Kade woke to the low hum of eerie silence, broken only by the distant groans of monsters. The first rays of dawn filtered through broken windows, casting jagged shadows across the crumbling skyline. Stretching his limbs, he opened his status screen.
---
[Status Screen]
Name: Kade Voss
Level: 4 [200/800 XP]
Rank: Unranked
Stats:
Strength: 23
Agility: 24
Endurance: 20
Aether Energy:16
Luck: 19
Free Stat Points: 10
[Skills:]
Unique Skill – [Eclipse Twin Blades]
Unique Skill – [Reward Enhancement]
[Inventory:]
19 Common Aether Crystals
3 Uncommon Aether Crystals
Various food supplies
---
With a deep sigh, Kade evenly distributed the stat points and dismissed the screen. He pulled out a can from his inventory and sat near the cracked balcony.
Canned beans again...
He grimaced at the taste but ate in silence.
After finishing, he headed to the bathroom. Surprisingly, water still flowed from the taps. He cleaned up, feeling slightly refreshed.
"Alright. Time to clear the neighborhood," Kade muttered, equipping his Twin Blades.
He descended the apartment carefully, checking every floor. Outside, the streets were littered with debris, wrecked vehicles, and claw marks smeared in dried blood. Moving silently through the alleyways, he stayed out of open spaces until he spotted movement near a collapsed supermarket.
Several grotesque, twitching creatures loitered nearby. Their grey skin bubbled and oozed black pus—mutated abominations, similar to the Abyssal Dogs he'd fought before.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward.
His blades sliced through them with precision, kinetic energy building in each strike. The final blow unleashed a charged slash that split one clean in two.
---
[You've gained 100 EXP!]
[You've gained 2 Common Aether Crystals!]
[You've gained 100 EXP!]
[You've gained 2 Common Aether Crystals!]
---
"Too easy," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.
The streets were quiet again. Kade moved on.
Over the next few hours, he cleared several blocks, eliminating scattered monsters. With every fight, his movements sharpened, his reactions faster. The Eclipse Twin Blades became an extension of his will.
By noon, the area had been mostly purged. Standing amid silence, he opened his inventory.
---
[Inventory Updated:]
40 Common Aether Crystals
5 Uncommon Aether Crystals
---
He'd reached Level 5. His muscles ached, but the progress felt solid.
"Not bad for a day's work," he murmured with a grin.
As he headed back toward his temporary base, Kade looted nearby shops—food, medicine, tools—anything useful. Who knew when the world might offer another chance to stock up?
Back at the apartment, he swept each floor to confirm no new threats had moved in. Once he was sure the area was secure, he settled into a chair and summoned several Aether Crystals from his inventory.
He stared at the pile—deep blue Uncommon Crystals pulsing with energy. He'd experimented earlier and learned that they held ten times the energy of Common ones.
This should be enough...
He placed them down, and immediately, a familiar prompt appeared.
---
[Do you want to use Aether Crystals to upgrade your Rank?]
---
"Yes," he said aloud.
The crystals dissolved into blue mist and surged into his chest. His body pulsed with warmth as the energy spread through him.
---
[Rank: Unranked (101/100)]
[Rank update delayed. Requirement not met.]
[Rank Advancement Requirement: Reach Level 10]
---
Kade frowned.
"So I can't rank up yet…"
With a determined breath, he stood and grabbed his Twin Blades.
"Fine. I'll just hit Level 10 then."
He returned to the hunting grounds near where he'd first slain an Abyssal Beast. Distant growls reached his ears—heavy steps, claws scraping against concrete.
He ducked behind a collapsed wall and peeked out.
What he saw made his eyes narrow.
Five monsters, similar to the one he'd fought before, moved in a patrol formation. But one stood out—a ten-foot-tall monstrosity at the center. Its body rippled with grotesque muscle. Thick red veins pulsed visibly beneath its skin.
Its presence alone made Kade's instincts flare with caution.
That one's dangerous.
He didn't rush in. Instead, he shadowed them at a distance, observing. Every fifteen minutes, the group split into smaller patrols. The leader stayed behind while others scouted.
He waited.
When they split again, he moved.
Trailing one of the patrol beasts, he waited until it wandered far from the others—then struck.
His blade slammed into its neck, but the edge caught halfway through.
Too tough!
Kade reacted instantly. He dashed forward instead of back, ducking beneath its swinging arm. As the creature pulled its fist back for another strike, he slid low, slashing across its thigh as he passed underneath.
Skkrrch!
The monster stumbled. Kade emerged behind it, his left hand gripping the hilt of his embedded blade.
With a sharp twist, he yanked it free.
[Eclipse Twin Blades: Kinetic Charge – 50%]
The creature roared — but something was wrong. Its body convulsed violently, and its muscles swelled further, bulging like overfilled balloons. Black pus oozed from new cracks in its skin, and its breathing became a sickening rasp.
Kade's eyes narrowed. "It's mutating?"
The creature's movements grew erratic — faster, but less controlled. It charged at him blindly, smashing a nearby car with one punch, sending the metal hulk flying past Kade.
He dove aside, rolling onto the pavement. The shockwave rattled his bones.
'This isn't just a stronger version. It's unstable.'
The beast lunged again, forcing Kade into a relentless dance of survival. He weaved between its strikes, slashing at limbs when possible — but the thing was adapting. Each missed attack was followed by another, faster and more unpredictable than before.
His breath came in short bursts. Every strike chipped away at his stamina.
Finally, a mistake.
The monster lunged too far.
Kade dropped to one knee and drove both blades upward into its exposed gut.
The kinetic energy surged.
[Eclipse Twin Blades: Kinetic Charge – 100%]
A flash of dark energy exploded from the hilts, launching the creature backward. It crashed into a concrete wall, partially embedded into the cracked surface.
Smoke and steam rose from the gaping wound in its torso.
Still, it moved.
"Damn thing doesn't know when to die…" Kade whispered, wiping blood from his lip.
The creature dragged itself out, roaring with one last burst of fury.
Kade stood firm.
This time, he wasn't running.
He stepped forward — calm, focused — and leapt into the air. His blades glowed with the remaining kinetic force.
"End this."
He came down in a spinning slash, cleaving through the monster's skull from above.
Time slowed.
A burst of black mist erupted from the corpse as it collapsed, limbs twitching.
Silence returned.
---
[Monster Defeated – Unranked Level 6 Abomination]
[Rewards Upgraded Due to Unique Skill: +2x Quantity Bonus]
[You've gained 400 EXP!]
[You've gained 1 Uncommon Abyss Crystal!]
[You've gained 400 EXP!]
[You've gained 1 Uncommon Abyss Crystal!]
---
Kade staggered back, panting.
"These things are evolving..."
He tightened his grip on the blades.
"And so will I."
[Status Screen]
Name: Kade Voss
Level: 5 [800/1000 EXP]
Rank: Unranked (101/100)
Stats:
Strength: 29
Agility: 30
Endurance: 26
Aether Energy: 22
Luck: 25
Free Stat Points: 0
[Skills:]
Unique Skill – [Eclipse Twin Blades]
Unique Skill – [Reward Enhancement]