"Why can't we negotiate?"
"Tell me why the outcome is always death?"
The words came from Unknown—a figure who, above all, had embraced the path of destruction in every encounter. It was strange, almost unthinkable, that he—someone who had always chosen violence when faced with adversity—would question the inevitable.
Perhaps it was because he could almost see himself in them, or maybe he just didn't want to face the mirror they held up.
The enemy, a commander in the kingdom's military, sneered. "Isn't it obvious? Humans, you are our enemy. Bloodshed is not just a possibility—it is a certainty."
"And the sword you wield is the key to saving our entire country. Do you really think we'll entrust it to an outsider?" The commander spat.
Unknown's gaze darkened. He had no care for them, but still, the words stung with an uncomfortable truth. The sword they spoke of—the Eclipse—was far more than just a weapon. It was a force that could reshape the fate of entire worlds.
And yet, it was his to wield, and they would not let him walk away with it.
"…I understand," Unknown whispered, more to himself than to his enemy.
He closed his eyes, feeling the weight of the moment settle like a storm on his chest. The next action came without hesitation, a swift and precise strike that ended the life of the platoon's captain.
The man had been one of many in a long line of enemies, faceless and nameless. He didn't know them, nor did he care to. This wasn't a battle of ideals or honor—it was simply survival.
Because when Unknown refused to surrender, death was the only outcome for those who stood in his way.
"Let's leave. Before more show up," Unknown murmured to himself, his voice tinged with urgency.
He severed the connection to the demon blade, which was in the shape of [Dark Blade]- a sword forged in shadow, and quickly vanished into the wilderness. The battlefield behind him was left in eerie silence, the echoes of violence still hanging in the air.
Today had been nothing more than a chance encounter—a random clash between two opposing forces. A brief, violent intersection of paths in his endless search for a way to unlock the secrets of the time-space rift.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
'Even with the sword in my hand, I still can't open the time-space portal.'
'And they won't spare me…'
Unknown's thoughts were tangled, each one darker than the last. He'd done everything he could to cover his tracks—erasing any evidence of his presence, minimizing the bloodshed as much as possible.
The killing before had been senseless, but now, he wanted to avoid it as much as possible. Part of him feared what would happen if they found him again; the other part couldn't bear the thought of another needless fight.
"Master, why do you hesitate to kill them?" Eclipse's voice echoed in his mind, her words sharp as the sword she inhabited.
"If I remember correctly, you didn't hesitate when fighting the monsters that couldn't speak."
Eclipse—his weapon, his companion, his curse—was tied to him by an unbreakable soul bond. Through it, she could feel his emotions and access his memories, but he couldn't do the same. It was a one-way connection.
"…It's because I'm scared."
The words tasted bitter as they left his lips, a confession he had never been able to voice before. The fear had grown inside him ever since he had first tasted death.
He had never known what it was to fear his own end until the moment it nearly claimed him. And now, it clung to him like a shadow.
"I'm afraid of death. And when I see those people dying at my hands..." He paused, his voice faltering, "I can't help but think of that moment—of what it felt like when I was on the brink of death. What did they feel, when I took their lives?"
His hands trembled as the weight of his actions flooded back. The violence he had once embraced with cold detachment now gnawed at him, a constant reminder of the lives he had taken.
"Eclipse," he whispered, his voice small despite the rage that often simmered beneath it, "Do you think I'm a bad person?"
He wasn't sure why he asked. Maybe it was because Eclipse was the only one who could understand him, who had seen every part of his soul—every mistake and regret.
Eclipse paused, her response measured, as if contemplating the question with the gravity it deserved.
"From an absolute perspective, yes," she answered, the words as sharp as a blade. "You are a bad and selfish person."
Unknown's chest tightened at her words, but she wasn't finished.
"But in this case, I don't think you were wrong for choosing to kill them. You had no other choice."
"You have the right to make your own decisions. And no one will judge you for it."
Her voice softened, reassured him, and told him that he didn't choose the wrong answer.
And he accepted it. He needed those words to cope.
"I know."
