Chapter 121: Echoes of Power & Fear
[23rd May]
Rey's body lay sprawled across the cold stone floor.
A voice whispered his name from the void.
His eyes snapped open.
The cavern ceiling loomed above him—the same place where the bloodbath against the Mother Beast had ended.
But now…The battlefield was silent.
The corpses—gone.
Even the Mother Beast's massive husk had vanished.
Only one answer came to mind.
'Oblivion must've devoured them all.'
Rey pushed himself up, vision hazy.
His lips trembled. "Aiden… are you here? Or did you all shut down again?"
The silence stretched—until a scoff echoed in his ears.
"I'm here, you foolish brat. I've been busy scanning the changes happening inside your body."
And then—
Panels.
A torrential downpour of glowing screens rained before his eyes.
Each one ringing out like a war drum.
—Ding! —Ding! —Ding! —Ding!
───◈ [System Notification] ◈───
[Sub Ability, Devour (F), has consumed several bodies.
Ability: Darkness (EX+) → Sub Ability grade has increased to (D+).]
[You've gained stats and skills in return after consumption of 2×Stage 2 Beast, 783×Psuedo Stage 1 Eggs, 1×Psuedo Stage 3 Mother Beast.]
[Stats Gained ▶ STR +134 | AGL +127 | VIT +119 | INT +54 | STA +63 | END +71]
[Skills Gained ▶ 2×Pulse Range (C) | 1×Pulse Core(A-)]
[Similar skills are being refined within the ability. Mutation in progress...]
[You've replaced the skill ▶ Abyssal Pulse Echo (S)]
[Ability proficiency increased → (7.2%)]
[You've slained 786× Oscyra Beast]
[You've gained an enormous amount of experience, being store in status.]
[Detected! ... Conditions met]
[Through Repeated actions, the candidate has gained enough enlightenment to gain a skill.]
[Mutation in progress...]
[You've gained the skill ▶ Ebon Vein Reinforcement(D)]
[⟪Ebon Vein Reinforcement⟫ (Active)
Grade: D
Description: A body-forging skill that channels darkness-infused mana into flesh and bone, reinforcing the user's physique with shadow-forged strength. Muscles harden, reflexes sharpen, and a thin veil of darkness cloaks the body, granting enhanced strength, speed, and partial damage resistance.]
[⟪Abyssal Pulse Echo⟫ (Passive/Active)
Grade: S
Description: A darkness-forged resonance that turns every heartbeat into a pulse of awareness. The user releases layered echoes that map the battlefield, expose hidden threats, and even read intent through subtle vibrations. With each wave, no movement or hostility can remain concealed.
Effects:
Creates a real-time mental map of surroundings up to 100 meters.
Detects hostility and killing intent with 90% accuracy.
Disrupts stealth and illusions up to S-rank with 75% chance.
Pulses penetrate barriers and thin walls, revealing hidden foes.]
───◈◈◈◈◈───
Rey's lips curled into a grin.
"…Cool."
But the grin froze.
Because when he muttered the word, his voice didn't just leave his lips—It echoed back.
The cavern itself hummed in resonance. His heartbeat throbbed like a war drum, rebounding in layered pulses.
His long-awaited skill had arrived.
Yet he couldn't fathom what exact condition birthed it.
He turned to Aiden, ready to demand answers—
—but the atmosphere shifted.
A gust brushed against his cheek.
Faint, deliberate.
His brows furrowed.
'Airflow? Underground?'
Where there's wind… there's an exit.
Rey staggered to his feet, following the unseen current deeper through the stone corridors.
Minutes passed before the narrow slit revealed itself—a hidden passage carved through the cavern wall.
Too small for men.
Perfect for beasts.
Rey grit his teeth, muscles straining as he shoved boulders aside.
Light spilled in.
And what he saw…stole the air from his lungs.
A lush forest stretched beyond, its canopy glittering under the sun. The outside world—right here, hidden beyond the Wall's shadow.
Understanding clicked.
'That's how the beasts fed themselves. That's where the Mother Beast came from.'
Jaw tight, Rey rolled a boulder back, sealing the slit once more. He raised his arm, ready to destroy the passage entirely.
But Aiden's voice cut in, sharp as steel.
"Don't be hasty, boy. That path isn't just danger—it's opportunity. Beyond those walls lies a battlefield fit for blades. And even the sharpest sword dulls without blood to test its edge."
Rey's hand lingered.
His breath steadied.
He hated to admit it, but the logic burned true.
A secret path outside the walls… A chance to train in the wilderness that no academy dared expose its students to.
'But only until the exam results drop.'
With that silent promise, he left the boulders as they were.
