The corridor leading to the first floor of the prison was a descending spiral of blackened stone and pulsating fungi. But at the end of the steps, the world changed.
The floor was flesh. The walls breathed. The ceiling wept.
Elian stopped, heart pounding.
[You have entered the First Floor of the Abyssal Prison — Womb of Ruin.]
The air tasted of rust. The atmosphere weighed on his bones like lead. It felt as if the world was alive — and angry.
"This isn't a prison. It's an organism sentenced to madness."
He walked with careful steps, each footfall echoing like a warped heartbeat. He felt as if he were being digested as he moved.
And then he saw it.
Before him, a circular area where the ground formed a spiral pattern of fused flesh and bone. At the center, a deformed statue, bound by black chains anchored to the walls and ceiling.
It knelt, arms crossed, head hidden beneath an iron mask.
[Analysis: Guardian Kaal'reth is in a dormant state.]→ Trigger activation mechanism?
Elian had no time to respond.
From the ceiling, an organic pod fell and burst open at his feet, vomiting a dark fragment wrapped in violet mist.
[Devourer Fragment detected.]→ Unstable essence of Argat'hul. Consumable. Dangerous.
Elian frowned.
"That's what triggered the cursed statue?"
The answer came instantly.
The chains snapped with a dry crack. The flesh at the center tore open. The chained body rose.
Guardian of the First Floor: Kaal'reth, the Uncondemned
A cavernous roar echoed as the mask opened, revealing a black void filled with purple flames.
"All seek escape... but those who flee ruin... carry ruin with them."
The ground trembled. Tentacles burst from the walls, lashing toward Elian.
He ran. It wasn't time to fight an ancient cursed entity.
But there was no exit. The corridor behind him had sealed — the living prison did not allow retreat.
Trapped. Unprepared. One mistake, and he would die.
"If I'm going to die, I'll take something with me."
He looked at the Devourer Fragment, still pulsating.
[Do you wish to consume the Fragment? Extreme corruption risk. Mutation possible.]→ Confirm?
— Yes.
The fragment exploded in his hand and fused into his flesh. His right arm began to distort. Black veins spread as his bones reshaped into something... predatory.
[Temporary Skill: Devourer's Hand — active for 10 minutes]→ Pierces divine defenses. Consumes life energy. Side effect: Estimated 37% corruption.
Kaal'reth struck. A living chain lashed in a straight line. Elian narrowly dodged — the chain sliced through the wall like butter.
The Guardian leapt. The ground shattered under the impact.Elian was thrown back, crashing into a wall of pulsing flesh that swallowed him momentarily before spitting him out.
"I can't win by force. I need to think."
The system pulsed:
[Weak point detected: Containment Core — beneath sternum. Protected by cursed scales.]
A plan. He needed a plan.
Elian sprinted in circles through the living arena. Each step was shadowed by brutal attacks. The Devourer's Hand burned, craving release.
Then he saw it — a jagged bone spike jutting from the wall. Sharpened like a spear.
An idea.
He stopped running. Slammed his foot into the ground.
— Hey, freak! — he shouted.
Kaal'reth roared and charged like a beast. Elian dove to the side at the last second.
The Guardian slammed his chest into the bone spike.
It tore part of the armor away.
Elian lunged forward, his mutated hand pulsing with violet energy.
— DIE!
The Devourer's Hand pierced the flesh, ripping through the Guardian's core in a black explosion. Purple flames burst from Kaal'reth's body, and his final cry wasn't of pain — but of freedom.
[First Floor Guardian — defeated.]
[Curse EXP absorbed: +4%][Body corruption: 29%.]
Elian collapsed to his knees, gasping. His arm throbbed, and the world spun around him.
Where the Guardian had fallen, the Countercurse Core emerged — a dark crystal veined with blue.
[Rare Item: Countercurse Core — reduces mutation side effects and unlocks access to the Second Floor.]
He held it as if it were his soul.
— One floor. Six remain.
But that... was only the first true step toward the Chain of the Condemned.