The cavern shuddered as though the abyss itself had taken form. From the black fissure ahead, footsteps resounded—heavy, deliberate, and filled with menace.
Then it emerged.
An abyssal knight clad in jagged plates of obsidian armor, its body a grotesque mixture of shadow and flesh. Its helm was cracked, exposing fangs beneath a warped jaw, and its eyes glowed with poisonous hunger. The weight of its presence alone made Kael's lungs feel crushed.
This was no ordinary monster.This was an Elite.
Kael gritted his teeth, summoning his partners into being with a surge of will.
Pyraflame materialized first, its crimson flames spiraling outward like a flare against the suffocating dark. At its side, Aquara rose from a sphere of liquid essence, rippling as it stabilized into its form.
Two summons stood against the abyss.
The Elite wasted no time. It lunged forward, its claws like black lances, the impact shaking the cavern floor.
"Dodge!" Kael barked.
Pyraflame spun aside, trailing a burning arc across the knight's armor, searing a faint molten scar. Aquara launched a pressurized stream of water at the joint, driving the darkness back—but the creature hardly flinched.
It retaliated instantly.
The knight's arm blurred, the clawed swipe colliding against Pyraflame. The fiery summon skidded across the ground, sparks bursting from its form. Aquara tried to intercept but was smashed by a backhand, its watery body splattering against stone before reforming shakily.
Kael dashed in. His sword glowed faintly, imbued with his skeletal resonance, as he aimed for the molten scar Pyraflame had left. His blade bit deep, carving sparks—but the knight's armor resisted, and the counter-blow nearly crushed him.
He rolled, barely avoiding claws that shattered rock where his head had been.
"Keep the pressure on! Don't give it space!" he shouted.
Pyraflame roared, igniting brighter. Flames spiraled upward, and with a crackling burst, it slashed its claws forward—two burning arcs crashing against the abyssal knight's chest.
Aquara followed, summoning torrents that spun like liquid whips, slamming into the gaps the fire had softened.
For a moment, the Elite staggered.
Then it roared, darkness erupting from its body.
A shockwave hurled Pyraflame back and blew Aquara apart into droplets. Kael was caught in it too, the impact rattling his bones. He forced himself up, vision spinning.
Pyraflame flickered, but its fire reignited defiantly. Aquara pulled itself back together, trembling but steady. Both stood again.
Kael's chest swelled. They're growing with me.
The Elite advanced, molten scars dripping black flame. Its speed increased, claws a blur of death. Pyraflame met it head-on, clashing in a storm of fire and shadow. Aquara circled behind, launching focused jets of water at its knees, forcing it off balance.
Kael dove in again, sword flashing as he aimed for the same weak points. Strike after strike chipped at the cracks his summons created.
But his stamina was fading fast. His muscles screamed, his breaths ragged.
Then—
[ EXP Threshold Reached. ][ Level Up! Kael – Level 10 Achieved. ]
Power surged through him like lightning, burning away fatigue. His grip steadied, his blade felt lighter, and the weight of the abyss pressed less heavily on his shoulders.
[ Summon Limit Increased. Current Limit: 2 → 4 ][ Bonus Attribute Points: +15 ]
Kael's eyes widened. Four summons…!
But there was no time to bask. The Elite was already charging, its armor cracked, its rage burning hotter.
"Pyraflame—Devour!" Kael commanded.
The crimson summon screeched, its flames imploding inward before erupting in a vortex of fire. It latched onto the abyssal corruption bleeding from the knight's wounds, tearing it away and consuming it. Its body ignited brighter, fire snapping hungrily.
The Elite staggered for the first time, black ichor sizzling as Pyraflame's claws ripped chunks from its armor.
"Aquara—bind it!"
Streams of water surged, twining around the knight's legs. Aquara trembled, its young body straining, but it held, tightening the bind until cracks formed across the obsidian plates.
"Now!" Kael roared.
He leapt, blade glowing as he plunged it into a widening seam. Pyraflame dove beside him, its claws blazing with Devour's fury, stabbing into the same wound.
Aquara slammed torrents into the gap, pressure building until—
CRACK.
The abyssal knight shrieked, its core splitting in a burst of black fire. Its body convulsed before collapsing into dust, the cavern trembling with its death throes.
Silence fell.
Kael dropped to one knee, chest heaving. His summons flickered faintly, exhausted but triumphant. Notifications filled his vision.
[ Elite-class Abyssal defeated. ][ EXP Gained: +480 ][ Kael: Level 10 → Progress 480/1000 ]
[ Pyraflame Progression Condition Updated: Endure 3 Elite Battles (1/3) ][ Aquara Progression Condition: Absorb and Purify a Corrupted Water Source (0/1) ]
[ Pyraflame: Level 8 → Level 9 (312/700) ][ Aquara: Level 4 → Level 5 (141/400) ]
Pyraflame's flames flared, fiercer than ever, while Aquara pulsed steadily, its watery form shimmering as though proud.
