The name of the rift wasn't exaggerated or metaphorical, it was literal.
This place truly was a massive graveyard. Tombstones stretched endlessly into the mist, and far off in the distance, at the very end of the gloomy horizon, stood a towering black cathedral.
'I guess I won't have to search for the boss this time,' Sam thought, eyeing the ominous silhouette.
None of the other parties that had been present earlier had entered yet.
Most of them were likely still discussing plans or considering whether it was even worth the risk.
As for those who had walked away, they were probably already reporting the discovery of this strange new corrupted rift to the authorities.
Sam, however, had no such intentions. He was alone, and that suited him just fine.
Fwish! Fwish! Fwish!
The graves around him began to tremble. Dirt cracked. Stone lids shifted. And then, rising from the earth, came dozens upon dozens of skeletons, each one corrupted and cloaked in a dark mist.
"Finally," Sam muttered under his breath, spinning the [Primordial Sword] once in his palm as he got ready.
He was prepared for a fight, but in the back of his mind, a thought lingered: would his stats hold up?
Despite wielding [Forsaken]-rank skills, his constitution was still only 8.
If the [Eternal Barrier] was somehow broken, even a single hit could be lethal.
And his [Soul] stat wasn't all that high either, which made him wonder if it would affect the performance of [Abyssal Obliteration].
Still, hesitation had no place here. The undead had already surrounded him.
---
[Undead Skeleton (Corrupted)]
[Level: 10]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: They aren't in the underworld somehow. It's fine, just kill them… again?]
---
Sam took a step forward and lunged at the nearest skeleton without waiting.
Each of the undead held a different weapon, some had rusted swords, others carried spears or axes.
But the most noticeable detail was the corruption itself. The bones of each monster were covered in dark, jagged cracks, like something unnatural was eating away at them from within.
'So that's what the corruption looks like...' Sam noted, just as his sword moved.
Slash!
The moment his blade connected with the first skeleton, it was cleaved perfectly in half.
Its bones shattered, scattering like dry twigs. But that wasn't all. The strike released a small shockwave of dark energy that burst outward, sending the surrounding skeletons flying back in a wave of black pressure.
Sam smiled. That reaction, that synergy between his sword and the shadow element, it was exactly what he was hoping for.
"Looks like this is gonna be another graveyard after all," he muttered as he turned, his shoes pressing into the cracked stone beneath him.
He could already tell that unless something unexpected happened, [Eternal Barrier] wouldn't even activate. He might not get hit once.
That thought made his smile deepen.
With one arm raised high, shadow aura began to pulse around him.
"Abyssal Obliteration."
A portal of darkness tore open above him, swirling with chaos.
The undead paused for a second, tilting their heads up with their hollow eye sockets fixated on the phenomenon, but before they could even react properly…
PFTFTFTFTFTFTF!
A barrage of shadow bullets erupted from the portal like a machine gun.
Each bullet slammed into the skeletons below, punching holes through their bodies and breaking them down until they were nothing more than piles of scattered bones.
Sam didn't need to aim. The bullets were fast, relentless, and almost unnervingly accurate.
Eventually, when only silence remained, he slowly lowered his hand.
"Yeah... that eats up a lot of soul," he muttered, breathing out.
It wasn't fatigue exactly, he wasn't physically tired, but he could feel that his internal reserves had taken a hit.
Still, he had no complaints. Being able to freely use his [Forsaken] rank skills in a real fight like this was satisfying.
He lifted the [Primordial Sword] once more, and in one simple motion, it absorbed the cores of the broken skeletons lying all around him.
He could feel the power rush into him, and his crimson eyes glowed faintly in response.
But then...
Ding!
[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 5 of the Novice Rank!]
[Please select a skill.]
"Perfect."
In this world, every five levels granted a skill choice. So at level 5 and again at level 10 of each rank after the advancement task, you were given a guaranteed opportunity to grow stronger without needing scrolls or luck.
Three options would typically appear, and you were expected to choose wisely.
It was a system that suited Sam perfectly. With his understanding of evolution paths, he could always pick based on what a skill might become in the future.
But today… things were different.
[Choose a card, Primordial.]
"...Huh?"
Three cards suddenly materialized in front of Sam, floating in midair.
But the weirdest thing about this abnormal skill selection process was the cards weren't even face-up: he couldn't see what skill they offered.
All three cards were a deep violet color, but each one had a different symbol etched into the back: the first showed a skull, the second a sword, and the third a dark flame.
He naturally tried to turn the cards or get behind them. Nothing. His hand phased through.
Even circling around didn't help, the cards followed him perfectly, always staying aligned to his front like they were locked in place.
He sighed.
"Of course. Things were going too smoothly."
Still, he wasn't one to waste time on complaints.
"So I have to choose one of these blindly, huh..."
The undead around him were gone for now, and he had a moment of peace. He could use it.
He looked at the sword symbol in the center.
"If it's related to the [Primordial Sword], then I'm all in."
Without hesitation, he reached forward and pointed to the card with the sword icon.
[You have selected your card.]
The other two vanished in a burst of dark flame, and the remaining card slowly turned to reveal its contents.
---
[Shadow Tendrils]
[Rank: Epic]
[Description: Tendrils come out of the Primordial Sword to bind enemies and keep them in place.]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Kinky.]
---
Sam let out a short smile at the Hell-Mode commentary, then grabbed the card and crushed it in his hand. The energy flowed into him instantly.
Ding!
[Congratulations to Sam Walker for learning the skill: Shadow Tendrils (Epic)]
That could definitely come in handy against powerful enemies, especially if he needed to immobilize a boss or disrupt an ambush.
He'd have to test it later. The second layer was waiting, and he already knew that surprises were guaranteed. Even with all of his new strength, caution remained his best weapon.
Boom! Boom!
But suddenly, a pair of explosions echoed from behind him.
Sam turned.
In the distance, just beyond the edge of the graveyard's entrance, he saw them: the same ten-member awakener squad from before.
The ones who had shouted their guild motto so loudly. They'd finally made their entrance.
Sam didn't stick around to greet them.
Without a word, he turned away and kept walking, his steps slow but steady.
His eyes locked onto the cathedral ahead.
That… was where he needed to go.