As Kael woke up, dry leaves started to slip off from his back and scattered to the ground. He lay still for a moment, he started to take deep breaths —each breath sharp and refreshing. His chest rose and fell in a irregular manner, his lungs were still on fire. Slowly, he turned his head and looked around, eyes scanning the forest floor through the small gap in the tree trunk.
There were no monsters that I could see.
Only thing there was…..
….was the silence.
He tilted his head upward through the hole and saw light that was filtering through the leaves above. The sky he saw through the hole had already turned into a soft pinky golden hue shade.
It seems to be evening.
It seems he had slept for a longer time than he expected.
With a breath of relaxation, he opened his Nexus. A deep hum resonated in his mind, and suddenly a holographic dark screen appeared before him glowing faintly in the dim light.
[NEXUS]
Name : Sanctus Kaelvren Stormborn Dominus Citadellae Ruinae
Soulname : Not Obtained
Talent : Undetermined
Ranking : Unawakened / Lesser
Soul Job : Not Assigned
Soul Flaw: Not Revealed
Soul Attributes : Undermine
Soul Core: Not Formed
Soul World: Absent
| BLOODLINE |
Bloodline : Dormant
God's Blessings : None
Bloodline Ability : Unawaken
| Attributes |
Strength: 4
Agility: 7
Vitality: 10 ↓ 7
Endurance: 4
Perception: 3
Luck: 7
| Abilities : None |
| Artifacts : 5 |
| Echoes : None |
---
[Notice]
All the soul fragments you have accumulated will be calculated at the end of the trial.
—
After glancing through his stats, he noticed something was off with his Vitality because it was dropping sign in start it was 10 and it's now 7. He assumed it was due to blood loss and losing his right arm. But Kael wasn't alarmed. He knew that his Vitality dripp is temporary and his wounds are only applied in this world because this was the realm of consciousness it doesn't carry any kind of injury over to the real world. However, death here meant the death of the soul. If the soul perished, the physical body would die with it.
Even amidst all these thoughts, Kael's eyes started to light up with greed because his gaze fell on the artifact section which had 2 artifacts when he last checked in the colossal skull. But now he has five Artifacts Not three. Not four. Five. In his possession.
He couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
A grin smile formed at the corner of his lips.
He immediately focused on the Artifacts tab, and five names appeared in front of him:
---
Name: Gravewing Shroud
Rank: Harbinger (Rank 8)
Type: Cloak / Utility
---
Name: Wolvenhide Mantle
Rank: Ravager (Rank 9)
Type: Cloak / Light Armor
---
Name: Gorefiend Hand Sword
Rank: Ravager (Rank 9)
Type: Weapon (Short sword)
---
Name: Soulbound Dagger
Rank: Dread (Rank 6)
Type: Weapon (Dagger)
---
Name: Grief Shackles
Rank: Harbinger (Rank 8)
Type: Utility (Shackle)
------------
Name: Gravewing Shroud
Rank: Harbinger (Rank 8)
Type: Winged Cloak / Utility
Description:
A cloak crafted from the molten wings of vultures. It offers aerial mobility and ranged utility through its feather-based features.
Skills / Effects:
Carrion Ascent – Grants limited gliding ability and improved control while airborne.
Piercing Feathers – Fires sharp bone-like feathers in a fan-shaped arc, dealing piercing damage.
Flaw:
Feather Drain – Feathers need time to regenerate after use. Prolonged gliding causes mild fatigue.
------------
"I'm such an idiot…" Kael muttered, with sadness while pressing his palm to his forehead. The words came out sob, like he was speaking while crying. A deep regret gnawing at his entire self makes him look like the cold river current that was full of sadness, regrets, and a flame of agony. If I had just opened the Nexus when I was stuck on that damn branch…
He paused. Exhaled sharply. His breath hitched from halfway out.
"I could've been flying…" he whispered, voice barely above a breath.
Then he slammed his first against the wall of the tree with that punch a "ouch" came out from his mouth. He had it. He had —Gravewing Shroud, a wing-type artifact. One of the rarest treasures in existence. Even for someone who was born with a diamond spoon and privilege, this wasn't that rare—it was kind of difficult to obtain because not many of these kinds of artifacts came to market for sale. Wing-type artifacts didn't just fall into people's hands. But It did fall into my hands.
"I had a way to escape from themat damn branch without taking any danger but what I did was jump into the gateway of hell nearly getting eaten by the sea monster….. just because a goddamn fool forgot to check his Nexus ?" he spat his saliva with eyes filled with disbelief. "What kind of a fool am I?"
His voice was on the edge of being broken down.
"I could've glided across that river. I could've soared above that sea monster… I could've slept. Have rested." His hands trembled slightly. "Instead, I dangle myself like bait. Nearly drowned myself. Shattered my bones. Watching my own blood spill from my mouth like it has no meaning."
