HUFF–HU–PUFF! Renold stood over Khal, panting, one foot pressed against his chest as Khal lay motionless, paralyzed by the poison.
What the hell is this guy made of?
Despite Renold’s relentless attacks, Khal bore only slight injuries, his bitter expression unwavering. If looks could kill, Renold would’ve dropped dead on the spot.
Just a bit longer… Khal thought, his gaze locked on Renold.
Renold lifted his foot off Khal, glaring down at him before letting out a twisted smile.
“You're a lot more resilient than expected. But so what? The moment my poison hit your bloodstream, you were already finished.”
He continued casually, “Still, it’ll be a lot more fun watching Merlin wake up and struggle to kill you herself.”
With a chuckle, he walked over and retrieved his thrown dagger, then turned back toward the display of treasures, standing before it with a pleased grin.
“You know, the Leywin Knights were the first to discover this tomb. We originally owned the rights to the D-rank rift, and that’s when we found it—this ridiculous treasure no one ever expected to be buried in a low-rank rift. But because of the level 15 entry cap and how hard the tomb actually is, we couldn’t clear it. Eventually, the Breacher’s Association took the rights from us.”
He went on.
“The family figured the Association wouldn’t bother digging deep into the rift. They’d either use it as a training ground or an exp farm for rookies. So we improvised—we buried the tomb’s entrance and waited for a chance to come back.”
“But surprise—” he grinned, “they scrapped the whole thing and turned it into part of the university’s entrance exam secret realm. That complicated everything. We couldn’t just send in anyone under level 16; they’d need to be graduating from a school to even qualify. And we couldn’t exactly tell the Association what was hidden here, or they’d have taken it for themselves.”
Khal finally spoke, his voice sharp with sarcasm.
“Lemme guess… so the plan became breaking into the exam each year and hoping to trick someone strong enough to help you clear the tomb—and you failed every time.”
Renold turned to him, a smug grin on his face.
“Yup, until now. The original plan this time around was to trick Araon Dragul and take him out when the job was done. But seeing his personality in person—and how he’s always with his twin sister, when only three people can enter this dungeon—we knew it’d be impossible to fool him…”
“But then you showed up. Like everyone else, I thought you were just some idiot riding on your family's name, but Merlin used her gift and told me you were actually insanely strong. I was skeptical at first, but seeing your results during the selection convinced me.”
“To make sure no one would know who I was, I had long enrolled under a fake name and so it was easy enough to score just enough to pass without drawing attention. From there, all i had to do was hide in Merlin's shadow and wait for the right moment to strike—without you even knowing I existed.”
Khal’s expression hardened with anger.
“Why the hell are you telling me all this?”
Renold turned back to the display, pulling out his dagger and pointing it toward the center. “Does it even matter? You’re going to die anyway. I don’t see why I shouldn’t tell you.”
He chuckled.
“And now, thanks to you, after years of trying to break in here, we’ve finally obtained the Genesis Shard.”
Khal’s eyes narrowed.
So that’s what they’re after… Who would’ve thought a Genesis Shard would be here?
 




Everything in the world holds a price tag—except for certain items. A Genesis Shard is one of them. Though a person’s blessing is determined the moment they awaken, a Genesis Shard gives a 50% chance to raise the grade of that blessing during ascension.









Ascension occurs when someone breaks the level 100 threshold, causing their level to reset to 1—but all stats are retained and even multiplied. Throughout all of Earth’s history, only a few have become Ascension Second Order, and only a handful reached the Third Order.




 
Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain tore through the left side of Khal’s abdomen. His jaw clenched from the intensity as the throbbing grew. Though his body was still mostly paralyzed, something inside was shifting.
What the hell is this? This isn’t the poison… it feels like something inside me is ripping apart to make room.
The pain gradually faded, replaced by a tingling sensation. Then, Khal felt it—the paralysis was lifting. Little by little, control was returning to his limbs. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.




Mutation occurred from constant strain!
[Toxic Gland]
Stores and neutralizes poisons using enzymes or modified antibodies.




