The growls echoed from every direction.
Kael slowly turned in place as dozens of glowing eyes emerged from the surrounding tunnels. Crimson, emerald, sapphire, and gold—each pair belonged to a creature whose presence far exceeded that of the Void Fang Alpha.
His newly evolved instincts screamed at him.
Every one of them was dangerous.
The System reacted immediately.
Warning.
Multiple High-Rank Void Beasts Detected.
Estimated Host Survival Rate: 0.01%
Kael let out a dry laugh.
"It somehow keeps getting worse."
One by one, the monsters stepped into the emerald light surrounding the lake.
The first resembled a panther nearly four meters long. Its body was cloaked in black flames that gave off no heat, while six tails swayed lazily behind it.
The second looked like an enormous serpent wrapped in silver scales, its body coiling around a massive crystal pillar.
A third descended silently from the ceiling. It possessed the body of a giant owl but wore a crown of jagged obsidian horns.
Then came more.
A wolf with three heads.
A bear covered in violet crystal.
A spider larger than a house.
Each creature radiated terrifying power.
Kael unconsciously took a step backward.
Lyra remained seated beside the lake, watching the gathering with mild curiosity, as though she had expected this all along.
The six-tailed panther was the first to move.
It lowered its massive head toward Kael.
Its golden eyes narrowed.
The System activated.
Eclipse Panther
Rank: D
Status: Mature
Threat Level: Extremely High
Another notification appeared almost immediately.
Abyss Serpent
Rank: D
Obsidian Sky Owl
Rank: D
The notifications continued appearing until Kael dismissed them.
There were too many.
At least fifteen D-Rank monsters stood around the lake.
None attacked.
None growled.
None even blinked.
They simply watched him.
Kael quietly asked, "Why aren't they attacking?"
Lyra answered without looking up.
"They're waiting."
"For what?"
"You."
Kael frowned.
"Me?"
"The Void recognizes strength."
She rose gracefully from the lakeside.
"It also recognizes change."
She looked directly at the surrounding beasts.
"They sensed the birth of a new evolutionary path."
"The one you chose."
Kael glanced around.
"So they're here because of the System?"
"They're here because of what you became."
A low rumble spread through the chamber.
The gigantic three-headed wolf slowly walked forward.
Each of its heads bore a different expression.
One calm.
One furious.
One completely emotionless.
It stopped only a few meters from Kael.
The central head lowered until its enormous golden eye was level with him.
Kael held his ground despite every instinct urging him to flee.
The wolf sniffed the air.
Once.
Twice.
Then, unexpectedly...
It lowered all three heads.
The surrounding monsters immediately followed.
The panther.
The serpent.
The owl.
One after another, every beast bowed.
Kael blinked.
"What..."
Lyra smiled faintly.
"They aren't kneeling to you."
"They're kneeling to your potential."
Kael remained speechless.
The beasts slowly raised their heads again.
One by one, they turned and disappeared into the tunnels from which they had come.
Within minutes, the chamber was quiet once more.
Only the three-headed wolf remained.
Instead of leaving, it approached Lyra.
She gently placed a hand upon its enormous forehead.
"You've grown stronger."
The wolf closed its eyes.
It almost looked...
Content.
Kael watched in disbelief.
"You know them?"
"I raised some of them."
She answered so casually that Kael almost thought he had misheard.
"You... raised them?"
"When they were very small."
She scratched behind one of the wolf's ears.
The gigantic monster wagged its tail.
Kael rubbed his temples.
"I think I've stopped being surprised."
"That's good."
Lyra smiled.
"The Abyss has only shown you its entrance."
The wolf slowly walked toward Kael.
This time, instead of fear, Kael sensed curiosity.
The enormous beast lowered its head until it was only inches away.
Its golden eyes studied him carefully.
Then it nudged his shoulder with its nose.
A notification appeared.
Shadowfang
Rank: D
Status: Curious
Kael cautiously reached out.
The wolf didn't move.
His hand touched its dark fur.
It was unexpectedly soft.
Shadowfang let out a satisfied rumble.
Lyra laughed quietly.
"It likes you."
"I thought Void Beasts hated humans."
"They do."
She nodded.
"But you're becoming something they no longer recognize as entirely human."
Kael looked down at his own hands.
He still appeared exactly the same.
Yet everything around him treated him differently.
Humans had betrayed him.
Monsters bowed before him.
The irony wasn't lost on him.
Shadowfang suddenly turned toward one of the tunnels and growled.
Its relaxed demeanor vanished instantly.
Lyra's smile faded.
She slowly stood.
"This one..."
Her voice became noticeably colder.
"...shouldn't be here."
A suffocating pressure swept through the cavern.
Unlike the beasts from earlier, this presence carried something else.
Hatred.
Pure, overwhelming hatred.
Even Shadowfang instinctively stepped backward.
The underground lake began freezing from the center outward.
Emerald light dimmed.
The temperature dropped so rapidly that Kael's breath became visible.
The System released a shrill warning unlike any before.
Extreme Danger Detected.
Unknown Entity Approaching.
Analysis... Failed.
Analysis... Failed.
Analysis... Failed.
Kael's heart skipped a beat.
The System...
Couldn't identify it.
From the deepest tunnel, a pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.
Then another pair.
Then another.
Dozens of eyes blinked within the darkness.
But they all belonged to a single creature.
A low, distorted voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"So..."
It laughed.
"...after ten thousand years..."
"...the System has finally awakened again."
Lyra's expression hardened for the first time.
"You should have stayed asleep."
The creature laughed louder.
"And miss this?"
Its countless crimson eyes settled on Kael.
"I've been waiting..."
"...for him."