CHAPTER 90: RANK II TRIAL

The heart’s ashes did not scatter like ordinary dust. They pulsed—slow, luminous embers folding together into a crystalline shard, no larger than Rhys’s fist. It hovered above the shattered ground, beating faintly with the same rhythm that had haunted the dungeon since his first step inside.

[ Dungeon Core Fragment – Claimable ]

The prompt flickered across his vision, exactly as he had expected.

Rhys exhaled, steady. "So it’s here. The reason I had to push this far."

This was no surprise reward, no lucky discovery. The man he had met—the one who had pointed him toward this path—had told him plainly: defeat the Warden, reach the heart, and the dungeon is yours to claim. This was always the endgame.

He reached out without hesitation. Puddle floated close, halos humming, while Bounce stood taut at his side, silver eyes fixed on the shard.

"This dungeon’s will is mine to inherit," Rhys said quietly. "And I accept it."

His fingers closed around the fragment.

A shockwave tore outward—roots unraveling, stone convulsing, air singing with raw power. Heat lanced through his veins as the fragment’s heartbeat forced itself into him, syncing with his own. His chest burned, vision tunneling, as if another heart had been crammed inside his ribs.

[ Core Absorption Initiated ]

[ Synchronizing Soul Signature... ]

[ Success. Dungeon Core Claimed. ]

The dungeon’s whisper faded. In its place came a new voice—low, resonant, utterly obedient.

[ You are now the Dungeon’s Master. ]

[ Authority Granted: Full Control. ]

[ Ownership Status: Transferable, Relocatable. The Dungeon may be anchored to any chosen site. ]

Rhys let out a long breath, shoulders loosening as the Core’s weight settled inside him. His lips pulled into a tired grin.

"Good. Just like he promised."

He could feel it now—the Maw of Roots etched into his soul, not a prison he had invaded but a domain bound to his will. At any time, with a single thought, he could call it forth, root it in new soil, and grow it again under his command. It wasn’t bound to this cavern anymore. It was bound to him.

Bounce padded closer, silver aura flickering, and nudged his arm with a low rumble. Puddle chimed brightly, halos scattering motes of light like confetti.

Rhys ruffled Bounce’s mane, his grin sharpening.

"Looks like we’ve just gained more than a base. We’ve gained a fortress. A moving one."

The shard dissolved into his chest, its last glow fading beneath his skin. The world was silent—no heartbeat but his own, steadier now, echoed faintly by the phantom thrum of the Core.

The last echoes of the dungeon’s pulse faded as Rhys willed himself away. The world warped—like roots tearing loose from soil—and in the blink of an eye, stone and ruin gave way to moonlit spires.

[ Teleportation Complete ]

[ Current Location: Avernus City ]

The city’s night air was cool, sharp with the scent of iron and incense. The towering obsidian gates of Avernus stood behind him, runes glowing faintly across their surface. The streets were alive even at this hour—merchants peddling alchemical wares under lantern-light, mercenaries drinking and boasting of conquests, and robed officials gliding past with quiet disdain.

But Rhys’s path was fixed. His Core throbbed with new power, and his level pulsed across his vision like a badge of finality:

[ Level 200 – Peak of Rank 1 ]

[ Advancement Ready: Begin Rank 2 Trial ]

Bounce walked at his side, silver mane gleaming under lamplight, while Puddle floated overhead, casting a gentle halo that made onlookers whisper. The presence of an Ancient beast was enough to scatter attention—most people averted their eyes, wisely.

Soon the colossal marble steps of the Awakening Hall rose before him. Its spires reached toward the stars, veined with flowing mana that made the entire structure breathe like a living thing. The Hall was quiet, solemn, as though it judged every soul that entered.

The guards at the gate stiffened but did not stop him. The seal of the dungeon core thrummed in his chest, commanding respect even without a word. They stepped aside.

Rhys entered.

The Advancement Hall stood apart from the other wings of Avernus—an obsidian tower crowned with spiraling runes, its gates etched with the names of those who had transcended their limits. Every step closer made the air heavier, charged with an almost suffocating pressure, as if the Hall itself weighed the worth of each challenger before they even entered.

Inside, silence reigned.

The chamber was circular, domed high above with a sky of shifting constellations. At its heart floated a prism of fractured crystal, bound by silver chains that hummed like living things. Unlike the Conduit Crystal of awakening, this one was different—sharper, hungrier. The Ascension Prism.

