"Good morning," Nightborne muttered as he strapped on his pack. Today he had decided to revisit the dungeon-like basement he had explored before. After his awakening, he knew he was powerful enough to raid it and perhaps find more items like the claws he acquired from the wolf - something without unwanted debuffs, he hoped.
He had prepared well: he had cooked some meat and collected enough water, not knowing how long his expedition might last, but convinced that it was better to be safe than... dead. With his provisions secured, he set off toward the dungeon. When he arrived, he took a deep breath, emptied his mind, and entered the basement without hesitation.
The dungeon was as dark as he remembered, yet now he could see everything clearly - a new advantage granted by his awakened power. The old halls were lined with crumbling stone and twisting corridors. A thought crossed his mind as he advanced: the beasts that had made this place their home must have adapted to the darkness, too. But that wouldn't stop him.
Using his ability to meld with the shadows, he moved silently behind a ghoul-like creature. With a swift motion, he drew his Direwolf's Claws and sliced its neck cleanly. The sound of the creature's death echoed through the corridor, instantly drawing a fresh wave of monsters toward the location. Taking advantage of the distraction, he pressed deeper into the dungeon.
After a short while, he discovered a chest tucked away behind a shattered pillar. Inside, to his surprise, lay a two-handed blade - a metal weapon as sharp as a razor. Finally, he thought, an item without negative side effects.
[Blade of Forgivness]
[The effects of this blade give the user the power to fight endlessly without dulling. However, for every living being the blade slays, the owner must shed one tear. It is said that the original owner was a monk who lived in solitude in the mountains.]
Nightborne couldn't help a wry chuckle. "Easiest side effects of my life - and it doesn't dull. A match made in heaven, really."
Determined to test out the blade, he cleared an open area near the entrance of the dungeon. He began by swinging the blade experimentally, but quickly realized he didn't know how to use a two-handed weapon properly. "Perfect time for some training, huh?" he muttered.
His first target was a skeleton wielding a short dagger. He attacked with a tentative slash. The skeleton blocked his strike with its feeble arm before he pulled back, recalibrated his grip, and drove the blade forward with precision. The weapon pierced through the skeleton's ribs and crushed its core. Almost immediately, a system prompt appeared in his vision:
[Inventory acquired]
[0/5 slots used]
[Do you want to deposit the Tier 1 Energy Crystal?] [Yes] [No]
Choosing "Yes" without hesitation, he watched as the crystal converted into fine dust, which then absorbed into his body. A confirmation followed:
[Item stored successfully]
Emboldened by this small victory, he continued his trial. He moved on to another foe - a zombie-like ghoul - then dispatched three more skeletons. Each creature yielded a Tier 1 Energy Crystal, and with every deposit, his inventory slowly filled up.
After clearing a long corridor, Nightborne pressed on until he reached a giant, ominous gateway. Opening it, he saw a colosseum-esque chamber lit by the strange, glowing stones he remembered from his arrival. In the center of the space, a small door stood on the far side. With a mixture of determination and trepidation, he pushed it open. Beyond the doorway stood an imposing creature: its upper body was undeniably human, but it sported four arms - emphasis on four - while its lower body resembled that of a horse. In each pair of its four hands, it wielded a dual-edged axe that glinted menacingly in the dim light.
A chill ran down his spine. He then decided to use his wolf claws, as he was more experienced with them. He took one stone out of his inventory.
[Are you sure you want to remove Tier 1 Energy stone?] [Yes] [No]
Angrily, he shouted, "YES - DO IT FASTER, I'M ABOUTTA GET STEAMROLLED BY SOME GIANT MONSTER WHILE YOU'RE ASKING ME IF I'M SURE!" Instantly, dust burst from the core of his body and transformed into a crystal. He threw the crystal down as fast as possible and deposited his new sword into his inventory.
