Aeris stepped into the cavern, his boots pressing against damp stone. The ground beneath him was faintly wet, moisture seeping from the walls. Jagged scratches lined the stone surfaces, claw marks gouged deep into the rock.
The deeper he went, the weaker the sunlight behind him became. Shadows thickened until the entrance was nothing more than a fading memory of light. Strangely, the deeper he moved, the broader the path grew. The tunnel didn't narrow as caves normally did—it stretched wider, as if carved deliberately to welcome intruders further inside.
A sheen of sweat glistened across Aeris's forehead. Whether it was born of heat or unease, he couldn't tell.
By the time the last drop of daylight vanished, the world had become nothing but black. But Aeris did not stumble. He had his spatial awareness—his heightened senses could map everything around him in a radius of a hundred meters. He saw without seeing, aware of every flicker, every sound, every vibration in the air.
"I can see clearly, even in pitch black…" he whispered, his voice echoing eerily back at him. "Still… I don't understand how Yuki managed to fight that Orcid. Even though I know the battle through his memories, experiencing it myself—it feels impossible. Yuki is far stronger than I thought."
His words bounced along the stone corridors, doubling back into his ears. But Aeris wasn't the only one listening. In the distance, something stirred.
He froze. Then he felt them.
A pack of beasts—wolves, but not ordinary ones.
Their bodies padded silently against the stone. Each had three glowing eyes, glaring crimson in the dark. Their limbs were unnaturally long, thickly muscled, with claws like knives and fangs drooling saliva that hissed faintly as it struck the cave floor. Their white tails swayed as their ears twitched upright, attuned to every sound.
"They can see in the dark," Aeris thought grimly. "If I kill them… will my ability work on them? Or does it only function on humans and spirits?"
His lips tightened. He raised his chin, purple eyes glinting dangerously in the void.
"Fine. You'll be my first prey."
He had no weapon—no blade, no spear, no dagger. What could he attack with?
Then, suddenly, his fingernails lengthened, sharp and blood-red, gleaming in the darkness like forged blades.
So that's it. To use an ability, I have to will it into existence. Just the thought is enough.
His eyes narrowed. "But… will my claws be sharp enough to tear through these monsters?"
The answer came almost instantly.
The wolves lunged, saliva spraying from their snarling mouths. One leaped directly at Aeris's chest.
Before its claws even touched him, the beast's eyes burst into blood, and its throat split open as though sliced by an invisible blade. It collapsed midair, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
The wounds weren't messy—they were shallow, precise, but struck at vital points. The wolf died instantly, killed before it could even roar.
Aeris vanished from where he stood. In the blink of an eye, he was behind the pack, his body nothing more than a purple blur. He moved like a shadow with no form, no sound. Moving as a shadow.
The wolves, confused, halted mid-attack, snapping their heads around wildly. Their prey was gone, their instincts screaming.
A soft glow shimmered from Aeris's body—darkish purple, faint but ominous. His lips curved upward into a sharp smile.
"So I was right. When I kill, I absorb. I can feel it—my energy has grown."
More wolves lunged in unison, snarling. Aeris twisted gracefully, claws sweeping in a perfect arc.
One slash—three throats opened at once.
The glow flared brighter.
"Each kill strengthens me. Their abilities, their raw physical force—it all flows into me. The memories take time, but the strength… that comes instantly."
The surviving beasts froze, shuffling backward nervously. Fear flickered in their crimson eyes.
One wolf, braver or more foolish than the rest, hurled itself at him. But Aeris moved faster than sight itself. In less than a fraction of a second, the beast was flung sideways, its neck broken before it even realized it had attacked.
Aeris's purple eyes gleamed, the glow reflected across the cave walls. "Now… I can see in the dark as well."
The wolves broke.
Howling in terror, they scattered into the darkness, scrambling to escape. But their fear was pointless.
Aeris blurred from existence, his voice cold and merciless.
"Your memories are worthless. Just instincts, visions, reflexes… nothing else."
***Blood Blood Blood***
The cavern echoed with wet sounds as one by one, the wolves dropped. Necks slit, bodies twitching, their snarls cut short.
In less than a minute, silence returned. The ground was littered with corpses, but Aeris stood tall, wiping stray droplets of blood from his face. His claws retracted smoothly, shrinking back into human nails.
He resumed walking deeper, unhurried, his voice calm.
"Using an absorbed ability is easy. All I need is the thought. Sometimes, they even trigger subconsciously. From those wolves, I gained night vision, predator instincts, reflexes. Along with their energy and speed. Even their magical raw energy."
His hand brushed the cavern wall as he continued forward.
"But my eyes… they glow purple when I use these powers. I saw it in their memories too."
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"I can also activate or deactivate any ability at will. If I encounter more magical beasts, I can unleash my cursed presence to draw them in. My energy is still full."
He paused, considering.
"But I need names. Powers should have names, so I can call them without hesitation. Right now, I have to imagine them each time. That wastes time."
He closed his eyes, thinking.
"My main absorbing technique—the one that devours everything. That will be called Eternal Absorb. The ability to see in the dark… Night Vision! My ultimate senses—mapping every angle… Spatial Awareness. As for my cursed presence, Orcid already named it. And of course, I have raw strength on top of it all."
A sharp glimmer passed through his eyes.
"Eternal Absorb is the most dangerous. Not only power and energy, but memories and experiences as well. This is… invaluable."
He stretched his limbs and suddenly bolted, sprinting deeper into the dungeon with incredible speed. His glowing eyes fixed ahead, sharp as a predator's.
"Why haven't I seen more magical beasts? There's no way this dungeon only held those wolves. Something's wrong."
His whisper was low, but every step echoed like thunder.
"I could cross this entire dungeon in seconds if I used my full speed."
*****
Deep in the bowels of the dungeon, the truth revealed itself.
The beasts were dead. Bears, some other wolves, ugly creatures, every last one of them. Their corpses lay piled in heaps, blood soaking into the earth.
The cavern here was massive, an open space illuminated faintly by swarms of glowing insects fluttering overhead.
And in the center stood an army.
More than a thousand curseumen, armored in black. Their obsidian steel glinted under the faint light. Most carried no weapons, but their armored bodies alone radiated menace. These were lower ranks or Executors—but even they were deadly in numbers.
Among them stood one different. His skin was pale, human-like, but his eyes blazed crimson, his hair a sharp shade of blue. His aura was unmistakable immense.
Blaze Clinder.
A DarkLord of the ClinderClan of Curseumen. His strength rivaled or surpassed an S-rank spirit possessor or spiritumen. To command such an army was his natural domain.
[Spirit Possessor - These are humans which have spiritual pact with Spiritumen, and they allow them to reside in their own body.]
He lounged atop a massive boulder, one leg dangling lazily, the other bent. His arm rested casually against his knee as if this vast gathering was nothing but a trivial game.
Then, as though sensing something, Blaze's lips curled into an evil smile.
*****
Aeris's eyes widened, breath caught in his throat.
His mouth went dry. His body trembled despite his will.
"Wait… what are so many curseumen doing here?"