The subway tunnel trembled as if the earth itself was in pain.
The Void Sentinel, a ten-foot monstrosity of jagged obsidian and corrupted mana, roared. Its single violet eye pulsed with a killing intent that froze the air. It raised a massive, crystallized fist and smashed it down.
BOOM!
Concrete exploded. Dust and debris flew like shrapnel.
Aryan didn't block it. He couldn't. At Level 6, taking a direct hit from a C-Rank Boss meant instant death. Instead, he moved like a phantom.
[Skill Activated: Void Step]
He flickered out of existence a millisecond before the fist connected, reappearing on the tunnel wall. He pushed off the concrete, his legs burning with exertion, and launched himself toward the Boss's head.
"You are slow," Aryan gritted out, though sweat was trickling down his forehead.
He wasn't unscathed. A sharp shard of rock had grazed his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood. The pain was real, grounding him in this brutal reality. But the hunger inside him—the hunger of the Void—was louder than the pain.
The Sentinel swung its other arm, a horizontal sweep meant to crush Aryan against the ceiling.
Aryan twisted his body in mid-air. The massive stone arm passed inches beneath him. He landed on the monster's arm and ran up its limb, aiming straight for the glowing eye in its chest.
"Die."
Aryan thrust his hand forward. He didn't use a weapon. His hand was the weapon.
[Skill: Void Extraction (Overdrive)]
He slammed his palm directly onto the pulsating violet eye.
SCREEEEEEE—!
The Sentinel screamed—a sound like grinding metal. Aryan didn't let go. He dug his fingers into the core, channeling every ounce of his Void Energy into the strike.
"Devour!" he roared.
Black lightning erupted from Aryan's arm, consuming the purple light of the Boss. The crystal armor began to crack. The cracks glowed white, then shattered. The massive body of the Sentinel began to disintegrate, turning into a storm of grey ash.
[Target Eliminated.]
[Massive Essence Absorbed.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Current Level: 9]
Aryan landed on the ruined tracks, breathing heavily. The dust settled around him. The silence returned, heavier than before.
But something was left behind.
In the pile of grey ash where the Boss had stood, a small object was glowing. It wasn't a normal Mana Stone. It was a jagged, translucent gem that seemed to contain a swirling galaxy inside it.
[Item Detected: Dimensional Fragment (Unstable)]
Aryan frowned. He reached out and picked it up.
The moment his skin touched the cold surface of the stone, the world broke.
ZZZZZTTT!
The dark, smelling subway tunnel vanished. The sound of dripping water was replaced by the sound of wind rustling through leaves.
Aryan blinked. He was standing in a field of golden grass. The sky above was a brilliant, impossible blue. The air smelled sweet, like vanilla and rain.
And there, standing a few meters away under a blooming white tree, was a figure.
It was a girl.
She had her back to him, but Aryan knew that silhouette. He knew the way her long hair danced in the wind. He knew the curve of her shoulders.
His heart, which had been a cold stone since his awakening, slammed against his ribs. The 'Sigma' mask, the emotionless facade he had built to survive, shattered in an instant.
"You..." Aryan whispered, his voice cracking.
She began to turn around.
"No... it can't be. You're gone."
But she was right there. Alive. Breathing.
Aryan took a step forward. Then he ran. He reached out his hand, desperate to touch her, to verify that this wasn't a hallucination. "Wait! Don't go!"
BANG!
Just as his fingertips were about to brush her shoulder, an invisible wall of force slammed into him.
[System Warning: Dimensional Boundary Detected.]
[Access Denied.]
The vision began to flicker like a broken television screen. The golden field started to turn grey. The girl's figure began to dissolve into static.
"No!" Aryan screamed, pounding his fists against the invisible barrier. "No, let me go! I need to go there! System, take me to her!"
[System Error: User Level insufficient for Inter-Dimensional Travel.]
"I don't care about the level!" Aryan roared, tears streaming down his face for the first time in this life. He didn't look like a cold hunter anymore; he looked like a broken man. "She is right there! Open the gate! I command you!"
The System's mechanical voice rang in his head, colder than ice, yet detailed in a way it had never been before.
[Clarification: The target resides in Dimension-404. To bridge the gap between realities, one must transcend the laws of physics.]
[Requirement: Level 999.]
Aryan froze. "Level... 999?"
[Affirmative. At Level 999, the Void Walker achieves 'Singularity'. You will gain the authority to traverse the Multiverse.]
Aryan wiped the tears from his eyes, his hands trembling. "If I reach Level 999... can I save her? Can I bring her back?"
[Correction: You cannot bring the dead back to this reality. However, you can replace a 'Variant'.]
"Variant?"
[Explanation: In that dimension, another version of 'Aryan' exists. At Level 999, you can merge with that timeline. You can live the life of that Variant.]
Aryan stared at the fading image of the girl. "But... what happens to that world? To that Aryan?"
[A new timeline will be created. A 'Branch Reality'. The original Variant will continue his life in his timeline, unaffected. But you... you will create a new path. A reality where you and she exist together. A timeline created solely for your desire.]
The vision vanished completely.
Aryan was back in the dark, rotting subway tunnel. The beautiful sky was gone, replaced by the damp ceiling. The smell of vanilla was gone, replaced by the stench of ozone and blood.
He fell to his knees, clutching the Dimensional Fragment tight against his chest until it cut into his skin.
He sat there for a long time, the tears drying on his cheeks. Slowly, the sorrow in his eyes began to harden. The pain turned into something else. Something infinite.
He stood up. The cold mask returned, but this time, there was a fire burning behind the ice.
"Level 999," Aryan whispered into the darkness. "A new timeline. A life where I don't have to lose you."
He didn't crush the stone. Instead, he opened his inventory and carefully stored the [Dimensional Fragment] inside. It was no longer just loot. It was a promise.
"I don't care if I have to kill every monster in this universe. I don't care if I have to become a monster myself."
He looked at the exit of the tunnel.
"I will reach the end. I will break the dimension."
[System Update: New Quest Generated.]
[Main Quest: Reach Level 999.]
[Time Limit: None.]
[Reward: A New Life.]