He then took out the claws, which hung at his sides, secured by leather straps, and quickly donned them. Now ready, he decided to dodge the incoming attack - prompted partly by the lag from the so-called 'inventory' - and barely managed to slip aside as the horse-human swung one of its axes at him. He blocked the attack just in time, but the force sent him flying into the side of the colosseum, kicking up ancient dust.
Scrambling to recover, he dashed forward, leaping with the claws raised. He attacked with all the strength he could muster, but his initial strike merely left a scratch on the giant creature's hide. Regaining his composure, he quickly stepped behind the large foe and delivered a dual slash on its thigh, aiming to slow it down or force it to stumble.
The creature retaliated ferociously, kicking with its massive hind legs and knocking him into a wall, making him cough up blood. Then, with a brutal motion, it hurled one of its axes at him. As hope seemed to fade, time appeared to slow down - almost as if the world had reduced to a fraction of its pace. A message window suddenly popped up in his vision:
[Do you want to absorb a Tier 1 Energy Stone to recover your body?] [Yes] [No]
Without a second thought, he pressed "Yes." In an instant, his body was enveloped by dust generated by the crystal, and he felt the restorative energy surge through him. The pain receded, and he managed to dodge the flying axe as the creature, believing it had finished him, began to calmly retrieve its weapon.
But then a primal instinct surged within him - a gut feeling that sparked an idea. He decided to take out his sword. With precise timing, he hurled the blade at the giant creature - intentionally missing his mark. Using the shadow cast by the blade as a cover, he teleported; he knew he could do it. Warping behind the creature's neck, he caught his sword as it flew through the air and then sliced its neck cleanly. The impact caused the creature to stagger and fall, shaking the entire colosseum. Yet it wasn't dead. It regenerated and quickly rose, beginning to cast something ominous.
A fireball. Within a second, it unleashed the fireball, which shot directly at Nightborne. But he, harnessing his new power, threw the sword again and teleported - abusing the ability to dodge with uncanny speed. He moved with an almost unholy agility, milking every ounce of his power as he dodged the projectile time and again. The rapid pace of his movement caused half of the colosseum to crumble under the force of the exploding fireball.
"If that hit me? I'd be dead by now," he muttered.
Then he noticed something peculiar: the fireball had blown out the lights in the area it struck. Now, he could teleport there; previously, the lights had prevented such movement. Seizing the opportunity, he teleported to the spot where the explosion had occurred. But as soon as he arrived, a sharp pain pierced his core - he had run out of magic power. Quick to react, he pulled out another magic crystal and cracked it with the claws. The released magic seeped into his core, dulling the pain, and he quickly used one more crystal to restore some of his magic power. He had only one remaining; if he had known these could heal, he might not have wasted it.
Continuing the fierce combat, he delivered rapid, minor slices to the giant creature with the claws. Each hit elicited a scream from the beast, and with every strike, Nightborne's mind grew fuzzier. After what seemed like his fiftieth attack, he lost all control - his body became a mindless weapon, moving on pure instinct. His eyes darted around desperately for an opening. In that frenzied state, he dashed forward, throwing the blade once more. The impact shattered a nearby light, and using his ability to hide in the darkness, he teleported to where the sword had fallen.
In a final act of desperation, he threw his last energy stone on the ground, breaking it into dust. The dust swirled around him as he concentrated on his light-repelling power. Teleporting repeatedly, he moved like a flash of light around the battlefield - a blur of motion that threw rocks and rubble in every direction. Reaccumulating his magic power by briefly unfocusing his abilities, he used all his gathered energy to accelerate his movements to break through the giant creature's defenses.
With one final, titanic leap, propelled by flying pieces of rubble and all his remaining power, he crashed into the monstrous foe. Seizing the moment, he brought down his sword with a clean, lethal slice through its head, finally killing the creature in an instant.
He lost power in his legs and passed out.
A new system message then appeared:
[You have received a new title: "Making the Impossible, Possible"]
[Title: "Making the Impossible, Possible"
Effects: ???]
To be continued...