Forbidden Power
The dungeon was a graveyard of flickering light and shifting shadows. The air was thick with the stench of blood and decay.
As Lucas clashed with the three players, Noah faced the three Elite Variant Wraith-hounds alone.
They moved in a tight formation, glowing red eyes locked onto him, their midnight-black fur bristling with malice. Muscles coiled beneath their sleek forms, and their claws scraped against the stone floor, leaving deep gouges behind.
Noah smirked, lowering into a combat stance. Bloodhymn pulsed in his grip, its crimson glow intensifying as his Sword Aura flared to life.
Three against one. He had fought worse before, but something was wrong.
The Wraith-hounds weren't mindless. They moved with precision, circling him in perfect sync—adjusting their positions to cut off his escape routes.
"They weren't this fast before… They weren't this smart before."
A sharp breath. A flicker of movement. They lunged.
Noah reacted instantly.
[Skill: Sweeping Slash (Lv.1) activated.]
His blade carved through flesh and muscles in a perfect arc, dark blood spraying across the stone floor. The Wraith-hounds shrieked, muscles twitching from the deep wounds—only to twist and force themselves upright again.
Noah's smirk faded. "They're regenerating…?"
Before he could react, a Wraith-hound burst forward with lethal speed.
Noah had no time to react.
A flash of claws. A sickening tear.
Pain.
A sharp, searing agony ripped through his side, unlike any normal wound. It was cold, unnatural—like it was spreading beyond flesh, beyond muscle, digging into his very bones.
His HP bar plummeted—half gone in an instant.
Noah stumbled back, coughing violently. Blood splattered against his palm. His vision blurred for a split second, but he forced himself to stay upright.
The Wraith-hounds didn't stop. They had already begun circling him again.
A translucent blue panel flickered into existence.
[Debuff: Weakness applied – Defense reduced by 30%. Bleeding active.]
Noah wiped the blood from his mouth, eyes narrowing. "I can't afford to get hit by them again."
Then, he smirked.
It was time.
[Skill: Eir's Grace (Lv.1) activated.]
A brilliant green light erupted around him, swirling like a storm. The warmth coursed through his body, erasing the pain instantly. His wounds stitched together in seconds, strength flooding back into his limbs.
A notification flickered.
[All debuffs cleansed.]
Noah stretched his arms, the last traces of pain fading as Eir's Grace worked it's magic.
He exhaled, his smirk widening.
"Yeah… Not happening twice."
However, The wraith-hounds did not care.
They encircled him, slower this time, more calculated. Their eyes gleamed with something.. almost as if they were showing intelligence.
Noah gripped Bloodhymn tighter. "They sure learn fast."
One of them howled loudly as if trying to distract Noah.
Then, they attacked.
Not recklessly this time.
Two lunged from the sides, forcing him to move—while the third hung back, waiting to strike when he committed to a dodge.
"They are adapting fast huh."
"Fine. Let's flip the script."
Instead of dodging, Noah charged forward.
The Wraith-hounds weren't expecting that. He parried the first set of claws, twisting his body mid-motion to drive his blade into the lunging hound's throat.
Dark blood spurted, and the creature howled in pain, its body twitching as Noah twisted the blade deeper—
[Critical Hit!]
—before ripping it free, severing its throat entirely.
The second Wraith-hound latched onto his arm.
Its fangs pierced through his Shadowveil cloak, sinking into his flesh.
A searing pain exploded through his shoulder, and his HP plummeted again.
[Debuff: Bleeding applied.]
Noah gritted his teeth and slammed his elbow into its snout. Once. Twice. A third time.
The hound wouldn't let go.
Fine.
[Skill: Sword Aura (Lv.1) activated.]
Bloodhymn pulsed, a crimson glow erupting from the blade. Noah drove the weapon straight into the Wraith-hound's side—
The creature howled in agony and jerked back, releasing his arm.
Noah stumbled but recovered quickly. His arm was still functional, though blood dripped from the wound.
One down. Two left.
The last two Wraith-hounds didn't retreat. Instead, they… stepped back. A synchronized movement.
Then, something shifted.
A translucent red notification window appeared before Noah.
[Elite Variants have activated Pack Instinct.]
[All stats increased by 20%. Regeneration rate doubled.]
Noah's blood ran cold.
