Eldritch Assassin: Reincarnated With An SSS-Rank Devouring System
Chapter 84: Trial Of Death

Chapter 84: Trial Of Death

Kael exhaled, wiping sweat from his brow. "Nine down, nine more to go," he muttered, stepping toward the gate. The trial was over, but its scars, guilt, and weak will lingered, a cultivator’s lesson in refining the heart.

The silver gate pulsed, its light swallowing Kael. His boots hit cold stone, the air sharp with frost and ash. Darkness enveloped him, broken only by faint, ghostly wisps drifting like lost souls.

The pagoda’s heartbeat faded, replaced by a low hum, like a distant dirge. His Bloodthread Mantle clung to his sweat-soaked skin, Abyssal Fang Dagger heavy in his grip, its blade catching the dim glow.

[System Alert: Pagoda Floor 9 Complete.

Hidden Conditions Met: Advancing Three Floors. Initiating Transfer to Floor 12 in 20 seconds]

Kael’s chest heaved, the Trial of Temptation’s scars, guilt, and shame, lingering like bruises on his soul. His Devourer Bloodline hummed, still alert from its awakening, sensing no threats, only a primal void, cold and absolute.

[Transfer Complete. Floor 12: Trial of Death – Live Through Death and the Afterlife. Only Those Who Accept Death Without Fear Return. Those Who Panic Are Expelled.

Objective: Face Mortality.

Reward: +3000 XP

Mental Cognition +5]

Kael exhaled, breath fogging in the chill. "Death, huh?" he muttered, silver eyes scanning the void. As a reincarnator, he’d crossed death’s threshold once, waking in this world with memories of another. "Shouldn’t be hard," he said, voice steady but edged with doubt.

His Night Predator trait flared, senses piercing the darkness, catching faint outlines—crumbling stone arches, skeletal trees, a river of black mist snaking through the ground.

[Status: HP 95%.

Stamina: 50%.

Mental Fatigue: Moderate.

Willpower: Stable]

The trial’s energy was different— heavy, like qi refined into judgment, pressing against his meridians. His Predator’s Instincts pinged, not with immediate danger but a creeping unease, like eyes watching from beyond. He stepped forward, boots crunching on brittle stone, the hum growing louder, vibrating his bones.

[System Warning: Trial Influence – Spiritual Probes Detected. Resist Fear of Mortality. Willpower Check: Active]

Kael’s grip tightened on Abyssal Fang, heart steady. "It shouldn’t be difficult," he whispered, confidence born of reincarnation.

But the void shifted, mist coiling around his ankles, cold as death’s touch. His Primal Endurance warmed his veins, dulling the chill, but his stamina dipped, the trial’s weight sapping him.

A figure emerged from the mist—hooded, skeletal, its robes tattered, holding a scythe that gleamed with runes. Its eye sockets glowed faintly, crimson, locking onto Kael. No words, just presence, like a cultivator’s aura condensed into dread.

[System Scan: Reaper Construct – Lvl 28. Primal Death Essence.

Weakness: Core Sigil]

Kael’s lips twitched, a faint grin spreading on his face. "Straight to it, then." His Adaptive Combat stirred, ready to weave patterns from past fights. He shifted his stance, Night Predator enhancing his vision, tracking the construct’s scythe, its runes pulsing like a dantian.

The reaper lunged, scythe slashing in a silent arc. Kael’s Predator’s Instincts caught the trajectory, low, then sweeping up. He Eclipse Stepped, shadows cloaking him, reappearing to the side. The scythe carved the ground, mist erupting in a chilling wave that grazed his arm, numbing his skin.

[Status: HP 92%.

Chill Debuff: Minor.

Stamina: 45%]

Kael hissed, shaking off the cold. His Adaptive Regeneration sealed the numbness, but the trial’s energy pressed harder, like qi testing his soul.

He darted forward, Abyssal Fang slashing at the reaper’s chest, aiming for the glowing sigil. The blade sparked, light spilling, but the construct’s robes deflected, pushing him back.

[System Note: Core Sigil Exposure: 10%. Weakness Vulnerability +5%]

The reaper swung again, scythe weaving a deadly net. Kael ducked, rolled, Predator’s Instincts guiding his steps. The mist thickened, figures forming— Mira looking bloodied, eyes blank; Sera, broken on a battlefield; his mother, fading in a haze. Their voices whispered, "You failed us."

[System Alert: Willpower Check – Resist Guilt Manifestations.

Mental Fatigue +10%]

Kael’s heart clenched, but he growled, "Not real." His Devourer Bloodline stirred, sensing the trial’s primal death essence, like corrupted qi fueling the visions. He siphoned a sliver, careful not to overload.

[Skill Activated: Devour Essence – Absorbed 5% Death Essence.

HP Restored: 94%.

Temporary Buff: +5% Willpower]

The boost cleared his mind, the shadows flickering. Kael charged, Abyssal Fang striking the reaper’s sigil again, light flaring. The construct staggered, its aura wavering.

[Critical Hit!

Enemy HP: 90%.

Core Sigil Exposure: 15%]

The ground trembled, the black river surging, its mist forming hands that clawed at Kael’s legs, cold as the grave. His Abyssal Endurance flared, dulling the chill, but his stamina dropped further.

[Status: HP 94%.

Stamina: 40%.

