The monster turned, its gaze locking onto him. It swung its massive blade, sending a wave of dark energy hurtling toward Nova.
He raised a barrier of mist just in time, but the force of the attack sent him skidding backward.
Noah realized he needed a new strategy for this Abyssal Monster. He focused on manipulating the mist in a different way.
He tried to mimic the attack of the creature, he concentrated the mist into a dense orb, infusing it with as much energy as he could muster.
The monster charged again. This time, Nova stood firmly on the ground. At the last moment, he unleashed the condensed orb, which exploded into a shockwave upon contact with the creature's body.
The blast made the monster stagger backward, causing cracks to appear in its armored hide.
"Now!!"
Seizing the opportunity, Nova dashed forward, forming twin blades along his arms. He leaped onto the creature's back, driving the blades into the fissures.
The monster howled in pain, thrashing violently on the ground. Nova held on, channeling more energy into his weapons.
With a final surge, he released a burst of dark energy directly into the creature's body. The monster shuddered before collapsing, dark blood oozed out from his body.
Breathing heavily, Nova dismounted the beast's body and stepped back. A new notification appeared:
[You have defeated an Abyssal Warrior.]
[Skill Improved: Abyssal Manipulation - Intermediate Level]
He felt a surge of power coursing through his veins. The mist around him seemed to became friendlier as his control over the abyssal energy seemed to strengthen.
"So this is how it works," he mused. "The more I fight, the stronger I become."
However, he barely had time to celebrate his victory before sensing multiple presences closing in.
From all directions, more Abyssal Warriors emerged, each as formidable as the one he'd just defeated with all his power.
Nova's eyes narrowed. "This is really a hell."
But instead of feeling despair taking over his heart, a newfound sense of determination burned within him. "If this is what the Abyss has decided to break me, then its not nearly enough."
He took a deep breath, the mist stirred slightly, bending to its will as it swirled into forming complex patterns around him. This time, he molded it into a series of chains, each one glowing with abyssal energy.
The Abyssal Warriors charged simultaneously towards him. Nova unleashed the chains that he had formed, which shot out like serpents, entangling several of the creatures and halting their advance.
For the ones that broke through, he fought them by creating various weapons with mist and energy blasts.
The battles were intense, each monster pushing him to his limits.
Hours—or perhaps days—seemed to pass in relentless combat.
Each time he was killed, he found himself revived at the beginning of battling the first monster, his memories remained intact.
With every resurrection, his strategies improved as well as his control over the mist.
After countless cycles of death and rebirth, he finally stood on top of the corpses of the defeated Abyssal Warriors.
His body remained standing tall as he gazed at the neverending cycle of darkness in front of him.
"Is this all you have to offer?" he shouted towards the darkness defiantly.
The Abyss remained calm, as if it couldnt be bothered to acknowledge the efforts of an outsider.
[Checkpoint Reached: Progress Saved]
[New Ability Unlocked: Loathed by the Abyss]
He looked at the screen with a smirk on his face, he opened his status screen.
[Name: Nova]
[Death Count: 56]
[Skills:]
1-Abyssal Manipulation: Intermediate Level
2-Loathed By The Abyss
Nova stared at the status screen for a moment, his lips curling into a wry smile as he contemplated this new addition:
[Loathed by the Abyss]
The name alone suggested that his presence in the Abyss was not welcome, and now its reaching the levels of hostility.
Previously, he had faced formidable enemies and countless deaths, but now—now he had actively provoked the Abyss's ire.
He tapped the air lightly, focusing on the skill. A translucent panel materialized, offering a brief description:
[Loathed by the Abyss: The Abyss recognizes you as a threat and will escalate its efforts to kill you, both mentally and physically. Stronger enemies will appear more frequently, and the environmental traps will start to become more insidious, and rare artifacts once hidden in unreachable corners will now be drawn toward your presence.]
[You have no choice but to conquer these trials as the relentless journey of your death won't stop until a thousand years have passed.]
Nova's face darkened as he saw the increased danger, but it soon cracked with a little smile as the rewards increased with the danger level rising.
If the abyss wanted to scare him with the increased threat, it had chosen the wrong target, the increased rewards only served to motivate him as the higher danger just mean more deaths.
He closed the screen with a flick of his wrist, flexing his fingers.
The abyssal mist responded eagerly, swirling around his hand like a loyal pet. "So that's how it'll be," he said softly. "Fine. Show me the worst you have."
With one final look at the corpses lying on the ground, he walked forward to venture deeper into the abyss.
The oppressive darkness felt denser now, as if invisible eyes were tracking his each and every movement.
He wasn't surprised when the terrain shifted under his feet—what had once been cracked earth and eerie silence evolved into a rough landscape of twisted spires.
Moments later, his heartbeat sped up as he sensed another crowd of monsters some distance away from himself.
He took a deep breath to calm his breathing heart before cautiously stepping into the darkness to confront the monsters that lay ahead.
Three hulking creatures emerged: a monster that resembled an Abyssal Warrior armed with a halberd covered in black flames, another wielding twin swords carved with strange ruins, and the last—a serpentine thing.
Nova clenched his fist, and just as the Abyss had promised, stronger opponents arrived.