Darkness.
It stretched endlessly, yet Ash no longer feared it. His world had changed, but he refused to let this flaw define him. If anything, it was an opportunity—a gateway to something greater.
Standing in the dimly lit apartment, he took a deep breath, sensing every detail around him. He could hear the slow, rhythmic breathing of people in adjacent rooms. The faint hum of electricity running through the walls. The subtle vibrations of the floor beneath his feet.
Despite losing his sight, his awareness had become something far beyond human.
And now, it was time to put it to the test.
---
Into the Nightmare
Ash didn't hesitate as he activated the Nightmare Spell.
The cold, familiar sensation enveloped him, dragging his consciousness into the abyss. The world shifted—twisting, morphing—until he found himself standing in a desolate wasteland beneath a crimson sky.
A chilling wind howled through the ruins of an ancient battlefield. The air reeked of blood and decay. This was a hunting ground.
Ash exhaled, his hands tightening around his sword.
Then, the beasts emerged.
Lurkers.
Twisted, humanoid creatures with elongated limbs and eyeless faces. Their bodies twitched unnaturally as they sensed his presence, their movements erratic yet terrifyingly fast.
A dozen of them surrounded him, their clawed hands flexing in anticipation.
They thought he was easy prey.
They were wrong.
---
The Hunt Begins
The first Lurker lunged.
Ash felt it before it even moved. His enhanced perception picked up the shift in the air, the faintest disturbance caused by its sudden motion.
His body reacted instinctively.
Phantom Rend.
A blur of motion—his sword flashed in the dim light, and the Lurker's head was severed cleanly from its shoulders before it even realized what had happened.
The others hesitated.
Then, they rushed him all at once.
A savage grin formed on Ash's face.
He dove forward, his sword cutting through the first Lurker's arm, then twisting to pierce its chest. Another clawed hand swiped at him—he ducked, countered, and drove his elbow into its skull, shattering bone.
Abyss Fang.
He slashed forward, but the attack didn't land immediately. Instead, a delayed, precise cut manifested seconds later, bisecting two creatures cleanly as they attempted to retaliate.
The remaining Lurkers hesitated.
Ash didn't.
Moving with ruthless precision, he closed the distance, dodging and striking with perfect efficiency. Each movement was refined, sharpened, growing deadlier with every exchange.
Within moments, the battlefield was silent.
The bodies of the fallen Lurkers lay scattered around him, their blood soaking into the cracked earth.
Then—a familiar sensation.
A cold, devouring pull as his Aspect activated.
> [Sovereign of the Abyss Activated.]
[Stats Absorbed from Defeated Enemies.]
+3 Strength
+2 Agility
+2 Endurance
Ash smirked as the newfound power coursed through his body.
His muscles tightened, his movements felt even sharper. This… this was his advantage.
Unlike others who could only grow by struggling over time, he consumed his enemies and became stronger directly.
And this was only the beginning. The battlefield was silent once more, save for the whisper of the wind carrying the scent of blood and decay. Ash stood amidst the fallen Lurkers, his sword dripping with dark ichor.
The rush of power from his absorbed stats surged through his body like liquid fire, sharpening his senses, strengthening his muscles. He flexed his fingers, feeling the slight increase in raw strength and agility.
But his instincts screamed at him—this fight wasn't over.
Something lurked beyond the crimson mist surrounding the battlefield. Something bigger.
Ash turned his head slightly, focusing on the disturbances in the air. His Observation Haki flared, casting his awareness outward like a pulse.
A shape emerged from the mist.
A low, guttural growl rumbled through the ruins as the ground trembled beneath heavy footsteps. A massive, armored figure stepped forward—a Hunter-Class Nightmare Creature.
> [Enemy Identified: Crimson Dreadwolf]
Rank: Dormant (Elite)
Threat Level: High
The beast resembled a wolf, but its body was grotesquely warped, its muscles bulging unnaturally beneath its armored hide. Its crimson eyes burned with intelligence, and jagged black spikes jutted from its back like spears.
Ash grinned.
This was the kind of opponent he needed.
---
A Battle of Instincts
The Crimson Dreadwolf lunged.
It was fast.
Ash barely had time to shift his stance before the beast was upon him, its massive claws slashing through the air with brutal precision. He twisted, narrowly dodging as the wind pressure from the attack sent cracks through the ground where he had stood.
He countered immediately.
Phantom Rend.
His sword flickered, moving at an almost imperceptible speed—aimed straight at the Dreadwolf's neck.
CLANG!
The blade bounced off its hardened hide.
"Tch."
Ash shifted, dodging another swipe as the wolf pressed its advantage. Each attack was calculated, the creature's instincts honed by countless battles. It was no mindless beast—it was a predator.
So was he.
His blade flickered again, adapting to the wolf's movements.
> [Predator's Conquest Activated.]
[Copying Enemy's Combat Instincts…]
His dodges became sharper. His footwork adjusted to match the creature's hunting patterns.
The Dreadwolf snarled, sensing the shift.
But Ash was already moving.
---
The Tyrant Strikes Back
He met the Dreadwolf's charge head-on.
At the last moment, he sidestepped, narrowly avoiding its fangs while bringing his sword down in a vicious arc—aiming for its exposed leg.
Abyss Fang.
A moment later, a delayed slash manifested, severing a tendon.
The beast howled, staggering for the first time.
Ash didn't let it recover.
He drove forward, shifting his sword stance—using the beast's own movement patterns against it.
His strikes became sharper, his counters even faster. Every step, every attack, was a refinement of the last.
The Dreadwolf lunged in desperation, but Ash was already inside its guard.
With one final strike, he drove his sword deep into its throat, twisting the blade before tearing it free.
The beast collapsed.
Silence.
Then—the power surged.
> [Sovereign of the Abyss Activated.]
[Stats Absorbed from Defeated Enemy.]
+5 Strength
+4 Agility
+3 Endurance
Ash exhaled slowly as the raw increase in power flooded his body.
He clenched his fist. This was it.
This was how he would carve his path to the top.
No one would see him coming.