Dawn rose red.
Ethan stood, sword in hand, boots soaked with dew and dried blood. He hadn't slept a wink. His body ached, but he welcomed the pain. It reminded him that he was alive. That Licia was dead. That vengeance was waiting.
[SIDE QUEST UPDATE: JOURNEY TO THE NEIGHBORING KINGDOM — 2/5 DAYS SURVIVED]
[EXP TO NEXT LEVEL: 32/200]
[CURRENT EXP: 32/200]
He moved again. Trees thinned, giving way to wetland. Thick marshes stretched into the horizon, bubbling with foul smells and insects swarming like clouds. The soil squelched beneath his feet, and every step felt like dragging iron.
"Tch. Lovely place to die, huh?"
The system Pulsed, glowing red, alarming.
[WARNING: ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD DETECTED]
[LOCATION: BLOODMARSH FLATS]
[STATUS EFFECT: FATIGUE ACCUMULATION INCREASED]
He pressed forward. No maps, no signs. Just instinct and the system. It wasn't guiding him yet. Just watching. Testing. Around midday, a soft splash alerted him. Ethan dropped low, sword drawn.
From the mist ahead, another creature slithered out of the swamp. Amphibious. Its limbs twisted, bent unnaturally backward. Its head was reptilian, with a long tongue dripping poison.
[TARTARUS BEAST DETECTED – CLASS II] [NAME: SWAMP-CRAWLER TOAD-LICH]
[HP: 120/120]
[ABILITIES: Venom Spit, Regeneration, Tongue Lash]
[WEAK SPOT: BACK NERVE NODE]
Ethan exhaled. "Guess I'm your lunch, huh?"
" Thanks to the system, it analyzes my enemies and display its data before me. This is really practical. No need to overthink.
The beast croaked, then launched. Ethan dodged left. The tongue cracked the earth beside him. His boots slipped in the marsh, but he recovered and lunged.
[ABYSSAL LUNGE–READY
[WRATH COST: 8]
"ABYSSAL LUNGE!"
He zipped forward in a burst of black-blue energy, blade dragging through the beast's side. Black blood sprayed.
[WRATH USED: -8]
[WRATH LEFT: 22/30
[DAMAGE DEALT: 10%]
[WRATH GAINED: +2]
[WRATH LEFT: 24/30]
The beast wailed, then regenerated slowly.
"Shit, you're a stubborn one."
It spat a venom glob. Ethan rolled away, narrowly dodging. He dashed through the thick grass, repositioned, and slashed at its back.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: TARGET'S REGENERATION SLOWS IF NODE IS DAMAGED]
Ethan pivoted around the writhing beast, eyes locked on a pulsing vein along its spine. Tightening his grip on the hilt, he spun his sword sideways. The sword struck true. The vein slashed.
[CRITICAL HIT]
[STATUS: NODE RUPTURED - REGENERATION HALTED]
[+1WRATH EARNED]
[WRATH REMAINING: 25/30]
The creature screamed and thrashed wildly. It lunged, but Ethan ducked under its strike and plunged the blade into its throat.
[ENEMY DEFEATED]
[+15 EXP GAINED]
[CURRENT EXP: 48/200]
[LOOT ACQUIRED: Swamp Beast Core (Class II), Venom Sack, Hide]
Ethan dropped to one knee, breathing heavy. His hands trembled. Blood, both beast and his own painted his arms. He pulled out the venom sack and dropped it into the satchel. "Could be useful later."
The system hummed.
[WRATH: 25/30]
[STATUS: MINOR FATIGUE - RECOMMENDED REST IN NEARBY SHELTER]
Ethan didn't argue.
He found a high patch of dry stone overlooking the marsh and sat. He ate the last of his dried meat ration and drank from the canteen. The silence crept in.
He looked up at the sky.
"Licia... You see me yet? Still standing. Still fighting."
The clouds answered with silence.
Hours passed. Night approached again. And with it, cold. He gathered thick moss, dried wood, and lit a fire with the flint he kept. The flames danced, casting shadows across the marsh. The growls of distant beasts echoed. Still he remained.
[DAY TWO COMPLETE: +2 EXP]
[CURRENT EXP: 50/200]
The system chimed again.
