This is the beginning of Hell for me.
As I rematerialized into my body, I instinctively moved into a battle stance, only to feel my head falling to the ground. Damn it. This is harder than I thought.
Even though I don't have any elemental abilities right now, that doesn't mean I can't create new skills. The rules of this tower never said anything about not being able to develop skills. So, I'll have to rely on my physical abilities. Without elemental powers, my only option is to sharpen my senses. Senses can be a lifesaver, especially if I ever face another enemy who can suppress my elements again. I won't survive without some kind of fallback.
My plan is to build skills purely based on physical strength. People often underestimate the potential of the body, but with enough power, you could theoretically lift a black hole—or something of similar magnitude. But that's not important right now. I'm far from that level of strength, and it's not relevant for this challenge.
As I braced myself, the timer ticked down, and I was thrown back into the pitch-black space. I focused hard on my senses, trying to detect the Hollows. I felt a sudden spike of tension in my body—like Spiderman's spider sense—and dodged to the right just in time. Something had lunged at the spot where my neck had been just a moment before. I couldn't see anything; the Hollow was completely invisible to me, blending into the darkness.
Then, before I could react, my head fell off again.
It was a decent attempt. But it's just the beginning, so there's no need to stress. We've got plenty of time. Once again, I rematerialized, my senses sharpening as fast as possible. I felt a presence rushing at me, faster than before. I dodged left, then ducked, followed by a quick backflip—yet again, my head rolled off.
This process repeated twenty times. Each attempt felt like I was improving, but the result was always the same: my head hitting the ground. On the 21st try, something changed. A message from the system popped up.
[Congratulations, Host. You have created a skill. Do you want to name the skill?]
"Yes. I'll call it Chaos Instinct." I didn't really think too hard about the name. Since my body is called the Chaos Destroyer Physique, it seemed fitting to name my new physical skill after Chaos as well. Now that I had this ability, all that was left was to hunt down these Hollows. Time to turn the tables.
[Chaos Instinct skill is being saved in the skills list.]
Standing in the pitch-black room, I felt everything around me. My senses expanded to cover a radius of about one mile. It wasn't much, but for a level 1 skill, what else could I expect? One mile was a start—just enough to give me an edge. Now, it was hunting time.
I instinctively reached for the sword at my waist, gripping the hilt tightly as I moved with speed and precision. In one swift motion, I sliced through the air to my right, my blade cutting through the darkness. For a moment, it felt like I hadn't hit anything—just an empty swing through the void.
But then, I felt it. A subtle shift in the air, a faint tremor along the edge of my blade. The Hollow was dead. Even though I couldn't see it, I had sliced through its form. These creatures—made of darkness—had physical bodies, but their essence was like air, barely perceptible. That's what made them dangerous.
They weren't something you could see or feel like an ordinary enemy. To the naked eye, they were invisible, formless. But with Chaos Instinct guiding me, I could sense them, detect their movements, and strike where it counted. The Hollow had no chance.
[1/1000]
I couldn't help but grin, my lips curling into a wide smile.
A soft chuckle escaped me as I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword, a simple katana with a smooth, polished blade. Nothing extraordinary, just cold steel, but in my hands, it was enough. With Chaos Instinct guiding my every movement, I raised the sword, ready to slice through the darkness once again.
I stood in the pitch-black space, my senses flaring to life. Chaos Instinct coursed through me, the world around me coming into sharp focus despite the overwhelming darkness. The Hollows, hundreds of them, closed in. I could sense them they are so many of them. Their presence weighed down the air, suffocating, each one blending into the black void, silent yet deadly.
Perfect.
My hand tightened on the hilt of my sword. A deep breath. Then I moved.
The first Hollow came at me from the left. I didn't need to see it. I felt its presence rippling toward me. My blade flashed through the air in an arc, and I twisted, using my momentum to slice cleanly through the creature. There was no resistance, just the faint tremor of the Hollow's form dissipating.
Another rushed in from behind. I spun, slashing downward just as it lunged for me. My sword met its body, cutting through effortlessly. A third Hollow approached from the front. I ducked low, narrowly avoiding its swipe, and thrust my blade forward, ending it.
Three down. 996 to go.
The next wave came all at once. They swarmed from all directions—shadows with bodies, formless yet solid. I leapt into the air, twisting mid-flight as I slashed at those closest to me. My blade cut through the dark, taking out five, six, seven in quick succession.
The Hollows kept coming.
I landed lightly, immediately dropping into a roll as two more lashed out at me from opposite sides. My body moved instinctively, Chaos Instinct pushing me beyond thought. I swung my katana in a wide arc, decapitating them both in one fluid motion. Their bodies faded into the blackness.
Ten down. Still too slow.
I needed to pick up the pace. The space around me felt smaller with each passing second as the Hollows pressed in, trying to overwhelm me through sheer numbers. They darted forward, each attack more frenzied than the last, but I stayed calm. I pivoted, dodging their strikes while my blade flashed through the air, precise and deadly. Every move was calculated—every step perfectly placed.
As the fight dragged on, the weight of exhaustion started to creep in. My stamina wasn't limitless, but neither was theirs.
I weaved between them, dodging and countering their attacks, my blade moving in controlled, deadly arcs. I sensed their fear again, the scent of it filling the air as more of them fell to my sword. Even these beings of darkness had fear.
Half of them were gone now. The ground beneath me was littered with their fading forms, and yet they kept coming, relentless in their assault. I welcomed it.
I crouched low, and then with a burst of speed, I surged forward, cutting down six in one rapid sprint. My katana blurred as I moved, spinning and slashing through the swarm of Hollows with increasing precision. Each kill fed my rhythm.
200 left.
One came at me from above. I shifted my stance, slamming my blade upward in a clean arc, severing it mid-air. Another group lunged from the side, and I sidestepped, delivering a series of lightning-fast strikes. My instincts honed in on every movement, every vibration in the air. My vision didn't matter—my senses guided me perfectly.
50 left.
I felt my muscles burn, but I pushed through, slicing through the last of them. My sword flashed once more, and with a final twist, I brought down the last Hollow. Silence filled the space as their forms dissolved into the void, leaving nothing but emptiness behind.
All 999 Hollows—gone.
I stood there, panting, my grip on the sword still tight. The darkness around me began to shift, but my senses remained sharp. Finally, it was over. I collapsed to the ground.
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Author's Note : -
Hello, everyone, I am the author of this book. I may not write any chapters for two days as I have biology tests and I need to study for it. I am going to write chapters and publish three chapters after two days. Bye, and thank you for your support.