Alright. We'll do all three things cleanly in one flow:
1. Continue the story (Chapter 2)
2. Introduce the System Missions & Rewards naturally in-story
3. Define a completely different Hu
Pain dragged Kael back to consciousness.
The smell of blood and damp stone filled his nose. He lay in the same alley, but something was… different. The cold that usually gnawed at his bones was gone. In its place burned a slow, controlled heat—like embers buried beneath ash.
Kael pushed himself up.
Cracks spread across the stone beneath his palm.
His breath caught.
Did I… do that?
Before he could think further, translucent text appeared before his eyes.
[Abyss Awakening Complete.]
[Stage: Abyss Awakening (1/12)]
A wave of information poured into his mind—not techniques, but instincts. How to sense demonic essence. How to breathe it in. How to let it circulate through blood rather than flesh.
This wasn't human cultivation.
This was dominion.
Another message appeared.
[Primary Mission Issued.]
[Mission: Prove Your Right to Exist.]
[Objective: Kill or Subdue a Cultivator who has humiliated you.]
[Reward: Blood Echo Stage Advancement.]
[Failure: Abyss Rejection.]
Kael's fingers trembled.
"So that's it…" he murmured. "No mercy."
Footsteps echoed at the alley entrance.
"Oi. He's still breathing."
Kael looked up.
One of the Iron Vein Sect disciples had returned—the one who had kicked him first. The boy frowned, eyes narrowing.
"Tch. You're tougher than I thought, half-blood."
Kael stood.
Slowly.
The disciple paused.
"…What are you staring at?"
For the first time in his life, Kael didn't lower his gaze.
"You," he said calmly. "You'll do."
The disciple laughed. "You think you can—"
Kael stepped forward.
The air twisted.
A pressure slammed into the disciple's chest, invisible yet crushing. His knees buckled, his face draining of color.
"W-what is this?!"
Kael raised his hand.
He felt it—authority, thin and unstable, but real.
"Bow," he said.
The disciple slammed into the ground, face-first.
Bones cracked.
Kael stared at his shaking hand, shocked.
I didn't touch him.
The system chimed.
[Abyss Authority: Minor — Activated.]
Fear flooded the disciple's eyes. "P-please! I'm from Iron Vein Sect! If you kill me—"
Kael remembered every kick.
Every laugh.
Every night he starved while others cultivated.
He clenched his fist.
The pressure intensified.
The disciple's screams cut off abruptly.
Silence returned to the alley.
Kael exhaled slowly, blood dripping from his nose—but he was smiling.
[Mission Complete.]
[Blood Echo Stage Unlocked.]
[New Ability: Blood Resonance — Mixed Blood Stabilization.]
His heart thundered as demonic energy surged through his veins, no longer rejecting him—no longer tearing him apart.
For the first time, cultivation felt right.
Kael looked down at the corpse.
"…This is only the beginning."
---
System: Active Missions & Functions
Mission-Based Advancement
Kael cannot cultivate normally. Advancement requires domination, conquest, or judgment.
Reward Types
Stage breakthroughs
Abyss abilities
Demon bloodline evolution
Authority over demons or cultivators
Punishments
Bloodline backlash
Loss of abilities
Abyss erasure (permanent death)
The system does not care about morality.
Only results.
---