Dungeon Level 55 was no longer roaring with battle. The cracked obsidian floor still glowed faintly with fading heat. Broken pillars lay scattered everywhere like fallen giants. Deep claw marks tore across the walls. The air smelled of blood, ash, and burnt mana.
The battle had ended.
The Demon Beast General had been defeated.
Kael stood in the center of the ruined chamber, breathing slowly. His coat fluttered slightly from the lingering mana currents.
In front of him—
She was on one knee.
Silver hair spilled across her shoulders, stained red at the ends. Her wolf ears twitched weakly.
A long silver tail rested against the cracked floor, barely moving.
She was injured.
But still she was proud.
Still glaring at him.
Yet before either of them could speak—
The dungeon ceiling began to tremble.
A low humming sound filled the chamber.
Kael looked up.
From above, darkness gathered.
Not normal darkness.
It was thick. Dense. Like liquid shadow pulling itself together.
And then—
A black core formed.
It hovered in the air, slowly rotating.
It was not red like normal demon cores.
It was completely black.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Does it belong to the demon?" he thought.
The core pulsed once.
Then a system message appeared before him.
[Here is the skill that you acquired.]
The words floated in the air, glowing faintly in silver.
Kael frowned.
"Skill?" he muttered.
Behind him, the Saber Girl stepped forward carefully. She was still alert, hand on her weapon.
"What is the name of the skill, Master?" she asked quietly.
Kael stared at the black core.
"I don't know either," he replied honestly.
Then new words formed in the air.
Demon Physique Evolution
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
Before he could process it fully, more information appeared.
Skill Acquired:
Physique Name: Abyss-Touched Vessel
Changes:
• Blood carries demonic resilience
• Bone density increases massively
• Natural regeneration in darkness
Even the injured beast girl looked confused.
Kael did not move.
But inside his mind was shocked.
(What…?)
He stared at the words.
He had seen this before.
In the original timeline of the novel.
He remembered it clearly.
Abyss-Touched Vessel.
That was a skill that appeared after Chapter 1000.
Only after the world war arc.
Only after the future Kael had crossed into the Abyss Realm.
Only after a demon from another timeline had appeared.
"…I saw this skill after chapter one thousand," Kael thought slowly.
His heartbeat grew heavier.
"So that means…"
His gaze lifted back to the black core.
"So that means I have acquired a skill from the future."
The realization made his chest tighten.
If this skill belonged to a future event…
Then how did it appear here?
His mind moved quickly.
Its body had been darker than usual.
Its aura did not feel normal.
It was heavy.
Almost… displaced.
"So that means," Kael continued thinking, "the demon came to this dungeon from the future?"
His eyes narrowed.
"That is why it appeared black in color."
Before he could think further—
The black core suddenly dropped.
It did not fall slowly.
It shot downward like a spear of darkness.
Directly toward him.
The Saber Girl reacted instantly.
"Master—!"
But it was too fast.
The core entered Kael's forehead.
There was no explosion.
No loud sound.
Just a deep, echoing pulse.
Kael froze.
His pupils widened.
The world around him went silent.
"What…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"I can't think of the skill?"
It was strange.
Usually, when he acquired a skill, he could feel it clearly.
Its structure.
Its limits.
Its potential.
But this time—
It felt sealed.
Like something was waiting.
Then—
Darkness swallowed him.
Into the Soul Realm
Kael found himself standing in another place.
There was no dungeon.
Only black.
Endless black.
But not empty.
He was standing on the surface of a still, dark lake.
The water was black as ink.
And it stretched infinitely in every direction.
Above him, there was no sky.
Just void.
He looked down.
His reflection stared back at him.
But his reflection's eyes were darker.
"What is this place?" Kael asked quietly.
His voice echoed strangely.
Then—
Plop.
A ripple spread across the black lake.
Kael looked to the side.
A black core rose from the water.
Then another.
And another.
Soon, dozens of black cores floated around him.
Each one rotating slowly.
Each one pulsing faintly.
Each one identical to the core that entered his head.
His expression turned serious.
"So I need to absorb them all?" he said.
No answer came.
But the cores moved slightly closer.
Then he smiled slightly.
The Abyss-Touched Vessel.
It was not a simple skill.
It was a transformation.
An evolution.
But incomplete.
The black cores were fragments.
Pieces of something larger.
If he absorbed them—
He might evolve further.
Or lose himself.
The black lake beneath his feet began to ripple more violently.
The cores pulsed faster.
Kael felt pressure building inside his chest.
Then suddenly—
Everything shattered.
Then he came back to Reality
Kael gasped.
He was back in the dungeon.
It all returned at once.
The Saber Girl was in front of him, eyes wide.
"Master, are you alright?"
He nodded slowly.
"Yes."
The beast girl was still kneeling.
Something about him had changed.
But touched by something ancient.
Kael looked at his hands.
There were faint black veins under his skin for a second.
Then they faded.
He closed his fist.
"We need to rush," Kael said calmly.
The dungeon was unstable.
Level 55 had been cleared.
But something about this place felt wrong.
As if it did not belong to the present timeline anymore.
He turned to leave.
But—
"I want to come with you."
The Beast Girl was trying to stand.
Her body trembled slightly.
Broken pillars lay around her like a graveyard of stone.
She was injured.
But her golden eyes were determined.
Kael studied her silently.
"I.. i want to come with you all" the beast girl said.
"I want to see the open world"
"You should know the open world is far more dangerous than the place where you stay," Kael replied.
"But don't worry. I will come back for you" Kael said.
"What do you mean come back?" The beast girl said.
"The demon Zhal and I will have a dangerous route from here and I can't risk taking you," Kael replied.
Chapter 352: Did I forgot something?
5 min read