Michael stood still, staring at his palm as the remnants of celestial sparks still lingering in his palms as he struggled to comprehend the power he had just unleashed.
But before he could gather his thoughts, another deep growl echoed from behind him. He turned around, only to find another group of abyssal creatures closing in on him.
"Tsk." Michael quickly ran through the massive gates. The moment he crossed the entrance, a mechanical creak sounded as the gates began sliding shut.
One of the Abyssal Jackals tried to jump inside, but before it could make it through, the gates slammed shut, cleanly severing its head.
Michael could only stared as the head rolled slowly across the ground and stopped right at his feet.
Then it looked up at the large gates. "So the Castle won’t allow any one but the holder of the key to enter, both man and beast? That’s interesting."
Michael moved forward, glancing at the spots where the beasts in the courtyard had once stood. The ground was melted into a large crater from the power he had unleashed, almost as if several volcanoes had simultaneously erupted.
[00:55:30]
He continued toward the castle’s main entrance, carefully making his way across the courtyard. The closer he got, the stronger the ominous sensation became, pressing against him like an invisible force.
Finally, he reached the massive wooden doors and pushed them open.
A large hall greeted him, its ancient walls lined with faded paintings and generations old decorations. A long carpet stretched across the marble floor, leading toward a grand staircase at the far end. Old chandeliers hung from the ceiling, while neatly arranged knight armory stood lined up along the sides of the hall.
The place remained surprisingly intact, as though the castle was still maintained by someone although there was undeniable proof outside it’s walls that it had been abandoned for thousands of years without anyone disturbing it.
[You have entered the hidden chamber.]
[To access the hidden room and discover the (True Origins), collect 50 Abyssal Souls in the given time limit.]
[Allocated time limit - 00:30:00]
[Total time remaining - 00:30:00]
"What!?" Michael couldn’t believe his eyes, the remaining time he had was cut in half, with twenty minutes suddenly gone.
Almost immediately, dark trails of energy suddenly escaped from the armored knights lining the hallway. The next moment, multiple dark figures emerged from their armor, each with different shapes and sizes of weapons in their arms.
The same thing happened on the ground as dark beasts began crawling out of the floor. Some had sharp claws and glowing eyes, while others possessed humanoid figures with tall and huge bulky bodies and massive limbs.
In a matter of seconds, the once-quiet hall was filled with these strange creatures, all turning their attention toward Michael.
"I don’t have time for this!" Michael summoned both of Naga’s Fangs, and gripped them tightly. With one powerful thrust of his right hand, he launched the dagger towards the dark beasts in front of him.
The dagger shot forward, piercing through the beast’s chest in front of him before continuing through several others in its path. In the blink of an eye, it tore through multiple dark beasts before finally embedding itself in the wall at the end of the hall.
[You have slain a Dark Orge!]
[You have slain a Dark Orge!]
[You have slain a Dark Mobius warrior!]
[You have obtained 1 Abyssal Soul]
The dagger vanished from the wall, returning to the system’s storage space before instantly rematerializing in Michael’s right hand.
"What?" Michael looked down at the system interface as the notification popped up. "Just 1 Abyssal Soul?" He was sure he took down more than ten Dark Beasts just now.
"Damn it..." It became clear to him immediately.
The hall was enormous, large enough to accommodate more than a hundred dark beasts, including the dark figures that had emerged from the armored knights lining the walls.
If the quest required him to obtain fifty Abyssal Souls, then only fifty of the beasts in here were his actual targets. The rest were nothing more than decoys, meant to distract him and waste his time.
"In that case..." Michael channeled his natural energy through his arms and into his palm, slowly gathering it into a dark ball of energy. However, just as the energy began forming a sphere, it suddenly disappeared, fading away from his palm until nothing remained.
"What!?" He couldn’t believe his eyes, practically all the abilities he had in his arsenal was prohibited. "What the hell? It’s as if the system is actually trying to kill me rather than help me."
[00:28:45]
The other beasts rushed at him.
"Guess I have no choice." Michael spun the daggers in his hands before charging toward the beasts. He cut them down one after another, flipping through the air and striking with swift, precise movements. He pivoted left and right, dodging their coordinated attacks before countering with his blades.
[You have slain a Dark Orge!]
[You have slain a Dark beast!]
[Level Up!]
However, no matter how many beasts he killed, there was still no notification indicating that he had obtained an Abyssal Soul.
That was until one of his daggers pierced the chest of a humanoid-looking beast.
[You have obtained an Abyssal Soul!]
"Huh?" Michael watched as the beast fell to the ground, before vanishing in a mist of dark smoke.
Then his eyes widened as he made an observation.
Most of the Dark creatures he had cut down so far resembled four legged beasts like wolves, panthers, and even huge serpent like monsters. But this one, was more humanoid than the rest.
As he observed the beasts that charged at him, he discovered there were a small number of humanoid like beasts mixed in with the rest of the dark beasts.
