In the hollow silence of the white space—deep inside Rey's Sea of Consciousness—he lay motionless on the pale bed. His breathing was steady, but his body remained unresponsive. Time had passed—five hours, in fact—since his soul endured the violent chaos of the eight integrated forces. Victor and Aiden stood nearby, their gazes locked on Rey, their patience worn thin. The doors still refused them. Even after Rey's integration, they couldn't breach the paths they desperately sought to uncover. And yet, the only key—the only one capable of opening those enigmatic doors—slept before them. Both spirits were on edge. The silence was maddening. Their frustration turned to readiness. They inched toward Rey. They wanted answers. They needed movement. But Zero remained between them and Rey, her silent presence a warning neither dared to cross. Then, like a dying ember flickering to life, Rey stirred. His eyes cracked open… and immediately closed again. Victor and Aiden exchanged a glance—and grinned. Without hesitation, they seized the edge of the bed and flipped it without mercy. Rey hit the floor hard, gasping. The bed crashed down over him, trapping him beneath its weight. "Ahhh! H-help me…!" he croaked. Neither spirit moved. Aiden merely crossed his arms, watching with cold amusement. It wasn't until Zero's quiet intervention that Rey was dragged out from under the fallen bed, coughing and groaning. "What the hell is wrong with you two?!" he demanded. "You were awake," Aiden said, voice dry, "yet you pretended otherwise. A lie that weak doesn't deserve mercy." Rey's throat caught. His own foolishness exposed. Victor sat down, frustration burning in his gaze. He was done waiting. "Enough games. Tell us, Rey… which path will you choose?" "I—" Rey faltered. Before he could speak, Veylen's voice cut in, sharp as steel. "Let the boy decide for himself. No influence. No pressure. A path forced is a path poisoned." Victor and Aiden—silent now—stepped back. Rey stood slowly, his heartbeat echoing in his ears as he turned toward the eight silent doors surrounding him. Their presence loomed heavy over the white space, like ancient titans watching him. Invisible strands pulling at his soul—eight unseen chains, each vying for him. Each pulling him toward their own path. Some pulls were weak, like whispers. It wasn't calling him—it was dragging him. Rey opened his eyes, breath shallow, lips dry. He didn't think. He couldn't. His body moved toward the source of the strongest pull as if no longer his own. He placed a hand on the chosen door. Blackness greeted him, deeper than anything he had ever known. Colder than the void itself. It felt alive. Darkness swallowed him whole. Rey drifted, powerless. The air—if there was any—felt heavy against his skin, pressing down like invisible chains. The silence pressed into his ears until even the sound of his heartbeat felt distant. An unseen current dragged him forward. The current grew stronger. Hope flickered. A light? An end? An endless, world-devouring eye, so massive that its scale defied his understanding. Staring directly into him. Into everything he was. His thoughts were fragmented. His heart refused to beat. He felt himself laid bare. Every fragment of who he was—scattered like dust in front of that gaze. Something beyond language whispered into his being. Not the physical death of blood and bone. But the death of the soul. A death that could never heal. Just as the void was about to devour what remained of him, something grabbed him from behind. Rey was yanked backwards with such force that his vision blurred. The eye receded, shrinking back to the white dot… then vanishing. But even as distance grew, he felt its gaze linger upon him. The pull finally stopped. Rey collapsed into the unseen ground beneath him, shaking uncontrollably. Tears ran down his cheeks. But they weren't tears of sadness. That whatever lay behind that Eye was not meant for human eyes. And he had just survived something no human ever should. Because it wasn't over. Rey's body was flung forward like a lifeless doll, hurled by some unseen force. Instinctively, he twisted mid-air, trying to glance behind—desperate to see what had grabbed him. But the force was too fast. Too brutal. He smashed straight into something solid. The impact shattered the invisible barrier into countless shards, and a blinding white light seared his vision. Pain roared through his body. He barely registered himself being flung further, tumbling weightlessly through the endless void, until gravity claimed him once again. But the impact was… wrong. The surface beneath him rippled like liquid, absorbing him in an instant. And consciousness slipped away. How long? Rey couldn't tell. He felt weightless. Suspended between waking and sleep, floating in something cold… yet oddly comforting. But peace was never his to claim. A voice—deep, condescending, male—echoed from nowhere. "Oi, kid. You here to sleep? Or did you come to take the trial?" The words stabbed into his mind like cold needles. Rey's eyes snapped open. Coughing violently, he shot up—half-submerged in black water. He spat out the liquid choking his throat, gasping for air as