SSS Unknown: Dark Knight's Legacy

The sharp, electronic chime echoed in Unknown's ears, a brief but distinct reminder that the system was ever-present.

Ding!

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:

Status Update

Name: Unknown

Class: Fighter → Swordsman

Level: 30

HP: 500/1450

MP: 30/60

Strength: 35

Agility: 42

Endurance: 35

Skill: Fighting Instinct

Skill: Fire Spark

Skill: Accel

Skill: Limit Break

Skill: Magic Vision

Ability: Survival Mutation, Skill Ascended 

Skill Points: 10

Sword art: [None]

*Notice: Sword art is now available. Learning won't require skill points but can only be gained by efficient in combat.

Unknown's eyes flicked toward the notification that materialized in front of him. 

His chest tightened, heart pounding from the explosion of the core and the aftermath of the battle with the Death Knight. The adrenaline still surged through him, but now there was a rush of recognition as the details sank in.

Level 30.

"I level up."

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a strange surge of energy filled his body. He felt it, like a sudden flood of power coursing through his veins, restoring his strength, fueling him. 

But with it came a sudden shift in the air—his presence grew more noticeable, radiating outward like a beacon.

It wasn't just his body that changed. The atmosphere around him seemed to react, as if the tower itself was aware of his disturbance. 

A low hum filled the air, and within moments, the skeletal guardians above him raised their bows and aimed their arrows directly at him.

Before he could process the danger, the storm of arrows was already speeding toward him. His hands tightened around his sword, eyes locked on the incoming barrage. His heart thudded in his chest as his body prepared to move.

The brief moment of calm was gone in an instant.

'It wasn't fair. Why had the core exploded? Had I done something wrong? Or was the dungeon's will playing tricks on me once again? I hadn't even provoked it—so why did it happen?'

But as the arrows loomed closer, he remembered something. 

The core was the heart of the creatures around him. A body without a heart was lifeless. A heart without a body couldn't function. 

It was inevitable that the explosion would come once the core was detached.

"Damn it, why didn't I think of that!?" The thought came too late, and the arrows were already upon him.

The monsters below had noticed him too, closing in with speed. He swung his sword, deflecting arrows and trying to dodge the rest, but it was too much. 

The magical arrows rained down from above and below, overwhelming him, and surrounding him. The pain of each arrow striking him made his armor groan under the impact. It didn't pierce through, but it still hurt—deeply.

'If this keeps up, I'll definitely be shot to death.'

The thought flashed through his mind, and the reality of it stung. He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't.

A burning sensation flared up along his spine as a red-hot iron had pierced through him. The pain was excruciating, but it fueled his determination. His veins lit up with a sharp, electrical energy, an impulse triggered by his need to survive.

"You won't kill me."

"Not even in a billion years."

Grinding his teeth, he gathered all the power from the core's explosion and overloaded his energy circuits. The newly healed wounds reopened, and fresh blood streaked down his body. He didn't care. He didn't care about the blood, the pain, the consequences. All he cared about was surviving.

He would live. He would keep fighting.

His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, and with a growl of determination, he shouted, "System! Use my skill points to upgrade my skill."

Ping!

System Update:

Spent all skill points.

Skill Upgrade: Accel → Accel+

Accel+1: Reduces MP consumption by 10%, and increases perception and speed by 20% compared to Accel.

Maximizing every ounce of strength he had left, Unknown pushed himself to the absolute limit. His body screamed in protest, but he refused to stop. 

With a surge of raw energy, he launched forward like an arrow released from a bow. His hands whipped the sword through the air, his legs propelling him forward with explosive force. 

His core and back tightened with such intensity, that his body was on the verge of breaking. But there was no time to stop. Every arrow in his path shattered. As if made of glass. He moved with unstoppable momentum, a blur of fury and desperation.

Was he becoming a monster? It didn't matter. If survival meant embracing this ferocity, then so be it. He would do whatever it took.

