Eldritch Assassin: Reincarnated With An SSS-Rank Devouring System
Chapter 74: Level-up

Chapter 74: Level-up

The assassin cursed hatefully, rolling away. Kael seized the moment, Devour Essence flaring to life. He siphoned a sliver of the sentinel’s energy—it was raw and overwhelming.

[Ability Activated: Devour Essence – Absorbed 5% of Sentinel Energy. HP Restored: 77%.

Temporary Buff: +10% Overall Attributes]

Power surged through Kael’s veins. He lunged forward, Abyssal Fang, slashing the leader’s arm. Blood sprayed, but the assassin countered, blade nicking Kael’s chest.

[Status: HP 73%. Minor Bleeding]

The woman recovered, daggers flashing. Kael couldn’t block both. He took a hit—pain seared his side—but drove his dagger into her shoulder. She screamed, staggering back.

[Enemy HP: 20%]

The sentinel’s next swing forced them all to scatter. Kael rolled behind a crumbling pillar, chest heaving. The canyon shook harder, cracks spiderwebbing the ground. Dust stung his eyes, the mist now a suffocating shroud.

[Trial Zone Instability: Collapse Risk 22%]

He pressed his back against the cracked boulder, breath ragged, each inhale stabbing his lungs. His fingers trembled, not from fear, but exhaustion. Torn muscles screamed, fresh wounds oozed blood, and his Bloodthread Mantle hung in tatters. His body begged him to collapse.

He refused.

The Primal Sentinel loomed through the mist, its bone-metal frame glinting under crimson runes. A shrill hum erupted, like steel grinding bone, its head swiveling to lock onto Kael. Shadows danced in the fog, cast by its glowing runes, twisting like specters.

"Of course you’d pick me," Kael muttered, voice hoarse.

[System Scan: Primal Sentinel – Lvl 31. Weakness: Core Rune.

New Ability Detected: Primal Overcharge]

The air warped, primal energy crackling. Kael’s Night Predator trait screamed—danger, imminent.

BOOM!

The sentinel surged forward, twin blades slicing down with unnatural speed. The ground quaked, mist swirling violently.

Kael’s Eclipse Step kicked in—shadows cloaked him, his body blurring left. The blades slammed into the boulder, shattering it. A shockwave hurled debris, one shard grazing Kael’s arm as he hit the ground, shoulder crunching against rough rock.

[Status: HP 68%. Impact Damage: Minor. Bleeding Debuff Worsening]

Pain flared through his shoulder, white-hot. Kael gritted his teeth, rolling to his feet. No time to recover. The assassin leader materialized like a phantom with his blade mid-swing, green eyes burning under his hood.

CLANG!

Kael’s Abyssal Fang Dagger met the sword, sparks flying. The force nearly buckled his knees, his wounded arm screaming. "Persistent bastard," Kael hissed, shoving back.

The assassin didn’t speak—just attacked. Each swing carried bone-crushing weight, precise and relentless. Kael parried, dodged, but a blade grazed his ribs, blood spraying.

[Status: HP 62%. Bleeding: Moderate. Pain Threshold Rising]

Kael stumbled back, vision narrowing, chest heaving. His body was hitting its limit—stamina drained, muscles seizing. He knew this feeling. One wrong move, and he was done.

A glint flashed in the mist—a dagger, aimed for his neck.

Kael tilted his head, barely. The blade sliced his cheek, shallow but stinging. The woman assassin limped from the shadows, arm bloodied, eyes feral. Her second dagger spun, gleaming under the sentinel’s rune-light.

"Die already," she snarled, voice dripping venom.

Kael didn’t waste breath on a reply. He moved.

[Skill Activated: Eclipse Step – Max Speed]

Shadows swallowed him, his form flickering behind her mid-lunge. The Abyssal Fang plunged into her back, deep, piercing vital runes etched into her armor.

Her eyes widened, a silent scream frozen on her lips. She crumpled, blood pooling.

[Enemies Remaining: 1]

[Quest Progress: Trial – Third-floor Final Phase] – Eliminate Nightshade Forces. 80% Complete]

Kael yanked the blade free, spinning—but too slow. The leader’s sword tore across his chest, a shallow but searing cut. Kael staggered, pain numbing his senses.

[Status: HP 55%. Major Bleeding. Stamina Critical]

The assassin raised his blade for the kill.

WHRRRRMMM!

A crimson bolt of primal energy cracked through the air, slamming the leader’s side. The sentinel’s attack hurled him into a canyon wall, dust exploding. His armor cracked, blood streaming from his temple.

[Enemy HP: 40%]

Kael dropped to one knee with the dagger stabbed into the ground to stay upright. Sweat and blood mixed on his body, dripping onto the cracked stone. "Gotta move," he rasped to himself. "Can’t stop now."

The sentinel’s mechanical roar shook the canyon, its blades whirring as it stomped toward Kael. The mist pulsed, primal energy thickening, pressing against his chest.

