Zane stretched his arms, shadow energy trailing from his fingertips like smoke from a dying star.
The stone beneath his feet pulsed faintly, scorched by the residual heat of his transformation. The air was still. No voices. No footsteps. Not even birds dared to return to the trees above.
Then came the familiar whisper in his mind.
> [SYSTEM STATUS UPDATED]
…
Would you like to view your current profile?
Zane rolled his neck with a crack and smirked.
"Damn right I do."
A translucent panel blinked into existence before him, but as it opened—light shattered across the edges like the system itself was struggling to display what it now contained.
---
[STATUS]
Name: Zane
Race: ???
Title(s): The Void's Chosen, Artifact Sovereign, ???
Level: ???
Rank: EX+ (Concealed)
Power Level: [UNREADABLE – ERROR: VALUE EXCEEDS UNIVERSAL LIMIT]
Status Condition: Ascended
---
[ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 2,140
Agility: 2,210
Endurance: 2,000
Intelligence: 2,300
Mana Pool: 1,900
Void Affinity: MAX
Artifact Resonance: MAX
Soul Integrity: Reinforced (Cannot be corrupted)
---
[ARTIFACTS EQUIPPED]
Endblade (Dagger of End): Bypasses physical & magical defenses; evolves with user.
Ring of Umbrabind: Manipulate enemy shadows to control movement.
Phantom Chain: Swap places with phantom clones at will.
Ring of Auric Dominion: Localized time control (10m radius).
Abyssal Glove: Copy the last spell seen or heard.
Tattoo of Echoed Wrath: Every attack automatically triggers a delayed echo-strike.
Phantom Flame Emblem: Grants partial intangibility and teleportation through shadows.
---
[NEW PASSIVES UNLOCKED]
Artifact Synergy (Mythic): All equipped artifacts empower each other.
Shadow Sovereign: Shadow-based attacks deal true damage.
Temporal Immunity: Immune to all time-based manipulation.
Presence of the Void: Lesser beings instinctively fear or bow.
Concealed Core: Your power level cannot be read, tracked, or locked on by any known detection magic.
Universal Disturbance: Your existence distorts planar laws. (Suppressed)
---
Zane blinked.
Then blinked again.
"…Huh."
He waved a hand through the interface, letting it flicker and vanish into motes of black light.
"Guess that explains the thunderstorm and… y'know… the sky having a panic attack."
Nyx materialized beside him from the shadows, arms crossed and eyes glowing faintly.
"You broke it," she said simply.
"Broke what?"
"The system. The rules. The world. Take your pick."
Zane looked toward the collapsed mouth of the cave, where the army still waited in silence.
He stretched once more, shadows rippling across his skin like living ink.
"Well… at least now I'm warmed up."