The monsters, however, had other plans. Their roars filled the air, filled with rage and frustration. The skeletal creatures, now twisted and bound together, formed a massive serpent-like creature. It slithered toward him with terrifying speed, its bones creaking and grinding as it moved, a grotesque manifestation of death.

It was faster than him. Much faster.

His heart pounded as the serpent closed the distance, and for the first time in this battle, uncertainty crept into his mind. He pushed his body harder, fighting against the crippling exhaustion, blocking and dodging anything that came his way.

But it wasn't enough. The strain was unbearable. His muscles burned, his vision swam, and the pain from earlier injuries surged like poison through his veins. Even with Accel still active, the effort was too much.

His movements slowed, the energy he had pushed into overdrive beginning to fade, while the serpent only seemed to grow faster. Its glowing red eyes locked onto him, burning with the hatred of a thousand torments. It was relentless.

But Unknown's resolve only hardened. There was no room for fear, no room for doubt. The serpent was closing in, and its massive mouth—made from the bones of the damned—was opening wide, ready to swallow him whole.

It wanted to kill him.

"Fine!" Unknown snarled through gritted teeth. "If it wants to kill me, I'll kill it first!"

He couldn't stop now. He wouldn't stop. His sword gleamed in the darkness, the blade thirsting for battle. He pushed himself to the edge once more, every muscle in his body straining as he accelerated forward with everything he had left. 

"Do you think you can beat me?" Unknown's voice was low, filled with a seething fury that matched the storm brewing inside him. His grip on the pitch-black sword tightened so forcefully that blood trickled from his palms. But he didn't care. There was no room for hesitation now.

Like the wind, he became a blur of motion. His body curled, spun, and then the sword—his lifeline, his weapon of destruction—sliced through the air. 

The first strike was a deep crimson slash that split the serpent's head in two, the bones crumbling to dust before they even hit the ground. In an instant, the second strike followed, cutting the beast into four pieces. 

The third was even quicker, a flawless slash that cleaved the serpent into six parts, the force of it sending bone fragments flying in all directions. The storm of strikes was so fast, so relentless, it was like he was cutting through the very air itself.

[Triple slash]

Pain surged through his body. The strain of overloading himself, the deep exhaustion, the blood pouring from his hands—all of it roared in the back of his mind. But he gritted his teeth and ignored it. He would not stop. He couldn't.

The last blow fell with a sharp cry, a deadly crimson line that destroyed everything in its path. The serpent's body shattered, broken and in pieces. But the core—the heart of it all—was still intact.

It wasn't over.

The monster would regenerate. It would rise again. Time was slipping away.

He couldn't afford to waste another second. Grinding his teeth in frustration, Unknown didn't even glance back. He ran. 

His legs burned, his body screamed in protest, but he kept going, pushing past his limits. Every step was a fight for survival. Every swing of his sword a desperate act to stay alive.

"I see it…" His voice, barely a whisper, was filled with determination. That green light ahead—it was his hope, his escape. His chance.

His eyes locked onto it, and he forced every last ounce of strength into his legs. The world around him blurred as he shot forward like an arrow. His sword flashed, wrapped in bright crimson energy, cutting through anything that dared to stop him.

Arrows rained down from above, but he didn't hesitate. With every swing, he obliterated them, knocking them aside as if they were nothing more than leaves caught in the wind.

"Up!" His mind screamed the command, pushing his overloaded brain to focus, to carry him through.

The surge of energy roared inside him, his legs primed to explode with the force of everything he had left. This was his last chance. There was no room for failure now.

With one final push, he propelled himself toward the top of the tower, the green light burning brighter as he drew closer. His vision narrowed to that single point ahead. He had to make it.

But, it couldn't be that easy.

"Ugh!!!" The sharp pain exploded in Unknown's chest, a searing agony that felt like his ribcage was being shattered from the inside. It was so intense he thought his very bones would splinter under the pressure.

Out of nowhere, a supersonic light arrow pierced through the air, slamming into him with the force of a freight train. 

The arrow struck with brutal force, cracking through his thick armor and sending a violent shockwave of pain through his body. Blood erupted from his mouth, but miraculously, the arrow didn't penetrate all the way through. 

