Seeing the notification appear before him, Noan was overjoyed. "I can finally level up."
He let out a long sigh before saying, "Accept!"
[Ding! Beginning level-up process.]
Noan felt a surge of power coursing through his body, though the increase was only slight.
[Ding! Level-up successful.]
Noan did not celebrate but instead spoke again. "Level up to Lord Rank 2."
[Ding! To reach Lord Rank 2, you need 500 E-rank energy crystals.]
Seeing the notification, Noan sighed.
He had just over 100 E-rank energy crystals—far from enough.
Moreover, he couldn't convert D-rank energy crystals into E-rank since the System wouldn't allow it.
"System, I still have one more hero-summoning attempt, correct?"
[Ding! That is correct. Would you like to use your hero summoning now?]
"Use it!"
Imdiately, the magic summoning circle appeared again.
However, this ti, it emitted a vibrant green glow instead of the usual gray light.
At that mont, a floating Rubik's cube slowly erged from the magic circle, hovering in midair.
As the magic circle faded, the mysterious cube floated directly in front of Noan.
He frowned, staring intently at it before murmuring to himself, "What… kind of monster is this?"
[Ding! Congratulations! You have successfully summoned the Abyss Cube - Rank D.]
…
Na: Abyss Cube
Rank: D
Level: 0
Description: It possesses the ability to morph into any type of weapon, enhancing the user's combat abilities and magical power.
However, be warned… when you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back at you.
Note: You need 6 D-rank materials and an Abyss Crystal to evolve.
…
Noan stared at the status panel before him, then shifted his gaze to the floating cube hovering in the air. A deep sense of confusion filled his mind.
This was the first ti he had ever encountered a monster that could transform into a weapon.
It completely shattered his previous understanding of monsters and everything he had learned.
He reached out his hand, grasping the Abyss Cube in his palm.
Cold. Extrely cold—almost like holding a solid piece of tal.
Yet, despite its tallic temperature, its surface resembled a stone, and its size was roughly the sa as a 3x3 Rubik's cube.
Noan examined the mysterious cube, unsure how to use it.
Suddenly—
Krit! Krit! Krit!
Zhisse, perched on his shoulder, let out a sharp, anxious cry, its posture filled with unease and hostility.
Noan could feel Zhisse's fear and wariness as if this cube was its natural enemy.
Reaching up, he gently scratched Zhisse's head with his finger and spoke softly.
"Don't worry. This thing won't harm you."
Zhisse montarily stared at the cube, then crawled onto Noan's back, firmly against him.
Seeing Zhisse's reaction, Noan beca even more suspicious about the Abyss Cube's nature.
And then—
The cube suddenly shifted.
Its form began to change, flowing like liquid tal, before wrapping tightly around Noan's arm.
Within seconds, it reford—now a stone-like bracelet encircling his wrist.
Noan frowned, lifting his arm to examine it more closely.
Though he didn't fully understand it, he instinctively knew this object was far from ordinary.
It possessed an extraordinary ability, and even its evolution process was different from any other monster.
Unlike regular monsters, the Abyss Cube required six D-rank materials and an Abyss Crystal to evolve.
What exactly was an Abyss Crystal? Noan had no idea.
But his intuition told him—that this thing would bring him a massive advantage.
Frowning slightly, he decided to test it.
"Can you transform into gauntlets?" Noan asked aloud.
The mont he spoke, the bracelet split into two, rapidly spreading over both of his hands, forming a pair of dark, stone-textured gauntlets.
Noan's eyes widened in shock.
"So this thing can actually listen and understand ?"
Clenching both fists, he imdiately noticed sothing unusual.
With the Abyss Cube transforming into gauntlets, he could feel his strength increasing slightly.
To test it further, Noan stepped out into the garden.
His eyes locked onto a large boulder sitting at the yard's edge.
Approaching it, he tightened his grip, then punched directly at the rock.
BAM!
The boulder instantly shattered into countless fragnts, yet Noan felt no pain in his hands.
Even though his physical strength was already three tis that of a normal person, it didn't an he could break a solid rock with his bare fists.
But he had done so effortlessly with the Abyss Cube without even a hint of pain.
Staring at the black gauntlets covering his hands, Noan felt a deep mystery surrounding the Abyss Cube.
However, he wasn't overly concerned.
After all, any monster he summoned would remain absolutely loyal to him.
Unless—another Lord destroyed his territory.
To avoid suspicion, Noan commanded Abyss Cube to revert to a simple bracelet before leveling up both Skeleton Shielder and Zhisse.
Then, sothing strange happened.
After successfully leveling up Skeleton Shielder, Noan felt his own strength increase significantly.
"It seems… if the 'Evolution' insignia mark a monster, then whenever they level up, I also gain strength."
He let out a long sigh.
At this point, he had so many buffs and cheats that if he still got killed by soone else, he would probably be the weakest isekai protagonist in history.
But sothing even more unsettling occurred.
After leveling up Abyss Cube, Noan suddenly felt like sothing was watching him.