 
A mutation? That’s new. I do remember the system saying my body could mutate under extreme conditions… but it never actually happened before, so I forgot all about it.
Khal’s blood still stained Renold’s dagger. With a smirk, Renold raised it overhead and flicked it against the display glass. A loud sizzle followed as Khal’s blood burned through it, melting the glass away.
“Who would’ve thought you’d be the one to gain his inheritance?” Renold muttered, stepping closer to the shard, Ignoring the spear.
“So many of our people died trying to get it, and yet he chooses some F-grade trash. But no worries—I'll make sure to take good care of his stuff.”
Khal slowly began rising to his feet, most of the poison in his system now neutralized.
“How exactly did you all know the tomb’s owner left an inheritance?” Khal asked, his voice steady as he tried to move unnoticed. “It’s not like he advertised this place.”
“On the contrary,” Renold said. “He did. You didn’t notice since you were too busy interrogating that waste, but on the walls of the tomb’s entrance, there are carvings written in the tongue of his civilization. Pretty much spells out everything—his resting place, his power, and the reward for whoever reaches the end.
He continued, reaching toward the glowing shard.
“That’s how we knew what was here.”
Khal stood upright, steadying himself and preparing to strike while Renold was distracted.
Renold’s hand closed around the Genesis Shard, lifting it from its pedestal with reverence.
“Truly amazing,” he whispered. “To think I’d actually be the one to hold something this rare…”
Remote adaptation.
 




Choose the amount of adaptive points and the form of the adaptation.
[92]





Combat


Defense


Practical








 
In terms of strength, I have the advantage. He’s just too slippery and fast, so there is no need for me to choose combat. I also don’t need to fear his poison anymore so defense isn’t needed…
Consume 60 points for a Practical blessing.
 




Calculating danger. ↻




Selecting suitable Practical ability. ↻




Process Complete.✓

















Blessing: Bane of Shadows (D rank) Acquired (Temporarily.)




Enables the wielder to see through darkness, whilst darkness stays away from you. But because of this, you attract too much light and will die within contact of sunlight.








 
Khal read the skills description with a confused expression.
 
The abilities given by the system are so detailed and, besides flame tyrant body, are practically only useful to me. Still, with this, I should be able to stop his shadow skills.
 
Renold turned just then, a wide grin stretched across his face. But it vanished the moment he saw Khal standing tall.
“You really don’t know when to give up, do you?” Renold sneered. “Your stomach must feel like it’s about to fall out. Why don’t you lie back down and wait for your time to come?”
“You talk too much,” Khal replied coldly.
FWOOSH!
Khal dashed forward, his fist clenched tight, footsteps thundering through the tomb. His eyes burned with intensity.
Tch.
Renold clicked his tongue, slipping the Genesis Shard into his inventory before melting into the shadows.
But Khal’s eyes glowed bright.
I see you.
With Bane of Shadows active, Renold’s stealth was useless. Khal tracked him easily—his movements gave away his intent.
He’s circling left to flank me. The little shit’s afraid to face me head-on.
Renold moved with precision, certain of his advantage.
No way he can see me. Not a chance. Even a B-rank with 40 points in INT stat would struggle to detect me. He’s just a strength-based F-rank reject; with a bit of luck, a little bit more poison should send him back down to the ground.
Both closed the gap—Khal’s fist wound back to strike, Renold’s dagger gleaming as he smirked.
Then—
WHOOSH!
Renold shot upward from the shadows in front of Khal—confused.
What the—?
BAM!
Khal’s punch landed, but a familiar invisible barrier absorbed the blow. Even so, the impact forced Renold back, stumbling nearly to the floor.
He caught himself just in time, his eyes blazing with fury.
“What did you do to me?” he hissed, voice sharp and venomous.
Khal smirked, settling into a fighting stance.
So darkness really avoids me now… i didn’t get to punch him with my full strength because i didn’t expect him to just jump out but that won’t happen again.
“Why don’t you come find out?” he said, taunting.
Renold bit into his lip—hard. Blood dripped down as his rage boiled over.
FWOOSH!
He charged again, darkness erupting from his body like a storm.