Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Into the Abyss

Hikaru's breath slowed as the darkness around him seemed to breathe with him. His new ability, Abyss Sight, pulsed within his amethyst eyes, revealing hidden truths, veiled illusions, and the fractured weaknesses of everything around him.

He pushed himself off the cold stone floor, feeling the pull of the Abyss all around him. The power of the Rewrite skill lingered in his veins, but he was keenly aware of its toll on his body. His lifespan was now a currency. The more he used it, the more it drained away, but each use brought him closer to the only goal that mattered: escape.

The Abyss was vast and never-ending. It was a prison, but more than that—it was alive. Every step he took felt like a challenge against something ancient and hungry. The shadows whispered around him, speaking in tongues that gnawed at his sanity, but with Abyss Sight, he could see through the veil.

[Abyss Sight Activated]

He saw the true nature of the Abyss. The walls weren't stone—they were bones, ancient and cracked, stretching beyond his vision. The air itself wasn't just cold—it was suffused with the remnants of tortured souls, their screams hidden beneath layers of darkness.

Hikaru's eyes glinted as he saw through the illusions, the twisted creatures that lurked in the shadows. They were not just beasts—they were reflections of the Abyss itself, manifestations of its hunger.

He grinned. The Abyss had no idea what it had just unleashed.

As he walked deeper, the terrain shifted. The once stagnant shadows began to move as if they were alive. The creatures sensed him. They slithered out of the cracks in the walls, crawling across the ceilings, and skittering across the floor.

[System Alert: New Enemy Detected.]

Abyssal Horror: Level 15

The creature that emerged from the darkness was a grotesque amalgamation of sinew, eyes, and claws. It was a nightmare come to life, a creature born from the deepest recesses of the Abyss.

Hikaru didn't flinch. He had seen worse in his darkest nightmares.

He activated Rewrite again, feeling the sharp sting in his chest as the power drained him.

[Rewrite Activated: "Muscle Density x10"]

[Cost: 5 years of lifespan]

His body surged with strength. He moved with the grace of a predator, the Abyssal Horror no match for him. With a single swing of his arm, his fist collided with the creature's skull, shattering it like glass. It collapsed, turning to ash and dust.

Hikaru was barely able to stand, his vision blurring from the toll of the Rewrite skill. But the Abyss had given him power—and he would use it.

As the last remnants of the creature disappeared, he noticed something strange. A faint glow appeared in the distance, beckoning him forward.

Curiosity piqued, he pushed forward. The glow grew brighter, revealing a structure unlike anything he had seen before.

It was a doorway, forged from the same blackened bones as the Abyss itself.

He knew this was it. The way out.

But he also knew that the true test was yet to come.

And the Abyss would never let him leave without a fight.