The cavern had gone silent.
The massive corpse of the Alpha Fang Tyrant lay motionless on the cracked stone floor.
Kael wiped the blood from his lip and exhaled slowly.
His body still trembled from the power of Berserker Rage.
Behind him, the other hunters stared at the broken wall that had opened after the boss died.
Beyond it was a staircase descending into darkness.
The arcanist stepped forward, examining the stone.
"…This isn't part of the dungeon."
The fire elemental frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"These carvings," the arcanist said, running his fingers along the wall. "They're ancient."
The symbols glowed faintly with spirit energy.
"These ruins predate the Awakening."
Kael's system suddenly flashed.
Hidden Area Discovered
Ancient Structure Detected
Origin: Unknown
The telepath looked uneasy.
"Something down there is emitting powerful energy."
The spear fighter crossed his arms.
"We should report this to the guild."
Kael stared at the dark staircase.
His instincts were screaming.
Not danger.
Opportunity.
The system appeared again.
Special Mission Generated
Explore the hidden chamber.
Reward:
Ancient relic
Bloodline evolution progress
Rare skill
Kael smiled slightly.
"I'm going down."
The other hunters exchanged glances.
The fire elemental sighed.
"Well… if the berserker's going, I'm not staying behind."
One by one, the party followed him.
The Hidden Chamber
The staircase spiraled deep beneath the dungeon.
The air grew colder with every step.
After several minutes, the group reached a massive underground hall.
Everyone froze.
The chamber was enormous.
Stone pillars towered toward the ceiling.
Ancient statues lined the walls.
Each statue depicted warriors with glowing veins and monstrous strength.
The spear fighter whispered.
"…Berserkers."
Kael stepped closer.
These statues looked nothing like modern hunters.
They were taller.
Stronger.
Almost godlike.
The arcanist gasped.
"These are relics from the Elytherion era."
The lost civilization.
The creators of bloodlines.
At the center of the chamber stood a massive stone pedestal.
Something rested on top.
A pair of dark metal gauntlets.
Covered in ancient runes.
The system flashed violently.
Legendary Relic Detected
Item: Fragment of Worldbreaker Gauntlets
Compatibility Check…
The other hunters felt the energy too.
The telepath whispered.
"That power…"
"It's insane."
Kael slowly approached the pedestal.
Every step made the system pulse harder.
Relic Compatibility: 92%
The arcanist shouted.
"Wait! Don't touch it!"
But Kael had already reached the pedestal.
He placed his hand on the gauntlets.
The entire chamber exploded with crimson light.
Spirit energy surged through his body.
Pain ripped through his muscles as ancient power awakened.
The system roared to life.
Relic Bonding Initiated
Kael fell to one knee.
His veins glowed red.
The statues around the chamber began to tremble.
A deep voice echoed through the hall.
An ancient spirit.
Guardian of the relic.
A massive stone warrior stepped forward from the shadows.
Its eyes burned with golden fire.
The arcanist shouted in terror.
"A relic guardian!"
Eternal Stone Sentinel
The giant warrior raised its colossal sword.
"UNWORTHY…"
Its voice echoed like thunder.
"ONLY THE STRONG MAY CLAIM THE RELIC."
The sentinel attacked.
Its sword crashed toward Kael.
But before it could strike—
Kael stood up.
His body had changed.
The gauntlets had fused with his arms.
Crimson energy flowed through his veins.
The system displayed a new message.
Primordial Berserker Evolution
Stage 1 Unlocked
Awakened Berserker
Stats surged upward.
Level: 5
STR: 25
AGI: 10
END: 20
SPI: 6
INT: 3
LUK: 1
Kael cracked his neck.
"So… I passed the test?"
The sentinel roared and swung its sword again.
Kael raised his gauntlet.
BOOM.
The sword shattered on impact.
The hunters stared in shock.
Kael stepped forward slowly.
Each step cracked the stone floor.
He clenched his fist.
Energy surged through the Worldbreaker Gauntlets fragment.
Then he punched.
BOOM.
The sentinel flew across the chamber.
Stone exploded everywhere.
The ancient guardian collapsed.
Destroyed in one strike.
Silence filled the chamber.
The system appeared again.
Relic Bond Complete
Item Acquired:
Fragment of Worldbreaker Gauntlets
Effect: +50% Strength
The other hunters looked at Kael like he was a monster.
The telepath whispered.
"That relic… chose him."
The arcanist looked pale.
"Those gauntlets are only fragments of a god-tier weapon."
Kael looked down at his glowing fists.
Then the system displayed another message.
World Event Notification
The energy released from the relic has been detected.
High-level hunters are approaching Virelden.
Kael frowned.
"Hunters?"
The telepath suddenly looked toward the cave entrance.
"No…"
"Not just hunters."
"Someone powerful."
Very powerful.
A prodigy whose name had begun spreading across the continent.
A young elemental warrior destined to become one of the strongest hunters alive.
His name was:
Ardyn Solis.
And he was coming to investigate the relic's power.