Just as Max reached for the fallen floor boss's bones, a sudden jolt coursed through his body. The ground beneath him blurred, and he felt an intense pull as he was transported to a new location. Moments later, he landed on hard, icy ground. Blinking to clear his vision, Max looked around, taking in the new surroundings.
He found himself standing on a snowy mountain peak, the air thin and biting as it stung his lungs with each breath. Snow lay thick across the ground, and a brutal wind whipped around him, carrying the chill straight through his bones. Max adjusted to the harsh environment, observing the towering mountains that stretched endlessly around him. A cascading waterfall glistened in the distance, bordered by dense pine forests clinging to the slopes. It was eerily beautiful, yet every fiber of his being was tense with anticipation.
As he scouted the area, he heard heavy footsteps behind him, muffled by the snow but unmistakable. Max turned quickly, his hand moving instinctively to his weapon. A towering figure lumbered toward him, its single eye gleaming dully in the dim light. The creature's greenish-brown skin was thick and leathery, its massive limbs bulging with muscle. Max recognized it as a Cycloeye—a brutal level 20 creature known for its unthinking aggression and formidable earth magic. It resembled a cyclops but moved with mindless ferocity, lacking intelligence and driven purely by primal instinct.
Before he could strategize, the Cycloeye bellowed, hurling a massive boulder directly at him. Max instinctively activated Wind Barrier and leapt to the side. To his surprise, the barrier repelled the boulder with elastic force, sending it bouncing off into the distance.
Max quickly analyzed the situation, running to take cover behind a nearby rock. He fired a bone bullet at the Cycloeye's head, aiming for its eye, but the attack seemed only to provoke the creature further. Roaring in anger, the Cycloeye used its earth magic to propel itself forward and slammed a massive fist into Max's gut with a brutal uppercut. The force of the impact sent Max hurtling upward at a steep diagonal angle, nearly 20 meters into the air and about 15 meters away from the cliff's edge.
Time seemed to slow as Max was launched into the open sky, the edge of the cliff far beneath him. Panic surged, but he forced himself to focus, calling upon the agility he had gained from absorbing the souls of his defeated foes. The world around him sharpened, each detail crystal clear as his heightened senses kicked in, and his mind raced through possible solutions.
For the first time, Max truly felt the full extent of his stats in action. His agility, now increased to 25, enabled him to process the situation at a new level. It was as if time itself had slowed down, giving him the clarity he needed to react in milliseconds. Scenarios flooded his mind in rapid succession.
In one scenario, he used his sword to slow his fall, but the thought of skewering his own arm made him reject it instantly. In another, he reinforced his bones with armor, but that only minimized his injuries; it wouldn't save him from a drop this high. His brain raced, cycling through options in fractions of a second. Then, finally, a solution crystallized.
Using Bone Manipulation, he disassembled his bone armor, stretching it out and compacting it into a long, coiled rope. He threw it toward the cliff edge, shaping it into a hook that caught hold of the rocks. Compressing and reinforcing the bone, he created a makeshift grappling line connected to his boots, forming a precarious "road" back to safety.
With no time to lose, Max sprinted along the bone path, his bare torso exposed to the biting wind. Each step echoed in his mind as he raced against gravity, feeling the edge of survival looming close. Just as he reached solid ground, he fired a bone bullet at the Cycloeye, blinding it momentarily. The creature roared, thrashing in confusion as Max closed in. He slashed upward with his sword, aiming for its neck. To his surprise, the strike was more powerful than expected, slicing through the Cycloeye's thick neck with ease. The creature's head toppled to the ground, greenish-red blood spurting from its severed neck.
As the Cycloeye collapsed, Max felt a wave of pain roll over him. Every part of his body ached, his muscles screaming from the exertion. His face, torso, arms, and legs throbbed as if aflame, while his bones felt like they were encased in ice. The sensation was painfully familiar, similar to the effect of his Abyssal Breathing but magnified tenfold. His vision blurred as his body struggled to cope with the intense fatigue.
After what felt like an eternity, the pain began to fade. Lying on his back, Max gasped for breath, his body drenched in sweat and blood. For a moment, he simply lay there, catching his breath. Then, with a weary groan, he opened his status window to check the flood of notifications.
Achievement Unlocked: Full Body Control You have realized the true potential of your physical abilities. You can now command complete control over your body. Reward: Abyssal Body (1/100)
Impossible Achievement: Surviving Death's Edge Against all odds, you have survived a seemingly fatal encounter. Choose Reward: Item or Skill?
Max's eyes widened as he read the last message. An "Impossible Achievement?" He hadn't expected this. Choosing between a skill and an item was no small decision, but he quickly assessed his needs. While an attack skill would undoubtedly prove useful, he knew that he lacked any class-specific items, and securing one could potentially make a critical difference. He selected Item.
Another prompt appeared:
Cursed Item or Blessed Item? A cursed item is what you need, a blessed item is what you want.
Max hesitated for only a moment before selecting Cursed Item. A golden light enveloped him, and a strange shape began to materialize before him. It was an eye, slightly larger than normal, with a dark, unsettling energy swirling within it. Before he could react, the eye shot toward him, embedding itself into his right eye with searing pain.
As the sensation faded, Max's vision cleared, and he realized that he could see with an unprecedented level of detail. He looked around and, to his astonishment, noticed a faint, shimmering barrier in the distance—a translucent wall of colors that formed an impenetrable wall around the dungeon.
