Arthur crouched in the shadow of a collapsed structure across from the massive ruined skyscraper.
Where dungeon gate boss’s lair was.
His Shadow Veil skill was active.
Darkness clung unnaturally to his figure, distorting light around him. Even the crimson glow from the sky seed to bend away from his body.
Before making his move—
Arthur reached into his inventory.
A crystal vial filled with shimring golden liquid appeared in his hand.
A high-grade healing potion.
_________
________________________________________
[ ITEM ]
Na: Healing Potion
Rank: High
Purity: 92%
Description:
A refined healing potion crafted from carefully selected high-grade ingredients.
-Effect:
Instantly heals serious wounds, closes deep cuts, fixes broken bones, stops bleeding, and restores a large amount of lost vitality and strength.
-Repeated use within a short period may place strain on the body and reduce the effects.
________________________________________________
Without hesitation, he uncorked it and gulped it down.
The liquid burned pleasantly as it slid down his throat.
Warmth exploded through his body.
The torn muscles from earlier combat tightened and repaired.
The puncture wounds from arrows sealed.
The bruises faded.
Poison residue vanished completely.
Within seconds—
His body was restored to perfect condition.
Arthur rolled his shoulders once.
Flexed his fingers.
A satisfied smile ford on his lips.
"Brother... thank you very much for hoarding all these expensive potions," he muttered quietly.
"They really are lifesavers. I will make good use of them in your behalf."
After all—
Every one of these expensive potions had once belonged to Lucas.
But after Arthur stole his Sacrificial Inventory, they now belonged to him.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
Then his gaze lifted toward the building.
From his vantage point, he watched.
And what he saw made his eyes narrow.
Hordes of monsters were pouring into the building.
Mutated hyenas bounded forward in packs, bone spikes clattering against each other as they snarled and pushed through the broken entrance.
Red goblins sprinted low to the ground, cleavers dragging sparks across stone.
Behind them ca other creatures.
Towering horned brutes with molten cracks glowing across their chests.
Twisted bat-like aberrations flapping overhead, wings leaking dark mist.
Serpentine beasts slithering across the ground, their scales shimring sickly green,
shrieking as they entered.
All of them were moving in the sa direction.
Toward the basent.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
"It should be about ti now."
His gaze sharpened.
"Let’s go."
Keeping Shadow Veil active, he moved.
Careful.
asured.
He slipped between debris and broken vehicles, weaving through the edges of the incoming tide of monsters.
He did not rush.
He did not breathe too loudly.
Each step was deliberate.
Several hyenas passed within ters of him, their noses twitching—but they failed to notice him completely.
Arthur slid through the broken entrance and entered the building.
The air inside hit him imdiately.
A strange sll.
Thick.
Sweet.
Rotting.
It clung to the throat.
Arthur’s brows furrowed.
"What is that... sll?"
Before he could react further—
Sothing moved beneath his skin.
The Voidmorph Carapace activated.
Black symbiote spread across the lower half of his face.
The dark material flowed upward like liquid tal, shaping itself into a sleek half-mask that covered his nose and mouth.
The surface shimred faintly with deep violet undertones.
A translucent window appeared before him.
[ Host, the artifact is protecting you from the airborne stimulant that is attracting the monsters and harmful toxins present in the air that are dangerous to your body. ]
Arthur blinked.
"Wow... it can also do that. This artifact really is the best."
The mask adjusted seamlessly as he breathed, filtering out every trace of the strange stimulant.
Arthur proceeded cautiously through the dark hallways.
He avoided groups of monsters converging from upper floors.
He slipped through corridors just seconds before packs turned corners.
He remained a ghost in the chaos.
’Now where are Isabella and Jordan...’
Then—
A violent explosion shook the building.
The floor trembled.
A monstrous howl reverberated upward from below.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
Arthur’s eyes sharpened.
"There you are."
He changed direction imdiately and headed toward the basent staircase.
But as he approached—
He stopped.
The path downward was completely blocked.
A living wall of monsters filled the stairwell.
Hyenas.
Goblins.
Horned brutes.
Winged aberrations clinging to the walls.
Dozens.
No—
Hundreds.
All pushing downward.
All drawn by sothing below.
A chill ran down Arthur’s spine.
"That Jordan guy really did go all out, didn’t he..."
The mana in the air was violent.
Frenzied.
If he tried to push through that horde normally—
He would die.
Arthur stared at the writhing mass of bodies.
"Tch."
"Looks like I won’t be able to get past this horde without dying."
He straightened slowly as he took a deep breath.
"I was saving it for the last fight but looks like I have no choice but to use one of my trump cards after all."
A window materialized before him.
════════════════════════════
[ Skill Description ]
════════════════════════════
Berserk (A-Rank)
Description:
A state that forces the body and mind beyond their natural limits, unleashing overwhelming power through sheer instinct and will.
Effect:
• All physical and ntal stats increased by 500%
• Pain greatly reduced
• Reactions, focus, and aggression sharply enhanced.
Duration: 30 minutes
Cooldown: 3 hours
════════════════════════════
Arthur inhaled deeply.
"Activate Berserk."
For a heartbeat—
Silence.
Then—
Power detonated inside him.
Heat surged inside his body.
His heart rate exploded.