The moment Rhys crossed the threshold, his system pulsed.

[ Peak of Rank 1 Confirmed ]

[ Advancement Eligibility: Rank 2 ]

The Prism stirred, sending ripples across the dome. Symbols flared on the floor before him, forming four radiant gates. Each gate shimmered with a different aura, and faint words burned above them:

[ Easy ]

[ Normal ]

[ Hard ]

[ Very Hard ]

[ Ultra Hard ]

The warning on the last one pulsed in crimson, the glyphs themselves trembling as though straining to contain what lay behind.

Bounce lowered his head, tail lashing nervously. Puddle hovered closer, her watery aura tightening like armor. Both of them could sense it—whatever waited beyond "Ultra Hard" wasn’t meant for ordinary Rank 1s.

But Rhys didn’t hesitate. His gaze lingered only a moment before his hand went to the hilt of Aether Vein. A faint smile touched his lips.

"I don’t plan on crawling forward."

He strode past the other gates without pause, stepping directly into the one that screamed danger. The glyphs surged, the Prism shrieked like a rending star, and light devoured him.

[ Difficulty Chosen: Ultra Hard ]

[ Rank 2 Advancement Trial – Initiated ]

The Hall fell away.

Rhys stood alone on an endless battlefield of broken stars and shifting shadows. The ground cracked with veins of molten light, and in the void above, colossal shapes stirred awake—beasts, blades, and forgotten titans, all waiting.

The system’s voice rang, sharp as steel:

[ Ultra Hard Trial: Survive the Endless Night ]

[ Victory Condition: Defeat the Guardians of the Abyssal Crown ]

Rhys lifted his blade, aura flaring, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Perfect."

The light receded.

When Rhys opened his eyes, the world around him was not stars and shadow anymore, but stone and ruin.

He knew this skyline.

Or rather—what it once had been.

Avernus.

The grand towers were broken spines, the marble avenues cracked and empty. Flames guttered in shattered braziers, and the sky above was a deep, bleeding violet. No voices filled the streets, no merchants, no guild banners fluttering in the wind—only silence, stretched taut before the storm.

[ Trial Setting: Fallen Avernus ]

[ Objective: Survive until dawn. ]

[ Note: Endless Hordes will descend. The weak will flee. The strong will remain standing. ]

Rhys’s lips curved faintly. "So this is the theme this time..."

He turned once, slowly, drinking in the hollowed city. The air carried the stench of ash, steel, and rot. A false Avernus. A warning of what could be.

Bounce growled low, pressing closer to his side. Puddle floated forward, eyes glowing faintly, ripples spreading across her liquid body.

Rhys drew in a breath, steady. Then he sat.

Right there on a cracked stairway beneath the husk of a statue, he dropped down, resting the Verdant Scholar sword across his knees. He didn’t need to rush forward into the labyrinth of streets. No—this wasn’t a dungeon to be cleared, it was a night to be endured.

The system’s words had been plain: survive until dawn.

Let the monsters come.

Bounce curled at his left, tail sweeping dust aside. Puddle hovered at his right, her aura thickening, already spreading a faint healing veil across them. Together, they formed a circle of quiet power amid the ruin.

The first roars echoed from the horizon—long, guttural cries carried on the poisoned wind. Shadows shifted between broken walls. Dozens. Then hundreds. The endless horde was waking.

Rhys tilted his head back, eyes on the bleeding sky. "This is one of those trials," he muttered. "The kind you don’t win by running. Just by refusing to fall."

His hand brushed the Verdant Scholar’s hilt, but he didn’t rise yet. He could wait. His monsters would come to him.

And in the silence before the first wave, another thought crossed his mind.

My third Ancient Beast...

He exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing. The Auction was only a few days away. A chance like that wouldn’t come again soon. Puddle, Bounce, and—one more.

"Let’s finish this night," he murmured, a thin smile curling his lips, "then we’ll go shopping."

The first wave howled and broke against the ruined streets, shadows lunging from every direction. The night had begun.

The first wave hit like a storm. Shadows spilled through the ruins, twisted beasts with jagged claws and eyes burning with hunger. Rhys rose in one smooth motion, Verdant Scholar flashing green as its runes came alive.

Bounce was the first to move—his massive tail slammed down, crushing a cluster of creatures into dust. Puddle’s aura pulsed bright, a ring of light and water spreading outward, slowing the swarm as healing waves wrapped around Rhys like a shield.

"Good," Rhys muttered, stepping forward.