Chapter 2: The Skill That Breaks the World
Hikaru leaned against the jagged stone wall, his breath ragged. The shadows twisted unnaturally around him, pulsing with malicious intent. Every second in the Abyss felt like a war against existence itself.
But the screen before his eyes wouldn't disappear.
Skill: Rewrite — Allows the user to alter the rules of reality at the cost of lifespan.
He grimaced. "Lifespan, huh? Figures there'd be a catch."
Still, it was power. Raw, terrifying power. And he would need it.
A guttural growl echoed through the dark, shaking loose bits of stone from the ceiling. Hikaru turned slowly. Something was coming.
From the mist emerged a beast the size of a bus—all scales, spines, and soulless crimson eyes. It roared, a sound that made his bones feel like paper.
Instinct screamed at him to run, but something else ignited in his chest. Not courage. Not hope.
Fury.
He activated the Rewrite skill. A strange sensation overcame him—like his soul was being threaded through a burning needle.
[Rewrite Activated: "Speed +1000% for 10 seconds"]
[Cost: 3 years of lifespan]
Time bent. The world blurred.
Hikaru moved before he even realized it, dodging the beast's tail swipe and vaulting onto its back. He grabbed a jagged bone protrusion and activated Rewrite again.
[Rewrite Activated: "Muscle Density x5"]
[Cost: 1.5 years]
With a roar of his own, Hikaru drove the bone like a spear into the monster's eye. It thrashed, screeching in agony before collapsing into dust and shadow.
He fell to one knee, panting, every muscle screaming.
"That... was insane," he muttered. Then he grinned.
Power had a price. But being powerless had cost him everything.
As the corpse vanished, the Abyss pulsed again, and a small orb of light floated toward him. A system notification appeared:
You have absorbed Abyssal Core: Forbidden Knowledge fragment unlocked.
New Ability Available: Abyss Sight — See hidden truths, illusions, and weaknesses.
His glowing amethyst eyes shimmered even brighter, now laced with faint black rings. A smile touched his lips.
They thought they threw him into a grave.
They buried a god in the making.
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End of Chapter 2.