Leaving the chaotic restructuring of the survivors to Elara, Kael walked down the darkened subway tunnel, moving past the edge of the blue Safe Zone barrier.
He counted his steps in the dark, using his enhanced Agility to silently bypass a few low-level mutated rats. Two hundred paces into the darkness, he stopped in front of a heavy, rusted maintenance door. It was completely unremarkable, covered in decades of grime and graffiti.
This was the entrance to the Forgotten Catacombs.
In his past life, this door didn't open until Year 5, when a massive earthquake shattered the seals. By then, the treasures inside had mostly degraded, but the title it granted had still birthed one of the top ten rankers in the world.
Kael inserted the Key of the Forgotten Catacombs into the rusted keyhole.
Click.
The moment the lock turned, the rusted steel door dissolved into pure, swirling black shadows. The air grew freezing cold.
[You are entering a Mythic-Grade Hidden Zone: The Throne of the Forgotten.]
Kael stepped through the shadowy veil.
He found himself standing in a massive, underground cathedral made entirely of black marble. There were no lights, but the room was illuminated by floating wisps of blue soul-fire. At the far end of the cathedral sat a towering throne carved from what looked like a dragon's skull.
Sitting on the throne was a skeletal figure draped in tattered, regal robes. It wasn't a monster. It was an echo of a long-dead god.
[The Echo of the Shadow Monarch gazes upon you.][To claim the throne, you must prove your dominion over death.]
"Prove it?" Kael scoffed, holding up his left hand. A dense, terrifying sphere of pure black energy gathered in his palm—the raw essence of his Mythic 'Devour' skill. "I don't need to prove anything to a dead god. I'm taking it."
Kael unleashed the black aura. It surged forward like a tidal wave, crashing into the skeleton on the throne. The Echo of the Shadow Monarch didn't fight back; instead, the skeletal figure seemed to smile before it dissolved into dust, allowing Kael's aura to consume the very essence of the throne itself.
[Ding! Impossible Achievement Unlocked!][You have forcefully assimilated a Mythic Legacy!]
[Title Acquired: The Omniscient Shadow][Title Effect: All Shadow-type and Necromancy-type skills increase in power by 300%. You can see the 'Death Lines' of any enemy 10 levels below you, allowing for instant-kill strikes.]
[Hidden Class Upgrade unlocked: The Glitched Devourer has evolved into 'The Sovereign of Glitches'.]
Kael's body was lifted off the ground by a swirling vortex of black and gold energy. He felt his mana pool expand exponentially, his physical limits shattering, and his senses expanding to cover the entire underground tunnel system.
He could feel the terrified heartbeats of the survivors back in the Safe Zone. He could feel the monstrous, hungry pulses of the mutated beasts roaming the streets above.
When his boots finally touched the black marble floor again, the cathedral fell completely silent. Kael opened his eyes. They no longer had normal pupils; they were glowing pools of infinite, starry abyss.
He was only Level 6, but he had the raw presence of a god.
"Status," Kael commanded.
[Name: Kael][Level: 6][Class: Sovereign of Glitches (Mythic)][Title: The Omniscient Shadow][Stats: Str: 27 | Agi: 22 | Vit: 20 | Int: 35][Skills: Devour (Lv. Max), Lesser Bloodlust (F), Shadow Step (B), System Interference (A), Aura of the Leader (C)]
Kael closed his status screen, an expression of supreme confidence on his face. The tutorial was scheduled to last for thirty days. It had only been four hours, and he had already claimed the greatest hidden piece on the board.
He turned his back on the empty throne and began walking back toward the Safe Zone.
"The tutorial is over," Kael whispered into the darkness, drawing the Monarch's Dagger. "It's time to start hunting Constellations."