The stone staircase descended deep into the darkness.
Each step Azrael Veyron took echoed through the silent dungeon like a distant drumbeat.
The blue flames from the upper floor slowly disappeared behind him, replaced by a strange violet glow leaking from cracks in the stone walls.
The deeper he walked…
The heavier the air became.
Azrael could feel something ancient lurking below.
Something powerful.
Something hungry.
But instead of fear, a cold excitement burned in his chest.
The Void Devouring System pulsed quietly inside his mind.
Every monster he defeated…
Every soul he devoured…
Made him stronger.
And that strength was addictive.
Azrael finally reached the bottom of the staircase.
A massive underground chamber stretched before him.
It was far larger than the corridor above.
Broken pillars stood scattered across the floor like the ruins of an ancient temple.
Cracks in the stone ground glowed faintly with dark purple energy.
Azrael's Void Sense activated automatically.
He could feel multiple life signatures moving in the shadows.
At least…
Ten.
A system message appeared.
Dungeon Floor 2
Trial Type: Survival BattleEnemies Detected: 12
Azrael slowly stepped into the chamber.
The moment his foot touched the floor—
The dungeon reacted.
The purple cracks suddenly flared with light.
From within those cracks…
Hands began to emerge.
Rotting fingers clawed their way out of the stone.
Then arms.
Then entire bodies.
One by one, twisted figures pulled themselves out of the ground.
Azrael's eyes narrowed.
They looked human.
Or at least…
They once had been.
Their bodies were covered in cracked black skin.
Their eyes burned with violet flames.
Their mouths hung open in silent screams.
The system immediately identified them.
Abyss Corrupted
Level: Mortal Body Stage 5
Twelve monsters stood between Azrael and the other side of the chamber.
They moved slowly at first.
Then suddenly—
They rushed forward together.
Azrael didn't retreat.
Instead, he stepped forward to meet them.
Dark energy surged around his hands.
"Void Claw."
Black claws formed across his fingers like blades of shadow.
The first corrupted creature lunged.
Azrael slashed upward.
The claws sliced cleanly through its torso.
The monster collapsed instantly into black mist.
Soul Devoured
Two more rushed from the side.
Azrael activated Void Step.
His body blurred like smoke.
He reappeared behind them.
His hands struck both creatures at once.
"Devour."
Darkness erupted.
Their bodies dissolved instantly.
Energy rushed into Azrael's chest.
Soul Devoured
Soul Devoured
But the remaining monsters didn't stop.
Six of them attacked at once.
Their claws slashed wildly.
Azrael jumped backward.
One attack barely missed his face.
Another tore through his sleeve.
"These are faster…"
He realized quickly.
The second floor enemies were far more aggressive than the wolves above.
But Azrael's eyes glowed with excitement.
"Good."
He stepped forward again.
The hunger inside him was growing.
One monster leapt toward him.
Azrael grabbed its arm mid-air.
"Void Absorption."
Black cracks spread across the creature's body.
Within seconds it disintegrated.
The remaining monsters surrounded him.
They attacked together.
Azrael moved like a shadow among them.
Void Step.
Void Claw.
Devour.
Each attack destroyed another enemy.
The chamber filled with swirling darkness as the creatures vanished one by one.
Finally—
The last corrupted monster lunged.
Azrael caught its skull.
His eyes glowed red.
"Devour."
The creature collapsed into mist.
Silence returned to the chamber.
System messages appeared instantly.
Enemies Eliminated
Floor 2 Trial Complete
Energy flooded into Azrael's body again.
His muscles tightened.
His breathing grew heavier.
Then—
A new message appeared.
Cultivation Breakthrough
Mortal Body Stage 7
Azrael exhaled slowly.
His body had grown even stronger.
His senses sharper.
The dungeon had already raised him two stages again.
He looked down at his hands.
The darkness swirling around them seemed thicker now.
More obedient.
But suddenly—
The ground beneath his feet trembled.
Azrael's head snapped upward.
Something far stronger had just appeared deeper within the dungeon.
A slow, heavy breathing sound echoed through the chamber.
Then—
A deep voice spoke from the shadows.
"…Interesting."
Azrael's eyes narrowed.
A figure slowly stepped into the purple light.
But this creature was different from the others.
It wasn't a monster.
It looked human.
Tall.
Thin.
Its body was wrapped in ancient black armor.
Its face was hidden beneath a cracked bone mask.
And the energy radiating from it was terrifying.
The system immediately reacted.
Elite Dungeon Enemy Detected
Abyss Knight
Level: Spirit Awakening Realm
Azrael's heartbeat quickened.
This was the first enemy he had encountered above the Mortal Body Realm.
The Abyss Knight slowly drew a long black sword.
Dark energy crackled along its blade.
Then the creature pointed the weapon toward Azrael.
"…Another sacrifice sent to the abyss."
Its voice sounded hollow.
Like something speaking from a grave.
Azrael smiled slightly.
"Not a sacrifice."
Dark energy gathered around his hands again.
"I'm the one devouring this dungeon."
The Abyss Knight tilted its head slightly.
Then—
It disappeared.
Azrael's instincts exploded with warning.
He turned just in time to see the blade coming down toward his neck.
CLANG!
The sword struck his Void Claw mid-air.
The force pushed Azrael several meters backward.
His boots scraped across the stone floor.
Azrael's eyes widened.
The knight stood calmly where he had been.
