Karma and Leo exchanged a firm nod. Without hesitation, the group stepped through the towering doors.
Darkness swallowed them whole.
At first, they saw nothing. The air was thick, unmoving. As they cautiously moved forward, the room gradually illuminated, revealing its ancient grandeur. The interior resembled a forgotten temple, with towering pillars and faded murals carved into the walls. At its center stood an altar, worn by time.
Clara glanced around warily. "Karma, do you see anything? Is the boss here?"
Karma narrowed his eyes, scanning their surroundings. "No… just these weird statues and drawings all over the walls."
The group advanced toward the altar, their footsteps echoing against the stone floor. Then—
Chains rattled in the darkness.
Leo instinctively tightened his grip on his axe. "Alright, get ready."
The others followed suit, their bodies tensing in anticipation. The sound of chains quickened—at first erratic, then rhythmic, surrounding them from every direction. It grew louder, faster, relentlessly. The walls seemed to breathe with the metallic clatter.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun—
Silence.
A bone-chilling cold settled in. The only sound was the shallow breaths of the group, their nerves strung tight like a bowstring.
A single bead of sweat slipped from Leo's chin—
And in that instant, a shadow exploded from the darkness.
Moving at lightning speed, a figure lunged toward Leo with a devastating kick. Reacting on instinct, Leo barely managed to block the strike with his axe. The sheer force sent him skidding back.
Karma rushed in, his dagger flashing. The attacker—a humanoid figure with the head of a cat—flipped effortlessly over Karma's strike. In midair, it snatched a chained dagger from its waist and—
Shhk!
Plunged it into Karma's shoulder before kicking him away.
Leo gritted his teeth, recovering from the initial blow. "Shoulder Bash!" he roared, charging forward.
The cat-like figure merely smirked. With precise footwork, it twisted its body mid-air, redirecting Leo's attack with a powerful kick to his ribs. The impact sent Leo stumbling to the side.
Meanwhile, Clara had been kneeling beside Karma, her hands glowing with healing energy.
The creature's cold, disdainful voice echoed through the chamber.
"Healing your comrade? How disgusting. You mortals march into our domain, attacking our home, yet you refuse to play by fair rules. This… won't do."
In a blur, the creature dashed toward them, its dagger glinting in the eerie light.
Karma threw up his arm, activating Perfect Counter—
But at the last second, the creature feinted.
Karma swung too early. Off balance.
The cat-man smirked and slammed a brutal kick into Karma's temple.
Karma was sent flying.
Before Clara could react, the creature grabbed her by the throat, lifting her effortlessly off the ground.
Her hands clawed at his iron grip, gasping for air. The pressure tightened.
Then, with a sudden slam, the creature drove her into the floor, cracking the stone and leaving a crater in its wake.
Leo's rage ignited.
With a furious roar, he leapt into the air, axe raised high—
But before his strike could land, the cat-man caught the axe mid-swing.
Clara, struggling to stand, summoned glowing blue threads, attempting to bind the creature—
But it kicked her away with ease.
Determined, Clara rose once more. As Leo lunged forward with a desperate punch aimed at the creature's head—
The cat-man sidestepped, drove a knee into Leo's gut, then grabbed him and hurled him skyward.
Before he could react, the creature jumped after him, delivering a brutal spinning kick.
Leo's body rocketed toward Clara, slamming into her.
They both crashed into the wall with a sickening impact.
Dust and rubble crumbled from the ceiling.
The cat-like figure landed gracefully, rolling its shoulders, unscathed.
And then…
The creature's laughter echoed through the temple, a wild, manic sound that sent shivers down Karma's spine.
Then, its gaze locked onto him.
Karma stood on shaky legs, his breath ragged, his arm clutched tightly to his side. He stared back, the crushing weight of fear suffocating his chest.
The creature grinned. "Oh? Still standing? You're going to be fun to throw around."
It took a slow step forward, savoring the moment.
"That look in your eyes—that miserable, broken look. I can't wait to relish in it as I break you, piece by piece."
Karma clenched his fists. "Don't kill them. Just take me. It doesn't matter. Just… spare them."
The creature tilted its head before letting out a chilling laugh.
"A valiant sacrifice? How noble. But I decline. First, I'll kill you. Then, I'll kill them."
With explosive speed, it dashed forward.
Karma threw a desperate punch, but the creature was faster. In an instant, it twisted behind him, disarmed him, and slammed him into the ground.
