PATH OF THE SYSTEM AWAKENED

Chapter 11: Survival's Edge

"Riley!" Jones shouted, waving and rushing over to him. Riley was stunned as Jones approached him, and then...

"What are you doing here?" they both exclaimed simultaneously.

Riley glared at his friend. "You're supposed to be heading to the Military Science Academy. So why are you in the Abyss? You're not a fighter!"

Jones glared back just as fiercely. "And you never mentioned going to Defense Academies. Are you crazy? You need to be at least stage 2 to survive in there! You're only stage 1. They'll tear you apart."

They stared at each other for a moment before sighing in unison.

"I don't get it. The Management is insane," Jones confessed anxiously. "We, the science academy candidates, had a test. Those who passed got tossed into the Abyss. If we 'survive,' they'll accept us. We'll spend our lives in labs. Why put us through this Abyss nonsense?"

Riley patted Jones's shoulder reassuringly. "Just steer clear of the city. There are villages nearby."

Feeling conflicted, Riley admitted, "I might sound crazy, but I really need to get into the Imperial Academy."

"They won't take a stage 1. You have to be at least stage 2," Jones countered.

"So I have to reach stage 2 before the test ends," Riley shrugged.

Jones regarded Riley as if he'd lost his mind. Riley had only awakened a few days ago, and now he aimed to reach stage 2.

Normally, Jones would dismiss such talk, but seeing the determination in Riley's eyes made him wonder if his friend truly believed in himself or felt compelled to succeed at any cost.

"Good luck, buddy. Sorry I can't lend a hand," Jones smiled faintly.

Riley nodded, neither overly optimistic nor too pessimistic. To him, this was an opportunity.

"I have a plan. What seems impossible to others is achievable for me. But it's going to be tough in this limited time frame," Riley thought to himself, scanning his surroundings with his keen eyes.

Many new arrivals wasted no time in leaving for the uninhabited areas, a wise decision. Meanwhile, the combatants hesitated, regrouping and discussing their strategies.

Riley categorized the combatants into three groups: the majority who were talented but reached stage 2, the unaffiliated elite at stage 3 without significant resources, and the elite of major powers equipped with luxurious star treasures, all at stage 3.

Observing their reactions, Riley whispered to Jones, "Don't move."

"What?" Jones frowned, then paled as Riley's words sank in.

Riley took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. The visions of his own demise filled him with dread, urging him to flee, but he remained calm.

"These visions are Abyss's doing," Riley realized, facing them with tranquility. Despite their gruesome nature, he refused to be broken by them.

"Abyss Will... oh my," Jones muttered, collapsing to the ground, visibly shaken.

"It's okay. Abyss Will isn't sentient," Riley reassured Jones, aware that not everyone could withstand its effects.

Riley reflected on humanity's reliance on Abyss Will to deter invasions, grateful for the protection it provided. Conversely, Heaven's Will granted humanity an advantage in their conflicts with Bysteds.

"You adapt quickly," Jones remarked, eyeing a group of struggling elites nearby.

"Maybe I'm just mentally strong," Riley replied, noticing the disparities in resources among the students.

"If you had the same resources as those elites, you'd be much stronger by now. It's a shame they're wasted on unworthy kids," Jones remarked quietly, meant only for Riley's ears.

Suddenly, Riley sensed danger and swiftly pulled Jones out of harm's way as an eExplosion erupted where Jones had been standing.

"Do you want to kill him over words?" Riley admonished the assailant, a disdainful stage 3 elite.

Clad in luxurious attire and armed with powerful star treasures, the elite regarded them arrogantly. Riley recognized him as a Morpher, capable of transforming into beasts or plants from stage 4 onwards.

Despite the odds stacked against them, Riley squared his shoulders, ready to face the challenge ahead.

"Let's fight," he declared, meeting his opponent's gaze. He had to survive.

"Tch. stage 1 Trash. Since you got involved, you'll die too. Remember, dying under Narcis Xander like me, your death will be envied," Narcis declared, gesturing for Riley to make the first move. He saw the battle as already decided.

Riley glanced at Jones, who nodded solemnly. Understanding Riley's silent message to give their all, Jones channeled his aura into his blue sword and prepared for combat.

With a deep breath, he shouted, "Get—"

A sudden force yanked him, and Jones felt disoriented as he watched Narcis's figure recede into the distance amidst the swirling dust. Realizing Riley had grabbed him and was sprinting towards the city, Jones muttered weakly, "I thought we were going to fight."

"You're nuts! Facing a stage 3 is a death sentence," Riley replied, his voice strained.

Jones sheathed his sword into the ring and observed Narcis's distant figure as they neared the city walls, now just one kilometer away.

"He's not following us. Maybe he realized fighting near the city would attract too much attention," Jones remarked, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.

But then Narcis vanished into thin air.

"I'm afrai—"

"Boom!"

Riley shoved Jones forward and leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the eExplosion of rocks that left them both injured.

"Nice try. But the only one I'm afraid to fight is the Abyss Lord. Even the Abyss Commander, a stage 3, would be a feather in my cap," Narcis declared, emerging from the settling dust with a smug smile.

Gritting his teeth, Riley glanced back at the city gate, where six guards were rushing towards them.

The Bysteds, clad in red light body armor, closed in on them, each marked with two tattoos on their chins indicating their stage—stage 2 Abyss Knights.

Riley swiftly lifted Jones and raced towards the city walls, leaving Narcis to deal with the Bysteds as they approached the gate.

