Jinsu opened his eyes. The smell of war — that of sharp steel, devouring fire, and sticky blood — permeated his senses, mingled with the acrid aroma of charred flesh and the dust kicked up by the fighting. He emerged from the cumbersome pile of corpses under which he had sheltered and surveyed the battlefield.

  The gigantic Malekt, a Tier 1 beast, dominated the chaos. These creatures, beyond the norm and renowned for being at the top of the food chain, posed a threat that only a seasoned guild could hope to defeat. Its four legs, as thick as those of a bear, sank deeply into the blood-soaked earth. Its fangs, dripping with venom, glistened with a sinister shine, while its head, resembling that of a wolf with an elongated muzzle, turned towards its foes.

  The right ear, emaciated, sported a loop in the shape of an ankh, a sinister symbol of ancient curse or servitude. Its fur, darker than darkness itself, seemed to absorb light around it, creating an unsettling halo. Its massive chest, akin to that of a lion, rose and fell heavily with each breath, while its slender tail, tipped with a sharp spike like a syringe, whipped the air with latent menace. The Malekt's red eyes, blazing with pure hatred, swept over the carnage. Measuring over two meters tall and exceeding three meters in length, the creature embodied untamed fury. Its cry, a mixture of howl and roar, echoed like a death knell, shattering the spirits of the weakest.

  This roar was not merely sound; it carried a wave of terror, striking those who dared to stand against it. The Evanscia guild, once proud and formidable, lay in tatters. Mutilated bodies littered the ground, some still clutching their broken weapons. Jinsu, though accustomed to the horrors of war and anomalies, felt his very existence tremble before the power of his foe.

  The ground was soaked in a sticky red, and the cries of still-living fighters rose in a cacophony of despair and rage. In an instinctive movement, he grasped his weapon — a halberd covered in runic inscriptions, witnesses of ancient battles, engraved with enigmatic symbols evoking power and protection. The familiar weight in his hand offered little reassurance.

  His gaze lingered momentarily on the Malekt, which crushed another warrior beneath its massive paw before vanishing into the shadows, only to reappear behind a group of survivors. Its movements, both heavy and fluid, gave the impression of inexorable death. Jinsu took a deep breath, the air thick with ash and pain. No options remained. A flash of light, a reflection of a blade brandished in the distance, and a sorcerer's staff caught his attention before he heard a familiar scream pierce the tumult.

  At that moment, his friends, Evan and Atria, spotted him. They rushed towards him, their faces marked by fatigue and despair, but their eyes still sparkled with determined light. They forged their way through the chaos, dodging the Malekt's attacks with desperate agility.

  "Jinsu!" called Evan, his voice cutting through the clamor of battle. "We're here!" shouted Atria beside him.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Jinsu straightened, his determination rekindled by their presence. "You're late!" he replied with a tired smile, but adrenaline pulsed through his veins. "But I'm glad to see you. We need to act now!"

  Atria nodded, her hands already poised to channel her energy. "We need to combine our strengths. This beast is too powerful to be defeated alone."

  Jinsu agreed, his hesitation transforming into palpable impulse. Time was running short, and he knew the barrier of ether surrounding them limited them all. His body was strengthening, his muscles contracting as he sought to channel that force. Yet, he was fully aware of the barrier of ether that encircled them, an invisible prison preventing him from accessing higher concepts or skills beyond the rare rank, a consequence of the betrayal of his now-dead lover, Esther.

  As the Malekt turned its attention towards the small group, its red eyes burning with fury, Jinsu felt every heartbeat, every labored breath as he focused within himself. The chaos around him began to fade, his world narrowing down to this single task: breaking the barrier of ether. Jinsu closed his eyes, concentrating all his willpower on that singular point. The ether barrier, invisible yet tangible, seemed to vibrate around him. He pushed, again and again, feeling a resistance almost physical. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his muscles trembling from the effort.

  Suddenly, he felt something give way. A tiny crack, almost imperceptible, appeared in the barrier. Jinsu mentally plunged into it, widening the breach with fierce determination. A wave of power overwhelmed him, surpassing everything he had ever known.

  Without hesitation, he channeled this energy into the structure of his innate skill, the one closest to the edge of his soul: Implosion — sacrifice pillars of your existence including your lifespan, your soul, and your self to increase your talent and potential beyond rank zero; however, this may leave unexpected effects in case of use.

  The barrier immediately resumed its place, but the damage was already done. The world reduced itself to a series of [links], [cause and effect], and then [destiny]; his concept was materialized, time and space appearing fragile like modeling clay. He looked at the Malekt and cut the cords that tied it to this world with his halberd, and then a series of absurd events occurred: he stumbled, stepped on a sword soaked in deadly poison, then slipped on the blood on the ground and impaled himself on the tip of his own halberd.

  Malekt [lv.996] killed; prepare for experience absorption.

  Behold the power of the Lord of all misfortunes, the most feared being on the New Earth.

  "HAHAHA, well, in the end, I won't survive; triggering this series of events took too much out of me," I murmured to myself. My voice trembled as I tried to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. Everything was just too overwhelming; my body became pain-ridden, and succumbing to exhaustion, I collapsed to the ground.

  "Jinsu!" cried my friends in unison, the pain in their voices palpable.

  Atria arrived in tears, dragging Evan on the ground, whom she made sit peacefully beside me.

  "Come on, my brother, you can survive," Evan pleaded, my lifelong brother, my friend through good and bad times.

  "It’s not your time yet; you must live," Atria's voice took on a strangely resolute tone.

  I saw a red liquid flowing on the ground from Atria’s wrist, her blood imbued with [lie], [time], and [miracle], surrounded me, weaving into a pentacle according to my senses — a ritual, one of Atria's specialties.

  And then, then… the world exploded; the experience points, the ritual, and the self, I lived the [Implosion], the world twisted like a wormhole in space, as if I were living a trip on acid.

  Suddenly, I opened my eyes. Reflexively, I turned off my techno-magical alarm clock, but the sensation in my hand felt like my alarm clock from ten years ago.