They reached the extraction point, the faintly glowing circle carved into the ground pulsing in rhythm with the Keystone in Lyrelle's hands. Hyun-Jae gave her a nod, and she stepped forward to slot the stone into the pedestal at the center. The air around them began to hum, threads of energy weaving together as the portal slowly started to form.
But before it could fully stabilize, the sound of footsteps echoed from the treeline.
Hyun-Jae turned sharply. From the mist, several figures emerged, five in total each clad in the same dark, jagged attire as the one who had attacked them earlier. Their movements were precise, silent, and the glint of weapons shimmered faintly under the pale light.
He exhaled slowly, a quiet sigh escaping him as he rolled his shoulder, feeling the dull ache of his earlier wound. "Of course," he muttered under his breath.
She hesitated for a heartbeat, sensing the tension in the air, but one look at Hyun-Jae's expression, sharp, unreadable, and completely unshaken, told her enough. She stepped back, now clutching the Keystone close, while the figures fanned out in a loose semicircle, their intent unmistakable.
Hyun-Jae's eyes narrowed as he adjusted his stance. The air between them grew heavy, the soft hum of the portal behind him mixing with the quiet rustle of leaves.
Hyun-Jae kept his eyes on the approaching figures, the calm in his voice cutting through the tension. "I know you're not monsters," he said evenly. "So cut the act."
The one in the center chuckled, low and smooth, before pulling back his hood. His face was sharp, almost too perfect, his smile the kind that could be mistaken for friendly if not for the glint of cruelty behind it. One by one, the others followed suit, lowering their cloaks to reveal a mix of species, reptilian eyes, silvered skin, horns, and fangs, each marked with the same jagged insignia burned into their armor.
Hyun-Jae tilted his head slightly, unfazed. "So," he said, tone dry, "what do you want? Or did you just show up for a tea party?"
A muscle in one of the figures' jaws twitched. The one gripping his injured wrist scowled, recognition flashing across his face, the same one Hyun-Jae had disarmed earlier. His teeth ground audibly as he took a step forward, but the leader raised a hand to stop him, that same smirk never leaving his lips.
Lyrelle's expression shifted as her eyes caught the insignia. Her breath hitched slightly. "Hyun-Jae…" she murmured, voice tense. "They're from the Verge."
He glanced back at her briefly.
"It's a faction," she continued, voice low, "one that believes the realm should be purged of weak ranks, that only the strong deserve to fight for victory."
Hyun-Jae's gaze returned to the group before him, his expression hardening. "Huh. So that's what this is," he muttered under his breath. "Cleansing duty."
The leader's grin widened. "You catch on quick, E rank."
The leader stepped forward, his presence radiating smug confidence. "Remember this face," he said, tapping his chest. "I'm Kael of the Verge. Make sure you remember my name when you die, E rank."
Hyun-Jae tilted his head slightly, a faint exhale escaping him, not quite a laugh, but close. "Heh."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "What's so funny?"
Hyun-Jae met his gaze, expression unreadable. "Nothing much. Just… Verge, huh?" He paused, tone dry. "That's a pretty edgy name."
The air tightened instantly. The others bristled, one snarled, another's claws flexed against the dirt, rage flashing across their faces at the insult. Lyrelle's breath caught in her throat; she couldn't believe he had just mocked them so casually.
Kael, however, didn't lash out. His grin remained fixed, though the veins at his temple twitched. "Big words for someone who should already be groveling."
Hyun-Jae shrugged, utterly unfazed. "Yeah, well. I'm not really in the mood to play right now."
He turned his back to them, taking the Keystone gently from Lyrelle's hands. Without another glance their way, he stepped toward the extraction altar, calm and deliberate, as if the armed killers behind him were nothing more than background noise.
Lyrelle's pulse raced. The Verge members shifted, some ready to strike, but Kael raised a hand, eyes narrowing as he studied Hyun-Jae's movements, that quiet, unshaken composure that made it hard to tell who was really in control.
The Keystone pulsed faintly as Hyun-Jae set it into the slot. For a moment, the air shimmered as if the portal were about to open, but then the light flickered and died. A translucent screen blinked into existence before him:
ERROR — Extraction unavailable. Nearby teams detected. Minimum distance requirement not met.
Hyun-Jae stared at it for a second, then let out a quiet sigh. "Of course."
He turned around slowly, hands sliding back into his pockets. "You heard the screen" he said flatly. "Scram."
Kael laughed, the sound low and sharp. "Oh, we'll leave, E-rank. But only after we're done with you. Maybe we'll even make it quick."
Then his eyes flicked to Lyrelle, a cruel gleam lighting them. "Actually, no. Let's end her first. She looks fragile."
Lyrelle stiffened, instinctively stepping back behind Hyun-Jae.
One of the Verge members snickered, his voice oily and mocking. "Boss, mind if I have a little fun with her after we deal with him?"
The words were barely out of his mouth before the sound of shattering bone split the air.
The man's body hit the ground in an instant, neck twisted at an unnatural angle, eyes still wide in shock. No one had seen Hyun-Jae move.
Silence fell, the forest itself seeming to recoil.
