"I think I got everything I needed here… now it's time to practice," Raven murmured, his voice echoing faintly through the silent ruins.
As he stepped outside, the ancient stone door groaned shut behind him. Warm sunlight spilled over his face, chasing away the shadows clinging to his body. Morning had already broken the sky painted in soft gold, as if welcoming him back to the world. The brightness stung his eyes, reminding him just how long he had been swallowed by the darkness below.
"Never… never in my life have I felt this relieved to see the sun," he exhaled, almost laughing. "So much time has passed. I need to get home, gather my thoughts… and check the spoils of this ruin hunt."
He dashed through the forest, the sunlight flickering between the leaves like scattered shards of hope. Each ray warmed his skin, grounding him, pulling him further away from the eerie stillness of the ruin.
After nearly an hour, the familiar outline of a small wooden hut emerged from between the trees the place he reluctantly yet fondly called home. The sight alone loosened the tension in his chest.
Even if no one waited for him, even if the house was empty… it was still his sanctuary.
The moment he stepped inside, exhaustion crashed over him. Without a second thought, he threw himself onto the warm bed. Sleep claimed him instantly deep, heavy, and peaceful like the entire ordeal he had just survived was nothing more than a fading dream.
After a long, heavy sleep, Raven dragged himself into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the dirt and exhaustion clinging to his body. Steam curled around him like mist in a forgotten forest. As the heat soaked into his skin, a strange sensation crawled along his spine subtle at first, then unmistakable.
For a brief moment, his vision blurred.
His heart throbbed.
Something… entered him.
A pulse of power foreign, ancient, and overwhelming surged into his body before he even had the chance to understand what was happening.
He gripped the edge of the wall, breathing sharply.
"…What was that?"
But just as quickly as it came, the force settled like a beast curling back into slumber.
Raven exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
"Well… that was refreshing, I guess," he muttered, stepping out of the shower. "I need to eat something. I haven't had a single bite since I entered those ruins… no wonder the stress is killing me."
After drying off and dressing, he sat on his bed, the weight of everything he had experienced pressing on his shoulders.
Now came the most important part.
The truth of what had changed within him.
He took a deep breath.
"Status."
At his call, light flickered into existence.
A plain blue screen appeared before him—calm, cold, and mercilessly honest.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Raven Blackheart
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Class: Swordsman
Core: Adept Stage 1
Talent Grade: ???
Evaluation: ???
Unique Ability: None Detected
Blessing – Mysterious Aura: Voidborn Insight (NEW!!)
[The one whose presence is "unknown."
Not even the universe itself recognizes your existence]
Abilities – Voidborn Insight
• The blessed individual sees truths never meant for mortal eyes.
• Can perceive hidden intents, falsehoods, unspoken threats, and unseen anomalies.
• (Other abilities locked due to host's lack of strength)
Traits:
• Eyes of Perception
• Ultimate Physique
Elements: NIGHT, THUNDER (NEW!!)
Sword Art :" Starless shadow sword art. "(NEW!!)...
BASE STATS
Stat Rank :
Strength E+
Endurance E+
Stamina D+
Agility E
Intelligence E+
Charm E+
Mana C+
SKILLS
• Intermediate Quick Step — 10%
• Intermediate Swordsmanship — 35%
• Intermediate Handling — 30%
> "An anomaly… strong, yet far from the summit.
A seed with the faint possibility to rise beyond its limits."
The words blessing lingered on the screen, sending a chill down Raven's spine.
There were changes in his status—
and even though they weren't many…
each one carried the weight of something enormous.
More than he had ever expected.
More than he had ever needed.
Everything now depended on how he chose to wield this newfound power.
"The summit… I'll reach it," Raven whispered, eyes firm. "The place that mysterious person spoke of—I'll stand there. But to do that, I'll have to work harder than anyone else… and seize every opportunity, even those that villains and so-called 'characters' leave behind."
He clenched his fist.
His elements pulsed faintly beneath his skin.
Night. Thunder.
"My elements… they're powerful. Even if I don't fully understand 'Night' yet—" He paused, the faint darkness swirling at his fingertips. "—it feels like something far beyond the dark element… something deeper."
Thunder crackled faintly along his arm, responding to his thoughts.
Perfect—sharp, fast, explosive—made for someone who walked the path of the sword.
And then there was the sword art—
terrifying in its precision, overwhelming in its potential.
"The sword art… it's simply too powerful," he muttered, a shiver running through him.
A technique that could carve paths through fate itself.
He then touched the sword art Manuel, then a seperate blue screen flickered to life
Status:
["Starless shadow sword art "]
#Rank: unknown!!
#Type : growth type!
#Abilities :unknown!
A @₹&*%&*#&%@& level sword art forged from the silence between stars the dead zones of the universe where even light cannot exist...