Its sword glowing with dark power.
"…Let us see," the knight whispered,
"…if you are worthy of the abyss."
The moment the Abyss Knight appeared before him, Azrael Veyron felt the difference immediately.
The pressure was overwhelming.
This was no mindless dungeon monster.
The creature standing before him carried the aura of a true warrior.
Its black armor seemed fused with ancient abyss energy, and the cracked bone mask hid whatever face lay beneath.
But the power radiating from it was unmistakable.
Spirit Awakening Realm.
Two entire realms above Azrael.
Azrael steadied his breathing.
His dark eyes locked onto the knight's sword.
Fast…
The previous attack had nearly cut his throat.
If he had reacted a moment later, he would already be dead.
The knight slowly lifted its blade again.
"Most sacrifices die on the first floor," it said in a hollow voice.
"You have reached the second."
Azrael flexed his fingers.
Void energy curled around his hands.
"But strength…" the knight continued,
"…is meaningless without skill."
Then suddenly—
It vanished again.
Azrael's Void Sense exploded with warning.
Left side.
Azrael twisted his body just in time.
The sword flashed past his chest.
Even so, the edge sliced through his robe and left a thin cut across his ribs.
Azrael jumped back instantly.
The knight appeared again several meters away.
"So slow," it murmured.
Azrael wiped the blood from his chest.
"…You talk too much."
Dark energy surged around his body.
"Void Step."
His figure blurred.
Azrael shot forward like a shadow.
The knight raised its blade calmly.
CLANG!
Void Claw collided with the dark sword.
Sparks erupted.
The force pushed both fighters apart.
Azrael landed smoothly.
The knight tilted its head again.
"You are not ordinary."
Azrael smiled slightly.
"You noticed."
Then he attacked again.
This time he used Void Step repeatedly.
His figure flickered around the knight like a phantom.
Slash.
Strike.
Claw.
Each attack came from a different angle.
But the Abyss Knight blocked every one.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
The sound of steel echoed across the chamber.
Azrael frowned.
This thing is skilled.
Much more skilled than him.
The knight suddenly counterattacked.
Its sword flashed downward.
Azrael barely raised his claw in time.
BOOM!
The impact cracked the stone beneath his feet.
Azrael slid backward several meters.
The knight stepped forward calmly.
"You have power," it said.
"But no experience."
Azrael exhaled slowly.
The knight was right.
The system had given him strength.
But not technique.
Not yet.
The knight raised its sword again.
"This is where you fall."
Then it attacked.
Its movements were faster than before.
Azrael blocked one strike.
Then another.
But the third attack slipped through.
The blade slashed across his shoulder.
Blood splattered across the floor.
Azrael stumbled back.
Pain shot through his arm.
The knight raised its sword for the final blow.
But suddenly—
The Void Devouring System activated.
Combat Analysis Complete
New Skill Available
Void Predator Instinct
Azrael's eyes suddenly changed.
The world around him slowed.
He could see the knight's stance.
Its balance.
The tiny movements in its muscles before every attack.
Azrael smiled.
"So that's your pattern."
The knight lunged again.
But this time—
Azrael moved first.
He slipped past the blade.
His hand slammed against the knight's chest armor.
"Devour."
Dark energy exploded.
Cracks spread across the armor instantly.
The knight staggered back.
Its mask turned toward Azrael slowly.
"…Impossible."
Azrael attacked again.
Void Step.
His body flickered behind the knight.
His claw struck the gap in its armor.
Black energy surged inside the creature.
The knight roared for the first time.
Its sword swung wildly.
Azrael dodged easily.
The system's new instinct ability allowed him to read every movement.
The knight was strong.
But predictable.
Azrael lunged again.
This time he grabbed the knight's arm.
"VOID DEVOURING."
A massive vortex of dark energy erupted.
The knight struggled violently.
Its armor cracked.
Its sword fell from its hand.
The vortex grew stronger.
Stronger.
Then—
CRACK.
The knight's body shattered.
Its entire form dissolved into black mist.
The energy rushed into Azrael like a storm.
System messages flooded his vision.
Elite Enemy Devoured
Massive Energy Absorbed
Cultivation Breakthrough
Azrael dropped to one knee.
Power exploded inside his body.
Every bone vibrated.
Then the message appeared.
Spirit Awakening Realm — Stage 1
Azrael slowly stood.
His aura had changed completely.
Dark energy surrounded him like a living cloak.
The system screen appeared again.
Void Devouring System
Host: Azrael VeyronCultivation Realm: Spirit Awakening Stage 1
New Ability Unlocked
• Abyss Domain
Azrael raised his hand slowly.
Dark energy spread across the chamber.
The entire dungeon floor dimmed.
Shadows crawled along the walls like living creatures.
"This power…"
He could feel it clearly now.
He had crossed the boundary into a completely new realm.
But before he could test the ability—
The dungeon suddenly shook violently.
The purple cracks in the floor widened.
A deep voice echoed across the chamber.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
"…A devourer has awakened."
Azrael looked up.
At the far end of the chamber…
Another massive gate had appeared.
But this one was different.
The energy leaking from it was far darker.
Far more ancient.
The system displayed a new warning.
Hidden Dungeon Core Detected
Final Guardian Awakened
Azrael smiled slowly.
His eyes glowed crimson in the darkness.
"Good."
He stepped toward the gate.
"Let's see what else this abyss has for me."