Hyun-Jae stood exactly where he'd been, lowering his arm as if brushing off dust. His gaze was cold, detached. "Are we done here," he said quietly, voice carrying enough weight to make the others freeze, "Scram."
Kael's grin faltered for the first time. The remaining members of Obsidian Verge tensed, realization dawning that the man they'd mocked as an E-rank wasn't what he seemed.
Kael's grin returned, sharper this time, forced but composed. "Impressive," he said softly. "But let's see how long that composure lasts."
He flicked his fingers. The three remaining subordinates surged forward at once, their movements fast and coordinated, clearly trained to fight together.
Hyun-Jae didn't move at first. He simply observed their approach, eyes narrowing as their weapons gleamed in the half-light. Then, with a subtle shift of his stance, he vanished from sight.
The first attacker's blade met nothing but air. A split second later, a dull thud followed by the sound of cracking ribs echoed through the trees. The second barely had time to register it before Hyun-Jae's knee slammed into his midsection, sending him sprawling backward into a tree trunk.
The third lunged from behind, snarling, his claws glowing faintly. Hyun-Jae turned his head just enough to catch the reflection of the strike in his peripheral vision, then sidestepped and caught the creature's arm mid-swing. A twist, a pop, another body hit the dirt.
It was over in seconds. The forest fell silent again, the only sound the faint hum of the inactive portal.
Hyun-Jae straightened, dusting his hands off casually as though he'd just finished adjusting his sleeves. His breathing was steady, measured, controlled.
Kael watched, eyes narrowing, his calm mask slipping just slightly. "You're full of surprises, E-rank," he said quietly.
Hyun-Jae met his gaze, his tone as flat as ever. "You still planning on sending more?"
Kael's grin faltered yet again, just for a moment, before twisting back into something cold. "No. I think I'll handle this myself."
The air changed.
A sharp, invisible weight pressed down across the clearing, the same suffocating pressure Hyun-Jae had felt earlier and mistaken for the monster's presence. It rolled off Kael in waves now, raw and refined, thick enough to make the air hum.
Lyrelle gasped, her knees buckling as she clutched at her chest. The ground beneath her boots seemed to tremble.
Kael threw his head back and laughed. "So, you felt it too, didn't you? This is what separates the strong from the weak!"
Hyun-Jae didn't flinch. His eyes narrowed slightly, assessing the energy curling around Kael like smoke. Then, to Kael's surprise, the faintest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"So my senses weren't wrong after all," he said quietly.
Kael's laughter faltered, confusion flashing across his face. "What are you-"
He didn't finish. Hyun-Jae's expression hardened as he slowly raised his hand, the faint shimmer of light spilling from his palm. A ripple of energy pulsed outward as he called upon his system interface, invisible to everyone else.
In a flash, a sleek dagger materialized in his grasp, black-bladed, etched with faint runic grooves that pulsed faintly with restrained power.
Lyrelle's eyes widened. She had seen weapons conjured through Etherea before, but this wasn't that. The weapon hadn't been formed, it had appeared.
Kael took a wary step back, the confidence in his grin faltering. "What, where did you pull that from? You shouldn't be able to do something like that,"
Hyun-Jae's eyes lifted, cold and steady. "You talk too much."
The dagger spun once between his fingers, catching the light before settling into his grip. The easy indifference in his posture was gone, replaced by something sharper, focused, the kind of presence that made the line between predator and prey suddenly, unmistakably clear.
Kael's grin twisted into something desperate — the swagger in his stance shifting to survival instinct. His eyes darted between Hyun-Jae and Lyrelle, and for the first time, he understood that he couldn't win this head-on.
Fine, he thought, a dark smirk forming. If I can't kill him, I'll break him instead.
With a burst of speed, Kael pivoted and lunged straight for Lyrelle. She froze torn between raising her bow or running. Her instincts screamed to move, but her body wouldn't listen. The weight of Kael's killing intent locked her in place.
Hyun-Jae's expression didn't change. His arm moved almost lazily, a flicker of silver slicing through the air as his dagger left his hand.
The blade sang past Kael's neck, close enough to shear a lock of his hair. Kael's grin returned as he twisted mid-air, believing he'd evaded death.
"Heh too slow-"
But Hyun-Jae was already there.
Before Kael's feet even touched the ground, Hyun-Jae had closed the distance. His hand jerked backward, and the dagger obeyed, whistling through the air on its return arc. With an effortless motion, Hyun-Jae caught it and completed the movement in one seamless, horizontal slice.
A clean, decisive cut. No flourish. No hesitation.
Kael froze, his confident smile still etched on his face, before crimson bloomed across his throat. The sound that followed was a soft thud as his head less body crumpled to the dirt.
Hyun-Jae exhaled once, calm and indifferent, as he wiped the blade clean. His eyes barely lingered on the corpse before turning to Lyrelle, who stared at him in wide-eyed shock.
Hyun-Jae let out a quiet sigh, the tension leaving his shoulders. Great… I probably terrified her, he thought, glancing toward Lyrelle.