The words were simple, yet they held a profound understanding. Unknown had long since grasped the path he needed to follow. No matter the number of enemies in his way, no matter how many lives it took, his goal had always been clear:
Escape. Nothing else mattered.
Now, standing on the brink of the final encircled area, the world before him felt heavy.
Even though he had earned the sword, the last encircled area still intrigued him.
Even if it was a trap, he still wanted to explore it.
The landscape was a barren wasteland, the ground scorched and cracked, with low dungeon ceilings looming overhead. Jagged boulders grew from the earth like unnatural hills, casting long, distorted shadows across the ground. The air felt thick with an ominous presence.
And crawling across the landscape were the creatures—spider-like monsters, their many eyes glistening with malice. Their presence alone made the atmosphere suffocating, as though the very land was conspiring against him.
In the center of the area stood a towering dom that looked like a den. There was an archway on it— the only passage to whatever lay beyond.
'Let's see what kind of trap this is.'
With that thought, he stepped into the area. No hesitation. As his foot made contact with the ground inside the arch, the creatures reacted immediately. The hell spiders sprang into action, their legs clicking sharply as they surged toward him.
"Master, be cautious. These spiders are different," Eclipse's voice warned.
Summoning the legendary sword, Eclipse, into his hand, Unknown didn't waste a moment. He charged forward, swinging the blade with precision.
The deep red mana that surrounded the sword surged as it cleaved through the first wave of spiders with a devastating [Sweeping Slash], sending their bodies scattering into the air.
But more came. Always more.
Without slowing his pace, he used his momentum to push off the ground and flipped backward, landing nimbly on his feet. At the same time, Eclipse shifted in his grip, transforming into a long, deadly spear. Without pause, he hurled it at the next group of spiders, keeping them at a distance.
Eclipse's ability to morph into any weapon or shield was a vital tool. It allowed him to adapt to any combat situation. One moment, it was a sword; the next, a spear or a shield. The versatility was invaluable, giving him a near-unlimited arsenal to choose from.
However, there were some limits he couldn't ignore. Eclipse couldn't split into two separate weapons. If he wanted to dual-wield, or even use a sword and shield, he was restricted to one weapon form at a time.
Moreover, the larger the weapon, the heavier it became, which made wielding massive forms difficult.
Eclipse could theoretically shift into a massive, towering spear that pierces the sky or a greatsword so big, it could cut the whole earth, but whether Unknown could effectively wield it was another matter entirely.
'This transformation gives me more freedom than I've had before,' Unknown thought as he adjusted to the new fighting style.
'I don't have to waste time retrieving weapons anymore, and I can change tactics mid-battle. But even with this advantage, it's not enough.'
The spiders just kept coming. No matter how many he dispatched, more emerged from the shadows, and more crawled from the cracks in the earth. There were too many to fight off. For a moment, Unknown realized that trying to wipe them all out wasn't a viable option.
He shifted his focus. Survival was key, not extermination.
"Eclipse, how many are there in total?"
Unknown's voice was steady, betraying no hint of the chaos unfolding around him. Eclipse, his legendary weapon and trusted companion, responded almost instantly.
The second ability of Eclipse activated. With a hum of energy, the weapon's magic expanded, and a soft, ethereal light began to pulse around its edge.
This ability, Mana Sensing, allowed her to detect the flow of mana—signals, fluctuations, and disturbances—across a vast range.
"There are a total of 185 hell spiders. The strongest signal is coming from the arch above."
"Alright," Unknown muttered, eyes scanning his surroundings, his mind already working through his next move. "Which direction has the least enemies?"
Eclipse's response was immediate, guiding him through the chaos.
"North."
Without a moment's hesitation, Unknown gave the command to dismiss Eclipse. The ethereal glow of the weapon faded as he drew a massive sword from his back, its blade gleaming with raw, unrestrained power.
The weight of the weapon seemed to hum with latent energy as he gripped the hilt firmly, his knuckles white from the force.
With a fluid, almost effortless motion, he swung the blade in wide arcs, each stroke slicing through the air with a devastating force. The edge of the sword cleaved through the ranks of hell spiders that blocked his path, their grotesque bodies falling apart with sickening ease.
