Awakening Of The Forgotten World

Dain sprinted down the rocky path, Silverlight gleaming as the first rays of morning pierced the mist over the Blackstone Cliffs.

The First Hollow Gate loomed ahead—a massive, ancient doorway carved into the cliffside, its runes pulsing with a faint, sickly glow.

And before it—the Hollow Seekers were at work.

A system notification flashed.

[Warning: The Hollow Gate Seal is Weakening]

• Time Until Full Collapse: 12 Minutes

• Hollow Seeker Ritual Progress: 65%

Dain's jaw tightened.

"I'm running out of time."

The hooded stranger ran beside him, his voice urgent.

"They are using a binding ritual to unseal the gate. If we don't stop them now—"

"Then whatever's inside will escape."

Dain didn't hesitate.

He charged straight into the Hollow Seekers.

The nearest Hollow Seeker turned just as Dain closed the distance.

His black robes billowed, his hand moving to unsheathe a curved dagger.

Too slow.

Dain's blade flashed in the morning light.

[Direct Hit! 90 Damage Dealt]

The Hollow Seeker staggered backward, blood spraying across the stone.

A system notification appeared.

[Enemy Identified: Hollow Seeker Ritualist (Lv.15)]

• Health: 210/300

• Threat Level: Moderate-High

Dain pressed the attack.

But the other Hollow Seekers reacted instantly.

One of them shouted in an unknown language—

And the air crackled with dark magic.

A burst of shadow energy erupted, forcing Dain to jump back.

The hooded man beside him raised his hand, countering with a pulse of golden light.

The two magics clashed in midair, sending shockwaves through the ruins.

The ritualist Dain had wounded snarled, raising his dagger again.

"Stop them!" he barked.

And suddenly—the battle had begun.

Dain's mind sharpened.

"I don't need to kill them all."

"I just need to stop the ritual before the seal breaks."

A new system notification appeared.

[New Objective: Interrupt the Hollow Seeker Ritual]

• Destroy the Ritual Pillars (0/3)

• Eliminate or incapacitate the Ritualists (1/5)

Dain gritted his teeth.

The Hollow Seekers weren't just fighters.

They were spellcasters, scholars, and relic hunters.

And right now—they were summoners.

The hooded man shouted, hurling a sphere of radiant energy at one of the chanting seekers.

The attack collided against the Ritualist's back, sending him staggering to the ground.

"Go! I'll handle the spellcasters!"

Dain nodded and sprinted toward the nearest Ritual Pillar.

The first Ritual Pillar stood at the base of the Hollow Gate, covered in glowing runes.

Dark magic swirled around it, feeding into the ancient stone door.

Dain didn't hesitate.

He raised Silverlight high—

And brought it crashing down.

A system notification appeared.

[Ritual Pillar Integrity: 65% → 30%]

The moment his blade struck, the runes flickered.

The Hollow Seekers reacted instantly.

One of them—**a woman clad in ceremonial armor—**whirled toward him, her eyes burning with power.

"No!" she hissed.

She thrust her palm forward—

And a blast of shadow magic surged toward Dain.

He had no time to dodge.

The spell collided with his chest.

[Health: 110/160]

Pain exploded through his body, but he kept moving.

He swung again—

And the Ritual Pillar shattered.

A system notification flashed.

[Ritual Pillar Destroyed! 1/3]

The Hollow Seeker screamed in frustration.

"Stop him! The gate is not ready!"

Dain smirked.

"Then I'll make sure it never opens."

The battle erupted into chaos.

• The hooded man clashed with a Hollow Seeker mage, their spells lighting up the ruins.

• Two Hollow Seekers moved to protect the remaining Ritual Pillars.

• The air crackled with unstable magic.

Dain moved fast, dodging a Hollow Seeker's dagger strike as he rushed toward the second pillar.

A system notification appeared.

[Ritual Completion: 78%]

Too close.

Dain lunged forward, Silverlight glowing faintly.

He slammed the blade into the second Ritual Pillar, breaking through its outer shell.

[Direct Hit! 50 Damage to Ritual Pillar]

The Hollow Seekers panicked.

"Protect the seal!"

But Dain didn't stop.

With a final mighty swing, he shattered the second Ritual Pillar.

A massive pulse of dark energy erupted, shaking the entire cliffside.

A system notification flashed.

[Ritual Pillar Destroyed! 2/3]

Dain turned—

And saw the final Ritualist standing before the last pillar, hands raised in desperation.

"You don't understand!" he gasped.

"We're not trying to release it—"

"We're trying to stop it from breaking loose on its own!"

Dain froze.

"What?"

But he had no time to process it.

Because at that moment—

The Hollow Gate shuddered violently.

A system alert flashed.

[Warning: The Hollow Gate Seal is Cracking on Its Own]

• Something inside is awakening.

• Time Remaining: 3 Minutes

Dain's breath caught.

"Then what the hell is inside?"

And before he could react—

A massive force slammed into the Hollow Gate from the other side.

A low, guttural growl rumbled through the stone.

And the gate began to open.

The ground trembled beneath Dain's feet.

The Hollow Gate—a massive stone monolith embedded in the cliffs—shuddered violently, ancient runes flaring with unstable energy.

A low, guttural growl rumbled from behind the gate.

Not human.

Not animal.

Something worse.

