The street trembled beneath the weight of the Abyss Sentinel.
Rain continued to fall, but now it felt distant—like the world itself was fading away, leaving only Kael and the monster behind.
Dark energy surged around Kael's body.
His breath was steady.
His eyes… calm.
For the first time since the System appeared—
He wasn't afraid.
The Abyss Sentinel roared.
It raised its massive claw and brought it crashing down.
Kael didn't dodge.
He stepped forward.
"Abyss Devour."
The shadows around him twisted violently.
When the claw descended—
Kael caught it.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the ground beneath his feet.
Cracks spread across the pavement like a spiderweb.
Daniel stared in complete shock from a distance.
"He… he stopped it…?"
Kael's arm trembled slightly under the pressure.
But he didn't move.
Instead, the shadows wrapped around the monster's claw.
Slowly…
They began to consume it.
The Abyss Sentinel roared in pain.
Black energy peeled off its armor like smoke being torn away.
Kael's voice was low.
"…You're not the only one connected to the Abyss."
The system window flashed.
[Abyss Devour Active]
Power flooded into Kael's body.
Raw.
Violent.
Unstable.
His veins burned as if something foreign was forcing its way inside him.
But he endured it.
The monster tried to pull its arm back—
But it couldn't.
The shadows held it in place.
Kael stepped forward again.
"You came out of that Gate…"
His grip tightened.
"…so go back to it."
With a sudden burst of force—
He drove his hand deeper into the monster's arm.
CRACK!
The armor shattered.
The Abyss Sentinel let out a deafening scream.
Its massive body staggered backward.
Kael didn't stop.
"Shadow Step."
Darkness swallowed him.
He vanished—
And reappeared directly in front of the monster's chest.
The glowing red core at the center of its body pulsed violently.
Kael raised his hand.
All the shadows around him gathered into a single point.
The system window flickered rapidly.
[Warning]
Power overload detected.
Kael ignored it.
"…Let's end this."
He thrust his hand forward.
"Abyss Devour."
The shadows exploded.
BOOM!
Dark energy pierced through the monster's chest.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Then—
The Abyss Sentinel's body froze.
Cracks spread across its armor.
Its glowing red eyes flickered.
And then—
Its entire body began to collapse.
Black energy burst outward like smoke.
The massive creature fell to its knees.
Then to the ground.
The impact shook the entire street.
And just like that—
It was over.
Kael stood in the rain, breathing slowly.
The shadows around him faded.
The silence felt unreal.
Then the system chimed.
[Boss Monster Eliminated]
Multiple crimson windows appeared at once.
[Level Up]
Level 5 → Level 8
[Skill Mastery Increased]
Shadow Step → Level 2
[Abyss Echo Enhanced]
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…That's a lot."
But then—
A new message appeared.
Different from the others.
Slower.
Heavier.
[Core Extraction Detected]
From the monster's chest, a small glowing object rose into the air.
A dark crystal.
Pulsing with the same energy as the Gate.
Kael stared at it.
"…A core?"
The system responded.
[Abyss Core Acquired]
Another message followed immediately.
[Unique Evolution Path Unlocked]
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"…Evolution path?"
The final message appeared.
[You are no longer just a Player.]
The rain began to fall harder again.
In the distance, the Gate flickered violently.
As if reacting to something.
Kael looked up at it.
Then back at the glowing core in his hand.
A quiet smile formed on his face.
"…So this is only the beginning."
Behind him, Daniel whispered in disbelief—
"What… are you?"
Kael didn't answer.
Because even he didn't know anymore.