A sharp, stabbing pain shot through Kael's skull the moment he advanced to Level 3 Primal Warrior. His vision blurred, his body stiffened, and a wave of nausea crashed over him.
The dungeon's damp, stale air felt heavier, pressing down on him like a suffocating weight.
He dropped to one knee, gasping. His fingers clawed at the cold stone floor.
The pain dulled after what felt like an eternity. His thoughts cleared, but something else replaced the agony. An unfamiliar flood of memories poured into his mind like water breaking through a dam.
He staggered, pressing a hand to his temple as images, emotions, and experiences that were not his own surfaced.
A grand estate with marble columns, gilded halls lined with portraits of stern-faced ancestors, and a noble crest bearing a silver wolf against a crimson field.
Kael's breath came in ragged gasps. The memories weren't just images. They carried emotions, instincts, and knowledge. He was seeing life through another's eyes, but the familiarity of it dug into his bones as if the body itself and his soul were seamlessly one.
Training yards, sword drills, political lessons, a younger sister's cute smile, a older brother's jealous glare, mother's gentle touch on his forehead, a Father's stern face. All of it felt real. All of it felt like 'his' past.
And then, realization struck like lightning.
"This isn't my time."
The revelation shocked him more than the pain had. His hands trembled as the pieces clicked together. The world in those memories was different. The power structure and even the cultivation methods felt... diluted. Weaker.
Kael's breath slowed as understanding settled over him. He wasn't in the timeline before his death. He was five thousand years after his death, reincarnated into the body of a noble descendant of House Veyne who shared the same name as him. The noble house was a once-powerful family now serving under the Valoria Kingdom.
'Five thousand years.' Everything he knew was different. The Silent Blades Sect might have gone extinct or transformed beyond recognition. Darius, Evelyn, all of them....
He let out a slow exhale, something bitter and cold settling in his chest.
He had wanted vengeance. To gut the traitors who betrayed him. To burn down the sect that had abandoned him. To watch them suffer as he had suffered.
But they were probably long dead, turned to dust centuries ago.
The regret came in sharp and bitter, but he crushed it before it could take root. Dwelling on what couldn't be changed was a waste of time. Though he didn't have enough evidence to conclude his theory, there was a high chance that this was a lower level world, far from his own.
His lips curled into a cold smirk. "Fine. If the past is gone, I'll carve a new path into this world." He pushed himself to his feet, steadier now. "Let's see what this world has to offer."
This identity, this body, this second chance, it was his now. And he would make the most of it.
Kael turned his focus back to his immediate situation. His vengeance could wait. Survival came first. He needed to leave this dungeon.
Looking around, the air was thick with the scent of damp stone and decay. The dungeon walls pulsed faintly, as though the very structure was alive, feeding off the deaths that had occurred within. Torches flickered in their sconces, casting dancing shadows that made every corner seem like it hid something deadly.
"Now... how do I navigate this system?" he muttered, wiping blood from his hands onto his torn robes.
At once, the system responded. A cold, lifeless voice echoed in his mind and a translucent window flickered into view. The letters glowed faintly in the dim dungeon light, hovering in his vision like a ghost.
---
[SYSTEM MENU DISPLAYED]
[Status Window]
Name: Kael Veyne
Level: 1
Race: Human (Eldritch Hybrid)
Bloodline: Eldritch Devourer
Rank: Initiate Devourer
Affiliate: House Veyne
Experience Points: 5/50 EXP
Cultivation: Level 3 Primal Warrior
Blood Points: 2 BP
[Attributes]
> Strength: 10
> Dexterity: 14
> Constitution: 8
> Mental Cognition: 12
> Stamina: 8 (100%)
> Devourer Corruption: 0.5% (Increases with overconsumption—mutation risk at 10%+)
[Abilities]
> Devour Essence (Active): Absorb 50% of the primal energy of slain foes one realm above. Increases by 2% with every system level up.
> Assimilate Traits (Passive): 10% chance to steal abilities from devoured enemies. Increases by 5% with every system level up.
[Traits]
> Night Predator (Trait) – Enhanced stealth, vision, and reaction speed in darkness.
> Adaptive Regeneration (Trait) – Minor wounds heal quickly. Large wounds require BP.
[System Navigator]
> [Status] – Displays current level, attributes, and abilities.
> [Abilities] – Lists and upgrades bloodline skills.
> [Inventory] – Stores non-living items and essence fragments. Unlocks upon reaching Lvl 5.
> [Bloodline Progression] – Unlocks new evolutions upon meeting conditions.
> [Quests] – System-generated tasks with rewards.
> [System Logs] – Records past notifications and kills.
---
Kael scrolled through the menu with his mind, testing its responsiveness. The interface shifted instantly, obeying his thoughts as if it were an extension of his own will. No hand gestures or verbal commands needed. Just intent.
His eyes lingered on his Blood Points. Two. Acquired after killing that Level 5 Feral Beast. If they could enhance his abilities, he needed to understand how they worked.
'Use 1 Blood Point on Strength.'
The system processed his command instantly.
