The group hadn't even finished looting the Stonefang Lizard when the ground beneath Kael shimmered.
It started as a faint vibration… then the blue crystals pulsed in unison.
A silver sigil appeared under Kael's feet, lines of light snaking outward.
---
Mera: "Kael! What is..."
Her voice distorted, like sound under water.
A cold pull wrapped around him.
The others blurred. The dungeon chamber twisted like molten glass.
Then
SHHHT... the world folded inwards.
---
[Hidden Rift Detected]
Name: Forgotten Star Trial
Rank: ??? (Uncharted Instance)
Access: Exclusive – Chosen by the Rift
Objective: Survive, Conquer, Claim the Star Core.
---
Kael landed hard on black stone.
Above him stretched an endless void, scattered with drifting fragments of ancient temples, each glowing faintly as if bathed in starlight.
The air tasted of ozone and ash.
Somewhere in the darkness, something breathed.
---
A system prompt appeared in front of him.
[100× Talent – Evolution Path Triggered]
Three New Aspects Unlocked:
1. Stat Absorption ×100: Absorbs enemy's raw stats upon kill (permanent).
2. Skill Growth ×100: Skills gain proficiency 100× faster.
3. Bloodline Awakening Multiplier ×100: Any latent bloodline will awaken at full potential instantly.
---
Kael's smirk was faint.
Alright… let's see what you've got for me.
---
First Trial – Starbone Ravagers
From the shadows, skeletal beasts emerged, eight-legged, with jaws like serrated steel and eyes burning with cold blue flame.
---
[Enemy Identified]
Name: Starbone Ravager
Rank: A-
Level: 75
Power Level: 12,400
HP: 18,000
Skills:
Void Leap (Lv.5) – Teleports to target within 15 meters.
Bone Shard Volley (Lv.4) – Fires 10 bone projectiles.
Void Rend (Lv.3) – Tears space, dealing pure damage.
---
Kael: "Fast ones. Great."
---
The first Ravager blurred forward with Void Leap. Kael sidestepped, barely, as bone shards whistled past his face.
He twisted low, slashing upward. The blade bit deep into its ribcage, sending splinters of starlit bone scattering.
Two more came from the flanks.
Kael's 100× Skill Growth kicked in, each parry, each dodge, instantly feeding his muscle memory.
By the third exchange, his movements were flawless.
---
A Ravager pounced from above, Kael's blade flashed in a crescent arc.
[Critical Decapitation!]
[Stat Absorption: +60 STR, +35 AGI, +40 END acquired]
His body burned with the surge. The other beasts faltered, as if sensing the imbalance.
---
Kael: "One down. Who's next?"
---
He moved like liquid shadow, weaving between their strikes, turning their momentum against them.
By the time the last Ravager fell, Kael's stats had spiked massively, every kill feeding his raw power.
---
[Trial Clear – First Stage]
Reward: Starblood Awakening Stone
---
The stone pulsed in his palm, molten silver laced with crimson.
The moment he gripped it, heat exploded through his veins.
[Bloodline Awakening: Starforged Sovereign – Complete]
Passive: +300% to all base stats at night or in low-light.
Passive: Cosmic Resistance (immune to spatial distortion, reduced void damage).
Active: Starflare Overdrive – For 60 seconds, all attacks become unavoidable light-speed strikes (Cooldown: 24h).
---
Kael exhaled slowly, his eyes now reflecting a faint constellation pattern in their depths.
---
Second Trial – Rift Wyrm of the Abyss
The temple fragments reassembled into a floating arena.
From below rose a creature the size of a fortress, scales black as night, each one inscribed with ancient runes.
---
[Enemy Identified]
Name: Abyssal Rift Wyrm
Rank: S+
Level: 99
Power Level: 78,000
HP: 250,000
Skills:
Abyss Breath (Lv.6) – Cone of void-fire, disintegrates anything in range.
Spatial Crush (Lv.5) – Compresses space around target, dealing catastrophic damage.
Astral Roar (Lv.4) – Fear effect; reduces target stats by 20%.
---
The wyrm struck first, its Abyss Breath melting the air into shimmering nothingness. Kael leapt sideways, barely avoiding disintegration.
His Starflare Overdrive ignited.
The world slowed.
Kael became a streak of light, carving into the wyrm's massive form faster than its eyes could follow.
---
Kael: "Fall."
With each slash, Stat Absorption drained the beast's colossal reserves.
Its strength dwindled, movements growing sluggish.
The wyrm roared, space shattering as Spatial Crush closed in, but Kael vanished upward, driving his blade straight into the crown of its skull.
---
[Abyssal Rift Wyrm Defeated!]
[Stat Absorption: +900 STR, +700 AGI, +800 END]
The corpse dissolved into motes of starlight… leaving behind an egg.
---
[Heaven-Class Pet Acquired]
Name: Nyx, Voidflare Hatchling
Rank: Divine Beast (Growth)
Level: 1 (Max Growth Potential: Level 300)
Base Power: 50,000
Skills:
Voidstep (Passive) – Instant teleportation in short bursts.
Abyss Breath (Lv.1) – Fires miniature version of the Rift Wyrm's breath.
Soul Link – Shares 20% of Kael's stats.
Devour Evolution – Grows stronger by consuming boss cores.
---
The tiny wyrm curled around Kael's shoulders, its scales faintly glowing.
It purred, a sound that made the void itself ripple.
---
[Hidden Rift Cleared]
Reward: +10 Levels, +500 Stat Points, New Title: Starforged Conqueror
---
Kael's new status flickered before his eyes:
---
[STATUS]
Name: Kael Veyra
Level: 37
HP: 74,500
MP: 56,200
STR: 1,940 (+388 from Soul Link)
AGI: 1,620 (+324 from Soul Link)
END: 1,870 (+374 from Soul Link)
Bloodline: Starforged Sovereign (Awakened)
Talent: 100× Potential (3 Aspects Unlocked)
Pet: Nyx (Divine Beast)
Skills: Starflare Overdrive, Voidstep (shared), Astral Strike, Cosmic Guard, Spatial Rend.
---
The rift began collapsing.
A silver portal opened behind him.
---
Kael: "Alright, Nyx… let's go see how the others are doing."
He stepped through
and back in the main dungeon, Alyra's blade was locked against the throat of a monstrous figure.
Alyra: "…Where the hell did you go?"