The world had changed.
Ever since the system-wide roar of Moraz'Thur, the Eclipse Dragon, echoed through the digital skies, every corner of Aetheria had fallen into a state of silent dread. The vibrant skies turned to dim twilight, and the sun hovered like a flickering candle in the distance, as though afraid to shine.
Inside the heart of the Desolation Range, Junzo and his party stood among the broken bodies of corrupted monsters, staring up at the heavens. Their interface was beginning to distort. Text bled into the edges of the screen, and even the HUD's clean lines started to glitch.
[System Message: WARNING]
You have been Marked by Moraz'Thur. World Event difficulty and targeting priority increased.
All Abyssal Entities within 1000 km radius will now detect and target you.
Time Remaining Until Final Eclipse: 65:24:32
> Junzo (Level 62 – Abyss Slayer): "It's hunting me."
> Rina (Level 67 – Arcane Empress): "Not just you. Every Abyssal creature in the region just shifted aggro data. You're like a beacon now, pulling in everything corrupted."
> Kai (Level 66 – Shadow Striker): "That's great. Absolutely fantastic. We're being stalked by a literal god-tier dragon and now we're the number one targets for the most broken monsters in the game."
Junzo's blade The Abyssal Fang began to vibrate. It responded to the energy around him, and the closer the Eclipse Dragon drew near, the heavier it became.
He looked down at his System screen. A new tab had appeared.
[Abyss Slayer Questline: Phase 2 Unlocked]
Main Objective: Reach the Obsidian Cathedral in the Shadow Rift
Distance: 873 km
Status: Active
Reward: Unlock "Eclipse Slayer" Awakening
Penalty: Eclipse Dragon reaches its full form
Side Objective: Protect key regions from Abyssal Incursion (0/5 Completed)
Hidden Bonus: ???
> Junzo: "There's more. The System unlocked a second phase to my class quest. If I reach the Obsidian Cathedral, I might unlock an evolution something called Eclipse Slayer."
> Rina: "That's a Tier 10 class! Those don't even exist in the player wiki."
> Kai: "Let me guess... we have to run across a map filled with corrupted monsters, dodge the gaze of a god-tier dragon, and not die in the process?"
> Junzo (smirking): "Basically."
They traveled on foot now. The fog made mounts nearly impossible to control, and every few kilometers they were ambushed by corrupted beasts: Abyss-Touched Manticores, Level 70+ Abyssal Shadows, and once, even a Nightmare Wyrm that burst from beneath the cracked stone of the old earth.
[System Combat Update]
Party Combat Encounter: Nightmare Wyrm – Lv. 74 (Elite Mini-Boss)
Weakness: Holy Flame, Light Magic
Environment Penalty: Vision reduced by 60%
The battle was a hellish clash of light and shadow. Rina summoned a barrier of compressed arcane energy while Kai dashed through its coils, slicing vulnerable points with his glowing daggers. Junzo activated his new skill Abyss Chain which bound the Wyrm for 15 seconds, enough for the party to burn through half its HP.
Junzo ended the fight with a crushing two-hit combo:
> [Skill Activated: Blade Ruin Cross]
Slash vertically, then horizontally with elemental blades. Double damage if target is Abyssal.
Critical Hit!
The Wyrm collapsed, dissolving into data.
[Battle Complete]
EXP Gained: 102,400
Junzo Leveled Up!
Level 62 → 63
New Title Earned: "Beacon of the Abyss"
New Passive Skill: Corruption Resistance +50%
As they caught their breath, Rina looked up.
> Rina: "Guys… the sun just blinked again. Faster this time."
They turned. Indeed, the sun was flickering like a dying lightbulb. The eclipse was accelerating.
> Kai: "System said we had 65 hours. You don't think the Eclipse Dragon is messing with time itself, do you?"
> Junzo: "If it is, then we're on a shorter clock than we thought."
As night fell if the darkness could even be called that anymore they found shelter inside an abandoned Guardian Shrine from the old world. Inside, old broken statues and murals covered the walls images of the System's original code gods fighting the beasts of the void. A single terminal still glowed faintly.
Junzo walked to it and placed his hand on the screen.
[System Notification]
Terminal Accessed: Memory Archive – Obsidian Cathedral
Loading Vision…
The shrine filled with light. A hologram shimmered to life, showing a battle from the First Collapse. Ten glowing figures stood against a black serpent the size of a mountain. At the center… was the Eclipse Dragon. But something shocked Junzo.
One of the figures wielding a blade identical to his own stood at the forefront.
> Voice Recording – Archive Playback:
"We sealed it once. But if the Slayer bloodline awakens again… he must find the Cathedral. Only there can the system reboot the world."
> Rina: "That blade. Junzo, that's you."
> Junzo: "No. It's the first Abyss Slayer. And I think the System wants me to finish what he couldn't."
The vision ended, and the terminal deactivated permanently. Junzo stood in the silence, gripping his blade.
Outside, the sky cracked with dark lightning, and far away… the shape of something monstrous moved beneath the clouds.
[System Global Alert]
Moraz'Thur has entered Phase 1.
Eclipse: 20%
All world dungeons will now spawn Abyssal Variants.
Field Bosses corrupted. Map safety zones disabled.
> Junzo: "Tomorrow, we march to the Cathedral."
> Rina: "Even if it's guarded by gods?"
> Junzo: "Especially then."