CHAPTER 31: STATUS.

The DownMyrads—a group of twisted demons known for their cruel experiments on monsters and mana beasts.

In the game, they had tried to control them, turning them into weapons, and unleash them for mass massacre.

They were the ones who created that black demonic crystal. And this wasn’t their only project. They had their hands in many others, all just as dangerous.

’Hard to believe it all started from the forbidden zones...’ Azhriel thought, eyes fixed on the monkey’s body.

The beast was writhing, its body swelling and twisting from the demonic energy. Dark veins crawled across its skin, pulsing like something alive.

"Keik"

Its eyes turned pitch black, and a sharp screech burst from its mouth—loud enough to ripple through the air like a shockwave. Azhriel winced, his head pounding from the sound, but this time, he stayed focused.

The beast charged, moving far faster than before. The demonic energy had pushed its speed beyond natural limits. In a blink, its massive arm shot forward, aiming straight for Azhriel’s face like a cannon.

Azhriel’s instincts screamed. He barely managed to bring up his arms in time to guard.

Boom!

The impact crashed into him, sending a jolt through his whole body. It felt like his bones had been slammed with a hammer.

"Ugh..." he grunted, pain blooming in his arms.

But the monster wasn’t done.

With a frenzied howl, it launched a flurry of punches—each one faster and heavier than the last—raining down on him like a storm. Azhriel raised his arms, frost spreading across them like a shield of ice to block the barrage.

But it wasn’t enough.

The blows struck harder and harder, the ice cracking faster than it could form. One punch shattered the frost completely. His sword slipped from his hands as they went numb—thin cracks spreading along his bones, his arms nearly broken.

Then, the punches stopped.

Just as he tried to catch his breath.

—Wham!

Something slammed into his side. The monster’s thick, spiked tail had whipped across, catching him clean in the ribs.

A sickening crack followed.

Azhriel was sent flying, smashing through tree after tree until his body finally hit the ground with a heavy thud.

The world spun around him, his vision shaking. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and his head throbbed painfully. His ribs were broken—he could feel it with every breath.

But he wasn’t unconscious.

’Ah... guess I’ll use that,’ Azhriel thought, a faint smile forming despite the blood trailing down his lip.

He reached inward—deeper than before.

Like a hidden gate unlocking, the world shifted around him.

Everything sharpened. The wind’s flow, the way the ground trembled under the beast’s weight, the ripples in mana and the corrosive wave of demonic energy—all of it unfolded before his senses.

It was as if the world slowed down.

He staggered to his feet, his legs shaking slightly. With a grunt, he cracked his neck and looked up at the beast.

The monster had already opened its maw, dark energy pulsing inside like a ticking bomb.

Then—

Boom!

A sharp beam of demonic light shot forward like a laser, straight for his chest.

Azhriel’s foot slid to the side—just a hair’s width—and the beam narrowly missed, tearing through the ground behind him. He dashed forward without pause, his hand raised.

A sword of ice formed mid-run, the blade sharp and glimmering with frost. The air chilled, mist swirling around him as the weapon solidified.

Spatial Awareness.

His bloodline ability. A rare gift.

Though his rank was still only [Apprentice+], the ability allowed him to perceive space itself. But until now, he had barely tapped into it.

He had always focused more on gathering mana to rank up and refining his swordsmanship. Also, it made fighting sometimes way too easy. That’s why Solas told him, not to use it unless he is in danger.

That’s why, he thought his elements and bloodline abilities could come later.

But this fight—this overwhelming enemy—made him realize how wrong he’d been.

He had neglected what was truly his.

His bloodline.

His elements.

But now, he would change that.

His sword gleamed under the moonlight, cold enough to freeze the very air. Before the monster could react, his blade was already slashing down.

The sword cut into the monster’s shoulder, black blood splashing onto the ground. The beast let out a sharp cry, but Azhriel didn’t slow down.

He didn’t even hear the scream. It felt like he was in a trance, moving on instinct alone. Spinning on his heel, he built momentum and swung his sword straight for the monster’s neck.

The monster, even while in pain, reacted fast. It raised its claws and blocked the strike. As the sword and claws clashed, cracks spread across the blade.

