Huff!
Exhaling deeply, my eyes yanked open and I tried to sit up—only to feel a severe pain in my chest. It felt like a hole had been burrowed through it.
"Aaaaah!" I gripped my chest tightly, wincing in pain.
My teeth sank into my lips, tearing them apart and causing blood to drip down to my chin. I had never experienced this level of pain before.
Even breathing was hard. I felt suffocated—like my heart would explode if I drew in too much oxygen.
But what am I supposed to do?
Suffocate in silence?
The pain was unimaginable. And worse, it didn’t just co and go—it stayed. Falling back on the bed, I grabbed the bedsheet, rolled it roughly, and dragged it to my lips, biting down hard. While I struggled with the pain, I didn’t even notice people rushing into the room. Only when a doctor in a white lab coat, accompanied by a few nurses, ran to my side did I realize they were there.
Their lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I watched as the doctor pulled out a syringe and injected its contents into the IV line. But I didn’t care. I was fighting for my life—just a step away from death’s door.
And then...
A soothing feeling washed over , causing the pain to subside rapidly. My tensed body relaxed naturally. Inhaling deeply felt like I was taking in oxygen for the first ti in a very long while. It was almost... flavorful and deeply soothing.
"Master Black... can you hear ?" a distant voice ca from the side as my vision blurred slightly.
Glancing over, I realized it was the doctor speaking. Even though he was close, his voice sounded distant—like an echo.
"You don’t have to say anything. Just rest and gather your strength." The doctor seed cheerful. "The world will be excited by this news!" he added, before turning around and walking away—leaving alone before I could even ask the question burning in my head.
My bloodied lips parted slowly, weak words escaping in gasps.
"H-how... how l-long... hav-e I be-en as-sleep?"
At this point, it didn’t matter that he’d left. Even if he were still here, he wouldn’t have been able to hear .
How can using one spell reduce to this condition?
Slowly, I raised my hand—only to realize I had lost a lot of weight. My once vibrant skin was deathly pale and nearly bony. I rembered the scene within the water cylinder. Back then I felt horrible, but not as bad as I felt now.
Had my condition worsened over ti?
Or did sothing else happen?
Did this have sothing to do with the abyss?
Did it strike for refusing its offer?
So many questions raced through my mind, but all of them vanished when I noticed countless ssages tucked away at the corner of my eyes. At first, I was confused, wondering why there were so many. But then my eyes widened in shock as a few ssages ca into view.
[DARK CREATURES ARE ATTACKING YOUR TERRITORY!]
[YOUR THRONE IS CHALLENGED. HURRY BACK!]
[QUEEN EMMA IS AT DUSKHOLLOW GATES. SHE SEEKS YOUR ASSISTANCE. ET WITH HER!]
[VELENHORST EMPIRE HAS FALLEN. QUEEN EMMA IS DEAD!]
[DARK ENTITIES ARE ASCENDING THE MOUNTAIN!]
[DUSKHOLLOW CASTLE IS UNDER SIEGE. HURRY BACK AND DEFEND IT!]
[DUSKHOLLOW CASTLE HAS BEEN OVERRUN. NIGHTFALL DOMINION TERRITORY HAS BEEN LOST!]
[PENALTIES APPLY: -3 TO ALL STATS & -20 HP]
[ALL FRAGNTS & TERRITORY TALENT LISTS LOST]
I read through the ssages in awe, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on .
"What is going... on?!" I struggled to speak, driven by shock.
What did the system an by Nightfall Dominion territory has been lost?
Didn’t I just pass out a day ago?
[You spent three weeks recovering from the use of On Pulse. However, your territory was lost within that ti, causing a relapse in your recovery, worsening your condition and nearly leading to your death. Luckily, your high vitality saved you.]
Buzz!
A wave of shock washed over , but I couldn’t even show it. My eyes dilated at the system’s words, and I read them repeatedly in disbelief before shifting my gaze to my stats.
Na: Adam Black
Level: 6
Race: Human
Talent: Gatekeeper
Talent Tier: SSS-Tier
[Stats]
Strength: 7
Speed: 7
Vitality: 14
Intelligence: 7
Health Points: 150/150
Energy Points: 20/20
Experience Points: 5450/6400
Corruption: 0.5%
Universal Fragnts: 0
Dark Fragnts: 0
Blood Fragnts: 0
Limitless Fragnts: 0
[Skills]
Na: Door
Status: Upgradeable
Tier: C
Cost: 1 EP
Proficiency: 30%
Technique: Doorpost
Na: Blood Pact
Status: Upgradeable
Tier: A
Cost: 10 HP
Proficiency: 0%
Na: Might of Man
Status: Upgradeable
Tier: C
Cost: Nil
Proficiency: 100%
Na: Berserk Mode
Status: Fixed
Tier: C
Cost: Nil
Proficiency: 100%
Na: Blood Ignition
Status: Upgradeable
Tier: B
Cost: 10% HP
Proficiency: 0%
Na: Crimson Threads
Status: Upgradeable
Tier: B
Cost: 1 HP per thread
Proficiency: 0%
Na: Angel
Status: Upgradeable
Tier: B
Cost: 3 EP
Proficiency: 0%
Na: On Pulse
Status: Fixed
Tier: B
Cost: 5 EP
Proficiency: 0%
Na: Corrupted Growth
Status: Fixed
Tier: A
Cost: 10 EP
Proficiency: 0%
[Territory:] Nil
Realizing I’d permanently lost the equivalent of everything I gained from the territory was heartbreaking. My stats—painstakingly earned through battle and effort—were gone. Even the 21 Universal Fragnts I had saved, hoping to use them when I gained access to better abilities, were gone.
Not only that, the talent lists—filled with incredible options I could’ve purchased but greedily waited to upgrade—were wiped clean.
I’d lost everything to a simple mistake.
What is a Gatekeeper without a territory?
What is a god without worshippers?
What is a nation without a people?
"I have beco nothing." I muttered, lowering my head in sha.
Overnight, everything I had worked for vanished.
Lord Ravus...
The Vanguard’s Curse...
The castle I had just repaired...
The recognition of the Velenhorst Empire...
Everything had completely faded away—even before I could truly use them.
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