Ash woke to silence and the ache of bruised ribs. The floor beneath him was cracked glass and black stone, still warm from the battle's aftermath. The air smelled of smoke, metal, and mana thick enough to choke on. He sat up slowly, each breath dragging pain across his chest.
The dungeon was quiet now. Only the faint hum of mana remained, like a heartbeat muffled under miles of rock. All around lay shattered armor—the remnants of the Abyssal Knight. When he nudged one of the plates with his boot, it collapsed into gray ash that scattered upward and vanished into the air. Hollow. No flesh, no bones. Just dust and smoke held together by purpose.
"No wonder I survived," he muttered. The thing hadn't been alive. It was a ghost with form—a will wrapped in steel.
A faint chime broke the silence.
[Boss Defeated – Abyssal Knight (Lv 352)]
[Experience gained → Level 39]
[Base stats +380 each]
[Free stat points +390]
[Rewards → Abyssal Knight's Sword (S-Rank), Abyssal Knight's Armor (A-Rank), 5 000 000 Gold, 500 Mana Stones]
He stared at the messages until the glow of them reflected off the fractured floor. Then another line appeared, pulsing brighter than the rest.
[Origin assimilated. Talent activation: Exponential Pulse imminent.]
Light surged from his chest. The air bent. For a heartbeat he couldn't breathe.
[Exponential Pulse triggered — All stats × 2. Free stat points × 2.]
The world tilted. Energy flooded through his body, a storm under skin. Muscles tightened, bones ached, the air around him vibrated. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, faster and heavier with every pulse. The strength felt endless, terrifying, addictive.
When the storm finally eased, the System whispered one more update.
[Time elapsed: 1 day. Hidden stats adjusted. WIS +2 | CHA +0.5 | LCK +0.1]
Ash exhaled, the tension leaving his shoulders in a shaky laugh. "Figures you'd update me while I was unconscious."
The cavern was darker now. The only light came from cracks in the floor and the faint glow of his new sword. It lay beside him, half-buried where it had fallen, still humming with quiet power. When he picked it up, a ripple of black mana climbed the blade and wrapped around his wrist like recognition.
The weapon felt alive—lighter than it should, yet heavier with meaning. The Abyssal Knight's armor lay nearby, reforming itself in slow metallic ripples before hardening into plates shaped to his frame. He hesitated only a moment before putting it on. The pieces locked together perfectly, cold at first and then warm as it synced to his mana flow.
When he flexed, the armor moved with him. The sword's edge shimmered faintly, adjusting its weight to his stance. "Adaptive," he murmured. "Guess we're partners now."
He studied the blade again, its edge catching light that wasn't there. The System chimed softly.
[Item Acquired — Abyssal Knight's Sword (S-Rank)]
Type: Adaptive Greatsword | Origin-Tainted Relic
Stats: STR +150 | AGI +60 | INT +40
Skill – Abyssal Resonance (Active): Converts a portion of user's HP into pure mana for 10 seconds. During this time, all attacks gain 15% increased power and ignore physical defense. Cooldown — 5 minutes.
Trait – Blood Memory: Each successful strike slightly strengthens the sword's resonance, permanently increasing its affinity with the wielder.
Description: Forged from condensed shadow and sealed under divine command. The sword's will has forgotten mercy but remembers every wielder who has fallen trying to control it.
A second chime followed, lower, heavier.
[Item Acquired — Abyssal Knight's Armor (A-Rank)]
Type: Adaptive Plate | Origin-Reactive Set
Stats: VIT +120 | AGI +40 | INT +30
Skill – Abyssal Fortify (Active): Temporarily hardens armor with abyssal energy, granting 25% damage reduction for 15 seconds. Cooldown — 3 minutes.
Trait – Echo Shield: Each blocked attack adds a stacking +2% resistance for 10 seconds (up to +20%). Stacks reset after 10 seconds of inactivity.
Description: Living armor once worn by the Abyssal Knight. It has accepted a new master, but its pulse still beats to the rhythm of war.
The armor tightened, adjusting to his heartbeat until every plate moved like muscle.
He opened his menu again, scrolling through the data.
[Level: 39]
[STR: 1,160]
[AGI: 1,160]
[VIT: 1,160]
[INT: 1,160]
[WIS: 4]
[CHA: 1.5]
[LCK: 0.4]
[Free Points: 780]
It looked impossible, and yet every number felt true. His body was lighter, faster, sharper; even the hum of mana through the air sounded clearer. He could feel the dungeon breathing around him—the pulse of the walls, the echo of power deep beneath the stone.
He sheathed the sword and walked to the center of the room. The spot where the Anomaly Node had hovered was now an empty crater etched with runes that still glowed faintly blue. In their midst, a single spiral staircase had appeared, climbing upward through the dark ceiling.
Ash stared at it for a long moment, then sighed. "About time."
He adjusted the new armor, tested his grip on the sword, and started toward the stairs. Each step echoed off the walls, the rhythm steady, almost meditative. The glow from the runes followed him upward like reluctant light.
The stairwell twisted longer than it should have, the air thickening as he climbed. At some point, the stone shifted color from black to gray, then to pale silver. The sound of his footsteps faded, replaced by something softer—whispers, faint and distant, brushing the edges of hearing.
When he emerged, the light was blinding.
He stood in a hall vast enough to hold a cathedral. Pillars of glass and obsidian rose in twin rows to a ceiling lost in fog. The floor beneath him reflected his every movement like a mirror, except the reflection lagged half a breath behind. Statues lined both sides of the hall—knights in armor similar to the Abyssal one he had fought, each kneeling toward a massive throne of black stone at the far end.
The System chimed again.
[Abyssal Dungeon – Floor 2: Hall of Echoes]
[Threat Level: Unknown]
Ash's reflection blinked independently. His hand twitched toward the hilt of his sword. "That's new."
As he moved deeper into the hall, the statues began to whisper. Faint voices spilled from their open visors—fragments of orders, prayers, and screams. Words without meaning, just sound, looping endlessly like broken recordings of lives long gone.
One of the nearest statues cracked down the middle, its helm splitting as if turning to look at him. Ash froze, every instinct screaming. The voice that seeped out was familiar—the same distorted tone the Abyssal Knight had used mid-battle. The rest followed suit, a slow chorus of whispers filling the hall until it became one low chant that vibrated in his bones.
At the end of the corridor, behind the throne, an archway shimmered with translucent blue light. A barrier of mana, rippling like water. Behind it, shapes moved—shadows pacing in the mist.
Ash approached carefully. The runes on the floor brightened with each step. A pedestal waited before the barrier, holding a fractured crystal core that pulsed faintly, its light fading and returning like a heartbeat. The System highlighted it.
[Interact?]
He stared at it, exhausted yet curious. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered. "Can't even get five minutes."
The whispering grew louder. The barrier quivered. The mana in the air condensed, pressing against his skin like static. He tightened his grip on the sword, drawing it half out of the sheath, its dark edge catching the weak light.
"Alright," he said quietly, voice steady now. "Let's see what floor two has for me."
He reached toward the crystal. The air shuddered. The whispers became a single voice.
And the hall went dark.