The serpent's roar shook the valley as it lunged, its massive fangs dripping with venom potent enough to corrode stone.
Kai's legs trembled, not from fear, but from exhaustion. Every battle in this cursed valley had carved away at him—his muscles screamed, his knuckles bled, his qi reserves were running dangerously low. Yet his eyes burned brighter than ever, unyielding, as if daring the heavens themselves to break him.
The serpent's body slammed into the earth, splintering trees and sending bones scattering like dust in a storm. Kai rolled aside, his breath ragged. His fists tightened until his raw knuckles cracked.
I can't outlast it. Then I'll break it head-on.
> Survival Log Active:
Critical Threat Level: Extreme.
Passive Boost Triggered: +2 Agility, +2 Reflex.
The beast hissed, coils tightening as it lunged again. Kai sprinted forward instead of back, his qi burning furiously through battered veins. At the last moment, he pivoted low, fists surging with inner strength, and struck upward with every ounce of will.
The serpent's lower jaw snapped. Bone shattered with a sickening crunch, and the beast reeled, howling in agony. Kai's body screamed in pain, but he pressed on, leaping onto its coiled body, racing up its scaled back as qi flared in his fists.
One strike. Everything I have left.
With a roar, he slammed his fists into the serpent's skull, qi detonating like thunder. The colossal beast convulsed once, twice, before collapsing in a heap of flesh and ruin.
Silence fell.
Kai toppled to his knees, chest heaving, sweat and blood mingling on his skin.
> Survival Log Updated!
Critical Entry: Mist-Sealed Bone Serpent slain.
Adaptive Reward: +3 Strength, +3 Endurance.
Hidden Trigger Activated: "Beneath the Fallen Beast."
Kai blinked. The serpent's massive corpse twitched, then sank unnaturally into the earth, as though the ground itself was swallowing it. The mist thickened, curling inward like claws, pulling Kai with it.
He tried to stand, but his legs refused. The ground gave way.
And he fell.
---
The Hidden Chamber
Kai landed hard on ancient stone, the impact jarring his bones. Groaning, he pushed himself up, only to freeze.
He was inside a cavernous hall, walls lined with broken statues of forgotten warriors. Runes flickered faintly across the floor, cracked and dim, but pulsing as though awakened by his presence. The air was heavy, old, laced with an aura so dense it made his skin prickle.
At the far end stood a pedestal. Upon it lay a fragment of jade etched with burning characters, and beside it, a broken bronze gauntlet glowing faintly with suppressed power.
Kai's breath caught.
A martial manual… and an artifact?
---
The Will of the Ruin
The air rippled. From the cracked runes rose a phantom figure, tall and faceless, wielding a spear of pure light. Its voice was a whisper yet thunder, echoing in Kai's mind.
"Unworthy… all who entered before you perished. You, too, shall fall."
The phantom lunged.
Kai's fists came up on instinct, blocking the spectral spear that crashed against him with crushing force. He slid back, feet digging into stone. Pain ripped through his already battered body.
Damn it, even weakened like this… this trial isn't meant to be survived.
The phantom's attacks came relentless—every strike testing not just his body, but his will. Shadows rose around him, illusions whispering in his ear.
"You're nothing. Trash. A tool for others to step on."
"You survived this far by luck, nothing more."
"No one will ever stand with you."
Kai's teeth clenched. The voices clawed at old wounds—the years of ridicule, the loneliness, the sneers that had dogged him since he first joined the sect.
His vision blurred. His fists trembled. For a moment, he felt the edge of despair.
And then, the System chimed.
> System Notice:
Survival Log merging with Ruin Trial.
Mental Fortitude Challenge engaged.
Failure = Loss of Self. Success = Inheritance Claim.
Kai's lips curled in a snarl. "If the world calls me trash, then I'll use that trash to build a throne!"
With a roar, he lunged forward, fists blazing with every drop of qi, striking the phantom again and again. Each blow shattered an illusion, until only the faceless figure remained. One final punch drove through its chest, dispersing it into shards of light.
---
The Inheritance
The hall trembled. The pedestal glowed.
The jade fragment floated into Kai's palm, warmth surging into his mind. Lines of burning script etched themselves into his memory, searing with both pain and power.
> You have obtained: Fragment of the Forbidden Martial Art — "Ninefold Desolation Fist."
Warning: Incomplete. Risk of backlash if cultivated recklessly.
Kai's body shook as the knowledge branded itself into his soul. A technique not meant for the weak, one that thrived in desperate survival, channeling fury into destruction.
The bronze gauntlet pulsed, splitting in half, then reforming around his right fist with a perfect fit. Its weight was immense yet familiar, as though made for him.
> You have obtained: Broken Relic — Gauntlet of Devouring.
Current State: Fragmented. Restores small amounts of vitality from defeated foes. Potential sealed.
Kai's chest heaved. Blood dripped from his lip, but his eyes blazed. A forbidden martial art and a relic that fed on battle itself—treasures beyond measure, hidden beneath punishment.
The System chimed again.
> Special Log Entry Created!
"Survivor's Fortune: You have uncovered a Sealed Ruin within the Beast-Sealed Valley. Survival gains magnified."
---
Collapse
The hall shuddered violently. Cracks tore across the ceiling, rubble falling as the runes burned out one by one. The inheritance was claimed—the ruin would not remain standing.
Kai staggered, forcing his battered body upright. His new gauntlet gleamed faintly as if urging him forward.
He ran.
Stone shattered behind him, the phantom's laughter echoing faintly in the falling ruin. The mist clawed at him as he burst out into the valley once more, collapsing against the carcass of the fallen serpent.
The dawn of the third day broke faintly across the horizon.
Kai wiped blood from his lip, dragging himself to his feet.
Punishment? No. This valley has forged me into something more.
---
Cliffhanger
Back in the sect, the bells tolled again. Disciples crowded the gates, waiting to see if Kai's name would be erased from existence.
The mist at the valley's mouth stirred.
And a figure stepped out—bloodied, battered, but unbowed. His right fist gleamed faintly beneath a broken bronze gauntlet. His eyes burned with newfound fury.
Kai had survived.
But survival was only the beginning.