The stench of blood and iron lingered in the underground cavern, mixing with the suffocating aura of the portal. Shadows twisted along the jagged walls, flickering in the faint glow of crimson light that poured from the dimensional rift. Jin stood alone in the middle of it all, his black blade dripping with the corrupted essence of the monsters he had just slain.
A chime echoed in his head.
[Monsters killed: 122 / 100,000]
The numbers mocked him. His eyes, cold and sharp as blades themselves, narrowed at the notification.
"One hundred and twenty-two…" he muttered, his voice low, rough, carrying the weight of exhaustion but never weakness. "…Out of one hundred thousand."
His words vanished into the hollow darkness around him.
He exhaled slowly, his breath visible in the damp underground air. Each fight had taken only seconds—monsters here were weak, small fry—but the mission itself was insanity.
[Quest: Massacre of Shadows]
Objective: Slay 100,000 monsters within the portal.
He remembered the exact wording when the system had dropped it on him. The number had been so absurd that he thought for a moment it was some kind of mistake. But the system never made mistakes. It only gave him challenges… challenges designed to break him.
Jin looked at the corpses scattered across the ground. Dozens of grotesque beasts, their twisted forms leaking black blood that steamed against the cold rock. Each of them had once roared and lunged at him with killing intent, but now they were nothing more than stains in the dirt.
And yet, this was only the beginning.
A faint vibration rumbled beneath his boots. His instincts sharpened instantly. From the depths of the cavern, another growl reverberated—low, guttural, hungry. His grip on the blade tightened, his stance lowering.
A new monster emerged from the shadows. Its frame was larger than the others, almost twice the size, with jagged horns curling from its skull and claws that gleamed under the portal's crimson light. Venom dripped from its fangs, sizzling as it touched the stone floor.
Jin's gaze didn't waver. His lips pressed into a thin line.
"So they're finally sending stronger ones."
The beast lunged with incredible speed, its claws slashing toward his throat. Jin tilted his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike, and drove his blade upward in a clean, merciless arc. The steel tore through the monster's chest, ripping it open from sternum to skull.
Black ichor splattered across him as the beast collapsed, its roars dying into silence. But unlike the weaker creatures before it, this one didn't fall easily. Even as its body split, it lashed out in its death throes, claws scraping against his arm.
Thin lines of blood trailed down his skin. Shallow wounds. Nothing fatal. But enough to make him raise his brows.
So this was how it would be from now on.
[Warning: Stronger monsters are beginning to emerge.]
[Caution is advised.]
The system's voice echoed in his mind, cold and mechanical.
Jin chuckled darkly, wiping the blood from his arm with his sleeve.
"Good. The weak ones were starting to bore me."
His shadow rippled at his feet, responding to his malice.
Another roar erupted, followed by the pounding of multiple footsteps. More figures appeared from the abyss ahead, their outlines jagged and unnatural. They were taller, broader, and their eyes burned with feral bloodlust. The ground trembled as they moved in unison.
Jin stood his ground, blade resting at his side, his expression sharp. His breathing slowed, steady and calculated. A faint glow shimmered in his eyes, a reflection of the abyss crawling within him.
Stronger monsters meant more danger.
More danger meant more strength.
His lips curved into a cold smile.
"Stronger prey… means more experience."
Another notification blinked before him.
[Shadow energy absorbed: +120]
[Your body adapts to the darkness.]
Jin could feel it—the system's energy seeping into his veins, deeper and deeper with each kill. It was addictive, overwhelming, like standing at the edge of an endless pit and wanting nothing more than to jump in.
The abyss whispered to him. Promises of power. Promises of vengeance. Promises that all his enemies would be crushed beneath his hand if only he kept moving forward.
He clenched his fist around the blade, his knuckles white.
"This dungeon… might just be the perfect place for me to grow."
The first of the new monsters charged, its roar splitting the cavern. Jin met it head-on. The clash was violent, steel against bone, shadow against flesh. He moved like a predator, every strike precise, every motion fueled by rage and control.
His blade cut through limbs, necks, torsos. Black ichor painted the cavern walls. For every monster that fell, two more emerged.
But Jin didn't falter. He welcomed it.
Every cut, every roar, every system notification was fuel.
[Monster slain: +1]
[Monster slain: +1]
[Monster slain: +1]
The numbers climbed slowly, agonizingly slowly. Still a fraction of the insane quota, but each step forward was another step closer to what he wanted most.
Vengeance.
The faces of those he lost flashed in his mind—his wife, his daughter. Their screams, their blood, their final moments. His grip tightened, his attacks growing more ruthless.
He wasn't just killing monsters. He was grinding down the chains that held him back.
The cavern echoed with violence. Claws and fangs clashed against steel. Shadows exploded with every strike. Jin's silhouette moved like a phantom, weaving through the darkness, his blade flashing like lightning in a storm.
His wounds grew in number, but so did his kills. Blood soaked his clothes, both his own and that of his enemies. His muscles ached, his breath grew heavier, but his eyes never dimmed.
They burned brighter.
Because deep down, he understood the truth.
This wasn't just survival. It wasn't just training.
It was transformation.
Every monster he cut down, every drop of shadow energy he absorbed, pulled him further from the man he used to be. He could feel it—the abyss wrapping tighter around his soul, reshaping him into something new. Something darker.
The hunt had only just begun.
And Jin… was ready to embrace it all.