The chamber was silent.
The Flesh Tyrant's remains steamed in the cold air, its massive corpse dissolving into black mist.
Kael stood over it, expression blank.
Inside, he was burning.
Power coiled through his veins like smoke under his skin.
[Item Consumed: Tyrant Core][Passive Mutating…][New Trait Gained: Tyrant's Will – Lv.1]"Dominance over lesser creatures increases. Resistance to fear effects: 100%."
[Kael – Rank: E][Stat Bonus Applied: +STR, +VIT][Shadow Crown: Forming…]
Zar stared, eyes wide. "Master… your head…"
Dark energy swirled around Kael's brow, forming jagged, curved points — not a real crown, but something more primal. A symbol.
[Unique Title Evolved: The Abyssborn → Tyrant of the Deep]
They moved to a quiet edge of the Maw to rest.
Kael sat by a flickering fire, eating dried flesh, eyes focused on the flickering system menus only he could see.
[Followers: 1 – Zar | Loyalty: 100% | Rank: E][Mana Core: Stabilized. Evolution Path: Adaptive Darkness][New Fusion Available: Shadow Step + Abyss Bind → Phantom Grasp Lv.1]
I'm still weak, Kael thought. But I'm moving fast. Faster than the world expects.
"Kael."
SAGE's voice, steady and flat.
"You are nearing the exit of the First Layer. Above you lies the Surface. Are you prepared for light?"
He said nothing at first.
Then—
"Yes."
Before leaving, Kael looked at Zar.
"You've grown," he said. "But it's not enough. You need a weapon that grows with you."
He raised his hand over a pile of monster bones and mana ash.
Darkness gathered, twisting, binding—
[New Spell: Dark Forge Lv.1][Crafting… Boneblade of the Abyss – Complete.]
He handed it to Zar.
The goblin took it like it was a holy artifact. His hands trembled.
"For me?"
"For war," Kael replied.
[Zar – Weapon Equipped: Boneblade of the Abyss (+Dark Slash)][Loyalty Surge: 110% – Title Gained: Kael's First Fang]
They ascended.
Through a tunnel of jagged rock. Through walls marked by claw and blood.
And then—
Light.
Faint. Blue. Cold.
They had reached the surface.
Not the world above—But the middle layer.
The Waking Wastes — a ruined expanse where humans, elves, and monsters struggled to coexist. Where old cities lay buried under war and ash.
Kael stepped out, shadow trailing behind him like a cape.
Zar shielded his eyes, then grinned. "So this is where they all live?"
"No," Kael said, eyes narrowed. "This is where they all hide."
[Location Unlocked: Waking Wastes – Border of the First Kingdom][New Faction Detected: Crimson Hunters – Hostile Alignment][Kael's Aura Detected – Rumors Begin…]
Far away, in a castle carved from silver and prayer, a scrying mirror cracked.
An archmage watched the shadows flicker.
"…The Abyssborn lives."