Still, the damage was immense—his body was flung back like a ragdoll, sent tumbling down the spiral staircase.

"No way I'm failing here!" His thoughts, despite the crushing pain, remained sharp. 

His grip on the sword tightened, and with a desperate roar, he jammed it into the stone wall of the tower. The sword's blade caught, and with all his strength, he stopped himself from plummeting into the abyss below.

But he had no time to breathe.

Another arrow. The air seemed to crackle with the sheer speed and power behind it. He knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it. His body was already on the edge, the previous injury weakening him. But surrender wasn't an option.

If the arrow was coming for him, there was only one thing he could do—he had to accept it.

The arrow shot toward him like a comet, its blinding light crashing toward him with such force that it pushed every ounce of pain through his nervous system. 

The shockwave of the impact made his senses burst, drowning him in agony. His pain receptors, already on the brink, shattered completely, and his body screamed in protest. But he didn't stop.

His mind focused, his will sharpened.

With a roar of defiance, Unknown leapt to the next stair, his legs trembling as he activated "Break Limits." The flood of power surged through him like a tidal wave, overwhelming his body with red-hot intensity. 

Dark blood poured from his nose, the strain threatening to send him unconscious, but his will would not let him falter. His vision blurred into nothing but a sea of red, but it didn't matter.

All that mattered was survival.

With everything he had left, he forced himself to run, each step more desperate than the last. His calves burned with every ounce of strength as he pushed forward. There was no turning back.

A brilliant burst of crimson light erupted from his body, pushing away everything in its path. 

Thunder roared in his ears, and the air rippled with the force of the blast, a shockwave that tore through the obstacles ahead of him. The light surged with his very soul—he would escape.

He would escape. No matter the cost.

Thud. Thump. Unknown's body collided violently with the tower floor, rolling uncontrollably as pain radiated from every muscle. His body refused to obey, exhausted and broken after the brutal rush to escape. 

The self-destruction skill had taken its toll. His calves were weak, his legs trembling as if they might snap under his own weight. The effort of just standing felt insurmountable.

He had survived the rain of arrows, but what awaited him was something worse: a towering bow-shaped monster. It hung eerily in midair, its form made entirely of human bones. 

The sight sent a shiver down his spine. This was the creature responsible for the light arrows that had nearly killed him. If one of those projectiles had struck his head...

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered weakly, his mind reeling. The blood from the arrows continued to flow, draining him further.

The edges of his vision blurred as the poison of his injuries began to take its toll.

His legs wouldn't move. Every attempt to push them forward only resulted in sharp, biting pain. The strength he had forced into them just moments ago had shattered them. They were too damaged. And now, the bow monster was preparing to fire again.

"Move, you idiot!" Unknown hissed through gritted teeth. But nothing happened. His legs refused to cooperate, paralyzed by the strain.

"Damn it... If this keeps going, I'm going to die."

The bow monster's form grew taut, and the string creaked as it drew back the arrow. Unknown knew what was coming—another of those light arrows. The kind that would destroy everything in its path, an attack so powerful it couldn't be blocked with a mere sword.

In desperation, he bellowed, "Heal, heal now!" His words were barely coherent as the pain raked through his body.

"I still have plenty of mana, heal, you can do it!!!"

The magic flowed within him, a soft green light forming around his broken body. The healing spell derived from 'Survival mutation' was weak, but it was enough—just enough—to get him moving again. With sheer determination, Unknown rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the incoming strike.

The light beam tore through the air, a white-hot destructive force that melted everything in its wake.

The blast grazed his shoulder, the heat searing through his armor and skin, turning the contact point into a blackened, ashen wound. But he didn't stop. He couldn't stop.

The monster was slow to react, its bulky frame unable to maneuver quickly. 

Unknown seized the moment, summoning every last bit of strength in his weakening body. His sword flashed, cutting through the air with deadly precision. The blade cleaved through the bone monster, slicing it in half before it even had a chance to react.

