The obsidian shard pulsed, light streaming into his palm as Absorption roared to life. The system's voice followed—cold and absolute.
[Absorption Complete]
[New Affinity Acquired: Shadow Affinity +10%]
Zyren staggered as the shard crumbled in his hand. His breath quickened, skin tingling with foreign energy. The change wasn't painful, only undeniable. His body felt sharper, shadows bending toward him.
Then, a new line appeared in his vision.
[Status Window Opened]
Name: Zyren
Race:Human
Path: Undefined
Evolution: Awaiting
Traits:
[Adaptive Will] – The ability to endure and evolve under extreme pressure.
Skills:
[Absorption] – You can absorb anything within your capacity.
[Language Deciphering] – You can understand the language of the world.
Affinity:
[Shadow: 10%]
Zyren's eyes widened.
Affinity? So this world has elemental attributes… and I just gained one from that shard.
Beasts roared, snapping him back to reality. He ran, his lungs burning, his muscles screaming, his eyes scanning the ground.
There—another shard.
He hurled himself for it, slamming his palm down.
[Absorption Complete]
[Shadow Affinity +10% → 20%]
Energy rushed into him, stronger now. His body felt lighter; his vision was clearer in the crimson gloom.
Zyren sprinted for the next shard, ignoring claw swipes and echoed snarls. Each touch triggered the system's cold efficiency.
[Absorption Complete]
[Shadow Affinity +30%]
[Shadow Affinity +40%]
[Shadow Affinity +50%]
By the fifth shard, shadows no longer pressed against him; they moved with him. The beasts seemed slower, their movements easier to predict, as if affinity was teaching his body survival.
But the shards multiplied, scattering endlessly.
This can't be a coincidence. Without Absorption, how would anyone else survive this trial? Am I really the only one meant for this?
The thought chilled him more than the beasts. Was the system setting him up, or was he just lucky?
He shook it away. This wasn't the time.
Shard after shard fell into his hands, shadow energy filling him. He grew faster, senses sharper, footing surer.
[Shadow Affinity +70%]
[Shadow Affinity +80%]
[Shadow Affinity +90%]
The beasts lunged. Zyren rolled aside, moving instinctively, almost too smoothly. He wasn't just surviving—he was adapting.
Finally, the last shard glowed ahead of him, larger than the others, pulsing like a beating heart. He lunged for it, slamming his palm down.
[Absorption Complete]
[Shadow Affinity: 100%]
The world stilled. For a moment, the plain fell silent. The darkness coiled around him like smoke, wrapping him in its embrace.
Zyren gasped, his fists trembling.
This power… It's not just energy. It's compatibility. The shadows recognize me.
The system's voice confirmed it.
[Affinity Effect: Shadow-Base]
[All shadow-based energy and skills now resonate with the host. Compatibility increased.]
Zyren looked at his hand, watching black wisps curl and dissipate from his fingertips. He almost laughed in disbelief.
If I hadn't had Absorption, what would I have done? Eat the shards? No… impossible. This power was always meant for me. Or rather, only someone with Absorption could ever pass this trial.
The beasts roared again, this time louder, angrier, as if sensing the shift in him. Their glowing eyes narrowed, their claws dragging against the cracked stone as they circled him.
Zyren straightened, chest heaving, but his eyes were sharp. For the first time since the trial began, he no longer felt like prey.
I ran long enough. I bled long enough. Now it's my turn.
He clenched his fist, the shadows responding immediately, swirling around his arm like armor. The energy didn't feel foreign anymore—it felt like it belonged to him.
The first beast lunged again, jaws wide, claws tearing through the air.
Zyren didn't run this time.
He raised his shadow-clad fist to meet it.
Zyren's shadowed fist struck the beast's face. For the first time, the creature didn't reform. Its shape wavered, darkness unraveling like smoke in a storm.
Zyren lunged forward, thrusting his palm into the beast and channeling his will into his skill.
