Chapter 22 : Veilborn presence

Kieran lay in his hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. His body ached with every breath, a painful reminder of his fight with Damien, the second-year student who had nearly beaten him to death. He clenched his fists. He thought he was stronger with the aid of the system he thought he had grown stronger but he had been given a painful reminder that his strength was nothing he was still weak.

Jack and Nathan had come to check up on him and they had also brought news of what has been happening in the academy for the past week.

"A portal exploration!!" Kieran screamed

" Yes, we are going on a portal exploration next week Mr Derek announced it during class this week" Jack replied with an excited expression

"You should have seen the list," Nathan grinned. "We're finally getting a taste of real hunting!"

Jack nodded eagerly. "They say each portal leads to a different world, with its own dangers and creatures. Who knows what kind of monsters we'll encounter?"

" What list? " Kieran asked

" List of first years, well we are to form our own group of five to go into the portal you can't pick anyone who has already been picked so they complied a list to help us know who has been picked and who hasn't" Nathan explained his face full of excitement as he and Jack continued to discuss about the exploration

Kieran remained silent, his gaze distant. He wanted to be excited like them, but the truth was, he wasn't ready. He wasn't strong enough. His system had been corrupted by a dark entity, changing it in ways he still didn't understand.

Nathan's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Hey, when did you start wearing a ring?"

Kieran blinked in surprise and looked down at his hand. His heart skipped a beat. A black ring wrapped around his finger—the same one his parents had left for him. He hadn't seen it since the day it disappeared after synchronizing with his system. He had assumed it was destroyed, but now, it was back was it some kind of camouflage function and now it has suddenly appeared again. What was up with all this changes why was all this happening all of a sudden was it that entity's doing No it had to be the entity's doing.

Forcing himself to stay calm, he muttered, "It's my parents' wedding ring. I keep it for good luck."

Jack and Nathan exchanged glances. They were clearly suspicious but decided not to press the issue. The conversation soon shifted, and after a while, they left, leaving Kieran alone with his thoughts.

After being discharged from the hospital, Kieran wasted no time in studying the changes in his system. The daily quests still appeared, but a new tab had surfaced—one that was locked with a timer counting down it had been counting ever since he woke up but he hadn't paid it any mind but now it had two hours left to whatever was going to happen. He had no idea what it was leading to, but something told him it was important.

Shaking off the unease, he focused on something else: his newly unlocked ability.

[Ability - Abyssal Veil (Lvl 1)]

The name sent a shiver down his spine. The abyss… that entity… did this power come from them? He had to find out.

Finding a secluded area on the academy grounds, Kieran activated the ability. He closed his eyes, thinking of the darkness that surrounded him when he first encountered the entity. The chill, the fear… He focused on it all.

His eyes snapped open.

A strange blackness covered his entire body, moving like liquid yet flickering like fire. It pulsed and shifted, wrapping around him like a living entity. Kieran stared at himself, awestruck. A slow smile crept onto his face as he examined himself.

[ Skill : Veilborn presence (lvl 1) ]

[ Veilborn presence : User momentarily steps into the void, becoming undetectable to physical, magical, and spiritual senses. While in this state, they leave no trace, making them immune to tracking and detection-based abilities. While in this state user is unable to attack or interact with the physical world. Cost - 2MP Duration - 10 minutes]

" Veilborn presence this skill seems more of a stealth kind of skill but is it seriously meant to cost so much MP I only have 10 points in MP so I would only be able to use it five times " Kieran thought " it's duration seems long enough, meaning I can keep the skill active for about fifty minutes "

"Hm that can help me a lot " Kieran said as he activated the skill staring at himself trying to see the changes he would undergo once the skill was active but there seemed to be no changes apart from the darkness that covered him some moments ago now flickered with new intensity like a burning flame. As he continued to observe the change the skill brought his attention was drawn by a resounding

' Ding '

The system noise rang out as he stared at the open interface. The timer had finished counting down and the new tab was unlocked