The hell spiders, with their many legs and grotesque forms, were relentless, but they were no match for the power and precision of his strikes. However, their numbers were overwhelming, and Unknown knew that staying engaged with them would only waste precious time.
Stopping momentarily, he slammed the hilt of his sword into the ground, channeling a massive amount of mana into the blade.
"[Meteor Strike]!"
The ground shook violently as the mana surged into the sword. Shockwaves exploded outward, sending the spiders flying in every direction.
The force of the blast pushed back the advancing horde, creating a brief but necessary gap in his path. At the same time, the sheer power of the strike propelled him upward, his body soaring toward the ceiling of the dungeon.
"Up we go."
With a fluid motion, Unknown hurled his massive sword into the rocky wall of the dungeon. The weapon embedded itself deep, allowing him to leap off it with a mid-air flip. He landed gracefully on the hilt, using his control over the mana to steady himself.
His thought flicked back toward the information Eclipse had provided, but this time, he would have to rely on his own sight to truly understand the battlefield.
Activating [Magic Vision], his perception of the world shifted. The flow of mana around him became visible, lines of energy pulsing through the air and ground.
The spiders were little more than shifting masses of energy, but what caught his eye was the powerful surge of mana coming from the archway. It was something else entirely.
"That's a lot," he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. "And the ones chasing me are just the small fry."
Annoyance flickered across his face. He knew that if he hesitated for too long, he'd be swarmed.
He had learned to remain patient in many situations, but with monsters—he didn't need to hold back. The monsters that plagued this world would show no mercy to him, so he would do the same in return.
"Master, are you planning to kill them all? Is it really necessary?"
Eclipse's voice, laced with caution, echoed in his mind.
"Yes. I need to get stronger—strong enough that the expeditionors would consider negotiating."
Weakness, that was his truth. It was the root of all misfortune. If you wanted others to listen, you had to be stronger than them. No one would ever listen to a failure. Not in a world where only power commanded respect.
With this unwavering belief in his mind, Unknown scanned the battlefield. He'd already determined his escape route, and now, the plan was set in motion.
Swiftly, he flipped, pulling his massive sword from the dungeon wall where it had lodged. The weapon, gleaming with bloodlust, felt heavier than ever as he swung it downward.
[Meteor Strike]
The ground trembled with the force of the blow. A shockwave erupted, its force greater than before. Everything within a four-meter radius was obliterated, reduced to rubble as a massive cloud of dust rose, choking the air and disorienting the spiders.
Though the blast's aftermath sent pain coursing through his body, Unknown didn't flinch. He ignored the injuries, his focus sharpened. This is my chance to move.
[Accel]
In an instant, his body surged forward, faster than the spiders could react. He weaved through their massive forms, his movements fluid and calculated.
He wasn't wasting time engaging them. There were too many. Instead, he jumped over the swarm, heading for the small cave to the north—a brief sanctuary, a place to regroup and plan his next move.
'They're still too many.'
The thought echoed in his mind, but there was little time to dwell on it. The spiders would follow him into the cave, but for now, it was a temporary respite. If only he could use magic—create a fire bridge to clear the hordes before him.
But no. Magic wasn't his path. He didn't want to waste precious skill points on something his body couldn't fully harness. There were other, more efficient ways to survive.
'The defense in here is easier than fighting outside,' he thought.
Inside the cave, the space was tight. His back was against the cold stone, but it was a perfect vantage point. The spiders, too mindless to strategize, attacked in waves.
One by one, they charged toward him, but with the crimson spear now firmly in his hands, they were nothing more than obstacles. Each strike was precise, a fluid motion of calculated carnage.
With every spider he killed, his position grew more secure. The bodies piled up, forming a grotesque barricade that blocked the cave's entrance.
Each fallen creature became part of the defense, a buffer between him and the encroaching tide of monsters. He could rest here, but only for a moment. Soon, he would have to move again.
For now, the cave offered a breath of space. But Unknown knew one thing for sure—this battle was far from over.