But it was too early to judge without proof.
"Let’s test it then." Michael leaped into the air and looked down, quickly pinpointing one of the humanoid beasts below.
With another powerful thrust of his right hand, he launched the dagger forward. It shot through the air and pierced straight through the humanoid beast’s head before embedding itself into the floor behind it.
[You have slain a Mobius Titan!]
[You have obtained an Abyssal Soul.]
As Michael landed on his two feet, he looked forward with a satisfied smile. "I was right! The beasts that are more humanoid are the ones with the Abyssal Souls. Wait, wouldn’t that me-"
Michael’s eyes widened as he suddenly sensed danger looming from behind. He spun around instantly, raising his other dagger just as one of the dark knights brought its massive sword crashing down on him.
Their weapons collided with a deafening clang, but the overwhelming force behind the knight’s strike sent Michael flying backward.
He crashed into the wall before falling heavily to the floor, spitting out a mouthful of blood as pain shot through his body.
"H—How?" He didn’t sense the knight up until it was already too late, but that wasn’t the main concern.
In terms of strength, the Dark Knight was already as strong as him, if not stronger.
[00:20:01]
"Damn it!" Time was running out, and Michael had no time to waste. He recalled his other dagger and sprinted toward the remaining beasts, deciding to eliminate the weaker ones first.
He leaped into the air, pinpointed the remaining humanoid beasts, and launched his dagger at them in quick succession, striking them down one by one.
[You have slain a Mobius Titan!]
[You have slain a Mobius Titan!]
[You have obtained an Abyssal Soul!]
[Abyssal Souls collected: 30/50]
[Allocated time remaining: 00:17:56]
Michael had already taken care of all the Mobius Titans.
The only target enemies left were the Dark Knights, which proved to be a bigger problem given that they were twenty in number. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Michael maneuvered through the remaining decoy beasts, using them to block the Dark Knights powerful strikes.
Then, the moment they cut the decoys down, he spotted and utilized the brief opening it created the counterattacked, swiftly beheading them.
He repeated this strategy, moving from one knight to the next until only a single Dark Knight remained amongst all the beasts.
[00:13:32]
Michael gripped his dagger tightly. After a brief silence, both he and the Dark Knight charged at each other. Their blades clashed, but the knight quickly overpowered him, forcing him back a few feet, then immediately he tossed one of Naga’s Fangs into the air.
Seeing the opening, the knight seized the opportunity and lunged forward with another powerful strike.
With a fierce and determined gaze, Michael thrust his other dagger forward, but just before it connected, he released it, allowing the knight’s sword to strike it.
Then the momentum, Michael grabbed the knight’s blade and propelled himself into the air. As the knight looked up to redirect his weapon, it was already too late.
Michael caught the descending dagger that was already a few feet above the Knight, and drove it straight into the opening in the Knight’s helmet with a fierce battle cry.
[You have slain a Dark Knight!]
[You have obtained an Abyssal Soul!]
[Abyssal Souls collected: 50/50]
[You have obtained all 50 Abyssal Souls!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Michael fell to the ground, panting softly as he clutched his stomach and tried to catch his breath.
This was the first time he had ever experienced a drawn out battle without his skills and Nature Arts, and having used the Divine Grade skill several minutes earlier only made his case worse.
[Allocated time remaining: 00:10:59]
"I did it... With only 10 minutes left to spare." He stood slowly to his feet as he recalled the other half of Naga’s Fangs.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Michael’s feet began to tremble. And without warning, the walls in front of him shifted, closing in before gradually sliding apart to reveal a large, decorated door.
Then just mere seconds later, the door began to creak open slowly.
As the door opened completely, a rush of dark, ominous energy burst out and slammed into Michael. Severe chills ran down his spine as his eyes widened and his pupils shrank.
There was no doubt about it.
The source of the strange sensation he had felt the moment he stepped into the second level of the Abyss, the mysterious energy that had been calling to him and led him to the castle, was undoubtedly behind that door.
Michael swallowed hard and tightened his grip on Naga’s Fangs with a determined gaze, then after letting out a soft sigh, he stepped into the room.
What came into view was a massive throne room. A long red carpet, decorated with golden patterns, stretched from the entrance all the way to an elevated throne at the far end of the room.
Michael slowly approached the throne, but as he took his final few steps, his eyes widened in disbelief, and they wavered greatly at the sight before him.
Seated upon the elevated throne was a massive figure measured at nearly eight feet tall.
Its entire body was covered in obsidian armor, with a large cape draped over its shoulders. A streamlined dark helmet concealed its face, with a long, tail-like extension flowing from the top of its head.
And at its waist hung a large sheathed sword, resting quietly at its side.
[You have arrived at the True Origins!]
[You have encountered the boss of the hidden chamber!]
[Supreme General, Prince of Darkness — Agnes]