His entire body stiffened as he quickly scanned his surroundings, but nothing seed out of place.
It had only lasted a split second, but he was certain—
Sothing—or soone—had just been looking at him.
A chilling thought crept into his mind.
He suddenly rembered the Abyss Cube's description.
"When you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back at you."
Taking a deep breath, he decided not to dwell on it for now—but he would keep a close eye on the Abyss Cube.
At the mont, he could only level up Skeleton Shielder and Zhisse.
The monsters and heroes originating from the Singularity were still locked from leveling up.
Leaving Shielder and the other Skeletons to guard his territory, Noan set out with only Zhisse.
He wanted to explore the surrounding area and see exactly what this new region looked like.
…
Noan left his territory, stepping onto a wide and level dirt road. Thick vegetation lined both sides of the path, creating an eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere.
Looking ahead, he noticed that the nearest house was almost 100 ters away from his own.
The air felt heavy and oppressive, filling him with a vague sense of unease. It was as if sothing lurked within the dense bushes, waiting for the perfect mont to pounce.
Noan looked up at the sky, frowning. Dark storm clouds had gathered, hinting at incoming rain.
He raised his hand slightly, and Zhisse, perched on his shoulder, imdiately dashed into the forest ahead, disappearing into the shadows.
With that, Noan continued walking along the road, moving forward steadily.
The farther he went, the more houses appeared—or the more territories belonging to other Lords.
Yet, there was sothing strange.
The road was completely empty.
Noan didn't see a single person.
He had no intention of knocking on any doors.
After all, he didn't know these people or have any reason to initiate conversation with them.
A slight hunger pang reminded him that he hadn't eaten.
He walked over to a large tree, sat down against its trunk, and pulled a Universal Food Pellet from his backpack.
Placing it in his mouth, he swallowed it in one gulp.
Universal Food Pellets were similar to pills—they had no taste whatsoever.
But once digested, they provided enough sustenance to keep him full for a short ti.
Just then—
A thin strand of silk lightly brushed the back of Noan's neck.
Instantly, he tensed.
His eyes shot forward, scanning the area.
A shadow lurked within the bushes ahead, staring directly at him.
Noan's expression darkened as he shouted—
"Who's there?"
The bushes rustled in response.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The mont Noan shouted, the stranger panicked and bolted—
But in his haste, he tripped over the bushes and fell flat on the ground.
As Noan approached, he saw a thin, frail-looking young man sitting among the foliage.
His face was filled with fear and unease as he looked up at Noan.
Then, Noan noticed—
The young man's ankle was tangled in a nearly transparent silk thread.
Zhisse's silk.
That was probably why he had fallen.
"S-Sorry… I… I…" the young man stamred, his voice trembling.
"I don't an any harm… It's just that… when I saw you had a Universal Food Pellet, I—I wanted to ask if I could have one."
Noan frowned slightly, then extended his hand toward him.
Seeing Noan reach out, the young man flinched.
He imdiately raised his arms before his face, bracing for a hit.
But after a few monts, when no pain ca, he hesitantly peeked through his fingers.
The hand reaching for him wasn't to strike him—
It was to help him up.
A heavy sigh of relief escaped his lips.
With cautious movents, the young man grabbed Noan's hand and slowly stood up.
Now that they were face-to-face, Noan took the opportunity to assess him properly.
Tall and thin.
Jet black hair.
Dark circles under his eyes, like he hadn't slept in days.
Noan narrowed his eyes.
"What's your na?" he asked.
The young man hesitated before answering.
"I… I'm Caleb… Caleb Whitmore," he stuttered nervously.
"You can just call Caleb."
Noan glanced at Caleb, then pulled a Universal Food Pellet from his backpack and held it up.
"You want this, don't you?" he asked.
The mont Caleb saw the pill in Noan's hand, his eyes lit up.
"Of course!" he nodded eagerly.
"Good," Noan replied. "If you answer my questions, I won't just give you one—I'll give you three."
Caleb's expression stiffened for a mont. But after a brief hesitation, he nodded.
"Ask away. I'll tell you everything I know," he said.
Noan tossed him one pill and said, "Eat that first."
Caleb caught it mid-air but didn't imdiately swallow it. Instead, he glanced at Noan.
"Hurry up," Noan urged.
Hearing the command, Caleb quickly popped the pellet into his mouth and swallowed.
As the nutrients settled in his stomach, a deep sense of relief and satisfaction spread across his face.
"Good," Noan observed, studying his reaction.
Sothing about this whole situation made Noan feel even more perplexed.
After a mont of thought, he asked, "Why are you so hungry? There's nothing to eat around here?"
At Noan's question, Caleb sighed heavily.
"You just arrived here, didn't you?" he asked.
Noan gave a slight nod, neither denying nor hiding the fact.
Caleb continued, "That explains it… You don't know yet, do you?"
He looked around the desolate landscape, then turned back to Noan.
"This place… is a dead zone."
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