The darkness of the cavern was absolute.
Without the soft, blue pulse of the lake or the shimmering mana of the crystals, Philip was standing in a void. But he didn't feel blind. Beneath his skin, the silver-blue runes from the stabilization process were still humming, providing a faint, internal warmth that tethered him to reality.
"I need to see," he whispered. "Not just with my eyes. Everything."
He didn't have to wait. As if responding to his mental command—or perhaps finally finishing its long-overdue reboot—the System surged.
[STABILIZATION COMPLETE][EXISTENCE PARAMETERS: LOCKED]
[WELCOME, PHILIP VALECROWN][WOULD YOU LIKE TO VIEW YOUR ATTRIBUTES?]
"Yes," Philip breathed. "Show me what my father was so afraid of."
A screen materialized in the dark. It wasn't the dim, flickering blue of a standard Royal Status Orb. It was gold and obsidian, the text sharp enough to cut through the shadows.
[STATUS PROFILE]NAME: Philip Valecrown
CLASS: [LOCKED - SYSTEM ARCHITECT]
TITLE: The Thirteenth Prince (Deposed), The One Who Defied the Abyss.LEVEL: 3 (EXP: 12/450)
[ATTRIBUTES]
STRENGTH: 8 (Average Human: 10)
AGILITY: 11
VITALITY: 14 (Regenerating...)
INTELLIGENCE: 42 [ABNORMAL]
WISDOM: 38 [ABNORMAL]
LUCK: ??? [GLITCH DETECTED]
[UNIQUE TRAITS]
1. SYSTEM ARCHITECT (PASSIVE): You see the world through its base code. Allows the identification of hidden stats, weak points, and system errors.
2. SOUL OF THE VOID (PASSIVE): Your existence is not registered by standard laws. Magic and skills used against you have a 50% chance to fail or 'glitch.'
Philip stared at the numbers. His physical stats were pathetic—the body of a weak, malnourished child—but his Intelligence and Wisdom were nearly four times the human average.
"Forty-two..." he muttered. "A Level 3 Prince shouldn't have stats that high until Level 50."
Then, his eyes drifted to the bottom of the screen.
[NOTICE: UNALLOCATED STAT POINTS DETECTED]
[Points gained from Level 1 —> 3: 10 Points]
[NOTICE: ACHIEVEMENT REWARD DETECTED]
[Achievement: 'The One Who Defied the Abyss' grants +5 to all base stats.]
Philip felt a sudden rush of heat as the achievement reward integrated instantly. His vision sharpened. The ache in his ribs didn't just fade; it vanished.
"Ten points to spend," Philip looked at his trembling hands. "Strength makes me a fighter. But Intelligence... Intelligence makes me the one who writes the rules."
Philip didn't hesitate. In his past life, he had survived by being smarter than the room. He wasn't going to start relying on muscle now.
"System," he commanded. "Allocate all 10 Stat Points into Intelligence."
[ALLOCATING...]
INTELLIGENCE: 42 —> 52 [BEYOND HUMAN LIMITS]
A sudden, crystalline clarity washed over him. The darkness of the cavern didn't just feel like "empty space" anymore; he could see the flow of mana in the air like lines of glowing code. The [System] interface flickered, shifting from a static screen to a fluid, 3D holographic display.
[NOTICE]
Intelligence Threshold reached: 50 Points.
[SYSTEM UPGRADE INITIATED]
[UPGRADE COMPLETE: INTERFACE V2.1]
[NEW CORE MODULE UNLOCKED: THE SAGE'S ARCHIVE]
[FUNCTION: Spell Synthesis, Skill Evolution, and Reality-Code Analysis.]
Philip felt a presence in the back of his mind—a vast, silent library of knowledge that felt ancient and cold. This was the Sage. It wasn't a person, but a processing unit that could take raw mana and shape it into whatever Philip could imagine.
"Show me my current abilities," Philip whispered.
