The moment Daniel stepped into the cave, the air felt different.
The noise and chaos of the Purge outside faded away. Inside, it was very quiet, still, and had a deep coldness that felt wrong.
It wasn't just cold like winter; it felt like the coldness of death itself, heavy and pressing.
His [Aura Sense] skill, which usually helped him feel living things nearby, went crazy, picking up faint whispers of energy from all the dead bodies.
The cave was huge, much bigger than the entrance looked. Strange mushrooms glowed on the wet, black walls, giving off an eerie blue-green light that didn't reach very far into the darkness.
The floor wasn't dirt or stone, but covered in thick, dark red vines that seemed to pulse softly, like they were alive.
It smelled bad, like old blood, damp earth, and something sharp, like the raw energy of the Verge leaking out.
Daniel moved deeper into the cave. His [Ghoststeps+] skill made him completely silent as he walked on the springy vines.
He held his enhanced knife ready, but his [Aura Sense] didn't feel any living enemies nearby.
It seemed the Purge Beasts just dropped bodies here and left.
As his eyes got used to the dim light, he saw the terrible truth of the place. Piles of bodies.
Dead Vanguard recruits everywhere, tossed aside like garbage. He could see their torn, bloody grey uniforms.
Arms and legs were twisted wrong. Some chests were ripped open. Their faces were frozen masks of fear.
It was a horrible place, a house of death.
Daniel felt sick to his stomach. He took a deep breath to calm himself. This was the Verge.
This was what happened if you failed. But for him, with his special Talent, it was also a huge chance.
He could feel his SSS-Grade [Soul Assimilation] humming, sensing all the power waiting in the dead bodies.
He walked carefully to the nearest pile. These recruits hadn't just been killed; they'd been torn apart.
The Purge Beasts were much fiercer than the normal ones. He knelt beside a young man's body. He looked away from the terrible wounds and focused his mind.
A faint grey light flowed from the body into Daniel's hand.
It felt cold and broken, mixed with the last bits of the recruit's fear and his weak Talent.
It wasn't like the strong energy from creatures, but felt different, more… human.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Recruit Aaron Mills (Talent: Minor Toughness - F Grade).]
[Warning: Faint mind echo detected. Adaptability okay. No problems.]
[Gain: Vitality +0.05]
[Gain: F-Grade Skill - Slightly Thicker Skin]
[Skill: Slightly Thicker Skin (F-Grade): Passive.
Makes skin a tiny bit tougher (+1 defense). Almost useless. Maybe stops paper cuts?]
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (5/15 Remaining).]
Daniel blinked. Slightly Thicker Skin? Was that even a real Talent? It sounded completely useless. He almost laughed.
The Verge could be grimly funny sometimes. The power gain was tiny, proving F-grade Talents weren't worth much.
He moved to the next body, a woman whose defensive vest was okay, but her head was crushed.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Recruit Lena Petrova (Talent: Fortified Guard - C Grade).]
[Warning: Mind echo detected. Adaptability okay. Feeling of strength and impact echo. Spirit okay. Echo stored away.]
[Gain: Vitality +0.1]
[Gain: Strength +0.1]
[Gain: D-Grade Skill - Resilience Aura]
[Skill: Resilience Aura (D-Grade): Passive.
A faint energy field gives a small defense boost (+10 Defense) and makes it slightly harder to knock you back.]
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (4/15 Remaining).]
That was better. A real defense boost, always active. Not amazing, but helpful. He kept working, moving from body to body. It was a grim job, but quick. Focusing his mind only took seconds for each one.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Recruit Kenji Ito (Talent: Enhanced Grip - E Grade).]
[Gain: Strength +0.08]
[Gain: F-Grade Skill - Slippery Hands Be Gone!]
[Skill: Slippery Hands Be Gone! (F-Grade): Active.
Makes hands super sticky for a short time. Might make holding weapons harder. Not very useful in a fight unless you need to climb glass?]
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (3/15 Remaining).]
Okay, that one was just plain silly. Daniel mentally put it with [Pocket Sand!] in the "weird and probably useless" category.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Recruit Fatima Hassan (Talent: Minor Mending - D Grade).]
[Gain: Spirit +0.1]
[Gain: E-Grade Skill - Patch Up]
[Skill: Patch Up (E-Grade): Active.
Uses a little magic energy to slowly heal small cuts over a few minutes. Won't fix big wounds quickly. Mana Cost: 5 per minute.]
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (2/15 Remaining).]
A small healing skill. Very slow and weak, but it could save him healing supplies for little cuts. Every bit of help counted.
As he finished absorbing the fourth body, his Nexus Interface chimed. The system noticed two of the skills he just got could work together.
[Detected matching skills: Resilience Aura (D), Slightly Thicker Skin (F).]
[Try to combine them?]
His eyes widened a little. Skill Fusion again! Even that almost useless F-grade skill could be used for something. "Yes," he whispered.
[...]
[Fusion Successful! New Skill Gained: Steadfast Guard (D+-Grade)!]
[Resilience Aura and Slightly Thicker Skin are gone.]
[Skill: Steadfast Guard (D+-Grade): Passive. Increases physical defense (+25 Defense).
Makes it much harder for enemies to knock you back or make you stumble. Improves balance slightly.]
Awesome! The fusion got rid of the weak F-skill and the okay D-skill, and made a much better passive defense skill. +25 Defense was really good, adding to his vest and his [Stone Resilience].
Being harder to knock over was even better, as it would stop enemies interrupting his attacks. His SSS-Talent wasn't just about taking power; it was about making it better.
Feeling a bit better about the grim task now that he was seeing results, Daniel moved deeper into the huge cave.
More bodies lay scattered around, showing how deadly the Purge had been. He continued his silent work.
Each body gave him tiny bits of power, making him stronger bit by bit. More importantly, each one was a lottery ticket, a chance for a useful skill, or the key to combining skills into something truly powerful.
He glanced back at the cave entrance. The sounds of fighting outside seemed far away now. Other recruits were struggling to survive, maybe killing one Purge Beast if they got lucky.
But here, in the dark, quiet cave of the dead, Daniel was gathering power they couldn't even dream of.
His SSS-Talent turned this horror show into his personal power-up zone. The Verge was a cruel place, but for him, it was also giving him everything he needed.