Silence.
Not the kind that follows battle—
Something deeper.
Something… unnatural.
The moment the voice faded—
The world shifted.
A faint hum filled the air.
Low.
Constant.
Almost like something breathing beneath reality itself.
The Monolith pulsed once.
A slow, heavy throb of dark energy—
Then—
Everything stopped.
The wind died.
Dust froze mid-air.
Even sound seemed to hesitate.
Kael stiffened.
"…What the hell is—"
Before he could finish—
Light.
A sharp glow burst in front of his eyes.
Blinding.
Sudden.
Unavoidable.
Symbols appeared.
Lines.
Fragments of something structured—
Yet unfamiliar.
Data.
A screen.
Floating.
Transparent—
Yet undeniably real.
Kael staggered back slightly, instinctively raising his hand.
"…You're seeing this too… right?"
Arin didn't answer immediately.
His eyes moved.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Scanning.
Reading.
Understanding.
Nothing about his expression showed panic.
Only focus.
Then—
Calmly—
"…Yes."
The screen stabilized.
The flickering stopped.
Everything became clear.
Sharp.
Precise.
"SYSTEM INTERFACE"
Name: Arin
Level: D-1
Status: Stable
Strength: 9
Agility: 15
Endurance: 8
Perception: 14
Soul: 20
Ability:
[Space – Lv.1]
→ Allows the user to open spatial portals within the World of the Dead.
Acquired Traits:
[Combat Instinct – Beginner]
[Weapon Familiarity – Beginner]
Arin's gaze lingered on the screen.
Longer than expected.
Not surprised.
Thinking.
Connecting.
"…So that's how it works."
Kael's voice cut through the silence—
Louder.
Less controlled.
"…WHAT?!"
Another screen appeared in front of him.
"SYSTEM INTERFACE"
Name: Kael
Level: D-1
Status: Stable
Strength: 15
Agility: 9
Endurance: 13
Perception: 8
Soul: 21
Ability:
[Eidolon – Lv.1]
→ Materialize imagined constructs using soul energy.
Acquired Traits:
[Combat Instinct – Beginner]
[Weapon Familiarity – Beginner]
[Greatsword Adaptation – Intermediate]
Kael stared.
Completely still.
Speechless.
Then—
A slow grin spread across his face.
"…This is insane… a real status window."
He flexed his fingers.
Feeling the change.
The strength.
The control.
The awareness.
"…I'm stronger."
Arin didn't react.
His attention had already shifted.
"…There's more."
The interface flickered again.
Then expanded.
"MISSION UPDATE"
Second Mission: Complete
Rewards Pending
→ Accept Rewards?
[YES] / [NO]
They didn't hesitate.
Both selected—
YES.
The screen shifted instantly.
"REWARDS"
Arin:
First Mission Reward → Branch Ability Unlocked
[Blink]
→ Instantly teleport up to 2 meters in any direction.
Second Mission Reward → System Access Unlocked
→ Status can be viewed anytime
→ Status can only be upgraded at a Monolith
Kael:
First Mission Reward → Branch Ability Unlocked
[Recall]
→ Previously created weapons can be summoned instantly by name
(No visualization required)
Second Mission Reward → System Access Unlocked
→ Status can be viewed anytime
→ Status can only be upgraded at a Monolith
Kael let out a low whistle.
"…That's broken."
Arin didn't disagree.
But he didn't comment either.
Because—
There was more.
Another notification appeared.
"NEW MISSION"
Third Mission: Reach the Town
"MAIN OBJECTIVE"
Climb the Tower
Warning:
Failure = Termination
Kael's grin faded slightly.
"…Yeah… figured that part."
Arin's eyes narrowed.
"…No."
A pause.
"…Look closer."
Kael frowned.
Focused again.
At the bottom of the interface—
A new section appeared.
"UNLOCKED FEATURE"
→ Soul Absorption Efficiency: 12%
→ Synchronization Rate: Low
Kael blinked.
"…What does that even mean?"
Arin answered immediately.
"…We're not using it properly yet."
"…Yet?" Kael repeated.
Arin's gaze sharpened.
"…Which means it can improve."
Silence.
That realization—
Changed everything.
Kael let out a low whistle.
"…So we can get stronger… just by killing?"
Arin corrected him calmly—
"…By surviving."
A brief pause.
Then—
The Monolith pulsed again.
Both screens flickered violently.
"NEW CONDITION DETECTED"
The air grew heavier.
Not oppressive—
But aware.
Watching.
Kael's expression tightened.
"…You feel that?"
Arin nodded slightly.
"…Yes."
The ground trembled.
Subtle—
But undeniable.
As if something far above—
Had noticed them.
The Monolith's surface shifted.
The strange markings crawling across it began to rearrange.
Changing.
Evolving.
Then—
A new message appeared.
"SPECIAL NOTICE"
"Climbers who exceed expectation…"
A pause.
"…will be observed."
Silence.
Kael let out a dry laugh.
"…Observed? By what?"
No answer came.
But the feeling remained.
Heavy.
Unseen.
Unavoidable.
Arin spoke quietly.
"…It's not just a system."
A pause.
"…Something is behind it."
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Great… so now we've got gods watching us."
Arin didn't respond.
But his silence—
Was enough.
The screen flickered one last time.
"SYSTEM MESSAGE"
"May you enjoy your death."
Kael cracked his neck.
A grin slowly returning—
Sharper.
More dangerous.
"…Guess we're not stopping."
Arin stepped forward.
No hesitation.
"…We never were."
The wind returned.
Dust swept across the battlefield.
Behind them—
The crater remained.
A reminder.
Ahead—
Only the unknown.
And above—
Something watched.
Unblinking.
Interested.
After a moment, Arin spoke again.
"…Check your ability properly."
Kael blinked.
"…What?"
Arin turned slightly.
"…Open it again."
Kael focused.
The screen reappeared instantly.
This time—
Something was different.
Arin frowned slightly.
"…I can't see it."
Kael looked at him.
"…Seriously?"
Arin nodded.
"…It's personal now."
A pause.
"…Read it out loud."
Kael shrugged.
"…Alright."
He tapped on his ability.
A small option appeared.
[Details]
He pressed it.
The interface expanded.
Kael's expression slowly shifted—
From curiosity…
To focus.
"…Okay…"
He started reading.
Power: Eidolon
→ Materialize imagined constructs using soul energy
Details:
→ Anything you imagine can become real
→ You can develop skills through usage
→ Cooldown: 1 hour
→ Constructs are limited to 10% of their imagined power
→ There is a limit to the number of active constructs
→ Stronger constructs consume significantly more soul energy
Silence.
Kael lowered his hand slightly.
"…Damn."
Arin didn't respond immediately.
He was already analyzing.
Breaking it down.
Understanding the limits.
"…It's strong," Arin said.
"…But restricted."
Kael nodded slowly.
"…Yeah…"
A grin formed again.
"…But still broken."
Arin didn't deny it.
Because—
Used correctly—
It was.
Kael clenched his hand.
Feeling the energy inside him.
Now—
He understood.
Not just power—
But how to use it.
"…Alright," he said.
"…Now this makes sense."
Arin glanced ahead.
Toward the distant horizon.
"…Good."
A pause.
"…Let's move."
Kael nodded.
"…Yeah."
They turned.
Leaving the Monolith behind.
"…And let's hope," Kael added casually,
"…that guy didn't lie about the town."
Arin's eyes remained forward.
Calm.
Sharp.
"…If he did—"
A brief pause.
"…we'll deal with it."
The wind howled across the wasteland once more.
And the two of them walked forward.
Into the unknown.
End of chapter