But instead of fear, her eyes were wide with something else, awe. She didn't flinch, didn't back away. Her small frame was still trembling from the pressure that had just lifted, but her gaze stayed fixed on him, filled with a strange mix of admiration and disbelief.
That caught him off guard. He blinked once, uncertain how to respond, before deciding it was best not to.
Without another word, Hyun-Jae turned his attention back to the battlefield. The bodies of Kael and his subordinates lay strewn across the ground, their insignias faintly glimmering under the light. He crouched beside Kael's corpse and muttered, "Absorb."
A faint, dark shimmer pulsed through the air as the essence flowed into him. The notification flickered across his vision
[Level Up]
Kael was an A rank and his allies were B rank so their energy was far richer than the C-rank beast from earlier. The Etherea coursed through his veins, heavy and potent, like swallowing lightning. Hyun-Jae steadied himself, suppressing the sudden surge that threatened to overwhelm his control.
He exhaled, straightened up, and sheathed his dagger back into the invisible inventory it came from. "Let's get out of here," he said evenly, though his gaze lingered on Lyrelle for a moment longer, still puzzled by the admiration in her eyes.
As the essence from Kael and his subordinates settled into him, a quiet chime echoed in Hyun-Jae's mind. His system interface blinked to life, the usual overlay appearing before his eyes.
[New Skill Acquired: Murderous Intent]
Hyun-Jae's lips curved into a faint, satisfied smile. Not bad, he thought. Another tool, another edge, another step ahead. Even in the midst of chaos, he had gained something tangible, power he could rely on.
He glanced at Lyrelle, who had recovered enough composure to step forward. "Here," he said, handing the Keystone back to her.
Her hands trembled slightly, but she didn't hesitate. She placed the stone into the portal's pedestal. Light flared and rippled across the clearing, threads of energy weaving together to form a stable gateway.
The hum of the portal filled the air, cutting through the tension like a promise of escape. Lyrelle's eyes met his again, this time with a mix of relief and awe, and Hyun-Jae simply nodded once, his expression calm and collected.
"Let's go," he said, stepping toward the portal, the faint glimmer of his newfound skill humming within him.
Lyrelle followed closely, Keystone in hand, and together they stepped into the swirling light. The extraction portal enveloped them, carrying them out of the clearing, away from the battlefield, and closer to the safety of their next move.
The portal spat them out back at the room they had teleported from, and for a moment, silence blanketed the area. Competitors nearby glanced at each other, mouths slightly agape. A two-person team, a C-rank and an E-rank, had just made it through the trial that quick. Murmurs rippled through the crowd, disbelief painted on every face.
Lyrelle lowered her gaze, voice quiet but serious. "Hyun-Jae… if the Verge faction finds out what happened in there, you're going to become their target."
Hyun-Jae nodded once, expression calm as always. "Only if they find out. And I'd appreciate it if you kept what happened in there to yourself."
Lyrelle swallowed, then nodded. "I can at least do that much… for everything you've done for me."
He shook his head slightly, dismissive. "I didn't do much. You probably wouldn't have even had to deal with people like Kael if you hadn't tagged along with me."
Lyrelle's cheeks warmed, but she shook her head firmly. "That's not true."
Hyun-Jae reached over and patted her head, a rare gesture that made her ears tint pink. His tone was soft, almost gentle, though still measured. "I know you're going to become stronger. Keep that in mind. I'm going to head to my room now, so… goodbye for now."
Lyrelle watched him walk away, a small smile tugging at her lips despite the lingering flush. Somehow, even in his usual reserved way, he had a way of making her feel seen, and capable.
Hyun-Jae collapsed onto the bed the moment the room materialized around him. The mattress protested with a tired squeak and then accepted his weight; the ceiling light hummed, tinny and indifferent. He stared at the dark spreading across the room and let the silence press in, only the faint echo of the combat and the portal's afterglow remained in his mind, distant and hollow.
He turned his head and looked at his shoulder where the blade had nicked him earlier. The cut was already healed since he leveled up. But still, it throbbed for some reason just enough to remind him that this body still had limits which he needed to break
More than the pain, though, it was the quiet inside him that unnerved him: he had killed Kael and the others, watched them fall, pulled their Etherea into himself, and felt almost nothing but a small, clean satisfaction. The system's chime in his mind, the new skill notification, the slight climb in his stats, all of it landed like a tally mark on a ledger. Practical. Useful.
He forced himself to name what that feeling might mean. Parts of me died in the Abyss, he thought. Maybe a lot of people would have called that necessary. Maybe I'll call it necessary too, but that doesn't mean it won't leave a stain. He sounded his own voice in his head like an experiment: distant, clinical. There was no drama, no outcry, only the slow realization that he had begun trading away pieces of himself without ceremony.
The thought of Lyrelle's face, wide with awe, trusting him, pulled at something softer, almost foreign.
He rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. The closed wound ached, the new skill hummed in the quiet, and the thought that had been growing since the first scrape in the Abyss resolved into a plan: he couldn't just keep leveling to patch every break. He needed a way to heal, to restore, not only his body, but whatever of him could still be saved. Tomorrow he would look into healing skills, training, options that didn't depend solely on taking from others. For tonight, he let the darkness hold onto him.