A system notification flashed.

[Warning: The Hollow Gate Seal is Collapsing]

• Final Lock Integrity: 5%

• Time Remaining: 2 Minutes

Dain's breath quickened.

"It's breaking on its own?"

The Hollow Seeker standing near the final Ritual Pillar turned to Dain, desperation in his eyes.

"We tried to reinforce the seal!" he gasped.

"You don't understand! If the gate fully breaks—"

He didn't get to finish.

Because at that moment—the Hollow Gate cracked open.

And something stepped through.

A wave of freezing air blasted outward as the gate split apart, sending a shockwave across the cliffs.

Dain shielded his eyes, his breath turning to mist in the sudden cold.

And then—

The creature emerged.

It was massive, towering nearly twice Dain's height, its body wrapped in ragged, spectral chains that pulsed with eerie blue light.

A system notification appeared.

[Entity Identified: Hollow Revenant (Lv.20)]

• Health: ???

• Threat Level: EXTREME

• Status: Imprisoned for 500 years.

Dain's stomach twisted.

"Level 20."

He wasn't ready for this.

The creature's head tilted slightly, as if adjusting to its newfound freedom.

Then—its eyes opened.

Twin orbs of cold fire locked onto Dain.

And a voice—**deep, hollow, filled with something ancient—**spoke.

"Who dares disturb my slumber?"

The Hollow Seekers staggered back in horror.

"It's awake—fall back!" one of them shouted.

Dain didn't move.

Not out of fear—but calculation.

A system notification flashed.

[Warning: The Hollow Revenant is unstable]

• Its power is not yet fully restored.

• You have a limited time to weaken it before it fully awakens.

Dain's mind raced.

"I don't need to kill it—I just need to stop it from regaining its strength!"

The Revenant's gaze snapped to him.

"You… carry the mark."

The mark on Dain's arm burned.

The Revenant's lips twisted into something almost resembling a grin.

"Then let me see if you are worthy."

And then—it attacked.

The Revenant moved faster than anything that large should.

It lunged, spectral chains whipping toward Dain like spears of shadow.

Dain barely dodged, twisting aside as the first chain shattered the stone where he had stood.

[Health: 140 → 110]

The force alone sent him skidding backward.

"Too strong!"

The hooded man raised his hands, summoning a burst of golden light.

"We have to weaken it before its full strength returns!"

Dain gritted his teeth.

There was only one way.

He charged.

The Revenant sensed the attack.

It turned, its chained hand swinging in a brutal arc.

Dain reacted on instinct.

He ducked low, rolling beneath the attack—

And slashed Silverlight across the Revenant's leg.

A system notification flashed.

[Direct Hit! 95 Damage Dealt]

The Revenant snarled, staggering slightly.

"You fight well, Warden. But you are not the first."

It lifted its chained hands high—

And slammed them down.

The impact shattered the ground, sending shockwaves of cursed energy outward.

Dain leapt back just in time—

But the Hollow Seekers were caught in the blast.

Two of them collapsed instantly, their bodies withering into dust.

The surviving Ritualist staggered back, eyes wide.

"It doesn't care who it kills!"

Dain exhaled sharply.

"Then I need to end this. Now."

A system notification appeared.

[The Revenant is growing stronger.]

• Its power is increasing every 30 seconds.

Dain gritted his teeth.

"I can't win a battle of attrition."

"I have to take a risk."

He tightened his grip on Silverlight.

A new system message appeared.

[Skill Activated: Reckless Charge (Lv.2)]

• Temporarily boosts speed and attack, but leaves you vulnerable.

Dain's body surged forward, his entire form becoming a blur.

The Revenant turned, sensing the attack.

"Foolish."

It raised its chained arms to block.

But Dain wasn't aiming for its chest.

He was aiming for the chains.

Silverlight flashed—

And tore through the glowing restraints.

A system notification flashed.

[Critical Strike! The Revenant's chains have been damaged!]

The creature howled, staggering back.

For the first time—it looked vulnerable.

Dain pressed forward.

"Now's my chance!"

The Revenant snarled, its form flickering between shadow and substance.

Dain moved fast.

He jumped, Silverlight raised high.

The Hollow Seekers watched in stunned silence as he descended upon the creature—

And drove his blade straight through its burning core.

A massive shockwave erupted outward.

The Hollow Revenant let out a final, haunting roar.

And then—

It collapsed into darkness.

Dain landed on one knee, breathing heavily.

A system notification flashed.

[Enemy Weakened: Hollow Revenant]

• Its physical form has been destroyed.

• Its spirit remains sealed.

Dain exhaled sharply.

The battle was over.

The Hollow Gate stood open, but its prisoner was no longer a threat.

For now.

The surviving Hollow Seeker stumbled forward, staring at the ruins.

"You… stopped it."

Dain stood slowly, wiping sweat from his brow.

"What the hell was that thing?"

The Hollow Seeker hesitated.

Then—he answered.

"A fragment of what's coming."

Dain's chest tightened.

Before he could press further, a new system notification appeared.

[Quest Completed: The First Hollow Gate]

• You have stopped the awakening of the Revenant.

• The Hollow Seekers will now recognize you.

A final message flashed.

[But this was only the first gate.]

Dain clenched his fists.

"Then I'll stop the rest."

And with that—he turned toward the next challenge.