panic surged through him. His body was drenched. "Who…? Who said that?!" he rasped, spinning frantically. Just endless black water stretching into a sky that wasn't a sky. Trying to ignore his growing dread, Rey reached instinctively for his weapon. His shadow rippled, and the blade spun into his hand in a sharp arc. A mocking chuckle answered him. "Oh? Look at the little kid… summoning tricks already. Cute." The voice was clearer now. A man's voice. Calm, deep, and laced with arrogance. But there was something darker hidden beneath the humour—a pressure that dropped Rey to his knees like chains around his soul. "No need for that toy, boy," the voice said. "That little blade won't even scratch me." Rey could barely breathe. The pressure was suffocating. His body trembled violently under a force he couldn't resist, like his very soul was being knelt against its will. "Who… are you?" Rey managed, gasping. "Oh, right," the voice mused lazily. "Introductions. Name's meaningless, right now, really. But you'd know me as… the Will of the Abyss." Rey's eyes widened in terror. "That's right," the voice continued, relishing Rey's fear. "The Abyss itself chose me as its voice. One of the greatest beings your pathetic world will never meet. Except… you did." Rey's heart pounded like a drum. So this… was the presence behind the eye. This was the thing watching him. "And now you're here," the Will said, its voice growing darker, "because you've been chosen to attempt my trial. Not that you'll succeed or maybe." Rey clenched his fists. His pride refused to shatter completely. "What… trial?" he forced himself to ask. The Will laughed softly. "So, you want guidance over the Art—my Art: the Veil of the Unseen Abyss." Rey stayed silent, unable to speak as the pressure mounted. "The trial is simple, boy," Will said at last, like a predator toying with its prey. Rey froze. Confusion twisted inside him. "What? What do you mean 'find you'—?! Where am I supposed to even—?!" But the voice was gone. The suffocating presence vanished as if it had never been there. A dead world stretched around him. An endless mirror of still, black water at his feet. Not even darkness. Just… absence. Rey's heart thundered in his chest. He spun, searching for anything—anything—that could serve as a clue. But there was no end. No walls. No horizon. His mind spun into panic. Until—faintly—his System responded, its cold precision bringing a fragile thread of clarity. ───◈ [System Notification] ◈─── [Host has entered an unregistered dimensional plane: Abyss Plane.] [Entry medium: Art — Veil of the Unseen Abyss.] [Special Task Generated: Trial of the Abyss.] Rey's eyes burned as he read the message. His task wasn't a riddle. In this endless, dead world… he had to find something that didn't want to be found. Because there would be no soul left to wake. ───◈ System Task Notification ◈─── [Trial Task Generated!] Task: ▸ Trial of the Abyss Locate and touch the Will of the Abyss hidden somewhere within your current surroundings. While searching, defeat the summoned Doppelgängers of Yourself — shadow replicas forged from pure abyssal energy. The Will of the Abyss can be anywhere; please search yourself. Restrictions: Only your physical weapons may be used. No skills, techniques, or external powers permitted. Reward: ▸ ???? (Depends upon the Will's Satisfaction) This trial marks the beginning. The Abyss watches in silence. 'Since when did the system start giving me things ?' Rey thought bitterly, glancing at the strange trial notice. 'I'll have to ask Aiden about it… when I get out of here.' But before that thought could even finish, reality shifted. The black water rippled violently. Dozens of hands burst from the surface all around him. Pale, skeletal fingers clawed upward, dragging twisted figures out of the depths. Each identical to him in size and build, their skin ink-black, eyes burning pure white. But the worst part wasn't their faces. It was the weapons they carried. Swords. Bows. Hammers. Katanas. Even guns. Weapons, they were now turning against him. Some carried blades, others aimed bows. A few hefted massive warhammers he had never dared to wield himself. And scattered among them—silent, patient—stood gun-wielders. His own shadows. His own techniques. Now hunting him. Rey tightened his grip on his sword, swallowing his rising fear. 'Where…? Where is the Abyss Will hiding? Among them? Somewhere else?' He scanned frantically, desperate for any clue. "So, the trial and the trial-taker are ready." "Then let the game of hide and seek… begin." The sound of that voice was still echoing as the Dark Reys charged him. "Wait… all at once?!" Rey gasped. Rey summoned his bow in panic, firing clumsy, desperate shots. Some arrows missed entirely. Others were batted aside. The enemy archers shot back. And they weren't as clumsy. One tore through his thigh. Another sliced across his ribs. Pain flared—but he forced himself to switch to sword and shield. He barely raised them in time. More arrows slammed into his defences. But then came something else. A sharp impact slammed into his side—small, fast, clean. He stumbled, glancing down in confusion. His gaze snapped