Chapter 54: Yours to command

For several minutes, they fought like that, going blow for blow in a brutal exchange.

No techniques.

No weapons.

No clever tricks.

Just fists.

Strength against strength.

Endurance against endurance.

Every exchange sent shockwaves through the ruined dungeon.

Eden’s knuckles split.

His ribs screamed.

One of his fingers felt badly damaged.

His vision blurred occasionally.

But he refused to stop.

The Black Knight wasn’t untouched either.

Cracks had formed across its armor.

The dark energy around its body flickered with every impact.

Neither backed down.

Eden couldn’t remember the last time he’d fought someone like this.

Someone who didn’t retreat.

Someone who didn’t underestimate him.

Someone who simply kept standing.

In a way, the knight reminded Eden of himself.

He laughed.

"Hah...!"

He wiped blood from his mouth.

"You really are something."

The Black Knight raised its fists.

Eden raised his.

"One more."

They charged.

Both landed simultaneously.

Eden’s fist struck the knight’s head.

The knight’s fist struck Eden’s face.

They staggered apart.

Eden almost fell.

The Black Knight almost fell too.

For a moment, they simply stared at each other.

Eden’s breathing was almost nonexistent.

His body was done.

His Essence was nearly depleted.

Even Corrupted Surge was beginning to flicker.

’I can’t win like this.’

He knew it.

The knight knew it.

If they continued like this, Eden would lose.

His body was human.

The knight’s wasn’t.

Eventually, exhaustion would win.

Eden lowered his head.

The Black Knight advanced.

Eden retreated.

The knight attacked.

Eden blocked.

Barely.

Another punch.

Eden took it.

He stumbled.

Another.

Boom!

He staggered.

Another.

Eden raised his arms.

He fell to one knee.

The Black Knight stood over him.

Eden breathed heavily.

’This is it.’

He could feel the limits of his body.

His Essence was almost gone.

Corrupted Surge was the only reason he could still move.

And that was draining the last of his reserves.

Suddenly, Eden’s desperation gave way to a dangerously stupid Idea.

Exactly the kind of idea Eden had been known for lately.

He lowered his guard.

The Black Knight stepped forward.

Eden didn’t attack.

It punched him.

Eden flew backward.

He crashed into the ground.

He slowly pushed himself up.

The knight approached.

Another punch.

Eden’s head snapped sideways.

He stumbled.

Another.

Blood sprayed.

Eden didn’t retaliate.

He simply defended.

Barely.

He let the knight believe it.

’I’m done.’

Another punch.

He took it.

His body screamed.

’Come on—’

Another.

He blocked too slowly.

The attack clipped his jaw.

Eden staggered.

The knight stepped forward.

’Just a little more!’

Another punch.

Eden barely remained standing.

The Black Knight raised its fist.

And Eden saw it.

The opening.

It was tiny.

But it was there.

The knight committed too much weight to the attack.

Eden’s eyes sharpened.

His hands dropped.

The knight swung.

Eden shifted his head just enough.

The fist passed beside him.

The Black Knight’s balance changed.

For a single instant—

Its head was exposed.

Eden didn’t punch.

He didn’t kick.

Instead, he extended his hand.

His fingers straightened.

His arm pointed directly at the knight’s head.

Almost as though he were holding an invisible sword.

The Black Knight froze.

Its head turned slightly.

It understood.

Eden smiled.

"Yeah."

His voice was barely a whisper.

"You’re catching on too late!"

The knight moved.

Eden deactivated Corrupted Surge.

The overwhelming enhancement disappeared.

Every bit of Essence he had left became available.

Eden gambled everything.

"Aura Blade."

Nothing happened at first.

Eden’s heart stopped.

Then purple Essence exploded from his palm.

A blade formed.

It was small.

Thin.

Unstable.

But it was enough.

The Black Knight tried to move.

Eden didn’t even need to thrust. The purple blade manifested straight through the Knights head and pierced it.

A overwhelming silence settled into the dungeon.

The Black Knight froze.

The dark energy around its body rippled violently.

Eden held the blade there for barely a second.

Two.

Then his remaining Essence disappeared.

Aura Blade vanished.

The Black Knight stood motionless.

Eden stared at it.

"...Did I do it?"

The dark energy flickered.

Then disappeared.

The Black Knight collapsed.

Eden remained standing for a few seconds, waiting for the System windows to appear and confirm his victory.

[Level up! ×6]

Eden stared at the notifications.

"...Six entire levels?"

He blinked.

A weak laugh escaped him.

"Not bad."

His legs finally gave out.

Eden dropped onto the ruined floor and sat there.

He leaned backward, breathing heavily.

Every part of his body hurt.

His ribs were broken.

His shoulder was bleeding.

His hands were swollen and covered in cuts.

His Essence was practically empty.

He looked around.

The dungeon was unrecognizable.

Hundreds of Essence Knights lay scattered across the ruined battlefield.

The walls had been demolished.

The floor was covered in craters.

And the Black Knight lay several meters away.

Eden exhaled.

"Finally..."

He closed his eyes.

"I can rest."

For once, he let his guard down.

He shouldn’t have.

Because something moved.

Eden’s eyes opened.

"What...?"

Above the Black Knight, the black energy began to gather.

It twisted into a small circular distortion.

A miniature warp gate.

Eden stared.

"...What now?"

The energy felt familiar.

It was the same black energy the knight had been using.

But something was ifferent about it.

Subtly.

The texture wasn’t the same.

It felt softer.

More fluid.

Almost alive.

Eden slowly struggled to get up onto his feet.

The small warp gate expanded.

Black energy spilled downward.

Then a figure emerged.

A woman.

She floated out of the distortion as though gravity didn’t apply to her.

Long, pale-blonde hair cascaded around her shoulders.

Her eyes were a striking scarlet.

Two black horns curved from her head.

Dark clothing covered her body, fitted closely enough to allow unrestricted movement while revealing portions of her skin.

Black thigh-high coverings framed her legs.

Despite her strange appearance, there was an almost unnatural beauty to her.

Beautiful.

Elegant.

And dangerous.

Eden stared.

"...Huh."

"You’re not an Essence Knight."

The woman smiled.

She descended slowly until her feet touched the ground.

Then she lowered herself into a kneeling position before him.

Eden’s expression became wary.

Every instinct in his exhausted body screamed at him to get ready.

But he barely had enough strength to stand.

The woman placed one hand against her chest.

Her scarlet eyes looked directly into his silver ones.

"I finally meet you."

Eden frowned.

"...?"

Her smile widened.

There was something almost playful about it.

"My new Master."

Eden stared at her.

"Your..."

He looked behind her.

Then at the dead Black Knight.

Then back at her.

"...What?"

The woman bowed her head.

"My name is Sylvia."

She lifted her eyes again.

"And from this moment onward..."

Her smile became slightly wider.

"...I am yours to command."

Eden remained completely silent.

For several seconds, his exhausted brain seemed incapable of processing what had just happened.

He had entered a supposedly "C-Rank" Gate.

He had found hundreds of Essence Knights.

He had discovered a B-Rank boss.

He had gained an S-Rank skill.

He had nearly died.

And now a horned woman had appeared from a miniature warp gate and called him her master.

Eden stared at Sylvia.

Sylvia stared back.

Finally, Eden spoke.

"...This week is fucking insane."