Zael stood in the center of the room.
Still.
But not calm.
Power moved under his skin now.
Layered.
Controlled.
Level 60.
He exhaled.
"Status."
The panel opened.
---
Zael Nightshade — Status Panel
Class: Child of Dao (First awakening peak)
Level: 60 (EXP: 0 / 6100000)(locked)
Tier: First Tier (Peak)
---
Attributes
Strength: 3,420
Agility: 3,680
Endurance: 3,510
Intelligence: 3,900
Free Points: 0
---
Talents
1. Supreme Blessing (Mythical)
Allows enhancement and evolution of skills, equipment, and abilities.
• Upgrade success rate: 100%
• Enhancement scaling: ×2 – ×10 per upgrade
• No degradation or failure penalty
2. Ascendant Echo (Mythical)
The user may create autonomous echoes of themselves.
Description:
Creates one or more clones identical to the user in body, appearance, and base attributes. Clones possess independent thought capacity and can act autonomously within defined command parameters.
Effects:
• Clones share the user's physical statistics
• Capable of complex actions and combat
• Can relay sensory information back to the user
• Duration dependent on mana supply and mental stability
• Destruction of a clone causes no backlash
Limitations:
• High mana consumption
• Number of active clones limited by user's mental processing capacity
• Clones cannot use talents independently unless authorized
Trait:
Sovereign Echo:
The user may create autonomous echoes of themselves.
Each echo possesses:
– Independent movement and perception
– Shared awareness with the main body
– Adaptive durability based on the user's attributes
– Partial replication of active skills
Current limit (1/1)
3. Adaptive Evolution (Mythical)
Grants scaling resistance through exposure.
• +2% resistance per hit taken (same type)
• Cap: 99%
• Decay rate: none
4. Authority of infinite growth (unknown)
Accelerates all growth.
• EXP gain: ×10000
• Excess EXP stored automatically
• Stored EXP immune to loss
Trait:
Exp to stat conversion
5. Storm Dragon Core (Legendary) (Acquired)
Infuses the body with draconic lightning essence.
• Thunder skill damage: ×3.5
• Lightning penetration: ignores 40% resistance
• Passive: +25% movement speed during combat
• 10% chance to trigger chain lightning (300% damage)
6. Void Sovereign (Mythical) (Lv40)
Absolute control over spatial/void energy.
• Void skill damage: ×4
• Cooldown reduction: -35%
• Ignores 50% spatial resistance
• Passive: immunity to spatial distortion effects
7. Abyssal Authority (Mythical) (Lv50)
Dominion over abyssal power.
• Abyss skill amplification: ×5
• Damage dealt to abyss entities: ×3
• Incoming abyss damage reduced by 70%
• Passive suppression: enemies below 50% stats within 20m suffer -30% output
8. Eternal Flow (Mythical) (Lv60)
Perfect combat energy circulation.
• Mana/Stamina regeneration: 8% per second (combat active)
• Skill chaining delay: 0 seconds
• Consecutive skill usage: +10% damage per cast (max 10 stacks)
• At max stacks: next skill gains ×2 multiplier
---
Skills
Blade Domain
Establishes a combat zone.
• All attacks gain +40% precision
• Enemy evasion reduced by 25%
Void Step
Instant displacement (up to 15m)
Cooldown: 1.5s
Resonance Strike
Stacks vibrational energy.
• +20% damage per hit (max 5 stacks)
• Final detonation: ×2 total damage
Night Sever
Void-infused slash
• 2,800% damage
• Ignores 35% defense
Cooldown: 4s
Phantom Split
Creates 2 afterimages
• Each deals 60% of original damage
Duration: 6s
Abyss Rend
Abyss-infused cleave
• 3,500% damage
• Additional +5% damage per 1% enemy resistance
Cooldown: 5s
Void Collapse
Crushes space at target point
• 4,200% damage
• 1.5s immobilization
Cooldown: 12s
Echo Drive
Triggers stored echoes instantly
• Converts all stacks into burst
• Multiplier: ×1.5 per 5 stacks
Cooldown: 25s
Predator Sync
Full integration with Predator's Domain
• Reaction speed: +60%
• Target tracking: absolute within range
Duration: 20s
Cooldown: 40s
---
Zael stared at the panel.
No reaction at first.
Just silence.
Then—
"…This is different."
Not just stronger.
Structured.
Every talent fed into another.
Void.
Abyss.
Lightning.
Echo.
Flow.
Nothing clashed.
Everything stacked.
Clean.
Efficient.
Lethal.
He flexed his fingers.
Lightning sparked—
Then folded into void.
Then swallowed by something darker.
Abyss.
No instability.
No resistance.
Just control.
His eyes sharpened.
Because now—
There was only one thing left to test it on.
Zane.
Zael turned toward the door.
"…Let's see which one of us evolved better."
And walked out.
---
Two days passed.
Too fast.
No more delays.
No more waiting.
Today—Godsfall Ruins opened.
The camp was packed.
Way more than usual.
People everywhere.
Groups forming.
Voices overlapping.
Nobody wanted to miss this.
Because this wasn't just any dungeon.
This was world-class.
Zael stood off to the side, watching.
Zane was beside him.
Quiet as always.
But the gap between them was still there.
Unspoken.
Unresolved.
Ignored.
For now.
Because this came first.
Something shifted in the sky.
Slow at first.
Then heavier.
Like space itself was being forced open.
The noise in the camp died down.
People noticed.
Heads tilted up.
Then—
It tore.
Not violently.
Just… completely.
A massive rift opened above them.
Dark.
Deep.
Wrong.
And inside—
Ruins.
Floating.
Broken structures hanging in empty space.
Pillars.
Fragments.
Pieces of something ancient stitched together.
A voice echoed.
Everywhere at once.
[World-Class Dungeon Detected]
Silence fell.
[Godsfall Ruins — Access Granted]
The pressure changed instantly.
Dropped.
Then surged back harder.
Like the world acknowledged it.
Lily appeared beside them.
No sound.
Just there.
"…So that's it."
Zael nodded.
"…Yeah."
Auralis walked up, grinning.
"…Finally."
Aurelia followed behind her, calm, eyes already moving.
Watching.
Thinking.
People started moving.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
Groups stepping forward.
No hesitation anymore.
This was it.
Zael stepped forward.
Just one step.
And the system reacted.
[Second Class Change Quest Detected]
His eyes sharpened.
[Requirement: Enter Godsfall Ruins]
[Progress: 0%]
"…There it is," he said.
Zane glanced at him.
"So it starts inside."
"…Yeah."
Auralis rested her hammer on her shoulder.
"Then let's go already."
Lily didn't move.
"…Something feels off."
Aurelia nodded slightly.
"It's unstable."
Zael looked back at the rift.
They weren't wrong.
It didn't feel like a normal dungeon opening.
It felt forced.
Like something wasn't ready—
But got opened anyway.
He smirked slightly.
"…Good."
Zane gave him a look.
"You're enjoying this."
"…A little."
More people went in.
One after another.
No turning back now.
Zael looked at them.
Lily.
Zane.
Aurelia.
Auralis.
No words.
They all knew.
He stepped forward.
"Let's go."
And walked in.
The moment he crossed—
Everything shifted.
[Entering: Godsfall Ruins]
Then—
Nothing felt the same anymore.
[END OF CHAPTER]