up—twelve Dark Reys, each wielding guns, calmly taking aim from the flanks. A sword pierced into his back. The pain wasn't dulled. He spun, wildly slashing, managing to cleave the attacker into misty water. But there were too many. Another arrow was embedded in his shoulder. Another shot struck his hip. Rey's vision blurred as blood poured down his legs. He gritted his teeth. His mind screamed for him to move—but his body was too slow. Then… shadows fell over him. One of the Dark Reys, holding a warhammer, had leapt high above the melee, descending like death itself. When Rey's eyes opened… he was still standing. But the ground beneath him was stained red. "I… died… didn't I?" Rey whispered. And then… the Will's voice returned. "You really thought that death would free you, boy?" Rey's heart sank deeper than before. "This isn't some mere trial you can fail and get away from." The Will's voice shifted, colder, darker. "This is my world. My domain. And here… life and death are measly things mine to command. I can kill you. Recreate you. A thousand times. A million times. It makes no difference to me." Rey's breath hitched. "Your death… means nothing." As the Will delivered its final verdict. "Let the Second Trial of the Abyss… continue." There wasn't even time to ask why. Rey's body moved on instinct now. And again, they rose. Dark copies of himself, climbing from the black waters like a nightmare he couldn't wake from. Rey's jaw clenched. His eyes were dead serious now. His mind… numb. It was going to repeat. He drew something new this time. His IronBrand pistol. A weapon he'd barely used since buying it. And then the gun clicked dry. Without missing a beat, Rey switched to his bow. Arrows flew. Most were blocked. Some hit. But he kept moving. Kept fighting. Because in this nightmare, hesitation meant death. His breathing was ragged, sweat running down his back as he dodged, rolled, stabbed, and shot. "Okay…" he whispered between gasps, dodging a hail of arrows. "Second run… not dead yet." He drew his daggers, slashing apart two more Doppelgängers. 'Better… than last time,' he thought, grimly satisfied. The last run, he'd barely managed fifty before collapsing. But it changed nothing. The Dark Reys weren't thinning. For every one he killed, more emerged from the waters. He leapt onto a fallen copy, propelling himself upward for a clearer view. And what he saw crushed every ounce of hope inside him. An endless, black river of Dark Reys spawning in the distance. Constant. Relentless. 'No… there's no end.' A warning prickled at the back of his neck. Dozens had him locked. He crossed his arms instinctively, raising his battered shield. The first volley shredded it like paper. Bullets punched through. Arrows tore into his arms and shoulders. Crashing back to the surface. His hammer was in his hands before he even thought. With a roar of desperation, he slammed it down. A wave of water erupted. Dozens of Dark Reys were crushed, their bodies dissolving into mist. His kill count passed seventy. But his legs… gave out. The recoil, the exhaustion—he could no longer stand. Hands were already grabbing his ankles. A spear struck his face. Darkness swallowed him. Surrounded by water… slightly tinged red now. Rey couldn't even speak. "Another failure. But don't worry. I have patience." Rey's knuckles turned white. "I can watch you die… a thousand more times." The word escaped him before he could stop it. But the Will ignored him. "Shall we begin again?" Before Rey could even lift his head, the Doppelgängers rose. Pistol for emergencies. Kill count over a hundred. But even that didn't matter. Dark Reys spawned in front of him. Maybe… the Will of the Abyss was among them. A Doppelgänger different from the rest. That's what he told himself. But every time he focused. Every time he looked. Each death became faster. Each resurrection became harder. His mind was breaking. And the Will… was laughing. Rey couldn't tell whether the water was stained red with blood. Or whether it was just his eyes. But he kept standing. Because he had no other choice. Rey was no longer fighting. With the very Will of the Abyss. His voice cracked. His throat burned. His mind teetered between frustration and madness. "Just… give me something. A chance. Anything!" The Will's laughter answered him for nine entire rounds. Rey's endless failure wasn't even entertaining anymore. Then… in the twentieth round, a pause. "You can adjust your stats. Half of your growth will mirror onto your copies. Happy?" He just saw a chance. HP: 500/500 (Reserve Energy: +500) MP: 840/840 (Mana Overload: +840) Strength (STR): 102 [E] (↑20) Agility (AGI): 102 [E] (↑20) Vitality (VIT): 100 [E] (↑2) Intelligence (INT): 112 {+224} [D+] (↑0) Stamina (STA): 137 [E+] (↑40) Endurance (END): 114 [E] (↑20) Luck (LUK): F+ (Dependent on Core) Free Stat Points: 18 (↑0) Attack Power (ATK): 122.4 [(STR + AGI) * 1.2] (Potential Strength: +122.4) Magical Power (MGL): 201.6 [INT * 1.2] (Arcane Potential: +201.6) Defence (DEF): 125.5 [({END + STA} * 1)] (Reinforcement Reserve: +125.5) For the first time since this nightmare began, Rey felt his body change. Power. Speed. Endurance. The Doppelgängers