The air in the cavern still carried the burnt smell of the dead monster's ashes.
The lightning whip in Overseer Vane's hand crackled. The blue glow from it illuminated Kael's calm and expressionless face.
Vane narrowed his eyes. In the eyes of a Pathfinder, a mere human, he should have seen fear. But there was none in Kael's steel gray gaze. He looked the way a butcher looks at a goat tied in front of him.
"Are you deaf, worm?" Vane spat, arrogance dripping from his voice. He gestured to the two heavily armed guards standing behind him. "Go. Break his arms and legs and bring me whatever artifact he is hiding."
Both guards drew their heavy swords and stepped toward Kael.
Kael did not move even an inch. His mind was working at lightning speed.
Vane is a Rank 2 Awakened. His whip can strike from fifteen feet away. These guards are close to Rank 1. My strength is only Level 1 right now. Attacking Vane directly would be stupid. I need pawns. And the pawns are already coming to me.
The first guard approached Kael with heavy steps and raised his sword in the air.
"Kneel quietly, pig!" he growled.
He swung his sword downward with full force.
But the blade never reached Kael.
Just seconds ago Kael's Agility had increased by +1. It sounded small, but for a normal human it felt like a sudden burst of speed flowing through the veins.
Kael simply stepped one step to the left.
The sword sliced through empty air and crashed into the stone floor with a loud clang, sparks flying everywhere.
As the guard lost his balance, Kael extended his right hand and grabbed the guard's face in his palm.
Consume.
That cold and dark voice echoed again from the depths of his soul. Black void fire erupted from his hand.
The guard's scream died inside his throat.
The black flames spread from his face into his entire body and armor. In barely two seconds, the large armored guard turned into dry gray ash and his heavy armor collapsed onto the ground.
[System Alert: Target Consumed.]
[Reward: +1 Strength, +1 Stamina.]
A storm of pure energy surged through Kael's veins again. His muscles tightened. The rush was more intoxicating than anything he had ever felt.
"What the hell…" The second guard stepped back in terror, his sword trembling. "Th this thing isn't human!"
"You idiots! Fall back!" Vane shouted.
He had already realized that Kael had not found an artifact. He had awakened an extremely dangerous Innate Trait.
Vane swung his arm and the lightning whip lashed through the air like a blue serpent, striking toward Kael's chest. The attack was so fast that a Level 1 human should not have been able to dodge it.
Kael did not dodge.
Instead, using his newly increased strength, he grabbed the collar of the second guard beside him and pulled him forward with full force, using him as a human shield.
CRACK.
The lightning whip struck the guard's chest.
Thousands of volts surged through the guard's body and he was instantly burned to death.
Vane clenched his teeth in rage. "You filthy coward…"
Before Vane could pull back his whip, Kael threw the burned corpse aside and leaped straight toward him.
In panic, Vane fired a Lightning Bolt from his other hand.
Kael was in mid air. He could not completely avoid it. A streak of blue lightning struck his left shoulder, burning the flesh and spilling blood. The pain was intense enough to make any normal human collapse.
But Kael only smiled cruelly.
Pain is proof that I am alive.
He slid across the ground and stopped right at Vane's feet.
Vane tried to step back, but Kael kicked his knee with all his strength.
Crack.
A sharp sound of bone breaking echoed.
Vane screamed and collapsed onto his knees. His pride, his Syndicate authority, all of it shattered in an instant.
Kael stood up.
The terrifying silver glow returned to his steel gray eyes.
He extended his left hand, the one whose shoulder had just been burned, and grabbed Vane's throat tightly.
There was pure terror in Vane's eyes now. Death was standing right in front of him.
"W wait!" Vane choked desperately. "I am an elite of the Black Iron Syndicate! If you kill me they will hunt you to the ends of the world! I will give you wealth… rank… just spare me…"
"Mercy is for the weak," Kael said in a cold, emotionless voice as his grip tightened around Vane's throat. "Your strength belongs to me now."
The terrifying Entropy energy erupted from Kael's hand.
Because Vane was a Rank 2 Awakened, his body was far stronger than the guards. It took five seconds for him to turn into ash.
For five full seconds Vane screamed in agony worse than hell as his energy, his skills, and his life were dragged into Kael's body.
Then only gray ash remained.
Among the pile of ash, a small silver ring glimmered.
Vane's Spatial Ring.
A flood of glowing blue system prompts appeared before Kael's eyes.
[Higher Tier Target Consumed.]
[Large Amount of Energy Absorbed.]
[Level Up! You have reached Level 2.]
[Level Up! You have reached Level 3.]
[Stats Increased: +4 Strength, +5 Agility, +3 Intelligence.]
[Partial Ability Absorbed from Target.]
[New Passive Skill Acquired: Minor Lightning Resistance.]
Kael took a long, deep breath.
The burned wound on his shoulder began healing rapidly. His body now held so much power that it felt as if he could shatter stone with his bare hands.
He bent down, picked up Vane's silver ring, and slid it onto his finger.
He was still testing the feeling of his new strength when suddenly
Boom… Boom…
The entire cavern trembled violently.
Chunks of rock began falling from the ceiling.
Kael immediately lifted his head and stared into the deep darkness of the tunnel he had come from.
Something terrifying had awakened there.
The smell of blood and ash had not only attracted a minor Cavern Crawler.
In the darkness, a massive eye opened.
It was blood red and as large as an entire house.
A deep echoing sound followed, one that sent a chill down Kael's spine despite his newly increased Intelligence and Agility.
[Warning. Warning.]
[Class 4 Abyssal Monster Detected.]
[Survival Chance: 0%.]
The smile vanished from Kael's face.
He tightened his fist.
The game had only just begun.