Leveling Up My SSS Abilities

Ryu Minho could feel the tremor in his hands long before the Gate opened. The ground beneath the abandoned subway station rumbled like an animal growling beneath its breath. Red warning lights spun in every direction, painting the cracked tiles in violent color. Another Rift. He swallowed, tasting dust and fear. “E-Rank to the back! Don’t block the path!” someone barked from the front of the formation. Minho obeyed without a word. He was used to that tone, the sharp contempt that came with his rank. E-rank was bottom tier. Disposable. The kind of people you sent in first to die while the real hunters finished the job. Still, he tightened his grip on his dull iron sword. It was chipped, barely holding together with duct tape and faith. Just three more raids, he told himself. Three more and I’ll have enough to buy Mom’s meds. A voice echoed in his earpiece. “Gate opening in thirty seconds. Everyone, brace for Rift distortion!” The air grew heavy. Space itself rippled like shattered glass and from the center of the subway tunnel, darkness tore open. A wound in the world, yawning wide. The Gate was alive. An invisible pressure crashed down. Minho dropped to one knee, gasping, as mana, no Ether flooded the air, thick and choking. Hunters staggered, gritting their teeth. Then the voice came. “Team Alpha, move!” Steel boots clattered forward. Energy flared. Blades hummed. The group of fifteen hunters charged into the darkness, vanishing through the Gate’s surface like ink bleeding into water. Minho followed, his body shaking. As always, the transition hit him like a punch to the gut. The world twisted and then he was somewhere else entirely. A vast cave stretched before him, bathed in dim blue light. Stalactites hung like fangs, dripping with glowing liquid. In the distance, faint roars echoed. “Clear formation!” shouted the raid leader, a burly man with burn marks across his cheek. “Scouts, fan out! We finish this quick. This Rift’s only D-Rank!” Minho exhaled shakily. D-Rank meant survivable. Maybe this time he wouldn’t have to watch someone die. Maybe. They advanced carefully, the sound of boots crunching gravel filling the silence. The air reeked of sulfur. Every step made Minho’s heart pound faster. Then, from the shadows, came movement. Monsters twisted, mutated wolves lunged out with snapping jaws. “Engage!” The cavern erupted in chaos. Ether blasts flared. Arrows flew. Swords clashed against claws. Minho ducked behind a rock, heart hammering. His hands trembled so hard he almost dropped his weapon. Move, i***t! Move! He darted out, slashing at one of the wounded beasts. The blade glanced off its hide, doing almost nothing. A fellow hunter finished it with a single strike. “Pathetic,” the man muttered, stepping past him. Minho forced himself not to respond. He was used to being looked down on. The weak E-Ranker who always barely survived. The guy who could never land a clean hit. Still, he stayed. Because running wasn’t an option. When the last beast fell, the leader barked orders again. “Regroup. Push deeper.” The team descended into the dungeon’s heart. The deeper they went, the colder it became unnaturally so. Their breath fogged. Their footsteps echoed strangely, like something was mimicking them. Then one of the hunters froze. “Wait… this isn’t on the map.” Minho frowned. The tunnels had opened wider, leading to a massive stone door covered in carvings humanoid figures kneeling before a massive shadow. The leader’s eyes gleamed. “Hidden chamber. Jackpot.” Minho’s stomach tightened. “We… we should report it first. The readings are strange” “Shut it, E-Rank,” another snapped. “You scared?” He was. Every instinct screamed that this wasn’t a normal dungeon. The Ether was too thick, the silence too absolute. But they were already pushing the doors open. The chamber beyond was enormous. Columns lined the edges, each carved like a knight. Statues stood everywhere human shaped, holding weapons, their faces expressionless. In the center of the room, a black altar pulsed faintly with light. No monsters. No sound. Just… stillness. “Spread out,” the leader ordered. “Check for loot or runes.” Minho hesitated at the entrance, watching the others fan out eagerly. Every step they took echoed too loudly. His heart raced. His gut twisted. Then, in the distance, one of the hunters laughed nervously. “Hey… these statues look kinda real, huh?” As if in response, a deep rumble echoed through the hall. The torches along the walls flared to life with blue fire. And one by one the statues turned their heads with a creepy smile. Minho’s blood went cold. “Move! Get back!” he shouted, but it was already too late. The nearest statue raised its sword. The hunter beside it didn’t even have time to scream before he was cut clean in half. Panic erupted. Ether blasts flew wildly. Swords clashed against stone to no effect. “They’re invincible!” someone screamed. “No, they’re moving because of the altar!” Minho shouted. “The carvings, look!” But no one listened. They were too busy dying. The leader tried to rally them, but a statue’s spear impaled him through the chest mid-command. The survivors broke formation, running for the door only to find it sealed shut. Trapped. Minho stumbled back as a statue swung at him. The blade cut off his arm, blood splattering across the floor. Pain lanced up his shoulder. He fell, gasping, crawling behind a pillar. One by one, the screams faded. And then… silence. He looked around. Only bodies remained. The entire raid party gone. He was the last one breathing. Heart hammering, Minho gritted his teeth, dragging himself toward the altar. His mind spun through the carvings on the wall. A trial… sacrifices… obedience… A voice whispered through the hall low, ancient, impossible. > “Only those who kneel before the Immortal may live.” Minho froze. The statues had stopped moving. Every one of them was facing him. He swallowed, trembling. Kneel or die? Was that the test? He forced his bleeding body upright, staring at the altar. “If I kneel… will it let me live?” No answer. His legs shook. He dropped to one knee, then both. The moment his palm touched the floor, the light from the altar flared blindingly bright. A sudden weight crashed into his chest. His vision blurred. > [Condition Met: Final Trial Complete.] [All other participants: Deceased.] [You are the sole survivor.] [Initializing… Binding Protocol.] “What, what the hell is this?” he gasped, clutching his chest. > [System Binding to Vessel… 90%... 97%... 100% Complete.] [Welcome, User: Ryu Minho.] [You have fulfilled the requirements for the Abyss Core.] His body convulsed. His heart stopped. The world shattered into light. And then, darkness.