The ground had disappeared.
Fade was gliding through the void. Was it going down, or was it going up—he couldn't tell. There was only an endless darkness around him, but this was not like the previous darknesses. This darkness... was cold. It was touching his soul like a sharp knife.
Suddenly, a terrible blow struck his body.
[–86 HP]
He crashed to the ground. There was no real ground, but there was pain. The pain that emerged in his veins was telling that his body was breaking. But Fade got up.
He got up as He always did after the training. Not like usual... this time, it felt like something was missing inside.
Right in front of him, a battlefield made of spiral stones took shape. The surface was smooth, cold, and in the center, a massive stone sword was embedded in the ground. There was no sky—only a stagnant, decaying gray void.
[Mission Started: The Fallen Sword]
Explanation:"True strength lies not only in the weight you can lift but in the meaning you can carry."
Target: Draw the sword from its sheath.
Duration: –
Reward: ???
Fade approached the sword. Each step echoed back to him like a reverberation. The stone sword was calling to him. It was powerful. He had felt it the moment he saw. But when Fade made his first move...
[Warning: Insufficient force. Soul resonance could not be achieved.]
A tremor entered his hands. The sword didn't even budge from its place. At that moment, shadows began to take shape around the square. Each one was a version of Fade. But they were all the failures... the fallen, the insane, the vanished.
Fade suddenly found himself not just weighing his power, but weighing himself on a scale.
When the first attack came, he was defenseless. One of the shadows attacked from behind, like a knife plunging into his back.
[–36 HP]
But Fade stayed in place. he clenched his fists. He started to cut down the shadows one by one. In terms of physicality, he was now much faster, attacking with sharp reflexes, destroying their ghostly versions one by one. But each time one of them died, a memory returned.
— A lost friend.
— An enemy he accidentally killed.
— A childhood memory he ran away from in fear.
Every shadow he killed was a piece of herself.
And finally, there was only one person left in the square. Fade.
And the stone sword.
But this time, something had changed. The sword was talking to him. No—not a sword. Something was touching his mind.
"You want power." But why?
The question echoed in his mind. Fade couldn't help but say the answer that came from within.
"Because I am alone." And the lonely either become strong... or get lost.
At that moment, an aura rose from beneath the ground. There was a ripple in the void where the sky should be. And an invisible figure appeared.
It slowly took shape. A cloak, as if woven with the night. It had no face. But his existence was beyond words.
A figure seen without being seen.
Azrael.
The Angel of the Death.
Fade involuntarily knelt down. He couldn't make eye contact, nor could he lift his head. Every part of him was trembling in the presence of the power of existence.
"You chose this path, Fade." The Path of Death. And this path demands not only power... but also the understanding of death.
Azrael's voice was not like the wind. Not like an earthquake either. It was just... the essence of existence itself. Every word was etched into Fade's soul. And he couldn't even dare to look at him.
There was incredible pressure in the environment, it felt painful to breathe.
"You have reached the end of your training." But this is just the beginning. The Watcher of the Abyss shaped you. I... am putting an end to you.
Fade's body was suddenly enveloped in light. Black marks appeared, curling from his shoulders to his chest, and from there to his hands. This was not a blessing... it was a seal. Each piece intertwined with death, every line woven with fate.
[System Notification:]
Type Change: Human → Half-Human + Vantablade
Explanation: Fade became a being born on the edge of death. Vantablade is a type born from the shadow of death, with weapons forged into its soul. Now, beyond physical attacks, it can fight with soul vibrations and void power.
Fade grasped the sword again. This time... the sword came out of its sheath.
The ground cracked. The sky shattered. And beneath Fade's feet, a path opened from the darkness.
Azrael spoke:
"At the beginning of the road, you were just a child." Now... you are an echo of emptiness. Go. And write your destiny. But remember: Every shadow you kill will bring you closer to yourself.
Azrael has disappeared.
Fade strapped the sword to his back.
Then he slowly straightened up. The seals on his hands were still throbbing, the resonance of the new power echoing in his veins. The shapes that had just been sealed into his soul were as ancient as those that could only be borne by beings touched by death.
Azrael's voice echoed in his mind even after his disappearance:
"If you can bear this power..." you are no longer human. You have become the echo of darkness. "
Fade closed his eyes. He was alone in the silence. But this loneliness was no longer empty.
In this plane without a sky, a part of his soul remained.
But he would continue on his path.
Just then, the system window slowly appeared in front of him—but this time it was not just a window, it was like a summary of his life.
[STAT WINDOW – UPDATED]
Name: Fade
Type: Half Human / Vantablade
Level: 6
Experience: 320 / 1800
Health: 135
Power: 21
Agility: 26
Intelligence: 12
Endurance: 8
Defense: 7
Mental Resilience: 6
Spirit Power: 10
Stat Points: 0
Skill Score: 2
[PASSIVE ABILITIES]
Warrior's Instinct – Predicts enemy attacks by 5%.
Sword Mastery II – Sword Mastery. +20% accuracy, increased attack chain speed.
Speed Boost – +2 permanent agility, reflex increase.
Unreflectable Move II – The first attack cannot be reflected.
Echo of the Soul – +15% resistance to mental attacks with resistance from past memories.
Shadow Harmony – The connection power with the shadow stabilizes, shadow skills are 10% more effective.
[ACTIVE SKILLS]
Quick Strike II – Three consecutive attacks, 150% total physical damage.
Shadow Contract – 30 seconds of 30% attack & defense increase. (1 hour cooldown)
Wraithstep – Short-range shadow leap, for sudden escape or sudden ambush.
Soulfall – Converts spiritual burden into physical power to deliver a heavy blow.
Shadow Chain – Whips the chain at a distant enemy, binds, or pulls a weapon.
[ITEMS & HEADINGS]
Shadow Chain [Rare – Semi-Living]
Qualified Shield Piece (2/3) → [Shadow Guardian Shield (Unformed)]
[Basic Skill Book: Warrior Intuition – Learned]
[Skill: Unreflective Move – Passive]
[Title: Shadow Slayer] – +10% extra damage to creatures from the shadows.
[Title: Chosen of the Path of Death] – The bearer recognized by Azrael. Spiritual ability development increases by 5%.
When Fade fixed his eyes on these lines... everything made sense now.
None of them were just a "system detail."
In every line, there was a battle; in every digit, a survival.
The Watcher of the Abyss asked as he approached:
"How do you feel?"
Fade smiled.
It's not a vacant smile.
A heartfelt, heavy, and deserved smile:
"For the first time... like myself."
And this was how 5th training was completed.
But the Path of the Death... had just begun to take its first steps.