Alex stood frozen, staring at the ancient as the flood of information burned itself into his mind.
The moment the sword art transferred to him, a wave of exhaustion hit him like a mountain collapsing onto his back.
"Whoa, okay, that was... a bit much," he muttered, wobbling on his feet to remain steady.
His vision swam as he shook his head. "So, uh, did you just pump a lifetime's worth of sword knowledge into my head, old man?" Alex asked, rubbing his temples.
The ancient warrior chuckled, his form beginning to flicker. "It is not something so crude. The techniques are imprinted in your soul. Your body will remember them in due time."
Alex snorted. "So what you're saying is—I got an OP sword art, but I can't use the cool stuff yet? Talk about a scam. I should've read the fine print."
The warrior's laughter grew softer as his body faded further. "My time has come, young one. This fragment of my soul has lasted far longer than it should have. But now... I am finally at peace ."
Alex's smirk faltered. Despite everything he had been through, despite his general distrust of people—this warrior had guided him, tested him, rewarded him.
The fact that he was truly vanishing now… it hit harder than he expected.
"You know," Alex said, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "for a guy who put me through hell, you're not that bad."
The ancient warrior smiled. "And for a boy who mocks even his benefactors, you are not so bad either."
Alex chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, just take the compliment and go."
The warrior's form shimmered, his golden eyes locking onto Alex one last time.
"Remember, Alex Dragonheart—never bend, not even before a god. Forge your own story."
And with that, he faded into light, his presence vanishing like a breeze in the wind.
For a moment, silence filled the ruins.
A lump formed in Alex's throat, but he swallowed it down.
"Hah… no pressure, huh?" he said, forcing a grin. "Well, I guess I'll try to live up to the expectations."
DING!
Alex nearly jumped as the system notification echoed in his mind.
[You have obtained Astral Void Rend Sword Art!]
His hands trembled slightly as he pulled up his status window.
[Sword Art Acquired!]
Astral Void Rend Sword Art (??? Rank - Unknown)
A mysterious and unparalleled 12-form sword art capable of bending space, time, and fate itself.
The first four forms enhance speed and combat flow, the middle four distort reality, and the final four can erase existence itself.
The sword art awakens progressively as the user grows stronger.
First Four Forms - Foundation of Speed & Combat Flow:
Void Step – Instantly shifts the user a short distance, making it seem as though they teleport. Enhances reaction speed.
Phantom Rend – A slash so fast it leaves afterimages, confusing enemies while striking multiple times.
Celestial Flow – Allows seamless movement, reducing energy consumption and enabling fluid combat maneuvers.
Bladestorm Mirage – A rapid flurry of strikes that create a storm of sword slashes, overwhelming foes.
Middle Four Forms - Bending Reality:
Dimensional Sever – A cut that distorts space, slashing through defenses by shifting the blade into another dimension momentarily.
Temporal Echo – Leaves delayed strikes in time, causing attacks to hit twice—once in the present and once a moment later.
Event Horizon Slash – Generates a gravitational field around the blade, drawing enemies toward the attack and slowing their movements.
Aetheral Rift – A slash that ignores conventional durability, cutting through energy, magic, and even intangible defenses.
Final Four Forms - The Forbidden Arts:
Fatebreaker Severance – A strike that momentarily severs fate itself, allowing the user to defy unavoidable outcomes.
Chrono Rend – A slash that distorts time in a localized area, slowing or accelerating the target's movements.
Oblivion Edge – The blade nullifies existence upon contact, erasing whatever it touches from reality.
Transcendent Annihilation – The ultimate technique, an absolute strike that bends all known laws, capable of slicing through even conceptual beings.
Alex's mouth hung open. "What the actual hell—?!"
His brain refused to process what he had just read. "This is illegal! There's no way this should exist! Even in the game, nothing was this broken!" He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.
Then he remembers that only the protagonist has a mythical sword art of unknown rank which he has inherited from the celestial king the first emperor of human empire and the hero who was the first to take a stand against the abyss.
Still, as he read further, his excitement was slightly dampened by a restriction.
[Currently, only the first four techniques are accessible. Attempting to use higher forms will result in self-inflicted damage. Proceed with caution.]
Alex sighed in relief. "Whew, at least I won't accidentally erase myself from existence. Small victories."
Just as he was about to close his status window, another system notification popped up.
DING!
[Warning! You have 1 hour to exit the ruins before structural collapse!]
Alex blinked. "…Wait. What?"
A low rumble echoed through the ruins as cracks began forming along the walls. Dust and debris fell from above.
"Oh, come on! Why does every ancient ruin have a self-destruct mechanism?!" Alex shouted as he turned on his heels and bolted towards the exit.
The ground trembled violently beneath him, and stone pillars began toppling like dominoes.
"I swear, these ancients have no chill! First trials, then a near-death fight, and now this?! What next?! A boulder chasing me?!"
As if answering his complaint, a massive boulder dislodged from the ceiling and began rolling towards him.
"OH, FOR FU—!!"
Alex pushed his agility to the limit, zigzagging through the collapsing ruins as he cursed every ancient being that ever existed. "I knew it! I freaking knew it! Why is it always a boulder?! This is such a cliché!"
A large stone slab fell in front of him, blocking his exit. Without thinking, he activated Shadow step, instantly shifting past the obstacle just before the boulder could flatten him.
"HA! Suck it, ruins! You won't get me that easily!"
As he sprinted towards the final stretch, a towering doorway came into his view—his way out. His heart pounded as he pushed forward, ignoring the debris raining down around him.
"Almost there—!!"
With one last leap, he dived through the exit just as the entire ruin collapsed behind him in a deafening explosion of dust and rubble.
Coughing, he rolled onto his back and gasped for air. "I… hate… ancient ruins… so much…"
His system chimed again .
[Congratulations! You have survived the Ancient Trials!]
Alex groaned , covering his face. "System, I swear, if you say anything about a bonus round, I will uninstall you."