The Abyssal Rift was a place of no return. It was a jagged canyon filled with poisonous mist and creatures that lived on despair.
Kael lay at the bottom, his bones shattered from the fall. Blood pooled around his broken body. The smell of death was everywhere. Above him, he could hear the screeching of 'Shadow Crawlers'—monsters that ate the weak.
Is this it? Kael thought, his vision blurring. Born a mistake, died a snack for monsters?
"No..." he hissed through gritted teeth. "I... I refuse..."
He tried to crawl, his fingernails tearing as he gripped the sharp rocks. His sheer will to live was so intense that something deep inside his soul—something the crystal couldn't see—began to crack.
Suddenly, a sound like broken glass echoed in his mind.
[Ding!]
A semi-transparent screen flickered in front of his eyes. It wasn't the clean, golden screen of a Holy System. It was blood-red and flickering with static.
[Warning: Critical Soul Damage Detected!]
[Scanning for Mana... 0% Found.]
[Scanning for Willpower... 999% Found. Error! Error!]
[Ancient Protocol: 'Vanguard' activated.]
[System Message: You have achieved the impossible. You survived the Divine Rejection. Do you wish to transcend the limits of the Gods?]
"Yes..." Kael gasped, his lungs filling with blood. "Give me... the power to... kill them all."
[Initiating Body Reconstruction...]
[Class Assigned: Eternal Vanguard (Level 1)]
[Trait Unlocked: 'Pain to Power' – Every injury increases your Physical Stats permanently.]
A sudden, white-hot surge of energy exploded from his heart. His broken bones snapped back into place with sickening sounds. His muscles tore and reformed, becoming denser and stronger.
Kael stood up in the darkness. He was no longer the weak boy from the Spire. His eyes now glowed with a faint, dangerous silver light.
A Shadow Crawler leaped from the mist, its jagged claws aimed at Kael's throat.
In the past, Kael would have died instantly. But now, the world seemed to move in slow motion. He didn't use magic. He didn't use mana. He simply stepped forward and swung his fist with raw, brutal strength.
CRACK!
The monster's head exploded into black mist with a single punch.
[Target Slain. 50 XP Gained.]
[First Kill Bonus: Skill 'Iron Skin' Unlocked.]
Kael looked up at the distant top of the canyon, where the world of the Gods lay.
"Wait for me," he whispered. "The Zero is coming for your thrones."