The Knight's sword shrieked through the air, missing my head by a whisper. The blow hit the floor instead, shattering the mirrored glass into a web of glowing cracks. Heat and pressure rolled out like a heartbeat turned violent.
I scrambled back. The vibration in the floor rattled up my bones. Every instinct screamed to run; logic reminded me there was nowhere to go.
The Abyssal Knight lifted its blade from the wreckage. Its armor hissed as mana burned through joints and seams, each step punctuated by the sound of iron grinding against bone. A pale flame glowed within its visor, cold and merciless.
I glanced around. The only thing resembling a weapon lay half-buried near the edge of the room—a rusted sword, eaten by time. I dove for it, fingers wrapping around the corroded hilt just as the Knight's blade smashed down where I'd stood.
The world flashed white.
When the dust cleared, a System notification hovered over the ruined sword.
[Anomaly resonance detected. Restoring compatible weapon integrity.]
The rust peeled away in flakes of blue light, revealing steel so dark it reflected nothing. The grip molded to my hand as if it had been waiting.
"Guess we're in this together," I muttered.
The Knight didn't wait. It charged.
I barely got the new blade up in time. The collision screamed metal against metal, sparks scattering across the fractured floor. The impact numbed my arm; the second strike nearly tore the sword from my hand.
[Omni-Seer passive engaged. Combat data analysis initialized.]
The Knight's movements slowed—not truly, but to my perception. Golden lines bloomed in the air, tracing the paths of its sword: one, two, three cuts looping into a pattern.
[Skill recognized: Abyssal Cleave (S-Rank). Copy available.]
[Skill copied. Upgrade Token +1.]
"So that's how it works."
The Knight pivoted, swinging from the opposite side. I ducked under the arc; the shockwave lifted me anyway, slamming me into a pillar. My ribs protested. Pain clarified thought.
Another pulse from the System.
[Skill recognized: Abyssal Guard (A-Rank). Copy available.]
[Skill copied. Upgrade Token +1.]
Two tokens.
The Knight advanced again. I rolled aside, planting my blade into the ground and using it to push upright. My breath came ragged, lungs searing in the cold. The new knowledge thrummed behind my eyes, hot and insistent—techniques that weren't mine demanding to be used.
The next blow came from above. My body moved before thought.
A jagged barrier of black mana flared around me—an echo of the Knight's own guard technique. Its sword struck sparks across it, but this time the ground didn't cave beneath me.
The Knight froze for a heartbeat, tilting its head as if trying to understand why its reflection had learned to bite back.
I shoved forward, forcing its blade aside. The recoil nearly broke my wrist, but the opening gave me room to breathe.
The System pulsed again, text flickering across my vision.
[Skill recognized: Abyssal Drive (A-Rank). Copy available.]
[Skill copied. Upgrade Token +1.]
A buff skill—heat flooded my veins as the System explained it.
[Abyssal Drive activated. Speed, focus, and reflexes amplified. Mana drain continuous.]
My world sharpened. Every motion gained clarity; every sound slowed to a rhythm I could step between. Even fear seemed to take longer to reach me.
Three tokens now.
I opened the upgrade menu mid-swing, breath frosting in the cold.
[Available Skills:]
- Vector Step (E)
- Abyssal Cleave (S)
- Abyssal Guard (A)
- Abyssal Drive (A)
[Upgrade Tokens: 3]
"Let's see what you can really do."
I selected Vector Step. The System's hum deepened.
[Upgrade applied: Vector Step (E → C → A)]
[Skill renamed: Vector Shift → Vector Rift.]
[Enhanced function: short-range displacement achieved. Energy cost reduced.]
Energy surged through me like static through veins. The Knight's sword came down in the same moment I vanished.
I reappeared behind it, striking at the joint between shoulder and chest. Sparks burst; the armor dented but didn't break. The Knight spun, faster than thought, blade lashing out in a horizontal cut. I displaced again—fifty centimeters sideways, just enough to feel the air of its passing.
Every movement burned mana like fire through paper. My reserves were already thinning.
The Knight pressed forward, relentless. Its blows blurred together—Cleave, Guard, Cleave again. The air filled with the sound of metal waging war against itself. My copied skills kept me alive by fractions, but the ground told the truth: I was being driven backward.
The next strike caught me across the side. Armor tore; warmth spread down my ribs. Blood. I staggered, breath hitching. The Knight raised its blade two-handed, mana crawling along the edge like liquid lightning.
"This is going to hurt."
I triggered **Abyssal Drive** again. The world tilted; my pulse matched the rhythm of the dungeon itself. Every nerve screamed in harmony.
The Knight swung.
I moved.
Vector Rift tore the distance apart, dropping me inside its guard. My blade arced upward, guided by borrowed instinct. Steel met steel; light split the air. I screamed—part rage, part effort, part disbelief—and forced the strike through.
For the first time, the Knight gave ground. A line of black fire carved across its chestplate. The light within its visor flared, brighter, furious.
It answered with speed I couldn't follow. The blade slammed into my guard, shattering the mana shield of Abyssal Guard. The impact threw me backward, crashing me into the far wall. The sword in my hand dimmed. My arms felt like lead.
[Health: 41%]
[Stamina: Critical]
[Warning: Mana reserves below threshold.]
I forced myself upright. My knees didn't want to cooperate.
"Not yet," I hissed.
The Knight advanced again, sword dragging sparks. My vision blurred, the world shrinking to its glowing visor and the sound of its footsteps.
Then, a flicker at the edge of my sight—new data forming midair.
[Skill recognized: Abyssal Pulse (B-Rank). Copy available.]
[Skill copied. Upgrade Token +1.]
"Great," I muttered through gritted teeth. "Another token."
The Knight lunged, bringing its sword down in an executioner's arc. I stepped forward instead of back, Vector Rift snapping the world around me. The displacement ripped mana straight out of my veins. The floor under me cracked.
Our blades met.
Light and sound detonated. The shockwave rolled through the chamber, throwing shards of glass and mana into the air. When the flare faded, I was on one knee, smoke rising from the ground around me. The Knight still stood—but its sword arm hung half-severed, sparks bleeding from the joint.
I could barely breathe. My right hand was numb. My heart felt like it was trying to punch its way out of my chest.
The Knight raised its sword again, one-armed, slow but inexorable. The light in its visor pulsed unevenly.
The System's voice returned, thin and distant.
[Upgrade Tokens: 1]
[Recommendation: Skill fusion available. Combine Abyssal Cleave + Abyssal Pulse?]
I didn't hesitate.
[Confirmed. Skills fused → Abyssal Rend (S+ Rank).]
The blade in my hand glowed darker than the room itself. I swung.
The impact split the floor, sent the Knight staggering back, armor cracking from shoulder to knee. The light in its visor flickered once, then dimmed to ash. Its body froze mid-motion before crumbling into dust that vanished on contact with the floor.
Silence swallowed the chamber.
System messages cascaded across my vision.
[Boss defeated.]
[Skill library expanded.]
[Origin +1.]
[Synchronization deepened.]
My sword dimmed. My body followed. Knees hit the floor first, then hands. Every breath scraped like broken glass.
"Still alive," I whispered. "Barely."
The dungeon pulsed once—slow, approving. Then the light went out.