The creature's amorphous body lunged toward them, shifting and roiling like a mass of living shadow. Its form solidified into a dozen tendrils, each lashing out with the speed of a striking serpent. William sidestepped the first strike [Basic Combat IV - Evasion], his body moving on instinct, but the second came at him too quickly—a blur of black cutting through the air. His Dagger Mastery instincts screamed a warning in his mind, and he twisted, raising his enchanted dagger in a desperate parry. The impact sent a jarring shockwave up his arm, nearly numbing his grip.
The blade flared with light as Dagger Mastery III activated, William's strike flowing with the practiced precision of countless repetitions. The enchanted edge sliced through the tendril, severing it cleanly, yet even as the limb fell away, the corrupted flesh writhed and began to reform, dark matter coalescing into a new shape.
"It regenerates!" he shouted, his voice strained as he braced himself for the next assault.
Garret moved in with a war cry, his sword swinging in broad arcs to keep the creature at bay. "Then we cut faster than it can heal!" he barked, aiming for the beast's central mass. Elara, standing back, conjured a blazing barrier of light to block the advancing tendrils from encircling them.
William's heart hammered in his chest, each beat loud in his ears as he fought against the growing weight of exhaustion. Battle Fatigue was creeping over him, making his movements feel sluggish, his limbs heavy. The air around them seemed to darken further, a suffocating miasma thickening with every pulse of the creature's corrupted energy.
Dagger poised, he saw an opening—a weak spot where the creature's regeneration had slowed. With a surge of adrenaline, he sprang forward, plunging his blade into the exposed core. The enchanted iron flared once more, light bursting outward as Abyssal Edge Techniques unlocked in his mind. He twisted the dagger viciously, and for a moment, the corruption receded, the creature's form destabilizing.
Yet it was not enough. The beast let out a guttural wail, its body erupting into a frenzy of tendrils that lashed out with renewed fury. One struck William across the chest, sending him sprawling backward, gasping for air as pain flared through him.
"Hold on!" Elara cried, unleashing a surge of magic that burned through the corruption. The creature recoiled from the searing light, its tendrils twitching spasmodically.
Seizing the moment, Garret launched a final strike, driving his sword deep into the monster's core. The corrupted beast let out a last, shuddering wail before its body disintegrated into a cloud of black mist. The dark pool at its center began to evaporate, the corruption dissipating as quickly as it had appeared.
As the mist cleared, William collapsed to one knee, his breaths ragged and uneven. Battle Fatigue was now a leaden weight in his limbs, and the lingering corruption exposure made his skin tingle with a cold that seeped down to his bones. He struggled to rise, the Grid in his mind flaring suddenly with an intensity that bordered on painful.
[System Alert: Corruption Threshold Reached]
"WARNING: Significant corruption absorbed. Initiating emergency adaptation."
[Grid Evolution - Version 2.2] "System recalibration underway..."
"Adaptive Pathway Detected: Abyssal Combat Techniques Unlocked."
The world around him seemed to pulse and shift, as if the very air was vibrating with dark energy. The familiar blue interface of his status screen flickered erratically, then reassembled itself with a series of rapid changes.
[Advanced Status Window]
Status Update
Name: William Level: 8 [1,000/7,000]
Corruption Resistance: 15%
Stats:
Strength: 12
Agility: 11
Endurance: 11
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 9
Skills:
Basic Combat IV
Dagger Mastery III [Evolution: Abyssal Edge Techniques]
Corrupted Insight
Reaver's Endurance
Abyssal Combat Techniques (New)
Status Effects:
Corruption Exposure (Moderate - 6hrs)
Battle Fatigue (3hrs)
Equipment:
Enchanted Iron Dagger
Corruption Adaptation:
Dynamic Combat Analysis
Corruption Tracking Skill
Evolution Pathways Enhanced
William felt the Grid settle in his mind, the recalibration complete, yet the sensation was different this time—sharper, more acute. The new Abyssal Combat Techniques pulsed with a dark resonance, their potential unfolding in his thoughts like an intricate map of deadly possibilities. The corruption exposure left a bitter chill in his veins, a reminder of the price exacted for this newfound power.
He struggled to his feet, noting the concerned expressions of his companions. "The Grid... it just evolved again," he said, still adjusting to the heightened clarity of his enhanced interface.
Garret's gaze hardened. "That's rare, especially from corruption exposure. You need to be careful. Power gained like this always demands something in return."
Elara's light magic washed over him, soothing some of the residual aches, but even her magic seemed to falter slightly, as if reluctant to touch the darkness lingering in him. "We should move quickly," she urged, her tone wary. "If that thing was just the beginning, we need to be prepared for what lies deeper."
The abyss had left its mark on William, not only in body but in the very structure of his Grid. He could sense the power within him shifting, evolving—yet there was an ominous undercurrent to the changes. He couldn't shake the feeling that whatever lay ahead would test these new abilities to their limits.
[Status Update - Post-Battle Recalibration]
Name: William Level: 8 [1,000/7,000]
Stats:
Strength: 12
Agility: 11
Endurance: 11
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 9
Skills:
Basic Combat IV
Dagger Mastery III [Abyssal Edge Techniques]
Corrupted Insight Reaver's Endurance Abyssal Combat Techniques (New)
Status Effects:
Corruption Exposure (Moderate - 6hrs)
Battle Fatigue (3hrs)
Equipment: Enchanted Iron Dagger
Corruption Adaptation:
Dynamic Combat Analysis
Corruption Tracking
Skill Evolution Pathways Enhanced