Chill Debuff: Moderate]

The trial’s cultivation-like nature emerged—death as a cycle, like a cultivator facing mortality to refine their dao.

Kael’s reincarnation gave him an edge, but the visions tested his acceptance, probing fears he’d buried. He wove through the mist, using crumbled arches for cover, baiting the reaper into overextending.

[Predator’s Instincts Alert: Structural Weakness – Arches Unstable]

Kael grinned, shaky but defiant. He dodged a scythe swing, luring the reaper toward an arch. Essence Pulse was ready. He slammed his palm down, primal energy bursting, shaking the arch. The reaper staggered, and Kael struck, Abyssal Fang hitting the sigil, light pouring out.

[Critical Hit!

Enemy HP: 80%.

Core Sigil Exposure: 20%]

*Skill Cooldown: [Essence Pulse] – 28 seconds.*

The river roared, mist hands grabbing harder, pulling Kael toward the flow. His Primal Endurance fought the cold, but his vision blurred, the shadow of Mira solidifying, her accusations louder. "You let me die," she hissed, face twisting.

[System Warning: Willpower Check – Resist Fear of Failure.

Mental Fatigue +15%]

Kael’s chest tightened, his confidence fraying. He’d died, yes, but had he truly accepted it? His Devourer Bloodline pinged—a faint corrupted signature, 700 meters away, Nightshade’s influence lingering. The trial was no simple test; it was a crucible, refining his spirit or breaking it.

The reaper lunged, scythe arcing. Kael Eclipse Stepped, shadows flickering, but the mist slowed him, the blade grazing his shoulder, blood spraying.

[Status: HP 88%.

Bleeding Debuff: Minor.

Stamina: 35%]

Kael rolled, heart pounding, Adaptive Combat weaving Sera’s feint into his dodge. He struck back, Abyssal Fang scraping the sigil, but the reaper’s aura surged, runes blazing, pushing him back.

[Core Sigil Exposure: 25%.

Weakness Vulnerability +10%]

The ground cracked, the river’s mist forming a vortex, pulling at Kael’s soul, like qi draining his meridians. His Abyssal Endurance held, but his stamina was critical, Eldritch Reversal dormant with HP above 20%. The shadows of his past closed in, their whispers deafening.

[Trial Influence: Spiritual Overload Risk 30%. Expulsion in 120 seconds]

Kael’s grin faded, sweat dripping down his face. The reaper advanced, scythe gleaming. The vortex tightened, the corrupted signature closing—600 meters.

[System Alert: Trial of Death – Accept Mortality to Proceed. Core Sigil Must Be Destroyed]

Kael gripped Abyssal Fang, silver eyes burning. "I’ve died once," he growled, stepping forward, mist clawing his legs.

The reaper’s scythe descended, the shadows screamed, and the river’s vortex roared, daring him to face death again.

Kael’s boots slid on brittle stone, mist hands clawing his legs, their icy grip searing like frostbite. The reaper’s scythe descended, runes blazing crimson, cutting through the black mist.

Kael’s Predator’s Instincts screamed, tracking the blade’s arc, wide, then thrusting. He Eclipse Stepped, shadows flickering, but the vortex’s pull slowed him, the scythe nicking his thigh, blood welling.

[Status: HP 85%.

Bleeding Debuff: Moderate.

Stamina: 30%]

Kael grunted, stumbling, Abyssal Fang Dagger trembling in his grip. The Bloodthread Mantle clung to his sweat-soaked skin, tattered from the trial’s chill.

The black river roared, its mist vortex tightening, dragging at his soul like qi siphoning his meridians.

[System Warning: Willpower Check – Resist Despair Manifestations.

Mental Fatigue +20%]

Kael’s heart pounded. This trial was forcing him to face mortality’s weight, like a cultivator refining their dao through annihilation. His Night Predator trait cut through the darkness, locking onto the reaper’s core sigil, glowing brighter, exposure ticking up.

[System Note: Core Sigil Exposure: 25%. Weakness Vulnerability +10%]

"Keep moving," Kael rasped, silver eyes burning. He darted left, weaving through skeletal trees, their branches snapping under the reaper’s pursuit.

The construct’s scythe slashed, carving a tree in half, mist erupting in a chilling wave. Kael ducked, Adaptive Combat blending raw charge with light feint, baiting the reaper into a crumbled arch.

[Predator’s Instincts Alert: Structural Collapse Imminent]

Kael seized the chance, Essence Pulse charging. He slammed his palm down, primal energy bursting, shaking the arch. Stone crumbled, crashing onto the reaper, dust and mist swirling. The construct staggered, sigil flaring, its aura flickering.

[Critical Hit!

Enemy HP: 75%.

Core Sigil Exposure: 30%]

[Skill Cooldown: Essence Pulse – 26 seconds]

The river’s vortex roared louder, mist hands wrapping his waist, pulling harder. Kael’s Abyssal Endurance flared, dulling the cold, but his stamina plummeted, legs trembling.

[System Alert: Willpower Check – Resist Guilt Overload.

Mental Fatigue +25%.

Spiritual Overload Risk 40%]

His Devourer Bloodline stirred, sensing the trial’s death essence, thick and oppressive, like corrupted qi fueling the visions. He siphoned another sliver, risking overload to clear his mind.

[Skill Activated: Devour Essence – Absorbed 7% Death Essence.

HP Restored: 87%.

Temporary Buff: +8% Mental Fortitude]