Chapter 3: The Abyssal Awakening – A World That Rejects the Weak
The Abyss was alive.
Leon could feel it—the shifting air, the unnatural silence, the oppressive weight pressing down on his body. The very ground beneath him pulsed, as if it had a heartbeat of its own.
He had just killed his first enemy—a monstrous Abyssal Hunter.
But there was no time to celebrate.
Something else had noticed him.
And it was watching.
[Selene]:"Leon, you have twenty seconds before another predator arrives. You must move."
Leon's eyes sharpened. He could still feel the rush of battle, the thrill of surviving against something that should have killed him. But he was no fool.
This wasn't a victory.
It was an invitation.
In this world, power attracted death.
And the moment he spilled blood, he had announced his presence to the Abyss.
"Tch. I get it. Let's go."
Leon pushed forward, his body aching from the previous fight, but his mind sharper than ever.
Traversing the Abyss – A Land of Death
The deeper Leon moved into the terrain, the more he began to understand the rules of this world.
The landscape wasn't just ruins and wasteland—there was an ecosystem, a hierarchy of hunters and prey.
🔥 Massive skeletal remains were buried beneath the obsidian sand, proof of creatures far larger than the Abyssal Hunter he had slain.🔥 Towering jagged rock formations served as perches for winged predators, their glowing eyes scanning below for fresh meat.🔥 Pulsing black tendrils snaked across the ground, some absorbing lifeblood from fallen creatures, others lying in wait—a trap for the unwary.
This wasn't just a hostile environment.
It was a battlefield where only the strongest could stand.
[Selene]:"This realm rejects weakness. Those who cannot adapt are erased."
Leon felt it.
The raw, unfiltered hostility of the Abyss.
It wasn't like Earth, where a person could be weak and still survive.
Here, there were only two choices—rise or perish.
The Call of Power – An Unknown Force Stirs
Leon had barely begun moving again when his body froze.
A wave of pure killing intent washed over him, unlike anything he had felt before.
It was ancient. Enormous. Unnatural.
Leon snapped his gaze upward.
A shadow moved in the distance.
It was… massive.
Not just a predator.
Something greater.
[Selene]:"Warning: You have entered the range of an Apex Predator. Escape is the only viable strategy."
Leon's heartbeat accelerated.
For the first time since waking up, his body reacted with pure instinctual fear.
Whatever was out there…
It wasn't something he could fight.
Not yet.
Running from Death – A Desperate Escape
🔥 Leon burst into a sprint.
His body screamed in protest, but he ignored it.
🔥 The ground cracked behind him—something was moving.
🔥 A deep growl resonated through the air, vibrating against his bones.
Leon didn't dare look back.
Because if he did…
He might not survive.
The First Unlock – The Supreme Path Responds
[Selene]:"Leon, your survival instinct has triggered a Supreme Unlock. Do you wish to activate an ability?"
Leon's mind raced.
He had no idea what it would cost him.
But if he didn't do something—he was dead.
"Do it."
[Supreme Adaptation Activated – Phase Shift Unlocked.]
Leon's body burned.
🔥 The world blurred.🔥 His vision fractured.🔥 Space itself twisted around him.
And then—
He vanished.
Reappearing in Safety – But Not Unseen
Leon collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
He had… moved.
Not just dodged. Not just ran.
He had disappeared from one spot and reappeared somewhere else.
[Selene]:"Phase Shift is incomplete. Future uses will require refinement."
Leon shook his head.
"I don't care. It saved my life."
[Selene]:"For now."
Leon glanced back at where he had been.
The massive creature was still in the distance.
But now—it had turned toward him.
And it was watching.
The Abyss Had Acknowledged Him
Leon exhaled slowly.
His body ached, his energy was drained, and he was still weak.
But… he had survived.
And now?
Now, he was no longer just prey.
He was something more.
[Selene]:"Leon, your Supreme Path progress has increased."