The darkness stirred.
Kyung-min's Phantom Legion had already melted into the shadows—three wraiths slipping between dimensions, stalking the Riftborn.
But his presence had not gone unnoticed.
The Abyss Crushers moved first.
Massive, towering constructs of rotting muscle and shattered bones, their hulking frames dragging against the stone as they charged forward.
Their fists were the size of boulders.
Their eyes burned with mindless hunger.
And behind them—the Carrion Maulers slithered closer.
Half-decayed, their exposed ribcages pulsing with unnatural life, their elongated talons scraping across the cavern floor.
They were scavengers.
They weren't interested in a fair fight.
They were waiting.
Waiting for the Crushers to break their prey first.
Kyung-min's breath remained steady.
??? AM – The Apex Predator Moves
And then—
A shadow blurred past him.
Not a wraith.
Not an enemy.
ShadeStalker.
It moved without sound, its massive frame weaving between the looming Abyss Crushers.
And it didn't stop.
One of the Crushers raised a massive, decayed arm—prepared to flatten Kyung-min in a single blow.
It never got the chance.
ShadeStalker pounced.
A wet, crunching sound echoed through the cavern.
The massive Abyss Crusher froze mid-motion.
Then—blood erupted from its throat.
ShadeStalker's claws tore through muscle, veins snapping like broken strings.
Its glowing hollow eyes met Kyung-min's for a brief moment.
Not for approval.
Not for confirmation.
But as if to say—
This one is mine.
The Crusher collapsed, twitching, its body convulsing in its final moments.
??? AM – The Phantom Legion Strikes
The Riftborn Stalkers moved.
Unlike the Crushers or Maulers, they didn't charge.
They flickered.
One moment, they were at a distance—watching.
The next—they were already behind him.
Kyung-min's jaw clenched.
But before they could attack—
A whisper rippled through the darkness.
🔹 [Phantom Legion – Already Active.]
His wraiths materialized.
One emerged behind the closest Riftborn Stalker.
Another from beneath its flickering form.
The third from the cavern wall itself.
A Riftborn let out a piercing shriek as spectral claws tore through its body.
It tried to phase out—but it couldn't.
🔹 [Damage Confirmed – Riftborn Stalkers Are Weak to Phantom Energy.]
The second Stalker hesitated.
It was too late.
Kyung-min's wraiths ripped into it, consuming it in silence.
Two down.
One left.
And it was running.
??? AM – The Goblins' Trap
Kyung-min's eyes flickered to the cavern walls.
The goblins weren't mindless.
They were setting up a formation.
Shield-bearers at the front.
Spear-wielders behind them.
Archers and bomb-throwers climbing the walls.
They were planning to bottle him in.
He clicked his tongue.
🔹 [Abyss Step – Activated.]
🔹 [MP: 500 → 450]
The world twisted.
One moment—he was in the open.
The next—he was behind the goblin archers.
They barely had time to react.
Kyung-min grabbed one by the throat and snapped its neck.
🔹 [Goblin Marauder Defeated.]
The remaining goblins turned in shock—
And then—
🔹 [Dread Manifestation – Activated.]
🔹 [MP: 450 → 300]
A wave of terror exploded outward.
The goblins froze.
Some dropped their weapons.
Others staggered backward, legs shaking violently.
Kyung-min's smile widened.
They weren't the real target.
??? AM – Revenant's Command
Kyung-min turned toward the undead battlefield.
The Carrion Maulers—vicious, decaying beasts—ripped through the remaining goblins with ease.
And now—they would serve him.
🔹 [Revenant's Command – Activated.]
🔹 [MP: 300 → 220]
A pulse of abyssal power surged from Kyung-min's body.
The closest Carrion Mauler—a hulking, diseased creature—shuddered violently.
Its eyes, once filled with hunger, dulled.
Then—they burned again.
🔹 [You Have Seized Control of 1 Carrion Mauler.]
The other undead turned to look at their former ally.
It wasn't attacking them anymore.
It had joined Kyung-min.
The battlefield shifted.
Now, the undead horde wasn't just an enemy army.
It was his army.
??? AM – The Final Execution
The last remaining monsters—the Ironclad Beetles and Shadow Serpents—had barely moved.
But they weren't the hunters anymore.
They were the hunted.
🔹 [Gravewalker's Frenzy – Activated.]
