whispers.
They clawed into his ears, each word a dagger. His sister's cries, twisting into screams. His parents calling his name, fading into silence. His betrayer's voice, venomous echoing: "If you were stronger, they'd still be alive."
Ming's chest heaved. His hands trembled, clutching at nothing. Pain tore through his mind memories replayed in endless loops. His pain, his weakness. He couldn't save them
He wanted to scream. He wanted to shatter.
But he endured. Every scar, every broken fragment, he embraced it. His soul didn't crumble.
> [Second Trial Completed]
[Soul strengthened.]
Ming's eyes snapped open back in the cavern, sweat dripping down his face. His breathing was ragged, then he looked at his hands tears streaming down his face
Then he spoke
Am sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you .
But I will avenge you
I will make them all pay .
I miss you all
Your smiles but they took it all away.
The System chimed again.
[New Quest Assigned.]
[Quest: Enter the Veil of Silence and purge the soul creatures within.
Reward: Low-tier Ability.]
"The Veil of Silence…" Ming muttered, rising shakily to his feet. His sword slid into his grip . "Fine. Show me what waits me on the inside."
The Veil was not far from the cavern. A split ground inside there were many soul like creatures
Monsters that aren't supposed to exist
Ming descended into the crack, his boots crunching on stone. The mist thickened, muffling sound, swallowing light.
Then the whispers began.
Shapes moved within the fog—distorted figures with hollow eyes and bodies of faint, glowing smoke. Soul wraiths. They screeched silently, rushing at him with clawed hands.
Ming braced. The first came from the left; his blade cut through its chest, dispersing it into mist. Another lunged from behind—he twisted, ducked, and drove his sword upward, shredding its form apart.
They came in swarms. Each strike rattled his bones, each dodge pushed him closer to collapse, but he kept moving. One by one, the wraiths fell, until only silence remained.
The mist recoiled. The Veil dimmed.
> [Quest Completed.]
[Reward Granted: Low-tier Ability Acquired – Soul Sense.]
A sudden clarity flooded his mind. His eyes sharpened, and for the first time, he felt it—the threads of hostility. He could sense the faint shift of malice in the air, the ripple of danger before it struck. His gripped tightened on the sword.
Ming turned to leave.
And froze.
Someone or something was already waiting at the front.
A figure cloaked in tattered black stood unmoving, its face hidden by a cracked mask etched with strange runes. Its presence was suffocating, not like the beasts or the wraiths. It watched him.
> [Warning: Detected—Watcher's Pawn.]
Ming's veins turned cold. A pawn of the gods. Not sent for him, but here nonetheless. And it had seen him.
The figure tilted its head. A low, grinding voice escaped the mask.
"You are supposed to be dead ."
Then it lunged.
Faster than the wraiths. Its blade screeched against Ming's, sparks flaring in the dark. The impact rattled his bones, forcing him back.
But Soul Sense flared—Ming felt the killing intent before the next strike came. He was able to react to the attack just enough for the steel to graze his shoulder instead of splitting his chest. He countered, slashing upward, his blade digging into the Pawn's ribs.
The creature didn't flinch. It pressed harder. Blow after blow rained down, each one meant to kill. Ming's arms burned, his legs shook, but he refused to break.
Then the chance came. Soul Sense screamed a warning—an overextended strike. Ming twisted, his sword carving in a brutal arc.
Steel met flesh.
The Pawn staggered, mask cracking. With a roar, Ming drove his blade through its chest and tore it open. The Pawn convulsed, surprised the supposed weakling was able to kill him then he crumbled into dust.
Silence fell.
The System chimed, louder than ever.
> [Enemy Defeated: Watcher's Pawn.]
[Reward: Mid-tier Ability Acquired – Soul Rend.]
[System Upgrade Unlocked.]
Ming dropped to one knee, chest heavy. The blade in his hand pulsed faintly.
He clenched i
t tighter, eyes burning with renewed fury.
"Watcher's Pawn… then the gods are already watching.
Good. Watch me rise."