Before Karma could react, the creature grabbed his arm—and snapped it like a twig.
A blood curdling scream ripped from Karma's throat.
The creature merely chuckled, grabbing him by the collar and hurling him across the stone floor. Karma's body skidded against the rough ground, leaving behind smears of blood.
Then—cold steel.
The creature stabbed him in the stomach, twisting the blade as Karma choked on a scream.
"Tch. You're too weak to even scream properly."
With ease, it lifted him and slammed him into the wall, delivering a brutal flurry of punches that rattled his skull.
Across the room, Clara knelt beside Leo's unconscious body, her hands glowing as she desperately tried to heal him. But her eyes remained locked on Karma—her face twisted in horror as he was mercilessly beaten.
Why am I always the one getting beat down? Karma thought, his vision swimming. Why am I always the one on the ground while others look down on me?
The creature grabbed him again and sent him flying across the temple. His body collided with another wall, stone crumbling around him.
Karma gasped for air, his body broken, his mind drowning in hopelessness.
The creature strolled toward him, savoring its victory. "Tsk, tsk. You mortals are so fragile," it mocked, its laughter bouncing off the temple walls.
Karma's vision blurred.
Just end it. If I wasn't going to last long in this world anyway… might as well be now.
His eyes drifted upward.
Etched into the temple ceiling was an ancient mural—a man being beaten down by a group of gods. His face was twisted in pain, crushed under their cruelty.
But in the next image—
That same man stood above them, a smirk on his lips as he tormented his former oppressors.
A single name was carved beneath it.
"Loki."
Karma's breath hitched.
Loki… If only I could be like you. If only I had the strength to stop being the one beaten down… and start being the one in control.
The creature loomed over him. "This is getting boring." It sighed, lifting him off the ground with ease.
"If you won't fight back, then let's end this—so I can move on to your friends."
At that moment, a system window appeared before Karma's face.
[Notification]: So, you want to be like me, huh? I can grant you this, but it won't be free. Your time is running out. Die here and now… or accept my power and tear this runt apart.
Karma's heart pounded.
What…? Who is this?
[System Error. Error. System corruption detected.]
The creature tightened its grip, preparing for the killing blow.
The system window glitched and flickered—then reappeared, its color shifting to a deep red and black.
[System Notification: Would you like to accept a Class Change? Time remaining: 5 seconds.]
Class: God of Mischief
Class Rank: ???
Karma's lips parted.
A single word escaped—
"Accept."
The moment he spoke, the creature thrust its dagger toward his heart—
[Perfect Counter Activated]
Reversing incoming force…
A shockwave of energy erupted from his body, slamming into the creature's chest and sending it hurtling backward.
For the first time the cat-headed warrior let out a cry of pain.
The creature snapped its head up, its glowing eyes locking onto Karma. For a brief moment, it hesitated—then it lunged forward, ready to strike.
But suddenly—
A dark, misty green and black aura erupted from Karma's body, surging outward like tendrils of smoke. The air grew heavy, crackling with unseen power. The temple walls trembled.
The creature skidded to a stop, its muscles tensing.
"W-What… what the hell is this? Where did this power come from?!" it snarled, its voice laced with uncertainty.
Karma stared at his hands, watching as the ominous aura began to fade into wisps, seeping into his skin. A chill ran through his veins, but it wasn't fear.
It was something new.
A system window blinked into existence before him, its usual tone restored.
[System Notification: You have received new skills due to your class change. Skills successfully loaded.]
[Skills Unlocked]
Divine Lying (Active) - Level 1 Surtr Summoning (Active) - Level 1
[You have also received a new weapon. Open inventory to claim it.]
Karma's eyes narrowed.
He flicked his fingers, summoning his inventory. A new weapon slot glowed within the interface—inside, a crimson blade pulsed with an eerie, molten light.
His fingers wrapped around the hilt, and as he drew it from the inventory, the heat from the blade pulsed through his arm like fire. A new window materialized before him.
[Weapon Info]
Name: Surtr's Horn
Weapon Grade: ??? - Rank: A
[Skills: ???, ??? - Level not sufficient.]
The blade felt light, yet impossibly heavy. A weapon forged for destruction, humming with restrained power.
Karma's grip tightened.
The creature closed the distance in a blink, its dagger gleaming with murderous intent. It was fast—but this time, so was Karma.
As the blade shot toward his heart, Karma's body moved on its own. With a sharp pivot, he sidestepped the strike, feeling the dagger's edge graze past his ribs.