[Trial Zone Instability: Collapse Risk 34%. Environmental Hazards Active]

A rockslide crashed on the canyon’s far side, boulders tumbling down. The walls groaned, cracks spiderwebbing. Kael forced himself up, his legs trembling, but Abyssal Fang stayed steady in his grasp. His silver eyes flicked to the leader, who staggered to his feet, clutching his side. His green eyes burned with hate.

"Still breathing?" Kael rasped, smirking despite the pain.

The assassin spat blood. "Can’t die until I send you off, Veyne."

He charged immediately he said that, his blade a blur. Kael met him, steel clashing in a shower of sparks. No finesse now—just raw fury. Kael ducked a slash, slamming his elbow into the assassin’s throat. The man stumbled; Kael stabbed, aiming for his chest.

CLANG!

The assassin parried, headbutting Kael. Stars burst in Kael’s vision, his balance faltering. He stabbed low, blade biting the assassin’s thigh. The man grunted, slashing Kael’s forearm in return.

Kael’s grip weakened, the dagger shaking. His body was failing, but his mind stayed sharp. "Now or never."

He forced primal energy through his lungs, tapping his last reserve.

[Skill Activated: Devour Essence – Max Surge. Absorbed 15% of Sentinel Energy.

HP Restored: 55%.

Temporary Buff: +15% Strength, +10% Constitution, and Dexterity for 10 seconds]

Power flooded Kael’s veins, burning away the fog in his head. He roared, lunging, Abyssal Fang a blur. The assassin raised his sword to block, but it was too slow.

SHLICK!

The dagger pierced under his ribs, deep. The assassin gasped, blood bubbling from his lips. Kael twisted the blade, driving it deeper. The man’s sword clattered to the ground, his body slumping.

Kael collapsed to one knee, chest heaving. Pain clawed his body—head, ribs, arms. The canyon spun, his vision blurring. Blood pooled beneath him, mixing with dust.

Then the system chimed:

———

[You have advanced three levels]

[Total Blood Points: 382]

[Level-up Progress: Lvl 21 → Lvl 24]

[Experience Points: [2160/11500 EXP]

———

[Quest Progress: Trial – Third-floor Final Phase – Nightshade Forces Eliminated.

Bonus Objective Complete: +10000 EXP]

———

[Experience Points: [12160/11500 EXP]

[Level-up Progress: Lvl 24 → Lvl 25]

[Experience Points: [660/11800 EXP]

———

His EXP surged, body tightened. Strength flooded his limbs, and his HP and stamina were restored to 100%.

The sentinel stepped forward, its runes blazing gold now, a new hum building in its chest. The ground trembled, cracks widening. Kael raised his head, sweat dripping, silver eyes locked on the beast.

"Just you and me now, big guy," he muttered, forcing a grin.

[Trial Zone Instability: Collapse Risk 40%. Environmental Collapse in 120 seconds. Kill quest limited]

Another rockslide roared, closer now. A massive boulder crashed ten yards away, spraying gravel. The mist churned, primal energy surging like a heartbeat.

The sentinel’s blades whirred, gold runes pulsing. A new ability charged—energy coiling in its core. Kael staggered to his feet, Abyssal Fang gleaming despite the blood crusting its edge.

[System Warning: Primal Sentinel – Overcharge Mode Activated. Core Rune Exposure: 10%. Attack Power +30%]

Kael’s grin widened, shaky but defiant. "Round three, huh? Let’s see if you break first."

RRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR!~

The sentinel roared, the sound shaking loose stones from the canyon walls. Its blades glowed, slashing in a wide arc. Kael dove, Eclipse Step pushing his limits. The blades carved the ground, sending a shockwave of dust and primal energy.

Kael rolled, dodging a second swing, but the sentinel’s fist grazed his back, knocking him forward. He hit the ground, skidding across gravel.

[Status: HP 94%]

He scrambled up, heart pounding. The sentinel’s runes flared brighter, its movements faster. Kael needed an opening—its core rune, the weakness. But it was guarded, embedded in its chest, and pulsing with gold light.

The canyon cracked louder, a chasm opening twenty yards away. Mist poured from it, thick with primal energy. Kael’s Devour Essence screamed, begging to feed. He held it back—absorbing too much could overload his meridians, kill him faster than the sentinel.

He darted left, weaving through crumbling pillars. The sentinel pursued, blades smashing stone. Kael used the terrain to his advantage, leaping over debris and sliding under fallen rocks. He needed to tire it—or expose the core.

The sentinel’s core pulsed, overcharge peaking. Kael dodged another swing, his heart pounding. The chasm erupted, primal energy flooding out, mist glowing gold.

[Trial Zone Instability: Collapse Risk 49%. Collapse in 100 seconds]

Kael gripped his dagger, blood dripping. The sentinel charged.

His grin returned, feral. "Bring it all," he whispered.

BOOOOMMMM!

The ground split beneath him as the sentinel’s blades descended, zigzag cracks racing outward. The Primal Sentinel’s blades slammed down, gold runes blazing, carving furrows into the canyon floor.

Dust exploded, choking the air around them, and a shockwave knocked Kael backward, his boots skidding across gravel, leaving deep footprints.

[Status: HP 86%. Environmental Impact: Minor]

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