chapter 6 "The Abyssal System"

Warm sunlight filtered through the hospital curtains, casting a soft glow over the sterile room. The world was quiet, the only sound the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor.

Arjun Verma slowly opened his eyes.

His body ached. Every breath felt like fire crawling through his ribs, but he was alive.

He blinked groggily, letting his eyes adjust to the light—and then he saw her.

"Ananya…?"

His sixteen-year-old sister stood by his bedside, her school uniform wrinkled, her eyes swollen from crying. The moment their eyes met, something in her broke. She rushed forward and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed into his chest. "I'm so, so sorry… I shouldn't have said those things… I thought you were going to die."

Arjun winced at the pain but raised a hand to gently pat her head. "It's okay… I'm here now."

She sniffled, pulling back. Her voice trembled. "I didn't tell Mom or Ayaan. I didn't know how to… I couldn't—what if they lost you too?"

He nodded slowly. "You did what you thought was right. It's okay."

She wiped her eyes and sat beside him. "The hospital bills… they've been taken care of."

Arjun blinked in confusion. "What? How?"

"It was the ARM Guild," she said softly. "You don't have a member card, but Tara Rajput spoke on your behalf after the raid. She told them everything."

He stared at her, stunned. "But… why would they help me?"

Arjun leaned back, silent for a moment, the weight of it all sinking in. He had no guild, no connections—just his resolve.

He tried to sit up straighter, wincing as his muscles screamed in protest. "The raid… the dungeon…"

The memories returned like a wave crashing over him—Vikram's death, Tara's scream, the garden, the contract… the shadows.

Thirty minutes passed before the door creaked open again.

Tara Rajput stepped she was the vice captain of arm guild in, flanked by a serious-looking guild member. Her long black coat fluttered slightly behind her as she walked. Her eyes met his—sharp, calculating, but with a hint of something else. Worry, perhaps.

"Arjun Verma," she said, voice steady. "I need to speak with you about the dungeon."

Ananya looked at Arjun, hesitant.

He nodded gently. "It's okay. You can go. I'll be fine."

Reluctantly, she left the room.

Tara sat in the chair beside his bed. "We've filed a preliminary report, but we need your account. What exactly happened in that gate?"

Arjun took a breath, closed his eyes, and began to speak.

He told her everything.

The twenty gates. The monsters. Vikram's final moments. The chaos, the screams, the deaths—and then, the garden.

The statue.

It felt surreal as he described it, the ancient figure cloaked in shadow, whispering promises in a language older than time. The deal. The power.

But the moment the words left his lips, the memory blurred.

By the time he finished, he couldn't recall exactly what he'd said. It slipped from his mind like smoke through fingers.

Tara sat silently, arms crossed, her eyes studying him carefully.

"This is… beyond anything we expected," she said. "That gate wasn't listed as abnormal. In fact…"—she paused—"that B-rank raid invitation you received… it wasn't meant for you. It was a clerical error."

Arjun didn't flinch. He nodded calmly. "I know. Vikram got it. He was the real leader. I just tagged along."

She looked genuinely regretful.

"The ARM Guild will compensate you. Medical care, hazard pay, training access. You survived something no one should've. And for that… I'm sorry."

She stood, reaching into her coat, and pulled out a small orb that glowed faintly.

"This is a mana detection orb. I need to check something."

Arjun did.

The orb pulsed… then settled into a dull blue.

Tara frowned slightly. "Non-contract. No unique traits. That's… unexpected."

"No offense," she added.

"None taken," Arjun muttered, suppressing a smirk.

Tara handed the orb to the guild member and whispered, "Run a background check on him. Investigate everything. This doesn't add up."

The man nodded and they left the room.

Soon after, Ananya returned briefly, but had to leave again for her tuition classes.

Arjun was alone.

He stared at the ceiling.

Images flashed in his mind. Vikram's body. Tara's scream. The blood. The silence.

His fists clenched.

He remembered the voice.

"Do you want power?"

He sat up slowly, ignoring the pain.

"The Abyssal System," he whispered.

Ding.

A translucent screen burst into existence in front of his eyes.

His breath caught. It floated midair, glowing faintly, unseen by anyone else.

The door opened again.

A nurse walked in, carrying a tray of medicine.

"Here you go," she said cheerfully, placing the pills on his table.

Arjun stared at the screen. She didn't react. Didn't see it.

It was only for him.

She gave him a kind smile and left.

He turned his attention to the screen.

[ Abyssal System - Main Menu ]

Profile

Inventory

Shop

He focused on "Profile," and the screen shifted.

[ Profile ]

Name: Arjun Verma

Level: 9

Class: N/A

Title: N/A

HP: 150

MP: 12

Strength: 7

Stamina: 5

Agility: 4

Perception: 8

Intelligence: 43

His heart pounded.

"What is this? This shouldn't… this can't exist."

Then, a soft ding echoed again.

A new window appeared.

[ Notification ] Objective: Reach Level 15 Time Limit: 3 Days, 15 Hours Reward: Class Awakening Penalty: System Lockdown (30 days)

His eyes widened.

Three days?

He was already behind.

Arjun leaned back against the pillows, sweat dripping from his temples, his breath heavy. The faint glow of the system window hovered before him, a strange symbol pulsing softly at its center.

What was this power? Where had it come from? The Abyss? That statue?

He didn't know. But what he did know—was that Vikram's death hadn't been meaningless.

It had awakened something.

Something ancient. Powerful. Alive.

Maybe this was his second chance. A path not just to survive… but to rise. To become strong enough to protect what mattered.

His sister's tear-streaked face. His brother's innocent laughter. His mother's weary smile.

They needed him.

He wouldn't run. Not anymore.

Arjun sat up straighter, pain coursing through his muscles—but he welcomed it. Every scar, every ache, was a reminder that he was still alive. And he had work to do.

He clenched his fists, eyes locked on the glowing system window.

"Level fifteen," he whispered. "Let's see what this Abyssal System really is."

Outside, the sun dipped below the horizon.

But inside Arjun, something had begun to rise.

The shadows no longer whispered fear.

They roared with purpose.

And this… was just the beginning.

The beginning of something far greater had just awakened.