Darkness.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Ash could no longer see. The familiar shapes, colors, and light—all of it had vanished in an instant. It was a suffocating, disorienting void, and for a brief moment, fear gripped him.
But then, he felt it.
A new sense awakening within him.
The subtle shifts in the air. The faint echoes of his own breath bouncing off the walls. The presence of something beyond sight guiding him.
Observation Haki.
His lips curled into a smirk. So this is my compensation?
It was strange—despite his blindness, the world wasn't completely gone. He could feel the space around him with a level of clarity he had never experienced before. Every movement, every disturbance in the environment—he could perceive it.
Not with his eyes, but with something deeper.
This wasn't a curse. It was an evolution.
But even as he processed his newfound awareness, his body ached from the battle. He had pushed himself past his limits, and now, he needed to recover.
And that meant checking his progress.
Status Update
Ash mentally called upon his system, and a familiar translucent screen materialized in his mind's eye.
---
[Status Screen]
Name: Ash
Rank: Dormant (Peak)
Aspect: Abyssal Tyrant (Divine)
[Stats]
Strength: 19 (Dormant)
Agility: 21 (Dormant)
Endurance: 18 (Dormant)
Perception: 30 (Dormant) → (Enhanced due to Observation Haki)
Mana: 14 (Dormant)
[Skills & Abilities]
Sovereign of the Abyss: Absorbs stats of defeated enemies over time. (Accelerated absorption from Chapter 10 onward.)
Abyssal Dominion: Enhances physical ability slightly and suppresses weaker foes in claimed areas.
Predator's Conquest: Permanently copies physical/martial techniques after witnessing them.
Tyrant's Form: Temporarily enhances speed, strength, and reflexes at the cost of stamina.
Devourer's Rebirth: Consumes stored energy to heal mortal wounds but temporarily weakens the body.
Observation Haki (Dormant): Enhances perception beyond sight, allowing Ash to sense his surroundings and predict enemy movements.
---
A slow grin spread across Ash's face.
His stats had increased significantly, thanks to defeating the guardian. The most notable change was his Perception, which had skyrocketed—probably due to losing his sight and gaining Observation Haki.
Not a bad trade-off.
The power he had accumulated was real. He was stronger now—not just in body, but in awareness.
Still, he wasn't at the level he wanted to be.
Not yet.
Stepping into the Unknown
With a deep breath, Ash pushed himself off the ground. His body protested, sore from battle, but he forced himself to move. He couldn't afford to lie around.
The trial chamber was silent, the once-formidable guardian reduced to scattered rubble. The only source of light came from an eerie doorway that had appeared at the far end of the room.
The exit.
Ash exhaled, tightening his grip on his sword.
He had survived the trial. Now, it was time to return.
Step by step, he moved forward.
Despite his blindness, he did not falter.
Because even without his eyes, he could see clearer than ever before. Ash stepped forward, each movement measured as he adjusted to his newfound perception. The absence of sight would have crippled a lesser man, but he had already adapted.
He could feel the world around him. The way the air shifted as he moved. The subtle tremors in the stone beneath his feet. Even the faintest disturbances painted a picture in his mind, more vivid than simple vision ever could.
This was no mere compensation for his blindness—it was an awakening.
Still, he had questions.
How far could this new ability push him?
He needed to test it.
First Trial of the Blind Tyrant
Ash exhaled and placed his sword back into its sheath. Then, he closed his eyes—not that it made a difference anymore.
Slowly, he raised his hand, focusing solely on his surroundings.
He could feel the faintest vibrations of air brushing against his skin. The sound of distant cracks in the stone. The warmth of a faint energy signature emanating from the exit ahead.
Then, he took a step.
It was smooth, effortless—as if his body moved on instinct alone.
A second step. Then a third. His awareness expanded with each movement, tracing the environment without error.
He stopped abruptly.
Something… moved.
It was small, subtle—almost imperceptible. But to Ash's newfound senses, it was as clear as daylight.
A fragment of the guardian's shattered body twitched.
Then, a weak, lingering remnant of the Nightmare's energy surged forward.
