Chapter 4: The Abyss Unleashed

Raon's pulse raced, his senses heightened as the Ogre's furious growl echoed through the dungeon. The massive beast staggered back, its eyes narrowing as it tried to process what had just happened. The pain from the wound in its neck made it even more unpredictable, but it was far from finished.

Raon's grip tightened on the dagger, but something far more dangerous than fear filled him now: anticipation.

He could feel the shadowy power coursing through his veins, a well of strength he had no way of fully understanding yet. But it didn't matter. The Abyss Walker had been born, and this world was about to learn its name.

With a low hiss, the Ogre's wounds began to heal.

It roared, swinging its massive arm down like a battering ram. The ground shook as the blow struck, and Raon barely dodged in time. But the impact was enough to send a shockwave that knocked him off balance.

Before he could recover, the Ogre lunged forward, its clawed hand swiping through the air with terrifying precision.

Instinctively, Raon's body reacted, shifting to the left just enough to avoid the blow. The Ogre's claws missed by inches, leaving deep gouges in the stone floor.

The system chimed again.

[Skill Unlocked: Abyss Strike]

Unleashes a powerful shadow-infused attack that damages enemies on contact. Efficiency increases with proximity to the target.

Raon's heart pounded as the shadow within him stirred. Without thinking, he raised his hand toward the Ogre. The darkness coiled around his fingers, swirling like smoke before solidifying into a jagged blade of pure shadow.

He didn't hesitate.

He charged.

The Ogre's eyes widened in confusion as Raon closed the distance between them. The beast tried to swipe at him again, but Raon was already gone. He sank into the shadow of the creature once more, reappearing on its back.

In one fluid motion, he thrust the shadow blade deep into the creature's spine.

The Ogre screamed in agony, its body spasming as Raon's attack tore through its insides. The shadows around him twisted, pulling at the creature's life force, draining it, feeding Raon's strength.

[Abyss Strike Critical Hit!]

[Shadow Assimilation Level Up!]

The Ogre's massive frame faltered, and Raon jumped back, narrowly avoiding its death thrash. The beast's gargantuan body swayed, then collapsed with a deafening crash.

Raon stood over the fallen monster, his chest heaving.

It was dead. He had killed it.

For a moment, he could hardly believe it. The weakest of the weak—an E-Rank hunter—had just slain an A-Rank monster.

But then, the system's cold voice rang in his ears.

[Congratulations, Abyss Walker. You have leveled up.]

[Would you like to view your status?]

Raon blinked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Status? What kind of—"

A glowing holographic screen appeared before him.

Raon Veras

Class: Abyss Walker

Level: 2

HP: 430/430

MP: 150/150

Stamina: 320/320

Stats:

Strength: 23

Agility: 47

Endurance: 19

Intelligence: 15

Perception: 30

Skills:

Shadow Assimilation (Lv. 2)

Abyss Strike (Lv. 1)

Shadow Step (Lv. 1)

Raon stared at the screen, trying to process the numbers and skills. It was impossible. He had gone from a struggling E-Rank to this in a matter of minutes.

A Unique Class.

And as he looked around, he realized something else. His teammates—the ones who had fought beside him—were either dead or too injured to fight.

The dungeon had already claimed their lives.

But Raon was still standing.

For the first time in his life, he understood what it meant to survive.

His eyes shifted back to the Ogre's corpse, a small part of him still shocked that he'd killed it. But he couldn't afford to dwell on it. There were more dangerous creatures ahead. More challenges.

And with every battle, the abyss within him would grow stronger.

"Raon..."

He turned to find Jae-Hyun limping toward him, his face pale and covered in sweat.

"Did you... did you kill it?"

Raon didn't say anything. Instead, he nodded.

"Guess I'm lucky I didn't die then, huh?" Jae-Hyun chuckled weakly, but his eyes held a mix of admiration and fear.

"Yeah," Raon replied softly, his voice low. "But don't think this is over. We're not even close to being done."

A dark smile tugged at his lips.

And as he walked past Jae-Hyun, he could feel the shadows behind him, swirling like a storm.

This was just the beginning.