Chapter 1: The Awakening

Ren’s eyes shot open.

Cold air burned his lungs as he gasped, his body no longer broken, but… changed. Power throbbed in his veins, a force so overwhelming it threatened to consume him.

He sat up. The battlefield around him was silent, save for the occasional flickering embers of destruction. The teammates who had abandoned him—dead. Torn apart by the very monsters they had tried to sacrifice him to.

And yet, he was still here.

[Void Monarch System Initialized.]
[Welcome, Ren Kisaragi.]

The words appeared in his vision like an ethereal script, written in shadows that seemed to pulse with life.

[Title Unlocked: Last Heir of the Void Throne]
[New Skill Acquired: Abyssal Devourer]
[Warning: The Abyss watches you.]

A chill ran down his spine. This wasn’t a normal system.

The Abyssal Gates had always been a mystery. No one knew where they came from—only that they spat out monsters capable of annihilating cities. Hunters, those blessed with abilities, had been humanity’s only defense against them.

And yet, this power felt… different. It wasn’t just the strength of a Hunter. It was something else entirely.

He clenched his fists. Shadows swirled around his fingertips, bending unnaturally to his will.

He could feel it—his connection to the Abyss. Not as prey, but as something more.

A low growl snapped him from his thoughts.

At the edge of the battlefield, a creature still remained. A Void Wraith—one of the horrors that had emerged from the Abyssal Gate. A towering figure cloaked in darkness, its glowing violet eyes locked onto him.

It lunged.

Ren didn’t think. He moved.

His body reacted instinctively, faster than it ever had before. He sidestepped the Wraith’s attack, the air itself rippling from the force of its strike.

He raised his hand.

The shadows around him answered.

A spike of pure void energy erupted from the ground, impaling the creature through its chest. It let out a guttural shriek before dissolving into black mist.

A notification flickered into view.

[Void Essence Absorbed.]
[Abyssal Devourer activated.]

For a moment, nothing happened. Then—

Power surged through him.

Ren staggered, his heart pounding as new strength coursed through his veins. He could feel it. The creature’s energy becoming his own.

He exhaled slowly.

So, this was the power of the Void Monarch.

He looked toward the still-open Abyssal Gate. Dark tendrils writhed within it, beckoning him closer.

A normal Hunter would flee. Would report back. Would wait for reinforcements.

But Ren was no longer a normal Hunter.

He wasn’t prey anymore.

He took a step forward.

And stepped into the Abyss.