He leaned forward, gripping his hair.
"I became so overwhelmed by the fear and pain, that I forgot the one thing that could've saved me from going through it again. Damn it!"
He slammed his fist into the ground. With that dirt flew in the air.
"I almost died. For what? For forgetting?"
"What's the point of having an artifact… if I forget to use it when it matters most?" His voice was filled with bitterness. "All this training. All this knowledge. All this so-called potential. And when it comes down to life or death—I freeze and piss my pants."
He looked down at his hands which were filled with bloodstained, blistered and were shaking.
"I'm pathetic…" he muttered. "I had everything. Everything. And I almost threw it all away because I was too scared to think."
The silence that followed was heavier than the words themselves.
"I'm not supposed to be like this," he muttered. "Not me." "I am the great h****"
Then, with effort, he lifted his head. Anger and sorrow clashed in his eyes.
"But I'm not done yet," he said through his clenched teeth. "Not while I'm still breathing. Not while I still have something left."
His gaze slowly drifted toward the glowing icons in the interface.
The other remaining two artifacts he had obtained during the Great Massacre of his Misfortune.
Whatever fate had thrown at me back here.. on my face will make me powerful.
---
Gorefiend Hand Sword
Rank: Ravager (Rank 9)
Type: Weapon – Crude Short Sword
Description:
Forged from scavenged bone and blood-rusted metal, this blade carries no elegance—only survival. It was once dragged from a corpse's grip beneath the blackened moon, and to this day, it hums with a thirst that no clean weapon ever would.
Effect:
Bloodstain Edge – Increases damage slightly against weakened enemies. Deals minor extra damage if the wielder is already injured.
Lightweight Grip – Allows fast slashes and quick thrusts.
Flaw:
Rust Veins – Blade dulls quickly with each kill and must be sharpened often to prevent breakage mid-fight.
---
Wolvenhide Mantle
Rank: Ravager (Rank 9)
Type: Cloak / Light Armor
Description:
Stitched from the pelt of a fallen Shadow Wolf, this cloak was once wrapped around the shoulders of a starving hunter. It does not gleam, nor does it intimidate—but when the night howls, it listens. And when death comes crawling, it keeps the warmth in just long enough to strike back.
Effect:
Shadow Insulation – Slightly reduces physical damage and cold exposure. Provides minor concealment in dark areas like forests and caves.
Warmth Aura (Passive) – Maintains body heat, preventing stamina loss in cold climates.
Flaw:
Threadbare Core – Weak against piercing or magic damage. Highly flammable and degrades when exposed to acid.
—
In that Ocean like stillness surrounding, Kael scrolled through the artifact details, while having a low growl rumble from his stomach.
His expression soured.
"...Seriously?" he muttered, with a mild embarrassment.
The tension of the moment broke—but only for a second. Hunger was the least of his problems, but it was a nagging reminder that his body, no matter how battered it was. At the end of the day he was still alive and a human who needed to eat.
Without a second thought, he tore away the last shreds of his battered hide coat. Exposing his whole battered body in this cold forest air. Dry mud was clinging to his skin. While checking his body through touching it suddenly paused. But what made him pause was the stump where his right arm had once been.
He stared at it in silence.
There was no rot. No blackened veins. No decay, just a lump of muscles.
With excited face
Kael tries to manifest the Wolvenhide Mantle from his soul core. With that a mantle suddenly appeared in his hand. The cloak was shimmering with dark fibers, lined with something coarse and fur.
Instant it appeared it started to sliping over his shoulders. "How would I look in it? It should be decent… "
As the mantle clasped around his neck, it adjusted itself and molded into his frame. It wrapped him in black clothes.
Then, Kael raised his remaining arm to summon the Grave Wing Shroud on his back.
With a low hum, it appeared beside him in a slow spiral of bone and mist. It was a Feathered wing with black feathers, giving him an elegant and ominous— like a devilish angle.
With a deep exhale.
That transformation occurred.
Where a broken naked boy once crouched in fear, at that place there was a devil standing.
He was forged by pain. Sharpened by fear.
His cloak swelled with the cold breeze, and the wings wew a fusion of white bone fused and pitch-black feathers that was spreading wide behind him like the arms of death
He was not looking like a human.
He was something else.
A specter that was cloaked in a nightmare. A new devil rose from the underworld.
Kael took one step forward from the small hole of the trunk where he was hiding with fear. His wings flexed with a quiet menace appearance.
He looked to the treetops, which were touching the golden sky.
A cold grin tugged at his lips.
"It's time to test it out," he whispered.
His eyes gleamed with a strong resolve and something sinister that was …
Hunger….
Then, without a sound, he kicked off the earth.
The wings flared wide.
And Kaelvren vanished into the air, swallowed by wind and shadow.
The hunt had begun.