His footsteps echoed back to the main cavern, shadows trailing him.
And when he pulled up his system screen—the sheer scope of his transformation finally hit him.
The panel shone brighter.
Sharper.
Different.
Almost as if the system itself had evolved…
───◈◈◈◈◈───
Name: Rey Shadowthrone
Age: 18
Race: Human (Fully Dark-Attributed)
Physique: Darkness Physique (Upgradable)
Titles: Self-Learner, The Psycho, The Killing Manic, Abyss's Blessed, Absolute Path Initiate
Class: None
Level: 6 [2,06,760/6000]
Rank: 0th Rank
Core: Darksyth Core [F+] {0%} (Rank 0)
Curse: Nirzveil's Covenant (Origin- Grade)
Variant: Oblivion Gloom (Darkness Path)
Laws: Death {.0013%} (!), Soul {.000009%} (!), 'Darkness' {.01312%} (!), Shadow {.0011%} (!)
[Attributes]
HP: 1,305/1,305 (Reserve Energy: +1,305)
MP: 1,417.5/1,417.5 (Mana Overload: +1,417.5)
Stats:
Strength (STR): 294 [D] (↑134)
Agility (AGI): 296 [D] (↑127)
Vitality (VIT): 261 [D] (↑119)
Intelligence (INT): 189 {+378} [C+] (↑54)
Stamina (STA): 259 [D] (↑63)
Endurance (END): 229 [D-] (↑71)
Luck (LUK): F+ (Dependent on Core)
Free Stat Points: 18 (↑0)
Derived Stats:
Attack Power (ATK): 354 (Potential Strength: +354)
Magical Power (MGL): 340.2 (Arcane Potential: +340.2)
Defence (DEF): 244 (Reinforcement Reserve: +244) [Skills]
Active Skills:
Tier 0: Eclipse Shroud (S) | Umbral Dash (C+) | Abyssborne Overdrive (A+) | Ebon Vein Reinforcement (D)
Passive Skills:
Tier 0: Darkforged Repair (C+) | Phantom Shift (S) | Abyssal Pulse Echo (S, Hybrid) | Dreadflow Instinct (C)
Resistance:
Tier 0: Heat Resistance (F) | Anesthetic Resistance (F)
Art/Technique(s):
Veil of the Unseen Abyss {Stage 0 – Concealment of Shadows} [38%]
Abilities:
Tier 0: DARKNESS (EX+)
Inventory:
Ravager Claw (Common+) | Ironfang Spear (Uncommon-)....
───◈ Arsenal Mastery ◈───
Sword: E+ ↑ (99%)
Dagger/Knives: E+ ↑ (99%) (!)
Spear: E+ ↑ (99%) (!)
Shield: E+ ↑ (78%) (!)
Bow: E+ ↑ (99%) (!)
Greatsword: D- ↑ (76%)
Hand-to-Hand: E+ ↑ (18%)
Gun: E (11%)
Hammer: E+ ↑ (2%)
Katana: E+ (94%)
───◈◈◈◈◈───
The system screens flickered, then dimmed.
Nothing new—except swollen stats, sharpened skills, and that ever-growing mystery…
His Law comprehension.The one thing he could never understand.
Every time he thought he grasped it, the trail slipped away.
'Is it tied to Oblivion Gloom?'
The suspicion gnawed at him. But with no proof, the case sealed itself shut once more.
Rey exhaled.
He turned toward the path he had crawled through earlier.
A pulse rippled from his chest—His Abyssal Pulse Echo, now S-rank.
The cavern bloomed in his mind like a glowing map. Every jagged wall, every crack in stone, every empty corridor replayed inside his brain in crisp detail.
What had once been a nest overflowing with Oscyra Beasts—now lies in ruins.
A tomb of silence.
He felt nothing for it.
Only the memory of blades and blood. Only the reminder that survival was never pretty.
Tentacles burst from his back.
Their slick forms coiled around stone as he began climbing upward, pulling himself along the beast-carved shaft.
It was slow, clumsy.
He slipped more than once, catching himself by instinct alone.
Even with enhanced control, the writhing limbs didn't feel like his.
They weren't human.
They weren't him.
At last, daylight spilled through the opening above after leaning the underground floor and reaching the top.
Rey pulled himself out, feet planting on the factory rooftop. Evening skies painted the world in bruised orange and shadows.
"…Damn. I'm late."
Without hesitation, he sprinted across the roof, leapt into the air—and landed without pain.
His body absorbed the fall with ease, strength surging through him like a beast unchained.
But it wasn't enough.
He needed more speed.
<Ebon Vein Reinforcement>
Mana stirred, threading like black lightning through his veins. Muscles coiled, bones hardened, a faint shadow slipped over his skin.