CLANG!
His new weapon shot up, intercepting the creature's second strike mid-air. Sparks burst from the collision as the sheer force of their clash sent a shockwave through the chamber.
Karma gritted his teeth. His entire body felt lighter, stronger—his movements sharper, as if the newfound power had rewired his instincts.
The creature leaped back, its feline eyes narrowing. "Tch. So, you've finally decided to grow some back bone?" It twirled its dagger, licking its lips with amusement. "Doesn't matter. You're far too late . I will kill you now."
Karma lifted his sword, watching the molten glow pulse along the blade's edge.
Time to test this power.
A system notification blinked in front of him.
[Skill Activation: Divine Lying - Level 1]
Karma opened his mouth."Stat increase 150%"
[Skill cooldown: 20 seconds]
The moment Karma focused on the ability, A green aura flared around his body violently for a second before calming down.
The creature flinched. For the first time, its grin wavered.
Karma smirked. "What's wrong? Not so fun when your prey fights back?"
With a single step, Karma vanished from sight.
"What—?!"
Before the creature could react, Karma was behind it. His sword swung downward in a blazing arc, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.
SLASH!
A scorching gash tore across the creature's back. It roared in agony, stumbling forward as embers burned through its fur.
The system chimed again.
[Notification: Status Effect Applied - Burn (5 seconds).]
The creature hissed, its claws digging into the stone floor. "You… little… wretch!"
It spun around, its dagger chain whipping through the air toward Karma's neck.
But Karma didn't back away.
He grinned.
[Skill Activation: Divine Lying - Level 1]
[Skill cooldown: 5 minutes]
A silver light flickered in his eyes.
"You missed."
The moment the words left Karma's lips, reality warped.
The dagger—which had been on a direct path to slice his throat—suddenly veered off-course mid-air. As if fate itself had been rewritten, the blade missed by mere inches.
The creature's eyes widened in shock. "W-What?! That's impossible!"
Karma sighed, rolling his shoulders as he spun his burning sword effortlessly in his grip. The flames danced along the blade, casting flickering shadows across the ancient chamber.
"Hm," he mused, watching the embers swirl in the air. "So it seems… the cooldown is based on whatever I choose to bring into fruition."
The creature growled, staggering to its feet, its golden eyes burning with hatred. But before it could react—
Karma moved.
In a blink, he was upon it.
SLASH. SLASH. KICK. PUNCH. SLASH.
A vicious barrage of attacks rained down like a relentless storm. Steel met flesh. Sparks ignited. Blood splattered.The feline beast had no time to counter, no room to breathe.
Between strikes, Karma spoke, his voice low and laced with venom.
"You toyed with me… threatened me… and nearly killed me."
His blade carved across the creature's torso. It barely managed to block, but the force sent it hurtling backward nonetheless.
"People like you," Karma continued, stepping forward, "you take joy in beating down the weak. You look down on guys like me, laughing while we suffer."
The beast snarled, struggling to rise. It knew fear now.
Karma smirked. Good.
"But you all make me sick," he spat, twirling his sword. "I know this isn't fair. I know I'm taking out everything on you when you're not the only monster like this. But…"
He raised his blade.
"It doesn't change the fact that you deserve to die."
The creature let out a guttural roar, its muscles bulging, veins pulsing with purple energy. Its aura flared violently—rage, desperation, survival instinct. Its form twisted, becoming more feral, more monstrous.
And then—it attacked.
A wild, powerful strike aimed to cleave Karma in half.
But in an instant—its arm was gone.
A clean, effortless slice.
The beast screamed, clutching the bloody stump where its limb had been.
Before it could recover, Karma struck again. A brutal kick to the chest sent the beast sprawling onto the ground, gasping for air, trembling.
He loomed over it now, his expression unreadable, his flames casting an eerie glow on his face.
"Now that I have this power," Karma said, his voice eerily calm, "I'm going to find others like you."
He raised his sword.
"And I'm going to kill them."
The creature looked up, its defiance replaced by pure, unfiltered terror.
"This is my new reason for living," Karma continued. "And my main target… is the one behind this system."
The beast's breathing grew ragged. It opened its mouth—maybe to beg, maybe to curse him—but it never got the chance.
Karma swung his blade.
SHING!
The sound of steel meeting flesh.
The creature's head hit the stone floor with a dull thud, its lifeless eyes still frozen in shock.
A moment of silence.
Then—
[ BOSS DEFEATED ]
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