I kept walking.
No… stalking.
Each step was silent. My boots—crafted from the skin of shadowbeasts—barely touched the ground. I'd shed the broken student I used to be like dead skin.
And in the dark, something was calling to me.
Not a voice. Not words.
But a presence.
The deeper I went, the heavier the air became. Every breath felt like swallowing wet iron. Mana saturated the stone like blood in cloth—thick, ancient, and angry.
Then I saw it.
A massive stone gate buried in roots and bone. Glyphs etched along the arch pulsed with dark light, almost… alive.
> WARNING: Boss Room Detected.
Proceed?
[Yes] — [No]
I didn't hesitate.
Yes.
The gate groaned as it opened, a sound like the world screaming.
Inside was a cathedral of ruin—pillars of stone cracked and leaning, a shattered altar at the far end. Chains hung from the ceiling like cobwebs.
And at the center stood it.
A towering figure.
Eight feet tall.
Humanoid… but wrong.
Its flesh was wrapped in silver plates etched with cursed runes. One of its arms was a jagged obsidian blade. The other was fused into a massive tower shield bolted into its torso.
A single eye burned in its helmeted face, dripping light like molten lava.
> Abyssal Gatekeeper: Level 35
Title: The Unyielding Watcher
Skills Detected: [Shield of Eternal Denial], [Cleave of Ruin], [Mana Lock], [Iron Judgement]
I was Level 13.
This was suicide.
And yet… my lips curled into a smile.
Because this was the Abyss.
And nothing here was fair.
---
It moved first.
Faster than anything that size should be. Its blade came down like a guillotine. I rolled to the side—barely—feeling the air split above me. Stone shattered behind where I stood just a breath ago.
I dashed forward, aiming for its side.
CLANG!
My dagger struck its shield—and bounced off like it hit a mountain.
"Of course you're the tough one," I hissed, leaping back as its foot crashed down where I'd stood.
My instincts screamed.
Behind you!
I twisted just in time to catch a backhand from the shield. My body flew like a ragdoll, crashing into a pillar hard enough to snap stone.
I coughed blood.
But I stood.
> [Bone Hardened Skin] reduced damage.
Minor Fractures: Right Arm, Left Rib.
Status: Combat-Capable.
I licked the blood from my lips.
"Alright, metal freak. Let's play."
---
I circled it, testing range. Speed. Patterns.
It never chased recklessly. It defended the altar, its shield rising every time I lunged.
No… it wasn't mindless.
It was programmed.
Defend the altar. Deny intruders.
Which meant…
If I can't break through it—I'll go around.
---
The next clash was a blur. I feinted left, forced a shield raise, then launched a throwing blade laced with paralytic venom at its exposed knee joint.
Thunk.
The blade stuck—but it didn't slow.
Damn.
Another roll—its blade scraped my shoulder. I felt skin tear and heat rise. Still moving.
I dove into the shadows behind a crumbling statue and activated Predator Instinct.
My breathing slowed.
Heartbeat quieted.
I could feel its pattern. Every movement. Every pause.
A stutter in its left step. An overcommit on the third cleave.
I waited.
Then—I ran.
Full sprint. No hesitation.
It raised its blade.
I leapt into the air, into the strike zone.
The blade screamed toward me—
—And I twisted, midair, grabbing the chain hanging from the ceiling. I swung.
Over it.
Behind it.
Landed hard on the altar.
The gatekeeper turned.
Too slow.
My blade plunged into the exposed runes on its back—right into the power core I'd gambled existed.
It convulsed.
Sparks burst from its chest.
I stabbed again. And again. Screaming with everything I had left.
"YOU'RE NOT STOPPING ME!"
With a final roar, it exploded in a burst of black light.
Silence.
Smoke.
And then—
> Boss Defeated.
Experience Gained: +9,200
Level Up! Level 13 → Level 21
New Trait Unlocked: [Breaker of Constructs]
Equipment Dropped:
[Abyssforged Armguard – Rare]
[Skill Core: Cleave of Ruin]
I collapsed to one knee, breathing hard.
Covered in blood.
Shaking.
Grinning.
That was the moment I realized…
I didn't want to go back to the surface.
Not yet.
The Abyss had more to offer me.
And I was going to take everything.