Pain.
It was the first thing Kael felt.
Every bone in his body screamed as if it had been crushed beneath a mountain. His chest barely rose with each shallow breath, and warm blood trickled from countless wounds before disappearing into the cold stone beneath him.
He couldn't open his eyes.
He couldn't move.
Even breathing felt like a battle he was losing.
So... this is death...
The thought crossed his fading mind as the last fragments of consciousness slipped away. He remembered his father's calloused hands placing the old sword into his care. He remembered his mother's gentle smile and Lena's bright eyes filled with hope.
"You'll come back."
"I'm sorry..." he whispered, though no sound escaped his lips.
Darkness consumed everything.
There was no sky.
No ground.
No pain.
Only endless blackness stretching in every direction.
Kael drifted through it without knowing how much time had passed. Seconds and hours had become meaningless. He simply floated, suspended within a silent void where even his own heartbeat had disappeared.
Then a single point of light appeared.
It was no larger than a grain of sand.
Yet within the endless darkness, it shone like a star.
Kael instinctively reached toward it.
The moment his fingers touched the light, the darkness shattered.
A deep voice echoed through the void.
Cold.
Ancient.
Emotionless.
Compatible Host Confirmed.
Kael's eyes snapped open.
Before him floated countless streams of black symbols, moving through the air like flowing water. They circled his body before gathering into a single translucent screen.
Primordial Authority Detected.
Host Vital Signs: Critical.
Heart Function: 11%.
Bone Fractures: 27.
Blood Loss: Fatal.
Probability of Death: 99.98%.
Kael stared at the words.
His breathing became uneven.
"What..."
The screen shifted.
Conditions Satisfied.
Beginning System Initialization...
The strange symbols spread throughout the cavern, illuminating walls that had remained hidden beneath centuries of darkness.
10%
A warm sensation spread through Kael's chest.
25%
The bleeding from his wounds began to slow.
48%
Broken bones shifted painfully back into place.
Kael clenched his teeth, unable to suppress a groan.
The pain was unbearable.
It felt as though his entire body was being torn apart and rebuilt at the same time.
76%
Dark energy flowed beneath his skin like liquid shadows.
Ancient symbols briefly appeared across his arms before fading once more.
100%
A clear chime echoed throughout the cavern.
Initialization Complete.
The floating screen transformed.
INFINITE EVOLUTION SYSTEM
Host: Kael Draven
Race: Human
Status: Critical
Realm: Unawakened
Evolution Progress: 0%
Void Energy: 0
Authority: None
Kael blinked several times.
He had heard stories about ancient relics granting unimaginable power.
Most were legends.
Yet the screen before him was undeniably real.
"What... are you?"
The system answered immediately.
Authority insufficient.
Question denied.
Kael frowned.
"So you can answer questions."
Authority insufficient.
"Who created you?"
Authority insufficient.
He sighed.
"You're not very helpful."
The screen disappeared.
For a moment, only silence remained.
Then another notification appeared.
Emergency Survival Protocol Activated.
Scanning Surroundings...
Lifeform Detected.
Kael instinctively looked toward the darkness beyond the cavern.
A pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.
His body froze.
A creature emerged from the shadows.
It resembled a rat, though calling it one felt insulting to ordinary animals.
Its body was nearly the size of a wolf, covered in coarse black fur with patches of exposed gray flesh. Long claws scraped against the stone floor while its glowing red eyes remained fixed on Kael.
It looked starving.
A new screen appeared.
Void Rat
Rank: F
Condition: Starving
Threat Assessment: Moderate
Kael almost laughed.
"Moderate?"
He couldn't even stand.
The creature screeched and charged.
Kael tried to move.
His legs collapsed beneath him.
The rat lunged.
Its jaws snapped shut barely inches from his face as Kael rolled desperately across the ground.
The effort sent another wave of agony through his broken ribs.
He reached for his sword.
Nothing.
Marcus had taken it.
His only weapon was a loose stone lying nearby.
The Void Rat attacked again.
Kael swung the rock with every ounce of strength he had left.
It struck the creature's snout.
The rat staggered but quickly recovered.
It was hungry.
And Kael was easy prey.
The beast rushed him once more.
Kael waited until the last possible moment before throwing himself sideways.
The rat crashed headfirst into a stone pillar.
Before it could recover, Kael grabbed a jagged piece of broken rock and drove it downward with both hands.
The sharp edge pierced the creature's eye.
The rat shrieked.
It thrashed wildly, throwing Kael backward.
His vision blurred.
His arms trembled.
He had nothing left.
The wounded creature limped toward him, blood pouring from its ruined eye.
Kael forced himself upright.
"If I'm dying..."
He tightened his grip on the bloodstained stone.
"...you're coming with me."
The rat lunged.
Kael stepped forward instead of backward.
The creature's claws tore across his side.
Pain exploded through his body.
Ignoring it, Kael slammed the jagged stone deep into the beast's open mouth.
The sharp rock pierced upward into its skull.
The rat convulsed once.
Then collapsed.
Silence returned to the cavern.
Kael fell to one knee, breathing heavily.
His entire body shook from exhaustion.
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
Target Eliminated.
Another screen appeared.
Devour Target?
YES / NO
Kael stared at the two words.
He had no idea what they meant.
But after everything that had happened today, trusting the mysterious system seemed safer than bleeding to death.
He chose.
YES.
The corpse suddenly dissolved into countless strands of black mist.
They drifted through the air before flowing directly into Kael's body.
Warmth spread through every wound.
The bleeding stopped.
The pain eased.
Not completely.
But enough.
New notifications appeared one after another.
Void Rat Devoured Successfully.
Void Energy +1
Vitality +1
Evolution Progress: 2%
Minor Regeneration Activated.
Kael looked down in disbelief.
The deep claw wound across his side slowly closed before his eyes.
It wasn't instant.
It wasn't miraculous.
But it was healing.
He slowly clenched his fist.
Strength returned to his aching body little by little.
For the first time since Marcus had betrayed him...
Hope returned.
He looked toward the endless darkness stretching deeper into the cavern.
If one weak monster could do this...
What would happen if he devoured stronger ones?
Kael slowly rose to his feet.
His body still hurt.
His clothes were stained with blood.
He was trapped beneath the Abyss with no food, no weapon, and no way home.
Yet the despair that had nearly consumed him was gone.
He had survived.
And somewhere above, the people who had betrayed him believed he was dead.
Kael's eyes grew cold.
"Stay alive until I return."
His voice echoed softly through the ancient cavern.
"Because when I climb out of this abyss..."
"...I'll make every one of you regret the day you betrayed me."
Far within the darkness, something enormous opened its eyes.
It had sensed the awakening of the Infinite Evolution System.
And it was coming.