---
[Blood Point Consumed]
[Strength Increased: 10 → 11]
[Remaining BP: 1]
---
A small rush of raw power pulsed through his muscles. It wasn't just a number going up, he felt it. The fibers of his body tightened, coiling like springs ready to unleash. His grip instinctively adjusted as if his hands had learned how to wield greater force without conscious effort.
He flexed his fingers, then made a fist. The difference was subtle but undeniable. Stronger. More controlled.
A slow grin spread across his lips. "This will do nicely."
His eyes flicked to the Quests tab. Currently empty, but that wouldn't last. If the system wanted him to grow, it would start pushing him soon enough.
For now, he had one goal, survive and clear this F-Rank dungeon.
Dungeons were ranked from highest to lowest: SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, F. The memories from this body told him that much. F-Rank was the bottom tier, places where beginners in the Primal Warrior Realm trained and adventurers harvested easy materials.
According to the memories he received, this F-Rank dungeon was made up of small labyrinths with Early Stage to Peak Stage Feral Beasts. Goblins, Scaled Spiders, Wolves, Kobolds, and the like. Nothing that would trouble a powerful cultivator'l.
But Kael wasn't a powerful cultivator anymore. Not in this body.
He turned toward the dark corridors ahead, stone shard still clutched in his hand. He had tested his power. Now it was time to use it.
The dungeon stretched before Kael, dark and silent except for the occasional drip of water echoing from somewhere deep within. Every breath he took carried the scent of damp stone and something faintly rotten, the lingering presence of blood.
His grip tightened on the makeshift weapon as he crouched low, scanning the dim corridor ahead. The torches here were fewer and farther between, leaving long stretches of shadow.
The first level of this dungeon was home to weaker monsters like wolves, scaled spiders, and the occasional goblin scout. Creatures that an ordinary Primal Warrior could face without much trouble.
But Kael had no illusions. This wasn't a game. One mistake could kill him just as easily as Darius's blade had.
He moved forward, silent as a shadow. His Night Predator trait made the darkness feel familiar, almost comfortable. Shapes that would have been invisible to normal eyes stood out in shades of gray.
A faint clicking sound echoed from above.
Kael halted mid-step, shifting his weight as his heightened senses picked up movement in the dark. Something skittering across stone.
He looked up slowly.
A spider clung to the ceiling directly above him. Larger than a hunting dog, with jagged legs and a dull, scaled body that gleamed faintly in the torchlight. Its multiple eyes reflected the dim glow like tiny jewels.
It hadn't noticed him yet. Too focused on something farther down the corridor.
Kael's mind worked quickly. A direct frontal attack was too risky. He didn't know if its hide could withstand his strikes, and if it got its fangs into him, venom would be the least of his problems in his weakened state.
He needed to cripple it first.
A plan formed in seconds.
He reached down slowly, picking up a loose chunk of stone from the floor. His movements were deliberate, controlled. No sudden motions to trigger the spider's vibration sense.
Then he threw the stone down the corridor, away from his position.
The rock clattered against the wall.
The spider's head snapped toward the sound instantly. Its legs tensed, body coiling as it prepared to drop on what it thought was prey.
Kael moved.
He exhaled slowly and took one deliberate step forward, placing himself directly beneath the creature.
The spider reacted immediately, sensing the vibration. It dropped from the ceiling with legs splayed wide, mandibles snapping toward him with deadly intent.
Kael twisted to the side at the last possible moment. The spider's body crashed against the stone floor where he'd been standing, its momentum carrying it past him.
Before it could recover, he lunged forward. His stone shard drove toward the joint where its leg met its body, the weak point in any arthropod's armor.
A sickening crunch sounded as the makeshift blade punched through chitin and soft tissue.
The spider screeched, a high-pitched sound that echoed through the corridor. It flailed wildly, greenish-black blood spilling from the wound. Its injured leg buckled, throwing the creature off balance.
Kael didn't give it time to adapt. He grabbed another leg with his free hand, feeling the coarse texture of scaled chitin. He twisted sharply, putting his enhanced strength behind the motion.
Snap.
The leg broke at the joint, hanging uselessly.
The spider thrashed harder now, trying to turn its body to bring its fangs to bear. But with two legs crippled, it couldn't coordinate its movements properly.
Kael circled behind it, staying in its blind spot. Then he drove the stone shard deep into the back of its head, right where the brain cluster would be.
The creature twitched violently once. Twice. Then went still, legs curling inward as death took it.
---
[Mid-level Feral Beast Slain: Scaled Spider]
[4 EXP Gained]
[EXP: 9/50]
---
Kael pulled the stone free, breathing hard. Not from exhaustion, his stamina was still high. But from the adrenaline of combat, the razor-edge awareness that came from fighting for your life.
He wiped the greenish blood off on the spider's body, then straightened. His eyes swept the corridor ahead. No other movements could be detected nor sounds of approaching threats.
"Good."
He examined the spider's corpse more closely. The scaled hide might be useful, but without proper tools to harvest it, carrying chunks of monster would only slow him down. He'd come back if he needed materials later.
For now, he had to keep moving.
The dungeon wouldn't clear itself, and every moment he stayed in one place was a moment something else could corner him. He'd already learned that lesson the hard way in his previous life.
Kael stepped over the spider's body and continued deeper into the labyrinth, stone shard at the ready. His senses stretched out, searching for the next threat.