🔹 [MP: 220 → 140]
His body ignited with unholy speed.
He wasn't just faster.
He was everywhere.
ShadeStalker moved with him.
The monstrous summon pounced onto the second Crusher, its razor-edged claws carving into its exposed skull.
The Abyss Crusher collapsed, twitching.
Kyung-min turned.
The battle was over.
🔹 [You Have Killed Abyss Crusher – Level 35.]
🔹 [You Have Killed Goblin Marauder– Level 17.]
🔹 ..
🔹 ..
🔹 [You Have Killed Carrion Mauler – Level 28.]
🔹 [You Have Killed Riftborn Stalker – Level 32.]
🔹 [You Have Killed Carrion Mauler – Level 28.]
🔹 [EXP Calculation in Progress…]
🔹 [EXP Gained: 37,500 XP.]
🔹 [Level Up! You Are Now Level 2.]
🔹 [Level Up! You Are Now Level 3.]
🔹 [Level Up! You Are Now Level ...]
🔹 [Level Up! You Are Now Level ...]
🔹 [Level Up! You Are Now Level ...]
🔹 [Level Up! You Are Now Level ...]
🔹 [Level Up! You Are Now Level 11.]
🔹 [All Stats Increased.]
🔹 [HP & MP Restored by 50%.]
🔹 [Free Stat Points Acquired: +55]
🔹 [Skill Level-Ups Detected.]
🔹 [STATUS WINDOW – HAN KYUNG-MIN][General Info]
🔹 Name: Han Kyung-min
🔹 Level: 1 → 11 (230/4,500 EXP)
🔹 Class: Revenant Necromancer (???-Rank, Growth)
🔹 Title: Abysswalker Reborn, Gaze of the Forsaken
🔹 Profession: None
🔹 HP: 250 → 570 (570/570)
🔹 MP: 600 → 1,300 (520/1,300)
🔹 Fatigue: 10/100 → 20/100
🔹 Gold: 0G → 0G
[Attributes]
🔹 Strength: 8 → 30
🔹 Agility: 12 → 35
🔹 Stamina: 20 → 42
🔹 Intelligence: 60 → 110
🔹 Perception: 25 → 55
🔹 Free Stat Points: 55
[Active Skills]
🔹 Revenant's Command (???) → (Skill Level Up: 1 → 2)
(Undead now gain +35% Strength, +25% Durability. Number of controlled undead increased.)
🔹 Phantom Legion (A-Rank) → (Skill Level Up: 1 → 2)
(Summons 4 Phantom Wraiths. Wraiths now have increased attack speed.)
🔹 Abyss Step (A-Rank) → (Skill Level Up: 1 → 2)
(Teleport range increased to 20 meters. Can now chain 4 steps instead of 3.)
🔹 Gravewalker's Frenzy (A-Rank) → (Skill Level Up: 1 → 2)
(Movement speed boost increased to 50%. Undead minions' attack speed increased by 30% in the effect's range.)
🔹 Dread Manifestation (A-Rank) → (Skill Level Up: 1 → 2)
(Fear duration increased to 7 seconds. Stronger enemies now suffer -40% movement speed, -25% reaction time.)
[Passive Skills]
🔹 Phantom Shroud (A-Rank) → (Skill Level Up: 1 → 2)
(Stealth effectiveness increased. Can now move through shadows for 3 seconds.)
🔹 Veil of the Abyss (A-Rank) → (Skill Level Up: 1 → 2)
(Enemies now have an even harder time detecting the user in darkness.)
🔹 Death's Tether (A-Rank) → (Skill Level Up: 1 → 2)
(Now regenerates 15% MP instead of 10% when an undead minion is destroyed.)
🔹 [Evolution Progress: ???%]
🔹 [Next Awakening Threshold Locked.]
Kyung-min exhaled.
His growth was accelerating.
He clenched his fists, feeling the surge of power through his body.
He wasn't just surviving anymore.
He was evolving.
🔹 [Floor Cleared.]
He exhaled.
The dungeon had tested him.
And he had answered.
The cavern trembled—not from the dying remnants of battle, but from something deeper.
Kyung-min's breath hitched.
The air itself seemed to contract, a suffocating force pressing against his chest.
Then—
🔹 [Warning! A High-Rank Entity Has Detected Your Presence.]
From the tunnel ahead, a deep, guttural growl reverberated through the stone walls.
Something massive was moving.