Odin's Lost Eye (Bound) (Rank: Mythic) See beyond reality. You can view the status windows of others, perceive the flow of mana, see the truth of all things, and understand all languages, including the ancient language of magic—Runes. Say "Rune Unlock" to understand the basics of runes.
Max's pulse raced as he took in the description. He hadn't anticipated a mythic-ranked item, let alone one with such powerful abilities. Realizing its potential, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. This item was as valuable as it was dangerous, and he knew that if word of it spread, he would be hunted for it.
After absorbing the Cycloeye's essence with Soul Usurpation, Max felt a surge of power course through his body.
Strength: +3
Agility: +2
Stamina: +2
Mana: +1
Vitality: +2
Max felt his newfound strength settle within him, and he quickly reassembled his bone armor, reinforcing it with the Cycloeye's bones. With his enhanced vision and bolstered stats, he pressed onward, spotting a cave nestled into the mountainside.
Meanwhile, in the observation room…
The teachers watched the live feed with rapt attention, eyes locked on the leaderboard. Sophia Silver had earned 18 points, showcasing her skill as she carved through level-one creatures in Nightmare difficulty. Mr. Caldwell and Ms. Hartford exchanged nods of approval, impressed by her performance.
Suddenly, a ripple spread across the leaderboard as Max's name shot to the top with a staggering score of 300 points. The room fell silent, eyes wide as they took in the impossible feat.
"Three hundred points?" Ms. Hartford gasped. "How is he… isn't he in Hell difficulty?"
Mr. Caldwell's eyes narrowed as he focused on the screen displaying Max's progress. "This… this is unheard of. He's fighting creatures far above his level… and winning."
The screen zoomed in on Max, showing him battling the Cycloeye with a relentless focus that bordered on reckless determination. The teachers exchanged glances, their expressions a mixture of shock and admiration.
In the depths of the cave, Max encountered more Cycloeyes and began dispatching them with ease, his movements sharper and more calculated. With each battle, he grew more adept at using his agility and strength in close-quarters combat, refining his technique with every encounter. His confidence swelled as he adapted to the brutal fighting style required to survive.
Further down, he came across a Spirocord—a massive, scorpion-like creature with a tough, armored shell. Information flooded his mind, courtesy of Odin's Eye: The Spirocord is a defense-type poison monster, closely related to dragons in structure, with its only weakness located on its underbelly.
Max wasted no time. He launched a bone bullet at the exposed gap in its shell, causing the creature to screech in agony. He dashed forward, slashing at its weak point, and quickly dispatched it. As he descended deeper, more Spirocords attacked in groups, their hard shells gleaming in the dim light. But Max was faster, stronger, and his agility enabled him to dodge and strike with deadly precision. After slaying over twenty Spirocords, he felt his experience surge, reaching Level 10.
Using their tough shells, he upgraded his armor, increasing his defense to 50. He also fashioned sharp, condensed bone bullets that would pierce with greater force, enhancing the effectiveness of his weaponry.
He checked his status
Abyssal Dominion
Name: Max Miller
Race: Human
Class: Shadowrune
Trait: Soul Usurpation
Grants the ability to absorb the essence of dead foes, increasing stats and providing a 10% chance to acquire the foe's skills.
Level: 10
HP: 1300
Defense: 50
Stats:
Strength: 36
Agility: 41
Stamina: 38
Mana: 20
Vitality: 13
Sense: 28
Skills:
Bone Manipulation (Level 3): Enables shaping and reinforcing bones into armor, weapons, or other constructs, with increased efficiency and durability.
Bone Creation (Level 3): Allows crafting of high-quality bone armor, tools, and weapons. Crafted items now have enhanced durability and sharpness.
Bone Equip (Level 1): Grants the ability to integrate bone-crafted armor within the body's skeletal structure, reducing defense by half when stored.
Soul Flame (Level 1): Burns the target's soul, dealing 5 HP of direct damage per second, bypassing armor defenses.
Wind Barrier (Level 1): Creates a defensive wind barrier around the user, repelling physical projectiles with elastic force.
Lightning Charge (Level 1): Briefly charges weapons or fists with electricity for a powerful attack.
Item:
Odin's Lost Eye (Mythic, Bound):Allows the user to see beyond reality, view status windows of others, perceive mana flow, and interpret ancient languages, including runes.Activation command: "Rune Unlock" (for basic understanding of magical runes).
Deeper within the cave, a loud screech echoed from below, chilling him to the bone. The unmistakable aura of a powerful creature pulsed through the air—the floor boss.
The teachers and students watching the feed leaned in, captivated. Max's progress had become the focal point, and on the screen, his name glowed at the top of the leaderboard, his score towering over the others.
Back in the cave, Max peered from behind a massive stone pillar, his eyes widening as he took in the creature before him. The floor boss was unlike anything he'd ever seen—a monstrous fusion of a Cycloeye and Spirocord, with the Cycloeye's upper body merged seamlessly into the Spirocord's armored lower half. It had two heads, one Cycloeye and one Spirocord, each as menacing as the other.
The system's notification flashed:
Floor Boss: Cyclocord (Level 40) A rare hybrid with the brute strength of a Cycloeye and the durable shell of a Spirocord. Its weak points are guarded by its dual nature and relentless strength.
Max took a steadying breath, adrenaline surging through him as he prepared for the toughest fight yet.