The two remaining Wraith-hounds began to transform. Their muscles bulged, their claws elongated, and their eyes burned with a deeper, almost molten red.
"No way… They were capable of this much?"
Then, they attacked.
This time, faster than before.
Noah barely managed to react, raising his sword as one of them slashed—the impact sent him skidding backward.
The force. The power. They were stronger now.
The other hound didn't hesitate. It lunged, aiming straight for his throat.
Noah twisted just in time, but the claws raked across his chest. A deep gash tore through his armor, and blood sprayed into the air.
His HP dipped again.
Noah clicked his tongue. "This isn't working."
He needed to finish them.
Fast.
He activated Sweeping Slash again, but the hounds were now fast enough to dodge.
His blade cut through empty air.
They've adapted to my attacks.
This wasn't just a normal fight anymore.
Noah exhaled. He had one trick left.
He tightened his grip on Bloodhymn, raising it as his mind raced.
A memory flickered. A skill from before the reset.
Something he shouldn't have access to.
Something that wasn't unlocked yet.
But what if—
His heart pounded.
It was a gamble. If he failed, he was dead.
But if he succeeded…
Noah took a deep breath.
And activated it.
A translucent blue notification window flashed.
[Error: Skill does not exist in current state.]
[Override in progress.]
[Skill Reclaimed: Phantom Step (Lv.1) has been activated.]
His body blurred as he dashed sideways, avoiding the first strike by a hair's breadth. His foot planted firmly against the ground as he twisted mid-air, bringing Bloodhymn down in a brutal counter.
Noah's body blurred as he instantly teleported behind the two wraith-hounds, he swung Bloodhymn with brutal precision.
Steel met flesh. A direct hit.
The heads of the beasts were decapacitated in a single slash.
Their bodies shattered like glass, red light bursting from within. Their remains dissolved into fading particles, erased from existence.
his gaze fixed on his nearly depleted HP bar. His heart pounded. "This shouldn't be possible... Then why did it work?"
Shaking off the thought, he activated [Eir's Grace]. A surge of warm energy coursed through his body, mending his wounds in seconds. Strength returned to his limbs, but his mind still reeled.
He had no time to dwell on it. Lucas was still fighting.
Just as he turned to move—
A red system-wide notification flashed through the dungeon.
[Warning: Unauthorized Skill Usage Detected.]
[Intervention Required.]
Just as Lucas was about to strike down the frozen axe-wielder, the **red system-wide notification** flashed before his eyes.
His blade halted mid-swing.
His breath caught.
His mind raced as he processed the words.
[Warning: Unauthorized Skill Usage Detected.]
[Intervention Required.]
Noah.
Lucas's grip on his sword tightened. He didn't need to turn around to know—something bad was coming.
The system didn't just interfere. Not unless someone had done the impossible.
And Noah had just done the impossible.
"Shit."
For the first time in this battle, Lucas felt a cold dread creep up his spine.
He forced himself to move, pivoting sharply toward Noah's direction. He had to get there before something bad happened to Noah.
On the other side of the dungeon, Damian and his subordinates had been cutting through shadow fang wolves with ease. But the second that red notification flashed across his vision—
He stopped.
His golden eyes flickered with intrigue.
[Warning: Unauthorized Skill Usage Detected.]
[Intervention Required.]
Silence.
Then—
Damian laughed.
A slow, amused chuckle that built into something deeper.
"Well, well… Now, that's interesting."
His subordinates exchanged uneasy glances. No one else was laughing.
Because they all knew what this meant.
The system was absolute—and breaking its rules had consequences.
Damian's smirk widened, his eyes practically glowing.
"A skill strong enough to break the system…?" He exhaled, almost hungry with anticipation. "I want it."
Without another word, he moved.
His form blurred as he rushed towards the battle.
Towards Noah.
Towards the chaos.
A pulse of energy rippled through the dungeon.
A new presence filled the dungeon.
The air grew heavy. Unnatural.
Noah's instincts screamed at him to move.
A portal of dark blue energy materialized before him.
From within, a figure stepped out.
A man, clad in an obsidian black coat, adorned with symbols Noah didn't recognize. His eyes glowed faintly, scanning the battlefield with cold indifference.
Then, he looked at Noah.
And sighed.
"Unauthorized skill usage… Player Noah Vance, you've broken the rules."
The Event Enforcer had arrived.