[ABYSMAL SKILLS (ACTIVE)]
1. DEVOURING VOID (LVL 1): Target a neutralized enemy to permanently extract a portion of its essence. (Predatory Skill).
2. ARCHITECT'S SIGHT (LVL 1): Highlight the "source code" of any entity. Identifies flaws, weak points, and hidden loot.
Philip's gaze fell on the dry crater where the lake had been.
"I need a weapon," he muttered. "Something that doesn't break."
He looked at the shards of Raw Abysmal Mana-Crystal he had stored in the Infinity Ring. Using the Sage's Archive, he began to "code" a weapon. He didn't want a sword; he wanted something that functioned as a focus for his abnormal Intelligence.
[SAGE'S ARCHIVE: SYNTHESIZING...]
[RESOURCES: 10x Abysmal Crystals + 1x Fractured Slime Core + Abysmal Spring Water.]
Blue and silver light swirled in front of him, condensing into a physical form. It wasn't a blade. It was a Dagger-length Crystal Spike, pulsing with a predatory, violet light. It looked less like a weapon and more like a tooth from a cosmic horror.
[ITEM CREATED: THE ABYSSAL STING (RARITY: GROWTH)]
[EFFECT: Ignores 20% of Physical Defense. Inflicts 'Corrosive Rot' on contact.]
Philip gripped the hilt—cold, jagged, and perfect.
"Let's see if the neighbors are home," he said, looking toward the dark tunnel leading deeper into the dungeon.
He didn't have to walk far. Architect's Sight flared red.
[WARNING: HOSTILE DETECTED]
[ENTITY: ABYSMAL CAVE-WOLF (LVL 8)]
It was twice the size of a normal wolf, its fur made of literal shadows, and its eyes glowing with the same "Abnormal" light as the slime. It growled—a sound like grinding stones.
Philip didn't feel the fear he felt in the throne room. He felt… curiosity.
"Sage," he whispered, his eyes locking onto the glowing red "glitch" near the wolf's throat. "Calculate the trajectory."
[CALCULATING...]
[STRIKE POINT IDENTIFIED.]
Philip lunged.
The Abysmal Cave-Wolf didn't just howl; the sound was a physical weight, vibrating through the cavern floor. It didn't charge blindly like the slime. It circled.
Its shadow-flecked fur blurred, merging with the darkness. One moment it was ten feet away; the next, it was a ripple in the air to his left.
Tactics, Philip thought, his eyes tracking the red pulses of Architect's Sight. It's flanking. It's testing my perimeter. It treats this cavern like a throne room—and I'm the intruder.
[WARNING: HOSTILE INITIATING 'SHADOW-STRIDE']
The wolf vanished.
Philip didn't look with his eyes; he looked with his Intelligence. To his 52-point mind, the mana in the air was a grid. The wolf was a "glitch" moving through the squares.
"Sage," Philip whispered, his voice cold and analytical. "Predict the breach."
[CALCULATING... SHADOW-STRIDE VECTOR IDENTIFIED.][IMPACT IN 0.8 SECONDS. BEHIND. LOW.]
Philip lunged forward, not away. He felt the cold snap of jaws missing his heel by a hair's breadth. He rolled, his unhealed ribs screaming, but his mind remained detached. To him, this wasn't a fight for his life—it was a King's Board, and the wolf was a Knight jumping over pawns.
The wolf skidded, its claws sparking against the stone. It looked confused. No Level 3 human should have timed that move.
"My turn to move the pieces," Philip muttered.
He didn't swing the Abyssal Sting. Instead, he slammed his left hand—the one wearing the Infinity Ring—against the ground.
"Release: Abysmal Spring Water. Volume: 5 Gallons. Vector: Forward."
[EXECUTING...]
A high-pressure jet of glowing blue water erupted from the ring. It didn't hit the wolf, but it soaked the floor beneath its paws. In the "Total RPG" logic of the Abyss, the restorative water reacted violently with the wolf's shadow-essence.