Blood roared through his veins like a raging storm.
His muscles tightened and expanded simultaneously, fibers reforging under invisible pressure.
His vision sharpened until he could see individual dust particles suspended midair.
Every monster’s movent beca predictable.
Calculable.
Every sound dulled into background noise.
His mana beca more dense.
Controlled.
Yet imnse.
It surged through him like a second circulatory system.
The sword in his grip felt weightless.
His body felt unchained.
A grin spread across his face.
’I wonder if every high ranking ’Awakened’ possess strength like this.
I really envy them.
His killing intent exploded outward.
As he stepped forward.
It wasn’t subtle.
It wasn’t hidden.
It was oppressive.
The pressure rolled through the stairwell like a shockwave, crashing into the massive horde of monsters blocking the descent.
For a heartbeat—
Silence.
Hyenas froze mid-snarl.
Red goblins halted mid-step.
Horned brutes stiffened.
Winged aberrations clung motionless to cracked walls.
All glowing eyes turned toward him at once.
Arthur deactivated his Shadow Veil skill.
Darkness peeled off his body like smoke.
"I’ve got fifteen minutes," he muttered calmly.
His fingers tightened around his sword.
"Let’s see if I can wrap this up in five."
The first hyena lunged.
Arthur moved.
Not just fast—he blurred.
The floor beneath his feet exploded as he launched forward.
Quick Draw.
But this ti it did it did not look like just a simple technique.
It was displacent.
His entire body launched forward in a blur.
The draw began at his hip—
And he vanished.
To the monsters, he did not dash.
He disappeared from his original position—
And reappeared deep inside their formation.
The blade cleared its sheath in a blinding arc.
A horizontal flash tore through the front line.
Five hyenas were bisected instantly.
Their upper halves slid forward a full second before gravity rembered them.
Blood erupted like ruptured pipes.
Arthur did not stop moving.
With all his stats enhanced by 500% strength flooded his muscles unlike anything before making the fight almost one sided.
His acceleration chained into the next step.
He pivoted.
Another Quick Draw.
Again.
And again.
It was the only technique he knew—so he bent it, twisted it, refined it. A single move, reborn in countless variations.
And with every execution, fueled by his enhanced strength, that simple draw grew sharper... faster... deadlier.
Another Quick Draw followed the last—seamless, relentless, leaving no room to breathe.
This ti diagonal.
He cut upward through two red goblins and into a horned brute behind them.
The brute’s molten chest cracked open.
The impact carried Arthur forward several ters, his boots barely touching the ground.
He was not fighting.
He was carving a path.
A winged aberration dove from above—
Arthur bent his knees and exploded upward.
His speed was unnatural.
He passed the creature mid-air.
The sword flashed once.
The aberration separated into two clean halves before it realized it had been struck.
Arthur landed behind a cluster of goblins.
They turned too slowly.
Quick Draw.
A compressed, brutal half-circle slash.
Three heads lifted into the air simultaneously.
The bodies remained standing for a fraction of a second—
Then collapsed.
Arthur blinked once.
Even he felt it.
’This power is... absurd. I wonder what will happen if i use this skill along with omnicognition at the sa ti.’
The thought filled him with excitent and curiosity.
Because the difference in power he was showing was already monstrous.
Every muscle responded instantly.
Every calculation was flawless.
He could see openings before they ford.
A horned brute roared and charged him head-on.
Arthur didn’t dodge.
He stepped forward.
Inside its swing.
Quick Draw.
Vertical.
The blade cut from groin to sternum.
The brute split open.
Arthur burst through the corpse in a spray of blood and viscera.
Hyenas sward him from both sides.
He shifted weight.
One fluid lateral dash.
Quick Draw chained into another movent.
The technique flowed.
Draw—
Step—
Cut—
Slide—
Redirection—
Each execution repositioned him.
He did not remain in one place long enough to be surrounded.
He moved through the horde like a storm front.
Ten.
Twenty.
Thirty bodies fell in less than a minute.
The stairwell beca slick with blood.
Cracked stone shattered beneath his footwork.
His blade scread with every draw.
But there were still more.
The stimulant had erased their fear.
They climbed over corpses.
Leapt through blood mist.
Charged blindly.
Arthur inhaled deeply.
Mana burned rapidly.
Voidmorph Carapace flickered across his shoulder as claws grazed him.
It absorbed the impact.
Mana drained.
He felt the cost.
’I can’t drag this out.’
A serpent beast lunged from below.
Arthur stepped onto its head mid-charge and used it as leverage.
Quick Draw.
Spinning.
Full-body rotation.
The arc expanded outward like a circular shockwave.
Five monsters around him were cleaved simultaneously.
Limbs scattered.
Blood sprayed across the walls.
For a brief mont—
A pocket of empty space ford around him.
The remaining monsters hesitated.
Even in frenzy—
Instinct trembled.
Arthur stood in the center of carnage.
Breathing steady.
Eyes burning behind the dark mask.
The blade angled downward.
"Co on," he whispered.
The horde roared.
And surged forward all at once.
Arthur bent his knees.
As the bodies kept piling higher, they stopped looking like enemies and started looking like a countdown.
With every attack executed, a second slipped away.
Each drop of blood, a reminder.
He had to end this. Fast.
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