Chapter 3: The Guardian's Ruin
The Abyssal Guardian was a mountain of necrotic flesh and enchanted stone, standing nearly twelve feet tall. Each of its heavy footsteps sent a shockwave through the cavern floor, cracking the bedrock and sending small pebbles dancing in the air. In its massive, grey hand, it gripped a rusted iron mace the size of a human torso, still stained with the dried blood of previous adventurers who had dared to enter its domain.
Zayn watched from the shadows, his body completely merged with the darkness. The [Shadow Camouflage] skill felt like a cool veil draped over his skin, masking his heartbeat and silencing his breath. In the past, his heart would have been pounding against his ribs like a trapped bird. Now, it beat with a slow, rhythmic thrum—the calm of a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
[System: Analyzing Target...]
[Target: Abyssal Guardian (A+ Rank Elite)]
[Trait: Physical Immunity (40%), High Magic Resistance.]
[Warning: One direct hit from the mace will result in severe internal damage.]
Zayn didn't feel fear. Instead, a cold, clinical curiosity took its place. He wanted to know how his [Hardened Skeleton] would hold up against such a brute. But more than that, he wanted to know how it would taste.
The Guardian stopped in the center of the tunnel, its single, glowing red eye scanning the area. It let out a low, guttural growl that sounded like grinding tectonic plates. It knew someone was here. The scent of the Shadow Crawlers' blood was fresh, and the mana in the air was agitated.
Zayn moved.
He didn't run; he glided through the shadows, appearing behind the Guardian in a flash of dark energy. He lunged, his obsidian claws extending to their full length, and slashed at the back of the monster's thick leg.
SCREECH!
The claws tore through the necrotic skin, but they sparked as they hit the stone-reinforced muscle underneath. The Guardian roared in pain and surprise, spinning around with a speed that defied its massive size. The iron mace whistled through the air, narrowly missing Zayn's head as he rolled backward.
The impact of the mace against the cavern wall was deafening. A section of the tunnel collapsed, filling the air with dust and debris.
"Too slow," Zayn whispered, his golden eyes glowing through the dust cloud.
The Guardian roared again, this time activating its own skill. A shockwave of dark mana erupted from its body, forcing Zayn out of his camouflage. The monster lunged, swinging the mace in a wide, horizontal arc.
This time, Zayn didn't dodge. He wanted to test his limits. He braced his feet against the ground, crossed his arms, and activated his mana to reinforce his bones.
BOOM!
The mace slammed into Zayn's forearms. The force was incredible, throwing him back thirty feet until he smashed into a stone pillar. The pillar shattered upon impact.
[System: Integrity Check...]
[Hardened Skeleton has absorbed 85% of the impact.]
[Minor fractures detected in the ulna. Rapid healing in progress.]
Zayn stood up from the rubble, shaking his arms. They stung, but they weren't broken. A human should have been turned into a red paste by that hit, yet he was standing. A wild, dark joy bubbled up in his chest. He was truly no longer human.
The Guardian froze, its red eye widening. It couldn't understand how this small "human" was still moving.
"My turn to eat," Zayn said, his voice dropping an octave into a monstrous growl.
He sprinted forward, but this time, he didn't go for a simple slash. He channeled his mana into his claws, causing them to vibrate with dark energy. As the Guardian swung its mace again, Zayn leaped onto the weapon itself, ran up the length of the monster's arm, and reached its neck.
He buried his claws deep into the soft flesh behind the stone plates. The monster thrashed, trying to grab him, but Zayn held on like a parasite. He opened his mouth, and for a moment, his jaw unhinged slightly, revealing rows of sharp, predatory teeth.
He bit down on the Guardian's neck, and the [Absolute Predation] skill activated instinctively.
[Skill Activated: Absolute Predation!]
[Extracting Essence from Abyssal Guardian...]
A torrent of thick, mana-rich blood flowed into Zayn's throat. It tasted like iron and ancient earth. The Guardian screamed, a sound of pure agony as its very life force was being sucked out. Its massive body began to wither, the stone plates falling off as the necrotic muscles lost their strength.
Zayn didn't stop until the screaming ended. He dropped to the ground as the husk of the Guardian fell with a thud, already turning into grey ash.
[DING!]
[Elite Prey Devoured: Abyssal Guardian.]
[Calculation complete.]
[Level Up! Level Up! Level Up!]
[Current Level: 15]
[Attributes Increased:]
[Strength +10, Stamina +12, Mana +8]
[New Trait Acquired: Abyssal Armor (Rank: A)]
[Description: Your skin now possesses the durability of dungeon-tempered stone. Reduces physical damage by 30%.]
[New Item Acquired: Heart of the Guardian (Crafting Material/Consumable)]
Zayn stood over the ashes, his breath coming in steady, powerful draws. He felt taller, his muscles more defined, his skin shimmering with a faint, stony luster before returning to normal. He looked at his hands; the fractures from the mace hit had already healed completely.
He looked up at the ceiling of the cavern. He could feel the levels above him. He could almost sense the surface world, the fresh air, and the people who thought he was dead.
"Fifteen levels in one hour," Zayn muttered, a cold smirk playing on his lips. "At this rate, Ryan, you won't even have time to spend the gold you stole before I'm at your door."
But he wasn't satisfied yet. The hunger was still there, deeper and more demanding than before. The system had shown him a path to godhood, and the only way forward was to keep eating.
He turned his gaze toward the deep end of the second floor. There was a boss even stronger than the Guardian waiting there—the True King of the Hollow Graves.
Zayn stepped into the darkness, his presence now so suffocating that the lesser monsters in the walls scurried away in fear. The bait had become the hunter, and the dungeon was his banquet hall.
[System: Main Quest Progress...]
[Reach the Surface: 20% Complete.]
[Suggested Action: Slay the Floor Boss to unlock the 'Shadow Extraction' skill early.]
"Shadow Extraction..." Zayn repeated. "I like the sound of that."
He vanished into the depths, leaving nothing but the shattered remains
of a guardian and the silence of a new king's reign.