A last-ditch attack.
The moment it struck, Ash moved.
In a flash, his hand darted toward his sword, drawing it in an instant—Phantom Rend.
A high-speed slash cut through the air, precise and brutal.
The lingering remnant was annihilated.
Silence followed. Then, a deep breath.
Ash relaxed his stance, letting the energy settle.
His first true battle after losing his sight—and he had won.
A slow smirk crept onto his lips.
This new power... I might just be unstoppable.
Stepping into the Light
Without hesitation, he turned toward the glowing doorway ahead.
The exit stood tall, bathed in the same eerie luminescence as the Nightmare Spell itself.
It was time.
Stepping forward, Ash passed through the portal—leaving the trial behind.
As the light engulfed him, he could feel something shifting deep within him.
A change.
A transformation.
And then—
He was gone.
Darkness.
A void of endless blackness consumed Ash as he passed through the portal. His body felt weightless, as if drifting through the abyss itself.
Then—pain.
A searing sensation burned through his veins, sharp and unrelenting. His muscles tensed as if being reshaped, reforged.
What the hell is happening?!
His instincts screamed at him to move, but his body refused to obey. He could do nothing but endure.
Then—a voice echoed in his mind.
> [Trial Complete.]
[Flaw Acquired: Blinded.]
[Compensation: Awakened Perception.]
[High-Rating Reward Granted.]
[Skill Acquired: Observation Haki (Dormant).]
Ash's breath hitched.
A flaw? He had expected something, but the confirmation made his new reality undeniable. His eyesight was permanently lost.
But… the compensation.
His awareness had grown to an extreme degree. He could feel the world around him more vividly than ever. And then—there was the final reward.
Observation Haki.
A name foreign to this world. A skill that didn't belong in the Nightmare Realm.
A slow smirk crept onto Ash's face.
So, even the System acknowledges me as an anomaly.
The burning pain receded. His body felt… stronger. Sharper. It was as if his very essence had been refined by the trial.
Then—light.
His senses exploded as he felt himself being pulled back into reality.
Return to the Waking World
Ash gasped as he jolted awake, his lungs heaving for air.
The moment his consciousness returned, he noticed the difference.
He couldn't see, yet his awareness stretched far beyond what his eyes had once provided. He could sense everything.
The faint flicker of a distant streetlamp. The subtle breathing of someone sleeping in another room. The weight of his own heartbeat, steady and controlled.
Ash clenched his fists.
So, this is my new reality.
His hearing, his sense of touch, his perception—all heightened beyond human limits.
Then, the System interface materialized in his mind.
---
[Status Update]
Name: Ash
Rank: Dormant
Aspect: Abyssal Tyrant (Divine)
[Stats]
Strength: 18 (Dormant)
Agility: 22 (Dormant)
Endurance: 19 (Dormant)
Perception: 30 (Awakened)
Mana: 15 (Dormant)
[Abilities]
Sovereign of the Abyss: Absorbs the stats of defeated enemies over time.
Predator's Conquest: Copies and refines physical/martial techniques after witnessing them.
Abyssal Dominion: Exerts suppressive force in areas where enemies have been conquered.
Tyrant's Form: Temporarily enhances strength, speed, and reflexes but rapidly drains stamina.
Devourer's Rebirth: Can consume stored energy to heal mortal wounds at the cost of temporary weakness.
[Skills]
Phantom Rend – A high-speed draw-cut technique. Uses energy for enhanced speed and cutting force. (1 Use per fight)
Abyss Fang – A delayed-slash technique that strikes after the initial swing. (1 Use per fight)
Observation Haki (Dormant) – Enhances perception, allowing the user to sense unseen threats and predict attacks.
---
Ash exhaled.
His stats had increased. His perception had skyrocketed—likely due to his blindness.
And then, there was Observation Haki.
It wasn't active yet, but he could feel it stirring beneath the surface, waiting to be awakened.
This was not a loss.
It was evolution.
A new chapter in his journey.
A smirk formed on his lips.
Time to see how far I can push this new power.