Then—Snap. The sword shattered.

But Azhriel didn’t flinch. His eyes didn’t even glance at the broken pieces. His other hand was already forming another sword made of ice.

The monster, not missing the chance, lunged forward. Its mouth stretched wide, aiming to bite off Azhriel’s head.

However, Azhriel moved like wind.

His body tilted back in a sudden, fluid motion, the beast’s jagged teeth missing his head by inches. He felt the rush of foul breath brush past his skin—but he didn’t flinch.

Another sword had already formed in his hand—sharper, colder. Ice rippled along the blade like veins of frost, and with a single motion, he drove it upward.

Shhk—!

The blade pierced through the monster’s lower jaw and up into its mouth. Its jaws clamped down in reflex, but the sword had already lodged itself deep.

Azhriel didn’t stop. With a forceful push, he drove it further until the blade burst through the top of its skull, cracking open bone and demonic flesh.

The beast howled, its shriek rising into the night—loud, ragged, and dying.

Its claws flailed, trying to catch him, to crush him—but Azhriel ducked and slid under the flailing limbs. A wave of frost followed his blade, spreading through the monster’s insides.

The black veins that had been pulsing with demonic energy began to slow.

He rose behind the beast, breath heavy, arms trembling.

The beast staggered once, then again—

Thud

It collapsed to the ground with a heavy, shaking crash. The demonic crystal in its chest flickered faintly... then dulled, cracking.

Azhriel stood firm, a new sword of ice already formed in his hand, its sharp tip glowing faintly with a biting cold.

Crack!

Something inside him snapped open—like a door breaking free from its rusted hinges. Mana surged into him all at once, flooding through every part of his body like a raging river. His body absorbed it greedily, like a starving beast finally fed.

His white hair shimmered, glowing faintly, and his azure eyes burned brighter than before. Ice spread across the ground at his feet, space itself around him trembling.

Above, the sky darkened as thick clouds gathered. Thunder rumbled, wild and alive, flashing with dangerous light.

It felt as if the elements rejoiced—as if they were welcoming him, cheering for his rise. Like they were celebrating the fact that he could now touch them more deeply, more freely.

His thoughts sharpened. His body grew stronger. His bones, once on the verge of breaking, healed with a faint crackle. Warmth spread through his chest, like stepping into a hot spring after freezing cold.

Then, slowly, the chaos settled. The thunder eased. The sky lightened. Ice stopped spreading.

"Finally."

He breathed out slowly, the mist from his lips curling and fading into the cold night air. His body felt alive—every fiber humming, light and strong, as if he’d just stepped into a new skin.

’So this... this is what it feels like to rank up,’ he thought, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips. It was a feeling he could get used to—this rush, this clarity, this power.

"Status."

As the word left his mouth, a translucent white screen appeared before him, outlined with shimmering azure lines that danced gently like mana waves.

============ [Status] ============

Name: Azhriel Von Theodore.

Age: 16

Title: The First Calamity.

Rank: Adept -

Mana Core Rank: Adept

Affinities: Ice, Space, Thunder.

Bloodline: Celestial Null Bloodline. (Awakened - Partial)

============ [Stats] ============

Strength: 28

Agility: 32

Endurance: 31

Intelligence: 44

Charm: 42

Mana Capacity: 65

Luck: Random

========== [Proficiency] ============

Ice Magic: (Adept-) - 13%

Space Magic: (Apprentice) - 33%

Thunder Magic: (Apprentice-) - 2%

Sword Mastery: (Adept) - 9%

=========== (Abilities and Skills) ==========

Spatial Awareness- Increases perception around the space. Allowing the user sense to detect many different things. Also perceive distortions or rifts in space; detect portals or hidden dimensions.

Poison Immunity- You are immune to every poison.

===========================

He stared at the numbers. Everything was higher. His core had stabilized in the new rank, his mana felt denser, purer. Even his body, though still hurting, felt like it could take on another beast right now.

As he eyes scanned his stats, his eyes twitched at the luck stat. "Dude, what even is this "random" in luck stat." he said sighing.

And with that, he dismissed the screen.