[ABILITY AWAKENING: CONDITIONS MET] [WRATH + VITALITY + COMBAT INSTINCT]
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: ABYSSAL CLAWS]
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: ABYSSAL INVENTORY]
Ethan's fingers burned. He clutched his hand as the pain surged, then black curved claws erupted from under his fingernails. Sharp, ethereal, pulsing with Abyssal light.
He stared. The system opened, glowing panel.
[ABYSSAL CLAWS]
>TIER: Basic(Evolvable)
>DESCRIPTION: A melee ability that transforms the user's hands into black curved claw abyssal weapons for 90seconds. Each slash deals bonus Wrath damage and applies prolonged bleeding.
>DAMAGE: Moderate(scales with WRATH)
>EFFECT: Can shred through armor/beast hide.
>DURATION: 90seconds
>COST: 20WRATH
>COOLDOWN: 180seconds
He flexed his new weapon.
"Beautiful..."
The fire cracked beside him. The marsh hissed.
Tomorrow, the path would continue. But tonight, he was ready for anything.
"I have to keep moving, this place isn't save. I have to reach the nearest Kingdom as fast as possible... Though I grow in strength and experience here but I am still weak"
Ethan scattered the fire and started marching forward in the marsh.
The moon hung pale and full above the vast canopy, bleeding soft silver over the damp forest path Ethan walked. The woods were unnervingly quiet, almost too quiet. Each step he took sank into the muddy trail, the forest sighing with the heaviness of night.
He had been traveling for over a day now, heading deeper into the wilderness. His skin was sticky with sweat, his body sore from the endless combat drills and tension. Yet his steps remained steady. He was now Level 2 of Deep Echoing, his experience slowly rising from the blood of fallen Class I and II beasts. Still, the road was long, and the enemies lurking in the dark knew no mercy.
The scent of damp moss, mud, and lingering death surrounded him. Tall, twisted trees formed jagged silhouettes overhead, and the thick mist crept in as if stalking him. It was a forest that didn't sleep. A forest that remembered.
[SYSTEM ALERT: NIGHTFALL RISK INCREASES AMBUSH PROBABILITY BY 80%]
[RECOMMENDATION: SEEK ELEVATED GROUND OR BUILD TEMPORARY CAMP DEFENSES]
Ethan grunted. "I can't stop now. I need to find a clearing or—"
Snap.
The sound was faint, but in the silence of night, it might as well have been a thunderclap. He halted, crouching low. His hand reached for his sword. The primal energy in his veins tingled, the WRATH meter pulsing faintly.
[WRATH: 25/30]
His eyes scanned the brush. Then he heard it again—*crunch*. A low, guttural snarl followed, like rocks grinding together. Another sound. To the left. Then to the right. Multiple footfalls.
[WARNING: MULTIPLE HOSTILES DETECTED]
[ENEMIES APPROACHING – ESTIMATED COUNT: 3]
[CLASS I TARTARUS BEAST]
[NAME: MARSHHOWLERS–2 DETECTED]
[CLASS II TARTARUS BEAST]
[NAME: FANGHIDE LURKER–1 DETECTED]
His pulse quickened. The air felt heavier now, more charged. A low growl echoed from the brush to his left. Glowing green eyes blinked open like cursed lanterns. The first of the Marshhowlers leapt from the shadows, fangs bared, a twisted wolf-like beast with patchy fur and jagged bones protruding through its shoulders. Ethan rolled sideways, barely dodging its pounce, mud splattering as he landed.
He came to his feet quickly, sword drawn.
"Let's dance, then."
The other Marshhowler flanked him, coming from the right. Ethan spun just in time to deflect its swipe with his blade. Sparks flew from the impact.
Suddenly—
The Fanghide Lurker burst from the underbrush behind him, a larger beast with snake-like movements, armored scales glistening in the moonlight and a fang-filled maw that stretched wider than Ethan's chest. It hissed. Ethan leapt backward, midair flipping over a fallen log. He landed hard but kept his stance.
[SYSTEM PROMPT: COMBAT MODE ENABLED]
[SKILL: ABYSSAL LUNGE – READY]
[WRATH COST: 8WRATH]
He didn't hesitate.
"ABYSSAL LUNGE!"