"Huff... huff..." Unknown gasped for breath, his body trembling as the adrenaline began to wear off. The battle was over—at least for now.

"I did it..." His voice cracked, a mixture of disbelief and exhaustion seeping into his words. "I really... really did it."

A manic laugh bubbled up from his chest, a sound of triumph, of relief, and of madness.

"Haha... hahahaha." He chuckled weakly, the laugh almost a scream.

"I fucking win!!!"

Unknown's laughter echoed through the silent tower, a sound that felt both hollow and triumphant. 

His body was on the verge of collapse, but the weight of what he had accomplished lingered in his mind.

He had survived, he had fought, and, most importantly, he had conquered one of the three locations. The skeletal bow monster that had nearly killed him was now nothing more than shattered bones scattered across the floor. 

The Death Knight blocking his path was nothing but a puddle of mud.

He could barely stand, but a sense of accomplishment surged through him.

"One down," he muttered to himself, his voice ragged, but resolute. The path ahead was still fraught with danger, and he couldn't afford to let his guard down.

Two more locations remained, and he wasn't foolish enough to think the worst was behind him. But this victory—however small—was a reminder that he could survive, that he could push through whatever came next.

"Let's see what my reward is."

He staggered toward the ornate chest perched at the pinnacle of the tower. Exhaustion weighed on him, but curiosity and hope pushed him forward. With trembling hands, he lifted the lid and began rummaging through its contents.

"A fragment to attach to the key, and... what's this?"

His fingers brushed against the fabric of a tattered black cloak. At first glance, it appeared unimpressive, with a worn design that made it seem like little more than a relic from a bygone age.

But a closer look revealed something extraordinary. The fabric was of remarkable quality—knife-proof and arrow-resistant. The small holes dotting its surface seemed more like intentional details than signs of wear.

Sliding the cloak over his shoulders, he was immediately struck by how comfortable it felt. It was as soft as a feather quilt, yet so light it was barely noticeable. Even more surprising, the cloak seemed to respond to his thoughts, adjusting its length effortlessly.

"Well, this isn't bad," he mused, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Looks like coming here wasn't a waste of time after all."

But the sense of satisfaction quickly gave way to unease as his thoughts shifted.

"But then what? What is this tower, really? And why was there a key fragment here?"

He continued to dig through the chest, his fingers brushing against a hidden compartment. With a soft click, the panel shifted to reveal a folded note.

"This handwriting... I can read it?"

The questions mounted, forming an ever-growing pile of mysteries. Why could he understand this language? 

Why was any of this happening to him? However, thinking about it right now would be pointless. He unfolded the note and concentrated on the message.

"The process of sealing [Sword Of Desire - Eclipse] has been completed. One day, that person will awaken and wield it once more.

My mission is done. To whoever is reading this note, if you are truly that person, then take care of this cursed legacy."

The words struck a nerve. They carried a weight that made his chest tighten.

"So I'm that person, huh?"

He scoffed, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. The idea left a sour taste in his mouth. 

Deep down, he despised the notion of being assigned a role or destiny by someone else. He was no savior, no chosen one. Even if the words were true, he refused to accept them.

"No. If I was someone before, that person is dead. The only thing left is a nameless nobody."

His voice was firm, his declaration resolute. "I will always be myself and no one else."

He clenched his fists tightly, his nails biting into his palms. The anger bubbling within him was sharp, a fierce rejection of the expectations implied by the note.

He would not be shackled to a legacy he had never asked for.

Unbeknownst to him, his eyes glimmered faintly with a crimson light. 

The loss of his identity was more than a wound. It was a void, a darkness within that gnawed at him relentlessly. He remained oblivious to its true depth, but its shadow stretched ever closer, feeding on the cracks in his resolve.

The note slipped from his hand, fluttering to the ground as he turned away. His grip tightened on the cloak's edges, its fabric swirling faintly in the windless room. The cursed legacy? He wanted no part of it. But the world seemed intent on drawing him deeper, whether he wanted to face it or not.

The tower's silence loomed, but somewhere in that stillness, something stirred.