In the dim half-light of the room, Reinhard sat in silence, the ancestral sword resting across his knees. His fingers clutched the hilt tightly, as if afraid to let go of the last key to his rebirth. Calmly, without haste, he began to pour his mana into the blade—layer by careful layer, as though weaving invisible threads into the fabric of the metal. The flow of energy was not crude, but dense, viscous, obeying a steel will he wielded with a surgeon's precision. The mana did not merely fill the sword—it began to alter its very structure from within.
The blade trembled in his grip. Cracks like streaks of lightning spread across its surface, crawling outward like a spiderweb struck by a hammer. The sword's body turned molten, liquefying across Reinhard's hands, wrapping around his wrists in a heavy, clinging fluid that pulled him downward. Sweat fell from his brow to the floor, but he did not blink—his focus was absolute. A single misstep here could cost him not only the sword... but his life.
The liquid metal slithered lower, seeping into his skin. And then he felt it—a will. Muffled, mighty, like the ancient roar of a beast breaking free from the depths of iron flesh. A wind, unseen but forceful, slammed into him, plastering his robes to his body, as if daring him to continue this path. Before him appeared a vision stitched from memories and primal fears—a monstrous form, as though forged in the pits of hell from raw metal: heavy, furious, unyielding.
Reinhard did not hesitate. His grip tightened on the sword, and he lunged forward, striking at the nightmarish silhouette. Yet each blow—strikes that could cleave through stone and bone—left only faint sparks against the creature's armored hide. The metallic beast mocked his efforts, swatting away his attacks with casual flicks of its clawed limbs. The battle dragged on—too long. Fatigue crept into his limbs; his strikes grew slower, heavier.
Through the fog of exhaustion, a single thought pierced his mind—cold, clear as dawn: This is not a fight that can be won with a sword.
A mistake. Foolishness—to try and destroy that which was crafted as a trial of will.
He froze, panting, feeling the sweat drip from his chin. Time itself seemed to slow. Reinhard lowered his blade, the truth crystallizing in him.
"Why should I fight it... when I am destruction itself?" he whispered into the silence of his soul.
He raised his eyes—and the world seemed to bleach, turning gray, unfocused. The space around him stilled, as if even time bent in reverence to his resolve. His opponent stood frozen. The sword in Reinhard's hand rose slowly, reflecting the light of an imaginary sun. In the real world, his body could no longer summon even a fraction of its former strength—but here, within the depths of consciousness, his dominion was absolute.
A single, unhurried strike from above—simple as a newborn's breath.
And everything ignited.
A dark-white light tore the creature apart—shattering it along with the space it inhabited, obliterating all falsehoods and illusions. The metal melted away, its heavy chains vanished, and the rippling waves flowed back into Reinhard's body, sinking into every vein, every bone—into the very essence of his being.
Reinhard opened his eyes.
The room was the same… but he was not. He could feel the power slithering into his muscles, his blood, his core—slowly, but irrevocably. The sword was gone. In its place, a new core of strength had begun to burn in his chest.
Before his eyes, a system window flickered to life—cold and flawless, like a final sentence:
[Notice.]
[New Attribute Unlocked.]
[Current Attributes:]
[Attribute: Blood Sky [SSR]]
[Attribute: Dark Metal [SR+]]
[Under the influence of the new attribute, physical potential has increased.]
[Physical Potential → 20/50]
Reinhard smirked, feeling his muscles fill with molten steel, strengthening him with every passing second.
"Twenty out of fifty already…" he murmured, sensing the unprecedented lightness in his body from the increase in stats and the unlocking of a greater talent—but also the rising hunger for destruction awakening deep within him.
He closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment of silent satisfaction.
"I wonder..." he said quietly,
"What will happen when I awaken the third attribute?"