mirrored only half of it. He wasn't equal anymore. For the first time, it felt like hope. The next round began. They rose from the black water. But Rey… wasn't afraid. He drew his greatsword. In a single sweep, ten copies were torn apart. In the next sweep, twenty more. A storm of pure, brutal force. Then… the thrill dulled. Even after so many battles, so many victories—he wasn't getting closer. Each round ended the same. The Will, surprisingly, spoke more now. Sometimes mocking. Sometimes reflective. But by the fiftieth trial, his victories felt meaningless. The Will of the Abyss said nothing that time. "Maybe… I'm no one," Rey whispered. For the first time, even the Will questioned whether this boy was meant to be here at all. An existence beneath ranking. The Fifty-third trial. Rey sat alone in the water while copies approached him. Staring at his hands. Then… realisation flickered. He'd always fought using one weapon at a time. But his enemies—his copies—used everything. He used a single path. They used every path. If he wanted to win, he needed to break. Destroy his old rhythm. The Will's voice hummed in amusement. "Ready to die again?" He was already moving. In the Fifty-fourth trial, he drew his sword. Then, without hesitation, he switched to his bow. He died within minutes. He learned something. The next thirty-six rounds were a blur of pain. Countless wrong choices. Indecision is killing him more than blades. But he forced himself. Gunfire before the lunge. It wasn't about strength anymore. It wasn't about speed. And Rey finally understood. To defeat an army using everything he owned… He had to become everything he was. He wasn't counting them anymore. What mattered was simple. Rey's progress felt… incomplete. Yes, he had learned what to pull out in battle. Each situation blurred into the next, leaving him stuck in hesitation loops that cost him his life. He understood the flaw. Using one weapon lets the enemy predict his moves. His Doppelgängers adapted fast. But when he mixed weapons, created uncertainty, the battle shifted. He became unpredictable. He built his style around that chaos. And yet… he knew something was still missing. In his mind, Aiden and Victor's voices echoed like a memory. Without it, his ceiling was too close. Then, in the 89th attempt, amidst yet another mindless slaughter, something he never expected happened. The Will of the Abyss. "Oii... kid. Are you some kind of idiot?" Rey paused mid-swing, his katana severing three Dark Rey heads without thinking. "I mean, seriously. Are you this dense, or are you pretending?" "What the hell did I even do now?!" "You're sitting on an ocean of mana, and you're not using any of it." "I've seen your core. It's ridiculous for a Tier 0. Even your mana reserves are absurd. Yet here you are, swinging blades like a caveman." "No elemental skills. No body reinforcement. Nothing." Rey's voice cracked. "You blocked my skills." "And you think skills are the only way to use mana? You absolute fool." Rey felt his stomach sink. "I… I don't know. My world… didn't have mana. Aiden told me that he will teach me how to control it after my core forms, but before that, I came here. In our world, we used Qi before that." The Will genuinely sounded stunned. "So all this time… you weren't incompetent. Just ignorant." "Though honestly… You are still a fool." Rey flinched, swatting aside incoming bullets almost mechanically. "Reinforce your body. Channel mana into your muscles. Infuse your weapons. Just like my Doppelgängers have been doing from the very first round." Rey's blood ran cold. "…Wait. THEY were using mana all this time?" "But… I didn't feel it." "Because of that freakish ability in your spirit. Zero, or whatever. And your core is carrying you harder than you realise." Rey glanced around, eyes narrowing. They weren't just faster. They weren't just stronger. They'd been using mana. And he'd been blind to it. Grinding his body to dust while his enemies used a tool he had never known existed. "Listen, kid. You're a talentless. But you are also a clueless guy. Honestly, if not for orders, I'd have kicked you out after your first death. But... you've kept me entertained." "…I don't know whether to thank you or punch you." Rey stared at his trembling hands. So much mana inside him. And he never even tried to touch it. Mana surged. His muscles ruptured. Every attempt at reinforcing himself ended in failure. Too much desperation. Every attempt led to another death. He tried to infuse his weapons. At best, it felt like a trickle of power. Worse, every time he switched weapons—his new fighting style meant constant switching—he had to redirect mana flow. He burned his arms. Shattered his legs. Killed himself more times from mana surges than from his enemies. He was above one hundred attempts now. And the truth sank in. He needed Victor and Zero, too. His will was fractured. His motivation withered. And a moment came while fighting from somewhere deep within him. A single thought echoed in his hollow mind. Hello everyone, I hope you enjoy the chapter. If you're ready for the next big chapter, add it to your library where you can find the latest updates.