[Skill Activated: Absorption]
The beast howled. Its body split into spirals of black mist that slashed toward his hand. Zyren staggered under the weight as energy stabbed his chest, burning and freezing in the same breath. Then it vanished, utterly consumed.
He panted, sweat dripping from his forehead.
I did it. I finally absorbed one of them, I thought, disbelief and cautious pride wrestling inside me.
But before relief could settle in, he noticed something strange.
No notification.
No system message.
Nothing.
His pulse quickened, a chill racing up his spine.
Why am I getting nothing now? Before, the system always responded: a shard gave results, showed affinity percentages, and updated the panel. However, there's no response at all now.
He clenched his fist, staring at his palm as if the answer might be etched there.
What does absorbing a living shadow beast really mean for me? Did I get nothing? Or is something happening beyond my understanding, something beneath the surface?
A growl snapped him back. The horde remained. If anything, the beasts looked hungrier, circling with renewed ferocity.
I can't dwell on this now, I warned myself. Stand still and I die. Keep moving, keep fighting.
He darted through the swarm, slashing and striking whenever an opening appeared. Each hit triggered the same fierce pull—Absorption snapped through his core.
One by one, shadow beasts unraveled, their essence devoured into him.
After each, only silence. No messages. No rewards. Just a hollow weight in his chest.
It was maddening.
But something else began to change.
At first, he hadn't noticed. The beasts all looked the same—shapeless claws and eyes, indistinguishable in chaos. But as his affinity pulsed inside, clarity came. His vision sharpened.
He froze mid-step, blinking hard.
Wait… they're not all identical like I assumed, I suddenly realized.
The nearest beast lunged, and now he saw it—a wolf, fangs dripping with darkness. Another, serpentine, coiled across the ground. Beyond, a hulking form dragged massive limbs like an ape.
Zyren's breath caught.
They were never just shadows. They're beasts… real beasts, wearing the darkness like armor.
His Shadow Affinity peeled back the veil. Where a faceless horde had been, now stood a bestiary—each predator unique, deadly.
The realization both terrified and excited him.
So that's what affinity means… As it grows, I understand more about what I'm absorbing. Without it, everything is a blur. With it, differences emerge. Adaptation becomes possible. I can see how to fight them, how to use my gift.
He ducked beneath the wolf-beast's swipe and slammed his palm into its side.
[Skill Activated: Absorption]
The creature shuddered, dissolving into his hand. Again, no message. No new skill. No panel update. Just silence.
His jaw tightened.
Fine. Stay silent. But I feel it—a subtle shift inside each time I absorb one. I don't fully understand it yet, but I know I'm changing. I'm not the same person I was when I started.
Another serpent hissed, fangs dripping black. Zyren sidestepped, grabbed its tail, and forced Absorption through. The energy stung worse; his body shivered, but he endured.
He always endured.
[Absorption Successful]
No words came, but deep in his veins, something stirred—a faint whisper brushed his mind, then faded.
His eyes narrowed.
So there's something, I'm sure. The system isn't telling me what it is yet. But that doesn't mean nothing is happening inside me.
The beasts howled, the circle tightening. His muscles ached, his body screamed, but his spirit burned bright. He was drenched in sweat and shadow, breathing heavy, but he refused to back down.
I can't stop now. The only way is forward—through them all. If it means I have to absorb every single one, then that's what I'll do.
He spread his arms, shadows coiling around his body like smoke drawn to fire. His vision darted across the beasts—the wolf, the ape, the serpent, the countless others still waiting.
Each one is different. Each one is a challenge.
Each one is his prey.
This trial… It's not just about survival. It's about evolution.
He lunged, driving his fist into the beast's chest as Absorption flared, energy thrashing through him. He braced himself, teeth gritted, refusing to yield to the torrent.
The night raged on. The crimson sky watched silently as Zyren consumed the shadows one by one, searching for meaning in the silence the system left him.
And though he didn't know it yet, with every beast he absorbed, something within him was awakening.