Darkness pressed in from every direction.
Farhan's body fell through a vertical shaft of broken stone, fragments tearing past him like shrapnel. The air screamed. His consciousness wavered, dragged thin by exhaustion, pain, and something deeper—something pulling at him from beyond flesh.
Then the fall stopped.
Not abruptly.
Decisively.
Farhan hovered inches above an unseen surface, suspended by nothing he could feel or control. The dungeon around him had vanished. In its place was a vast, colorless space—endless and empty, like the pause between heartbeats.
A presence stirred.
Not hostile. Not benevolent. Evaluative.
His vision sharpened.
Status Window
Name: Farhan Tier: 0 (Breakthrough Possible)
Stats:
Strength: 13
Agility: 14
Endurance: 13
Will: 12
Perception: 13
Power Points:76
Affinities: ⚡ Lightning (Active) 🌑 Shadow (Active) 🌀 Space (Locked) 🌱 Life (Locked)
System Authority:Unclassified
The window remained longer this time.
Farhan didn't move. He understood instinctively—this wasn't a moment for action. It was a moment for judgment.
A second layer unfolded.
Cleaner. Colder.
SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETEUSER VERIFIEDRE-AWAKENING: CONFIRMED
The space responded to the confirmation. Invisible pressure rolled outward, as if reality itself had acknowledged him.
Farhan clenched his jaw. "So you finally decided to show yourself."
No voice answered.
Instead—
TALENT ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS
Images flashed through the void.
The Goblin Boss's skull collapsing. The moment space bent without permission. Life forcing his body to continue despite fatal damage.
The System observed everything.
Then it rendered judgment.
TALENT CLASSIFICATION: S-RANKDESIGNATION: [UNNAMED — EVOLUTION LOCKED]
Farhan exhaled slowly.
S-Rank.
He didn't smile.
He had seen A-Ranks struggle. He had seen what the world called "genius." If this was S, then the ceiling above it had to be monstrous.
Another line appeared.
NOTE:Talent Evolution Requirement (S → SS): 50,000 Power PointsSTATUS: INCOMPLETE
Farhan laughed quietly, the sound dry in the empty space.
"Figures."
Fifty thousand kills worth of authority. An impossible number by any sane standard. The System wasn't promising power—it was daring him to survive long enough to deserve it.
The space began to collapse inward.
TIER BREAKTHROUGH AVAILABLECONDITION MET: YESEXECUTE?
Farhan's body tensed.
He felt it now—the pressure behind the prompt. This wasn't a stat increase. This was a boundary. Crossing it would change how his body, mind, and authority interacted with the world.
And it would hurt.
He didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The void shattered.
Pain unlike anything before tore through him. Not physical, not mental—structural. His existence was being rewritten, reinforced, forced into a new frame. Lightning burned through his nerves. Shadow anchored his consciousness. His bones screamed, then hardened.
He didn't scream.
He endured.
When it ended, Farhan dropped to one knee on solid ground.
Cold stone.
Dungeon air.
Reality.
Status Window
Tier:1 — Martial Apprentice
No fanfare.
No celebration.
Just fact.
The dungeon around him was dead. Cracked walls. Dissolving monster remains. The Goblin Nest had been completely purged. Mana in the air destabilized, signaling imminent collapse.
Farhan stood slowly.
His body felt heavier.
Denser.
Right.
"First dungeon," he muttered. "Finished."
The System did not respond.
It didn't need to.
Farhan stepped toward the exit light forming at the edge of the chamber, shadows trailing behind him like loyal hounds, lightning humming quietly beneath his skin.
Space and Life remained sealed.
Watching.
Waiting.
As he crossed the threshold and the dungeon collapsed behind him, one final message surfaced—brief, almost dismissive.
ARC COMPLETENEXT PHASE: WORLD INTERACTION UNLOCKED
Farhan emerged into daylight.
And the world, unaware of what had just been born beneath it, continued breathing as usual.
End of Chapter Four
End of Opening Arc