The stone became a slick, mana-charged trap. The wolf lost its footing, its "Shadow-Stride" stuttering as the light of the water burned through its camouflage.
The wolf was mid-slide, vulnerable.
[OPPORTUNITY DETECTED: 94% CERTAINTY.]
Philip sprang. He wasn't fast, but he was precise. He drove the Abyssal Sting toward the red glitch at the wolf's throat—the "Command Node" of its physical form.
The crystal spike sank deep.
The wolf thrashed, its shadow-claws tearing a shallow line across Philip's shoulder, but it was too late. The Corrosive Rot from the Sting traveled up the wolf's veins like black ink in clear water.
[CRITICAL HIT: SYSTEM BREACH.]
The wolf collapsed, its body dissolving into wisps of gray smoke and dark data. Philip stood over it, gasping, his vision flickering red as his Vitality hit a dangerous low.
"Checkmate," he wheezed.
[TARGET NEUTRALIZED.][EXP GAINED: 800 (LEVEL UP DISPARITY BONUS)]
[LEVEL UP!]LEVEL 3 —> LEVEL 5
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE 'DEVOURING VOID' ON THE REMAINS?]
Philip looked at his trembling hands, then at the fading shadow of the wolf.
"Devour," he commanded. "Take everything it had."
The wolf's shadow-essence didn't dissipate. Instead, it was pulled toward Philip's chest, swirling like a dark hurricane.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: DEVOURING VOID][EXTRACTING ESSENCE...]
Philip fell to one knee as the raw data of the predator flooded his nervous system. It wasn't just magic; it was instinct. His ears twitched, catching the sound of a pebble falling three tunnels away. His nose wrinkled, identifying the scent of old bone and sulfur in the air.
[SUCCESS][CORE TRAITS ACQUIRED:]
WOLF'S SENSE (LVL 1): Hearing and Smell increased by 300%. Detect hidden enemies through scent.
PARALYSIS BITE (LVL 1): Your next physical strike has a 15% chance to freeze the target's nervous system for 2 seconds.
"Is that... all?" Philip wheezed, his muscles knitting together as the Level 5 energy surge healed his shoulder.
[NOTICE]High-Tier Essence Detected. Architect Trait is restructuring the data...
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: FAST STEP (LVL 1)][TYPE: MOVEMENT / EVOLUTIONARY][DESCRIPTION: A burst of speed that leaves a trail of shadows. Current distance: 5 Meters.][EVOLUTION PATH: Fast Step —> Shadow Glide —> Void Leap —> ??? —> GOD STEP.]
Philip stared at the word GOD STEP. It was a promise. A ladder leading out of this hell. He stood up, testing the new weight of his body. He felt lighter, deadlier. He wasn't just a strategist anymore; he was becoming the very apex predator his father feared.
But the Devouring Void wasn't finished.
The last of the wolf's smoke didn't vanish into his chest. It gathered around his right hand, turning the Abyssal Sting jet black.
[CRITICAL SUCCESS: ARCHITECT OVERRIDE][HIDDEN AFFINITY UNLOCKED: SHADOW MAGIC (AFFINITY: 10%)]
[NEW ACTIVE SKILL: SHADOW BIND (LVL 1)][DESCRIPTION: Solidify the shadows of your enemies to root them in place.]
Philip looked down at his shadow. It seemed darker now, more solid, as if it were waiting for his command to strike. He had gone into the fight a Level 3 boy with a crystal shard. He was leaving as a Level 5 Shadow-Architect.
"I can feel them," Philip whispered, his enhanced hearing picking up a rhythmic, heavy thumping from the tunnel ahead.
It wasn't one wolf. It was a pack. And behind them... something much larger was breathing.
Philip gripped the black-stained hilt of the Abyssal Sting. He didn't run. He practiced a single Fast Step, vanishing into a blur of dark smoke and reappearing five meters closer to the danger.
"Come," he said to the darkness. "I'm still hungry."
[End of Chapter Three]