CHAPTER 116: CHAPTER 116

Satou Consciousness returned slowly, like surfacing from deep water.

Satou’s eyes opened to find himself lying on a floor of pure white crystal that seemed to glow with its own inner light. Above him, the ceiling was impossible—stars and galaxies swirled in patterns that shouldn’t exist, celestial bodies moving in ways that defied physics.

He sat up slowly, expecting pain from his self-inflicted injuries. But there was nothing. No pain. No exhaustion. His body felt... perfect. Better than perfect. Like every cell had been optimized, every system refined to peak efficiency.

[Congratulations, Challenger]

[You have achieved what only three others have attempted and NONE have accomplished]

[You have defeated Nihilus, Guardian of the Abyss]

[You have COMPLETED the Dungeon of Eternal Nightmares]

The notifications appeared in his vision, but they were different from before—more ornate, written in script that seemed to shimmer between languages.

[Final Rewards Calculated...]

[Analyzing performance...]

[Rating: SSS+ (Exceptional)]

[Floors Cleared: 100/100]

[Enemies Defeated: 1,847]

[Final Boss: DEFEATED]

[Bonus Rewards Unlocked]

Satou stood, and as he did, he caught his reflection in the crystal floor.

He barely recognized himself.

His skin still had that iridescent quality, but now it was more pronounced—scales that shifted color depending on the angle, catching light like a prism. His eyes glowed with inner fire, the slit pupils more pronounced. His hair had grown longer during his time in the dungeon, now falling past his shoulders, and had streaks of silver running through the black.

But the most striking change was his presence. Even just standing there, he could feel power radiating from him like heat from a forge. The air around him shimmered slightly, reality itself bending ever so subtly in response to his existence.

[Race: Dragoblin ]

[Level: 60]

[HP: 8,500/8,500]

[Stamina: 100%]

[Mana: 15,000/15,000]

His stats had exploded. What had been modest numbers for a level 17 hobgoblin were now comparable to demon lords who’d lived for centuries.

[Unique Abilities Acquired During Dungeon Clear:]

[Mythical Regeneration - Regenerate from any injury as long as core remains intact]

[Dragon’s Heart - Massively increased stamina and mana regeneration]

[Shadow Mastery - Complete control over darkness and shadow]

[Void Step - Teleport through non-space]

[Reality Anchor - Resist reality manipulation]

[Dragonfire Manipulation (Advanced) - Control flames hot enough to melt reality]

[Ancient Dragon’s Wisdom - Enhanced tactical thinking and pattern recognition]

[Survivor’s Will - Refuse death for brief periods]

[73 Additional Abilities - See Full List]

Satou dismissed the full list. He knew what he’d gained. He’d earned every single ability through pain, through struggle, through refusing to give up.

But the notifications weren’t done.

[Special Achievement Unlocked: First Clear]

[Bonus Reward: Legendary Equipment]

The space in front of Satou rippled, and something materialized out of thin air. It floated there, suspended in crystalline light.

A sword.

But calling it merely a sword was like calling a dragon merely a lizard.

The blade was approximately four feet long, straight and double-edged. But the metal—if it could be called metal—was unlike anything Satou had ever seen. It appeared to be made of solidified void, darker than black, absorbing light rather than reflecting it. Yet along its edges ran veins of brilliant silver that pulsed with power, like lightning frozen in time.

The crossguard was minimalist, two curved pieces that swept back toward the wielder, formed from what looked like crystallized starlight. The grip was wrapped in some material that seemed to shift between leather, scale, and something else entirely. The pommel was a perfect sphere of the same void-metal as the blade, with a single point of light at its center—like a captured star.

But what truly set the sword apart was what it did to reality around it. The space near the blade seemed... uncertain. Like existence itself wasn’t quite sure if the sword was there or not. The edges of the blade were so sharp they appeared to cut through the very fabric of space, leaving hairline fractures in reality that sealed themselves a moment later.

[Weapon Acquired: Void Fang]

[Classification: Legendary (Reality-Class)]

[Durability: Infinite]

[Special Properties:]

[- Reality Severance: Can cut through any material, any defense, any barrier. The blade cuts not just matter but the concept of "being solid."]

[- Existence Denial: Wounds inflicted cannot be healed by normal regeneration. The cut space must be "rewoven" into reality.]

[- Void Edge: The blade exists partially outside reality, allowing it to strike incorporeal beings and phase through conventional defenses]

[- Soul Binding: This weapon cannot be stolen, disarmed, or used by anyone except its bonded wielder]

[- Adaptive Weight: The sword adjusts its weight based on the wielder’s strength, always feeling perfectly balanced]

[Requirements: Level 50+, Must have defeated Nihilus]

[Warning: This weapon is dangerous to reality itself. Use with caution.]

Satou reached out and grasped the sword’s handle. The moment his fingers closed around it, he felt the weapon recognize him, accept him, bond with him at a fundamental level.

The sword’s weight settled in his hand—not heavy, not light, but perfect. Like it had been made specifically for him. Which, in a sense, it had been.

He gave it a test swing. The blade moved through the air with a sound like tearing silk, and where it passed, Satou could see tiny fractures appear in space itself—hairline cracks in reality that sealed themselves almost instantly, but were there nonetheless.

This is what I needed. This is what will let me beat Richard Clay.

With Void Fang, he wouldn’t have to worry about Clay’s Decay ability. If the blade could cut through the concept of solidity itself, it could cut through Decay. If it could sever reality, it could sever the connection between Clay’s ability and his target.

Satou sheathed Void Fang, a scabbard had materialized on his back, formed from the same reality-bending materials as the blade itself. The moment the sword settled into place, it became almost invisible, like it was choosing to only partially exist until needed.

[Dungeon Clear Confirmed]

[Time Dilation Ending]

[Returning to Real World in 10 seconds]

[Warning: 70 days have passed inside. 7 days have passed outside.]

[Preparing Transfer...]

[Destination: Point of Entry]

[9... 8... 7...]