Kael's HP flickered at 6%, his Lvl 21 frame a battered shell as he staggered through the silver ascension gate, the thirteenth floor of the Eternal Ascension Pagoda materializing around him. The obsidian chamber of the twelfth floor dissolved, replaced by a vast, lightless void, the air cold and still, like a tomb sealed for eons.
His Abyssal Fang Dagger pulsed, its blade heavier, denser, glutted on Null Qi from the Nullborn's core, the Essence Latch barely sustaining his fading stamina. His system pinged—
[Floor 13: Trial of Blind Combat – Fight Lvl 25-31 Primal Warrior constructs while deprived of sight and senses, relying purely on aura perception or instincts, and physical prowess. Note: Opponents increase by threes, and Primal Energy is restricted]
Kael's silver eyes, dim beneath the Shadow Veil Mask, glinted with defiance. "No sight, no senses? Figures," he muttered, his voice raw. "Pagoda's got a real sense of humor."
