Last Ruler Of The Empty Throne

The atmosphere was oppressive, thick with the stench of blood from powerful and weak creatures alike. Their torn-apart bodies littered the ground, and amidst the carnage stood a lone figure.

A strange, red aura clung to him, his body streaked with blood and gore. His eyes blazed a fiery red, surrounded by dark markings. The earth, which should have been solid and resistant, was cracked and dented beneath him.

His body ached him so much however he couldn't complain out. His vocal cord and throat had gone beyond repair. His silent but heavy labored breathing he couldn't hear was the only sound in the deathly silence and the only thing that indicated life.

Who else would it be, if not Jon.

After scanning the scene before him, he looked up. Sadness? Regret? Pain? He felt nothing.

After all, what he had just done here paled in comparison to the time he'd killed his own race. And not to talk of monsters meant to be exterminated, they did not stir his emotions.

For twenty long and silent minutes, he stood unmoving, staring at the sky. His mind was blank, no thoughts, no words, only silence.

And when that time passed, he sighed deeply and gazed down again.

Now, his trait kicked in immediately, calming his mind. And slowly, he used his mana to cleanse the blood from his skin.

He had raged enough.

Then he bent down and began to examine the corpses of the monsters he had slaughtered.

Thirty minutes later, after searching thoroughly, he had collected twenty first-realm cores and ten orbs. The sheer number of orbs surprised him, but his face remained emotionless, as if numb to everything around him.

And despite the stillness, his notifications continued to flicker before his eyes:

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 27 'BLADE MONKEY' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 26 'POWER BEAR' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 20 'SHADOW CAT' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 25 'BOSTER BEAR' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 25 'APOCALYPSE ZOMBIE' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 22 'BLADE MONKEY' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 23 'EVOLVED-CHICKEN' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 27 'SHADOW CAT' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 21 'POWER ZOMBIE' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 20 'FIRE LION' REMAINS]

[ANY REMAINS OBTAINED NOW WILL BE GIVEN AFTER REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN FULFILLED]

Jon exhaled deeply from what was left of his throat. His focus then shifted to his evolution requirements.

'I won't let this happen again.' he vowed silently. He would become stronger, ensuring that he would never be in such a situation where he lost someone close to him again. 

And the only way to get stronger was exactly what he was doing currently.

He carefully set aside the two first-realm cores needed for his next breakthrough and began with his skills:

[TO EVOLVE SKILL 'MOON' (FIRST REALM): COME IN CONTACT WITH A MYSTERY: COMPLETE

FORM THE MIND WORLD: COMPLETE

FIRST REALM CORES: COMPLETE]

All the requirements for the skill's evolution were met. He accepted the change. The five orbs in his hand vanished, entering his body.

Instantly, his entire form began to glow blue as streams of information poured into his mind. The pain was excruciating due to his already broken body, but Jon didn't flinch or cry out. He just silently endured it. And after a few agonizing moments, the light faded, and another message appeared:

[MOON (SECOND REALM) LEVEL 1: YOU...]

He didn't bother checking the full description. Experience had taught him that it would mirror what happened when he first acquired the skill. Yet he could feel it, he was closer to the moon than ever before.

Next, he turned his attention to his healing skill.

After the day's event of almost damaging himself, he wanted to bolster his healing skill.

[SKILL 'SPEED-HEALING' (FIRST REALM) LEVEL 1 → LEVEL 2: 1/1 FIRST REALM CORES]

One orb dissolved and entered his body. He didn't wait to read the description, immediately pushing the skill further:

[SKILL 'SPEED-HEALING' (FIRST REALM) LEVEL 2 → LEVEL 3: 3/3 FIRST REALM CORES]

He continued upgrading until he reached:

[SKILL 'SPEED-HEALING' (FIRST REALM) LEVEL 5 → 'REGENERATION' (SECOND REALM) LEVEL 1: 12/12 FIRST REALM CORES]

Jon hesitated for a moment. He had just enough cores to evolve. He still hadn't touched the Shadow Steps skill, but he reasoned that survival took precedence.

Even though Shadow Steps could unlock better potential, the struggle to acquire self-healing weighed heavily on him. However, the shadow Steps had come easily anyone could have gotten it.

And after what had happened today, he didn't want to sleep for more than a day again. Though speed healing wasn't directly tied to rest, he felt like it should be.

The skill's evolution from merely boosting his health felt crucial. Then he made his decision.

"Yes."

Twelve first-realm cores disintegrated, merging with his body.

Immediately, he began to glow a faint golden hue flecked with green. Likewise, the small aches and pains that had plagued him from overexertion started to fade. His destroyed voice and throat began to heal.

And though he couldn't yet sense the full scope of the skill's power, its passive effects were already strengthening him, little by little. The experience was akin to the Moon skill evolving to the next realm amplified its presence.

[REGENERATION (SECOND REALM) LEVEL 1: YOU…]

Again, Jon delayed reading the full description. He would review everything once he had fully entered the First Realm.

Now, nothing was holding him back. He was ready to join the ranks of the monsters, beings he already equaled perhaps even surpassed.

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED QUALIFICATIONS TO CHOOSE THE 'MOON DREAMER':

OBTAIN 2 FIRST REALM CORES: COMPLETE

FIGHT, KILL, AND ABSORB REMAINS OF FIRST REALM: COMPLETE

FIGHT, KILL, AND ABSORB REMAINS OF UNRANKED REALM: COMPLETE

EVOLVE YOUR MAIN SKILL TO SECOND REALM: COMPLETE]

Jon studied the screen one last time. The requirements for evolving his Moon skill had been tougher than those for a normal First Realm breakthrough. Yet, considering the skill was part of his evolution path, he wasn't surprised.

"It's time." His voice broke the silence the first words since the massacre.

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, clearing his heart and mind.

By now, Jenny, Cynthia, and the others had returned, curious about Jon's transformation.

From a distance, they could see him, his hands still working, evolving his skills amidst the bodies of slain monsters. Their expressions grew solemn.

They grieved for his loss, but none of them approached. From where they stood, they could sense that Jon was not the person they knew at this moment.

Without a word, they silently agreed to leave him be. Even Jenny and Cynthia, who had been closest to him, understood that now, their bond might be severed.

He might no longer be the same person. The grief of losing two people dear to him would change him irrevocably.

They had all experienced loss, but none like his. While many had seen friends turned into zombies, Jon's friends had survived only to die afterward. It was different, even though it seemed similar.

Now, something altogether different was unfolding before them.

[YOU ARE EVOLVING TO 'FIRST REALM']