Chapter 9: The Abyssal Trial
Kael descended the spiraling abyssal staircase, the echoes of his footsteps swallowed by the consuming darkness. The air grew colder with each step, and the faint pulse of the awakened Abyssal Gate resonated deep within his chest. Whatever lay ahead, it was bound to test him more than anything before.
[New Quest Initiated: The Abyssal Trial.]
[Objective: Overcome the Trial to Claim the Abyssal Heart.]
Kael's fingers tightened around his sword as he stepped onto solid ground. The staircase had led to a vast circular chamber, its walls shimmering with abyssal runes. In the center stood a towering black monolith, jagged and pulsing with eerie violet light.
The energy radiating from it felt different—older, hungrier. This wasn't just another part of the dungeon's shifting structure. It was something foundational.
His status screen flickered again.
[Abyssal Core Synchronization: 50%]
[Warning: Trial Activation Imminent.]
Kael exhaled sharply. "Let's get this over with."
He took a step toward the monolith.
The chamber shuddered. The runes along the walls blazed to life, and from the ground, three figures began to rise—dark silhouettes taking on solid form. Kael's jaw clenched as the system identified them.
[Abyssal Revenant – Echo of the Lost.]
[Threat Level: Moderate.]
The first revenant stood tall, its form resembling a shattered knight. Blackened armor clung to its skeletal frame, and its eyes burned with violet flames. It dragged a massive cleaver behind it, sparks flying as the blade scraped against the ground.
[Abyssal Shade – Whisper of Forgotten Souls.]
[Threat Level: High.]
The second figure hovered, a shadowy wraith wreathed in black mist. Its limbs were elongated and clawed, and its presence gnawed at the edges of Kael's sanity. It felt wrong, as though reality itself rejected its existence.
[Abyssal Sentinel – Guardian of the Heart.]
[Threat Level: Critical.]
The last enemy was different. It was massive—easily twice Kael's height—and encased in living abyssal stone. A burning sigil glowed in its chest, pulsing in rhythm with the monolith. Its heavy spear shimmered with dark energy, promising death with a single strike.
Kael barely had time to react before they attacked.
The Abyssal Revenant moved first. It lunged forward, cleaver sweeping in a brutal arc. Kael activated Shadow Step, blinking behind it just as the blade crashed into the ground, sending shards of black stone flying.
Without hesitation, he struck—his sword slicing into the revenant's exposed back. The creature shuddered but did not fall. It turned with unnatural speed, forcing Kael to retreat as the Abyssal Shade drifted closer.
A chill crept over his skin as the shade raised a hand, jagged tendrils of shadow lashing out toward him. Kael barely managed to deflect the first strike, but a second tendril wrapped around his ankle, dragging him toward the wraith.
[Abyssal Corruption Increasing.]
Kael gritted his teeth. He couldn't afford to be captured.
Calling on his newly unlocked Abyssal Overdrive, a surge of dark energy burst from his body, severing the tendrils. He rolled away, breathing hard, just as the Abyssal Sentinel advanced.
The ground trembled with each step it took. It thrust its spear forward, and Kael barely twisted aside. Even so, the spear's edge grazed his shoulder, sending white-hot pain lancing through him.
[HP Reduced: 73%]
"Damn it," he muttered, pushing through the pain. He needed to separate them—fighting all three at once was suicide.
Kael activated Shadow Step again, teleporting to the far edge of the chamber. He focused on the revenant first. It was the slowest—but if left unchecked, its raw strength would overwhelm him.
He dashed forward, blade glowing faintly with abyssal energy as he struck at the revenant's knees. This time, his attack connected cleanly, severing its left leg. The creature collapsed with a shriek of fury.
[Abyssal Revenant: Defeated.]
One down. Two to go.
The Abyssal Shade hissed, its form twisting as it unleashed a barrage of shadow bolts. Kael weaved between them, his reflexes sharpened by the Abyssal Overdrive. Closing the gap, he sliced through its ethereal form, feeling his sword bite into something real.
The shade let out a ghostly wail before dissolving into black mist.
[Abyssal Shade: Defeated.]
Only the sentinel remained.
Kael's chest heaved as he turned to face it. The massive creature lowered its spear, the sigil in its chest flaring ominously. This was the true test.
[Abyssal Core Synchronization: 75%]
Kael lunged, feinting right before twisting left. His sword flashed, aiming for the sentinel's chest—but the creature reacted faster than he anticipated. Its spear slammed down, forcing Kael to pivot away at the last second.
The sigil began to glow brighter.
Kael realized too late—it was charging something.
The sentinel released a blast of abyssal energy. Kael activated Shadow Step, but the explosion still caught his side, sending him sprawling across the chamber floor.
Pain wracked his body. His vision blurred for a heartbeat.
[HP Reduced: 42%]
"Not…yet." Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to rise.
He had one shot left.
Kael channeled everything he had into Abyssal Overdrive, pushing it beyond its limits. Darkness swirled around his sword as he dashed forward, faster than ever before. The sentinel's spear came down again—but this time, he didn't dodge.
He met the strike head-on.
His sword pierced the glowing sigil in the sentinel's chest. The abyssal energy inside it fractured, spiraling out of control as the creature let out a deafening roar.
[Critical Hit: Abyssal Sentinel Defeated.]
The sentinel's body collapsed, shattering into shards of black stone.
Kael dropped to one knee, his entire body trembling with exhaustion. But he had won.
[Abyssal Trial Complete.]
[Abyssal Core Synchronization: 100%.]
[New Ability Acquired: Abyssal Dominion.]
As the dust settled, the black monolith cracked open. At its center glowed a pulsing black crystal—the Abyssal Heart.
Kael's hand trembled as he reached for it, knowing this was only the beginning of something far greater.
End of Chapter 9.