------
Form 1 — Darkstar Edge
"The edge that shines by not shining."
The swordsman compresses raw cosmic darkness along the blade, forming a lightless black edge.
This "anti-light aura" increases cutting power drastically.
Effects:
Cuts through metal, bone, and low-rank barriers with ease
Leaves behind a starlight-consuming trail, erasing faint glows
Generates dead silence the slash makes no sound
Weakens energy-based attacks by devouring their photons
{Use: Ideal for stealth kills, breaking defenses, and starting combos}
---
Form 2 — Orbital Fade Step
"Move like a drifting star that has abandoned orbit."
The user bends the space around their body, stepping along curved gravitational paths.
Effects:
Movement becomes erratic and unpredictable
Creates brief afterimages made of shadow starlight
Motion is completely silent
Short-distance warps (2–6 meters), like a soft teleport
Attacks following this step gain momentum like falling satellites
Use: Evasion, closing distance, breaking enemy aim.
---
Form 3 — Starless Horizon Cut
"A cut that draws the horizon of a universe without stars."
A wide horizontal arc where the blade emits a flattened crescent of shadow-space.
Effects:
The attack erases light in its path, creating a black swath in the shape of a crescent
Anything the arc touches becomes dim or blind for a moment
The silent wave can sever weapons, limbs, or energy blasts
Leaves behind a void horizon line that lingers for 1–2 seconds
Use: Crowd clearing, breaking formations, countering long-range techniques.
---
Form 4 — Orbit Rift Shatter
"Break the paths the universe uses to hold itself together."
The swordsman strikes with a downward or diagonal slash that disrupts orbital stability around a point in space.
Effects:
Creates small, unstable micro black holes (size of a fist)
These last for less than a second but pull in air, light, and loose matter
Anything caught too close is shredded by gravitational shear
Produces absolute silence the micro black holes swallow sound
Causes momentary shockwaves AFTER the rift collapses
Use: Defensive breaker, terrain destruction, stopping big attacks.
---
Form 5 — Phantom Void Crescent
"A strike from the shadows where stars dare not shine."
The swordsman swings the blade in a crescent arc infused with cosmic darkness and silence, cutting matter while blending into the shadows mid-motion. This form is both lethal and stealthy, allowing attacks from unseen angles.
Effects:
Crescent Slash: Cuts through weapons, armor, energy constructs, and barriers with ease.
Shadow Cloak: The blade and user partially fade into darkness mid-swing, making the strike hard to anticipate.
Residual Void Arc: Leaves behind a short-lived shadow trail that lingers for 1–2 seconds, dealing damage to anyone crossing it.
Silent Kill: Absolute silence no movement, no clash, no indication of strike except the vanishing darkness.
Misdirection: Can appear in a slightly shifted location after the swing, confusing enemies about the attacker's position.
Use:
Ambush attacks, assassination, and breaking enemy lines.
Perfect for chaining after Orbital Fade Step or Starless Horizon Cut.
---
Form 6 — Umbral Supernova
"When darkness collapses, an inverse star is born."
The user compresses shadow and vacuum pressure into a sphere (the size of a heart or fist).
Then detonates it.
Effects:
A silent explosion no sound, only destruction
Darkness expands outward in a ring, cutting and disintegrating matter
Can erase energy constructs and weaken barriers
Causes temporary sensory paralysis due to photon collapse
Leaves a "black afterglow," a lingering dark mist
Use: Finisher move, clearing space, killing multiple enemies.
---
ULTIMATE — Starless Eclipse Vortex!!
"The darkness that devours all stars, leaving nothing but silent oblivion."
The swordsman swings their blade in a massive, curved arc of cosmic shadow, unleashing a vortex of absolute darkness and silent spatial distortion. Unlike traditional slashes, this strike manipulates the battlefield itself, bending light, space, and sound to erase all opposition.
Effects:
World-Devouring Arc: Erases all light in a massive crescent-shaped region, creating a field of absolute darkness.
Silent Cataclysm: No sound accompanies the strike footsteps, screams, and clashing steel vanish into nothing.
Spatial Collapse: The vortex slightly warps space within the affected area; attacks, projectiles, and movement become unpredictable or fail entirely.
Shadow Devour: Anything caught in the arc weapons, armor, constructs, or enemies is sliced, destabilized, or partially erased.
Residual Starless Rift: Leaves a lingering shadow rift that damages and disorients anyone who enters it for several seconds.
Phantom Multiplicity: The swordsman appears in multiple fleeting afterimages around the arc's path, striking enemies from unexpected angles.
Use:
Combines lethality, stealth, and cosmic manipulation, making it nearly impossible to counter.
This is a technique feared as:
"The Slash That Turns Day Into Night."
It was absurd, that was one should have described after seein the description.
But raven was different... He was more prepared for what to come....