The red magic circle pulsed with eerie light, sending ripples across the dungeon floor. Yeo's body tensed—this was no ordinary skill. It felt ancient, like it belonged to something older than the system itself.
From the cracked stone where the gauntlet-bearing sentinel stood, red mist began to pour out. It coiled like smoke, twisting through the air and crawling toward the other statues.
> [System Alert: Forbidden Essence Detected]
[DANGER LEVEL: A-RANK]
[Unknown anomaly interfering with system protocol… recalibrating.]
"What the hell is Forbidden Essence?" Yeo muttered, eyes darting between the remaining sentinels. The moment the red mist touched them, their eyes glowed brighter. Cracks in their stone bodies healed, and their weapons shimmered faintly with crimson energy.
They were evolving.
"Seriously? I just started figuring this out!"
One of the corrupted sentinels dashed forward. This one was fast—faster than anything Yeo had fought yet. Its spear came like a bolt of lightning.
CLANG!
Yeo barely blocked, but the impact sent him sliding back. The shock numbed his arms.
> [System Integration Resuming… Partial Access to Class Tree Unlocked.]
[Class Path Detected: Echo-Bearer]
[Unique Skill Acquired: Echo Pulse Lv.1]
Yeo blinked. "Echo-Bearer?"
The system responded, almost like it heard him.
> Echo-Bearers are conduits of forgotten power. You wield remnants of past heroes, forging new strength from ancient echoes.
Without hesitation, Yeo activated the new skill.
Echo Pulse.
A deep thrum rang through the chamber. Time slowed for a split second. The corrupted spear-wielder froze mid-lunge, eyes flickering. Behind Yeo, a faint silhouette formed—a phantom-like warrior with a long cloak and a glowing staff.
The figure raised its hand, and a shockwave burst outward.
The corrupted sentinel shattered.
Yeo gasped as the phantom vanished, leaving only silence and falling dust.
> [Skill Note: Echo Pulse summons a memory fragment of a fallen hero. Each use manifests a different echo. Cooldown: 5 minutes.]
He looked down at his hands. "So… I don't just grow stronger—I borrow power from forgotten legends."
But he had no time to celebrate.
The floor beneath the red magic circle cracked wide open. From within, an enormous figure began to rise. Not stone. Not corrupted.
Bone.
An armored skeleton at least three meters tall, draped in tattered robes and wielding a broken halberd, emerged. Its eye sockets burned with red fire.
> [Mini-Boss Identified: Forgotten Warden – Lv. 20]
[Optional Challenge Triggered: Slay the Warden to unlock a hidden feature of your class.]
Yeo exhaled slowly.
This was no longer a trial.
This was war.