It didn't lunge like the others. It rose up, towering above me, its coils tightening. It studied me, cold and calculating. Then it came crashing down, jaws wide enough to swallow me whole.
I didn't flinch.
Essence pulsed through my spine and flooded outward.
I spun, gathering momentum, and lashed out with a crescent strike just before impact. But this wasn't just a physical blow—wind howled from my staff like a hurricane blade. It slammed into the serpent's head mid-charge and sent it veering off course, smashing into the side of the clearing.
Its hiss was more rage than pain.
It writhed back up, glaring at me with molten fury.
I centered myself. Focused.
My muscles compressed, strength flooding through every fiber. I let go of the staff, there was no need for it now.
My body burst forward, vanishing in a blur.
The world snapped back into focus as I reappeared high above the serpent's rising head.
Flames erupted from my feet, launching me downward like a comet.
I spun midair, gathering momentum, then brought both heels down with pinpoint force, aiming directly at the center of its skull.
[Seismic Burst]
Essence surged into my legs—dense, volatile, and crackling with pressure. The moment my heels made contact, the energy detonated.
A violet shockwave exploded outward, ripping through the serpent's skull.
Blood and bone erupted in every direction.
Its head was obliterated in a single, thunderous impact.
I landed softly as I heard multiple notifications.
Behind me, Steve's sword was already dancing through the smaller serpents.
Lightning flashed with every movement, illuminating the clearing with arcs of blue energy. He was laughing, even as blood and scales flew around him. In seconds, the rest of the nest was reduced to twitching corpses.
He exhaled and wiped the blood from his sword.
I scanned him.
[Steve Harper - Level 47]
Steve still needed three more levels. But I had already reached Level 50.
I extended my perception outward, scanning the area. It didn't take long, I sensed two more Abominations lurking nearby.
Without wasting time, I flashed forward and appeared beside Steve.
He glanced at me, a little puzzled.
"What?" he asked.
I gave him a wide grin—then suddenly grabbed him and threw him over my shoulder.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted, thrashing.
My legs bent. Essence surged.
Then—boom.
Fire burst beneath my feet as I launched forward at full speed, the forest around us blurring into streaks of wind and light.
In a blink, I crashed down in front of the Abominations.
My will surged.
I slammed it down like a hammer, and the creatures buckled under the weight, dropping to their knees without resistance.
I let Steve slide off my shoulder.
He landed roughly, stumbled, then shot me a glare.
"You pull that stunt again," he growled, "and I'm fighting you to the death."
I waved him off with a laugh.
"Yeah, yeah. Now get to work. We've got things to do."
I turned my eyes to the monsters in front of us.
[Rusted Booca – Level 63]
They were grotesque. Thin, upright figures that walked on two legs. No arms, only tattered wings folded on their backs. Two long fangs jutted out from their lips, and each hand only had three crooked fingers. Their bluish skin sagged like rotting cloth, hanging off their frames.
I grimaced and looked away. Just the sight of them made my skin crawl.
"Come on," I muttered, "hurry up."
Steve cracked his neck, scoffed, and in the next instant both heads hit the dirt. Two clean strikes. No fuss.
After that, we moved deeper into the forest and found a massive tree in a dense thicket. We climbed up and settled on one of its wide branches, taking a moment to sit down and check the upgrades we had earned.
I brought up my status panel to check the notifications.
[Level Up!]
[Level 44 → Level 50]
With a breath of anticipation, I opened the full status screen to see where I stood now.
[Status]
----------------------------------------------
Name : Billion Ironhart
Race : Human
Class : Essence Noblesse
Laws : N/A
Rank: Mortal
Level : 50
Talent :
- Generator Nexus 1
- Essence : 55/55 (+55)
- Soul Shackle : 0
Attributes :
- Strength: 316
- Constitution: 220
- Dexterity: 223
- Psynapse : 344
Skills:
- Essence Engine (Innate) Level 4
- Psynapse Overdrive (Innate) Level 1
- Seismic Burst Level 5
- Havoc Sfera Level 2
- Blitz Hakai Level 3
- Spatial Shield Level 1
Abilities:
- Apex Body – I (Passive)
--------------------------------------------------
Both my Strength and Psynapse had crossed 300. My Essence storage was at full capacity. Altogether, I had 1,103 total attribute points.
I grinned.
I doubted even a Level 100 human could have this many attributes points.
Next, I looked at the class description once.
Essence Noblesse [Legendary] : No one knows what came first, Essence or the Universe. But those who wield Essence shape reality itself. A Noblesse is not merely a master of Essence; they are its sovereign, sculpting its flow, refining its form, and bending it to their will. To be an Essence Noblesse is to rule over the creation.
Essence Noblesse : Strength + 3, Constitution + 2, Dexterity + 2, Pysnapse + 6
I took a deep breath and opened the notifications.
[Class Evolution Available]
[Anomaly Detected]
[Isolating…]
Suddenly, the Essence around me churned violently.
A wide tear opened in the space above. Before I could react, it swallowed me whole.
My body was thrown down from a height and slammed into solid ground.
"Fuck. What was that?"
I stood up, groaning, and looked around.
I was in some kind of ruin.
A stone platform stretched beneath my feet, flanked by two crumbling pillars on either side. Everything was gray. The sky above was dull and clouded, with no sun in sight. A soft breeze drifted through the silence.
I stepped toward the edge of the platform and froze. Below, there was nothing but an endless abyss. No land. No ground. Just void.
Carefully, I backed up to the center of the platform. No point in getting careless.
A notification chimed.
[Isolation Complete]
[Null Heart Detected]
[Confirming…]
My chest tightened as the white core inside the Essence generator spun violently then stopped.
[No Corruption Detected]
[Analyzing Profile]
[Profile Analysis Finished]
[.]
[.]
[You have been Marked by #?#?# Chained #?#?# the #?#?# Fallen]
The words hit hard. I remembered the warning I received when I first gained the Null Heart:
[Beware: Forgotten and forgiven, the path forsaken by the living, walked only by the Chained Fallen.]
So this was it. The cause of all the anomalies was the Null Heart. And the Null Heart was a result of my talent.
Another notification appeared.
[Class Evolution Available]