The moment Kael dismissed his system screen, a new alert blared in his mind. The familiar tone of a level-up notification echoed in his ears, pulling his attention back to the flickering blue interface hovering before him.
System Alert: Level Up!
Congratulations!
You have gained enough experience to advance to the next level.
New Level: 11
Skill Points Earned: +10 SP
New Experience: 12,300 / 14,000 EXP
Limo, his system guide, floated beside him, pulsating with a vibrant glow. "Well done, Kael! Level 11. You're really climbing up the ladder now!" Limo's voice carried a mixture of pride and amusement.
Kael allowed himself a brief smile. He felt the strength of his progress as his recently unlocked abilities—Void Step, Shadow Dash, and Spectral Presence—seeped into his very core. His movements felt lighter, sharper, and more precise. Yet, before he could close his interface, another system alert chimed softly.
System Alert: Hidden Chest Detected
An unexpected wave of curiosity washed over Kael.
An object of significant value has been detected inside the tower. A hidden chest quest is now available. Do you wish to accept?
Kael's pulse quickened. A hidden chest meant rare loot, possibly even new weapons. He didn't hesitate.
Quest Accepted: Hidden Chest Retrieval
The system map materialized in front of him, highlighting the third floor of the Ascension Tower. The chest's location was clear, but Limo's usual jovial tone dropped into something more serious. "Be careful, Kael. The Tower is known for shifting, especially when something valuable is involved. You might not find it the way you remember."
Kael nodded. "I'll manage," he muttered as he adjusted his grip on his blade. "Lead the way, Limo."
Descending through the Tower's twisted halls, Kael noticed something different. The architecture itself seemed to warp and bend with every step he took. What once had been straight pathways now turned into spiraling corridors. The further he went, the more disorienting the Tower became.
Finally, as Kael reached the third floor, the atmosphere shifted. It was subtle at first—a drop in temperature, a stillness in the air. The usual clamor of enemy movements and grinding gears that echoed through the Tower was eerily absent. Instead, the cold light filtering through cracks in the walls cast long, distorted shadows across the floor, painting a picture of quiet malevolence.
"This floor... feels wrong," Limo whispered, its glow dimming with unease.
Kael nodded, his senses sharper than ever. Something was off. The walls were different here—more alive, as though they were shifting to keep him from his destination. Every few steps, he could swear he heard a faint whisper or saw a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye. The hidden chest was nearby, but it wasn't going to reveal itself easily.
Suddenly, a soft chime sounded in his mind.
System Alert: Anomaly Detected
An object of significant value is located on this floor. Tracking and navigation capabilities are offline due to spatial interference. Search manually.
Kael's lips twisted into a wry smile. "Manual search it is."
He activated Void Step, melding seamlessly into the darkness. His form disappeared, slipping through the narrow corridors undetected, searching for clues. The walls pulsed with faint, magical energy, and as Kael moved deeper into the maze, the whispers grew louder.
His Voidblade instincts took over. He scoured the environment for anything that might seem out of place—a flicker of light, an odd rune, a hidden lever. After navigating several dead ends, Kael paused, his eyes narrowing on a section of the wall covered in ancient runes. One of the symbols glowed faintly in the presence of his void energy, reacting to his proximity.
"Found you," he whispered, touching the rune lightly.
The stone wall slid open with a soft rumble, revealing a hidden passageway bathed in an ethereal violet glow. The air inside was heavy with void energy, thick and palpable.
The secret chamber was void of enemies, its stillness somehow more menacing than any battlefield. At the center of the room lay a blackened chest, etched with cryptic void symbols that pulsed faintly in sync with Kael's heartbeat. His instincts screamed that this was no ordinary treasure, and as he stepped closer, the room responded.
Spectral figures—faded remnants of past challengers—manifested from the shadows, surrounding the chest in a silent, haunting formation. Their eyes burned with the frustration of those who had failed.
Limo flickered nervously beside Kael. "These are the guardians. They won't let you take the chest without a fight."
Kael's eyes gleamed, the corners of his mouth lifting into a dangerous smile. "Good. I've been waiting for a proper challenge."
Activating Spectral Presence, Kael left behind a decoy of himself, drawing the attention of the spectral guardians. As they attacked the illusion, Kael vanished into the void, reappearing behind them in a blur of shadows. His movements were seamless, fluid, as though he had become one with the darkness around him.
The decoy lasted long enough for Kael to outmaneuver the guardians, and with a swift motion, he touched the chest. The whispers in the room reached a fever pitch as the chest creaked open.
System Alert: Quest completed. Hidden Chest Unlocked.
The chest opened to reveal its contents: two elegantly curved daggers, their blades forged from pure shadow energy. The Void Daggers hummed with an otherworldly power, their surface shimmering faintly in the low light of the chamber.
Void Daggers: Twin daggers made of shadow energy, dealing bonus damage in darkness.
Alongside the daggers were rare crafting materials and a Void Essence, its dark, swirling energy promising further enhancement to Kael's abilities. But it was the daggers that caught Kael's attention the most—they pulsed with a power that seemed perfectly attuned to his Voidblade class.
A final system alert rang in his mind as he secured the weapons.
System Alert: Experience Update
Congratulations!
You earned EXP from completing the Hidden Chest quest:
EXP Gained: +1,200 EXP
Total EXP: 13,500 / 14,000
Limo bobbed in the air beside him, glowing brighter now. "Looks like you're on a roll, Kael! What's next?"
Kael glanced down at the Void Daggers, their shadows dancing along the stone floor as they hummed with latent energy.