Kael allowed himself a ragged laugh. "We did it."
The abyss had thrown its first true predator at him.And he had survived.
But survival wasn't enough anymore.He now commanded four summons, and this was only the beginning.
The battlefield was silent now, save for the faint crackle of Pyraflame's smoldering embers and the soft gurgle of Aquara's dissolving water currents. The Elite Abyssal lay torn apart, its core already devoured, leaving behind only scorched marks on the cracked stone ground.
Kael stood there breathing heavily, not from exhaustion, but from the sheer adrenaline still coursing through him. His fingers flexed as the familiar chime of the system echoed in his mind:
[Summon Capacity Doubled – Slots Increased: 2 → 4]
A chill ran down his spine. Four slots. Twice the power, twice the responsibility. His gaze flicked toward his two companions. Pyraflame hovered close, its fiery aura burning brighter than before, and Aquara shimmered beside it, droplets swirling in a protective rhythm around her form. Both had proven themselves in battle. Both had grown.
"Two more…" Kael thought, eyes narrowing as possibilities raced in his head. He could expand his elemental coverage, shore up his weaknesses, or prepare for greater versatility. Earth for defense. Wind for speed and mobility. Lightning for raw destructive power. Shadow for control.
The choice lingered like a heavy weight on his chest. For the first time since falling into this abyss, Kael felt the tide turning. Not just survival. Not just clawing forward. Now he had the means to build—no, to command—an army.
Pyraflame let out a low, rumbling growl, its flames coiling protectively around him, as if to say: Choose wisely. Aquara, on the other hand, pulsed softly, as though urging patience.
Kael exhaled, the tension in his chest easing as he sank down to sit on a broken slab of stone."I'll need to think carefully about the next two…" he murmured aloud. "This isn't just about strength. It's about balance. Survival."
His stomach churned faintly at the memory of devouring Abyssal flesh just days ago—a brutal necessity. He clenched his fist. Never again if I can help it. But if it comes down to survival… I'll do it without hesitation.
Above, the abyss ceiling stretched endlessly into shadow. Somewhere in the distance, more creatures prowled, their guttural roars echoing faintly. Kael looked down at his hands, then at his summons, and a rare flicker of determination hardened in his eyes.
Four slots. Four companions. Four weapons to carve his path through this abyss.
And he intended to fill them all.
The battlefield was silent now, save for the faint crackle of Pyraflame's smoldering embers and the soft gurgle of Aquara's dissolving water currents. The Elite Abyssal lay torn apart, its core already devoured, leaving behind only scorched marks on the cracked stone ground.
Kael stood there breathing heavily, not from exhaustion, but from the sheer adrenaline still coursing through him. His fingers flexed as the familiar chime of the system echoed in his mind:
[Summon Capacity Doubled – Slots Increased: 2 → 4]
A chill ran down his spine. Four slots. Twice the power, twice the responsibility. His gaze flicked toward his two companions. Pyraflame hovered close, its fiery aura burning brighter than before, and Aquara shimmered beside it, droplets swirling in a protective rhythm around her form. Both had proven themselves in battle. Both had grown.
"Two more…" Kael thought, eyes narrowing as possibilities raced in his head. He could expand his elemental coverage, shore up his weaknesses, or prepare for greater versatility. Earth for defense. Wind for speed and mobility. Lightning for raw destructive power. Shadow for control.
The choice lingered like a heavy weight on his chest. For the first time since falling into this abyss, Kael felt the tide turning. Not just survival. Not just clawing forward. Now he had the means to build—no, to command—an army.
Pyraflame let out a low, rumbling growl, its flames coiling protectively around him, as if to say: Choose wisely. Aquara, on the other hand, pulsed softly, as though urging patience.
Kael exhaled, the tension in his chest easing as he sank down to sit on a broken slab of stone."I'll need to think carefully about the next two…" he murmured aloud. "This isn't just about strength. It's about balance. Survival."
His stomach churned faintly at the memory of devouring Abyssal flesh just days ago—a brutal necessity. He clenched his fist. Never again if I can help it. But if it comes down to survival… I'll do it without hesitation.
Above, the abyss ceiling stretched endlessly into shadow. Somewhere in the distance, more creatures prowled, their guttural roars echoing faintly. Kael looked down at his hands, then at his summons, and a rare flicker of determination hardened in his eyes.
Four slots. Four companions. Four weapons to carve his path through this abyss.
And he intended to fill them all.