ch15
The ground trembled violently beneath them.
Jeremy barely had time to react before the city floor cracked open.
"Brace yourself!" The Archivist screeched, its many legs skittering wildly as it tried to stabilize itself.
Mordis lunged forward, grabbing Jeremy just as the stone crumbled beneath their feet.
The three of them plunged into the abyss.
---
The fall was longer than it should have been.
Jeremy's instincts screamed that space itself was twisting.
Then—impact.
Jeremy hit the ground hard, but Mordis had braced his fall. The Archivist landed gracefully, its eight legs absorbing the shock.
Then, silence.
They were in a vast underground chamber, lined with towering obsidian pillars.
At the center of the cavern, a massive black monolith pulsed with an eerie, purple light.
And then—a whisper.
"You should not be here."
Jeremy spun around, his heart pounding.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
---
The being was tall and skeletal, clad in decayed ceremonial robes.
Its eyes glowed with an unnatural blue light.
It stared at Jeremy with undeniable recognition.
"Another bearer of the Uniqueness..."
Jeremy's blood ran cold.
"You are far too early."
Before Jeremy could react, the ground shook again.
The monolith cracked.
And something began to wake up.
---
[Eldritch Aberration – The Hungering One]
Level: ???
HP: ???
Strength: ???
Agility: ???
Intelligence: ???
[Reality Distortion] – Warps the perception of all creatures within its domain.
[Unstable Form] – Cannot be damaged by conventional means.
[Endless Hunger] – Absorbs the essence of anything it touches.
---
Jeremy gritted his teeth.
"Mordis, Archivist—prepare for battle!"
The Hungering One unfurled itself from the monolith, a shapeless, writhing mass of darkness.
Jeremy's status window flashed.
---
[Warning: This entity is beyond normal comprehension. Your attacks may not be effective.]
---
Jeremy smirked.
"Let's test that theory."
---
The Hungering One twisted and pulsed, its form constantly shifting.
One moment it had tendril-like limbs, the next it was nothing but a void, swallowing the light around it.
Jeremy felt a pressure in his skull, as if reality itself was rejecting the creature's presence.
"This thing isn't supposed to exist."
Then—it moved.
A shadow tendril lashed out faster than Jeremy could react.
SHNK!
Mordis blocked it. His blackened bones cracked, but he held firm.
"Dodge!" Jeremy shouted, leaping back.
The Archivist skittered sideways, barely avoiding another strike.
Then—it countered.
---
The Archivist's Forbidden Power
The Undead Spider's eyes flashed, and suddenly—
Everything stopped.
Jeremy's vision twisted. The battlefield… shifted.
It was like watching the world from behind a shattered mirror.
The Hungering One struggled, its form flickering—as if trapped in different versions of reality.
Jeremy's status window blinked.
---
[Archivist Ability Unlocked – Temporal Web]
[Effect:] Weaves a web across reality itself, slowing or accelerating time in localized areas.
[Limitations:] Cannot affect beings with [Reality Distortion] for long.
---
Jeremy grinned.
"That's broken."
But the Hungering One roared, and the web snapped apart in an instant.
"Yeah, didn't think that'd be easy."
---
Mordis moved like a blur.
He weaved between attacks, dodging impossibly fast.
His bones were shifting, adapting to the speed of battle.
Jeremy's status panel flashed.
---
[Mordis' Evolution Unlocked – Phantom Reaper]
[Shadow Shift:] Can phase through physical attacks.
[Spectral Onslaught:] Each attack builds momentum, increasing speed and lethality.
[Gravebound Instinct:] Gains knowledge of enemy weaknesses upon engaging in battle.
---
Jeremy's eyes widened.
Mordis phased through an attack, appearing behind the Hungering One in an instant.
Then—he struck.
---
"We can't kill it normally."
Jeremy's mind raced.
If the Hungering One absorbed reality itself… then maybe—
His eyes locked onto the monolith.
"That thing was its cage."
Jeremy summoned every last drop of mana.
[Necrotic Infusion: Overcharge]
The air trembled.
The Hungering One screeched, sensing danger.
Jeremy gritted his teeth and roared—
"MORDIS! CUT IT DOWN!"
The Reaper's Hand obeyed.
With one final, devastating slash, Mordis severed the Hungering One's connection to the monolith.
The creature screamed.
Then—it imploded.
The pressure in the air vanished.
Silence.
---
Jeremy collapsed, gasping for breath.
The Archivist stared at the shattered remains of the monolith.
"That was not meant to be freed."
Jeremy wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Yeah? Well, next time, put up a better lock."
Mordis gave a silent thumbs-up.
Then, Jeremy's status screen appeared.
---
[LEVEL UP!]
Jeremy – Level 25
Mordis – Level 25
Archivist – Level 25
---
New Abilities Unlocked!
[Jeremy – Necrotic Authority]
Can now command lesser undead without summoning them directly.
[Mordis – Death's Echo]
Can attack twice in a single motion, as if time itself repeats his actions.
[Archivist – Forbidden Tome]
Can extract knowledge directly from the souls of the dead.
---
Jeremy smirked.
"Alright. Let's find out what the hell we just uncovered."