His presence dimmed—like he was fading into the world itself.
Then—he exploded forward.
Streets blurred into streaks of colour.
Wind whipped past him like tearing paper.
Five minutes later, he stood before his home.
A trip that once took twenty. Now crushed beneath his new power.
The door creaked open.
Rey stepped inside.
The drawing room.
Jasmine sat slumped forward, her hand cradling her head.
Emmy knelt beside her, whispering gently, trying to soothe her.
Their eyes turned toward the sound of his footsteps.
Red. Both pairs are swollen and red.
Tears.
Rey froze. Something twisted in his chest.
He stepped forward—
—SLAP!
A sharp sting exploded across his cheek.
Jasmine's hand trembled in the air, her eyes brimming with tears and fear.
Rey didn't move.
Didn't dodge.
Didn't even raise a hand to stop her.
Because in her eyes—he saw something far sharper than anger.
Something that pierced deeper than any claw or fang.
Fear.
The kind that shattered him more than the strike itself.
He lowered his head. Silent.
Not in shame—But in acknowledgement.
Because this time…he knew.
He had done something wrong.
"Do you even know why you got slapped just now…?"
Jasmine's voice was low. Shaking.
Rey slowly shook his head.
Her tears spilled again.
"You were gone for half a day. Do you know what that did to us? Do you know what kind of thoughts tore through me—wondering if you'd been kidnapped again, or worse?!"
Her voice cracked, rising.
"When Emmy told me you weren't home, I thought my heart was going to stop. Thousands of horrible thoughts clawed at me, Rey! Thousands!"
Her hands trembled as she wiped her face, only for more tears to fall.
"You come back late, training, fighting, chasing whatever it is out there… Do you care about us? Even for a single moment?"
The room fell heavy.
Rey opened his mouth. "…Mom, I was just training with my mast—"
"Shut up!"
Her roar cut through him like steel.
"I don't care who your master is or what he's teaching you! Do you think training means anything if it costs your family their peace?! If it costs me my son?!"
Rey lowered his gaze. Silent.
There was nothing he could say.
Nothing he could say.
Because if Jasmine ever knew the truth… their lives here would collapse.
Jasmine's chest heaved. "Nothing to say? Not a single word?"
"…Mom, I know I was late. But my master was teaching me a technique that's important for my futu—"
"Enough!"
Her voice was raw.
"I'm done with this 'master' story. If he's real, bring him here. Let me meet him once, and I'll never interfere again."
Rey clenched his fists. "…He… he can't meet anyone. Only me."
Her lips curled into a bitter smile. "Then what is he? A beast? A ghost? Enough of this. Either I meet him, or you're banned from leaving this house until your entrance exam in the capital. Before that, do whatever you want—but no going outside, I want you here. Alive. Safe."
She lifted Emmy from the ground and walked away, leaving Rey standing alone in the drawing room.
The silence pressed down on him until it hurt.
Minutes passed.
Aiden's voice finally broke the quiet. "You should head to your room."
Rey dragged his feet upstairs, mind numb, appetite gone. He dropped onto his bed, staring at nothing.
'Is this it? Did I just lose my chance to train outside the walls…?'
Aiden's voice sharpened. "Why bother with the outside when you're ignoring what just happened? You've already gained something critical."
Rey blinked. "What do you mean? I don't remember—"
"You fool. You passed a condition half an hour ago. The threshold for learning skills through the System."
Rey shot upright. "What?!"
"Check your invasion rate."
He opened the panel.
[<Mana Invasion Process: 5.76% >
Estimated time until World Barrier Collapse: 1.25 years.]
His eyes widened.
Aiden continued, "At 5%, you've unlocked the foundation to learn true skills. At 10%, smaller creatures will begin mutating. At 20%, humans and beasts alike. Until now, you've been fighting barehanded compared to those born in mana worlds. Now, you finally catch up."
Rey clenched his fists, heart pounding. "So I can really learn skills now…?"
"Yes. Though it's far more complex than your silly novels—but use that as your guide if you must."
"Then let's start." His voice burned with resolve. "I need power. Enough that even Mother Beast like beasts won't be a threat anymore."
"Then prepare yourself. But…" Aiden's tone shifted, dark. "If you want to keep this secret, pray your mother doesn't walk through that door."
Rey froze."…What?"
"I can sense her. She's already coming."
Aiden's presence vanished.
The footsteps drew closer. The door handle turned—
—Click…
The door slowly swung open.
Rey's breath hitched.
→ To Be Continued...
What will happen next?
Is Rey going to receive another stern lecture, or is something more significant going to occur?
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Have a great day, everyone!