Their arrival attracted the attention of the Byssted Knights guarding the city walls, as intended. A squad of ten Byssted Knights charged towards them.

Riley's concern wasn't the Byssted Knights—it was something else. Glancing back, he froze as he saw the heads of five Byssted knights rolling on the ground, with the sixth soon to follow.

"A monster!" Riley exclaimed internally, steeling himself for what lay ahead. "I'll repay this debt with interest. But for now, I must survive."

"Interesting. You refuse to accept defeat," Narcis's voice taunted from behind.

Riley knew Narcis was only a few feet away, but he focused on running with all his might, aware that while he could outpace Narcis due to the power gap, carrying Jones slowed him down, a tactical mistake.

Despite his regret, Riley was determined not to fail again.

"Humans! Prepare to die!" the approaching squad of Byssted Knights threatened.

"Hahaha! It's too dull to finish you off quickly. I'll let you hope before despair," Narcis jeered, watching the Byssted Knights approach.

"The only way to survive me is to reach the city. But doing so means facing the Bysteds. What will you choose, stage 1 peasant? I'll graciously allow you to choose where you'll meet your end, here or at the city gates," Narcis mocked.

Jones broke free from Riley's grasp, signaling for him to go.

Riley felt a surge of frustration. While Jones, a stage 1 Space Awakener, had an advantage in dodging through low teleportation, Narcis's keen senses could easily counter it. Riley held onto Jones tightly this time, refusing to let him go.

"Hahaha. Your wish is my command. Prepare for your demise," Narcis laughed, raising his sword.

A blinding light flashed as Narcis's sword slashed through the air, cutting an Abyss Knight in half.

Riley ran towards the city gate, his mind racing for a solution. But in their dire situation, any plan seemed futile.

"There's no way—" Riley trailed off as he reached the city walls. He was at a dead end.

Thirty Byssted Knights charged towards them, and Narcis closed in from behind.

Riley glanced at Jones and said, "There's only one option..."

Jones tensed. "It always leads to more trouble."

"Haha. Worthless creatures, prepare to meet your end," Narcis sneered.

"Humans, we'll tear you apart!" the Byssted Knights threatened, sending a chill down Jones's spine as he understood the gravity of their situation.

"Alright," he nodded, gripping Riley's shoulder tightly.

As Narcis swung his sword and the Byssted Knights lunged forward with their spears, the ground erupted in a deafening eExplosion, obscuring their surroundings in dust.

When the dust settled, Narcis found no trace of Jones and Riley.

Jones grabbed Riley's shoulder, and suddenly, a blue light flashed.

Riley felt himself whisked away, as if sucked into a dark void, until he landed abruptly on a table.

"Space Path stage 0: 10/30"

'Was it because of the teleportation?' Riley pondered, but he had no time to dwell on it.

His nerves tingled as he whispered, "We're in trouble."

Jones, slower to react, also realized they were in a tavern, surrounded by Abyss Knights.

Riley felt the urge to curse. Jones had teleported them into the city, right into the midst of Abyss Knights.

"Humans! Attack!" the Abyss Knights yelled, launching weapons from all directions.

Trapped and outnumbered, Riley's mind raced for a solution.

"Jones! Teleport again!" he urged.

"But what if I get it wrong and teleport us into a wall? I can't control it yet!" Jones protested.

Riley fixed him with a determined glare. "Just do it!"

Jones nodded and grabbed Riley, triggering another flash of blue light. In an instant, Riley found himself beneath a hill, staring up at a castle perched on top.

'From the frying pan into the fire,' Riley thought.

"Get them!"

"Torture them!"

Voices echoed in the distance as Byssted knights closed in on them.

Guarding the Abyss Lord's castle meant the hill was heavily fortified, with at least 50 Byssted Knights patrolling.

Riley looked at Jones, who buried his face, knowing his uncontrolled teleportation had landed them in danger once again.

Riley's heart raced. They had narrowly escaped Narcis only to find themselves at the mercy of these Bysteds under the hill.

In the heart of the city, they had nowhere to run.

'Is this the end?' Riley scanned the area, seeing only the imposing red hill. To his dismay, more Byssted Knights were descending from the hill.

Then, a prompt from the system interrupted his thoughts.

"Space Path stage 0: 20/30"

Riley was on the verge of awakening in the Space Path. Normally, this would have thrilled him, but now he was 200 meters away from 50 Byssted Knights.

'But there's only one option,' he told Jones. "Since fighting means certain death, give teleportation one more shot."

With the Bysteds closing in to within 100 meters, Jones hesitated, knowing the risks.

Demon Abyss boasted Bysteds specialized in the Body Path. Had they been in Hollow Abyss, they would have faced Space Awakener Bysteds and likely met their end already.

'As Riley says, it's not over until you give up,' Jones thought grimly, touching Riley.

He concentrated his aura and...

The spears thrust through empty air, leaving the Bysteds baffled for a moment.

Then the lead Byssted Knight shouted, "Search everywhere! And inform the Special Zone to send a knight to investigate. They might have teleported in."

...

"Ugh."

Riley opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground. Jones lay unconscious beside him, and there was no one else in the dimly lit room.

'He'll wake up soon. Until then, we need to stay put,' Riley decided, taking stock of their surroundings. They were in a room adorned with paintings depicting Bysteds slaughtering humans.

"Click."

Riley stepped on something that cracked beneath his foot. His senses sharpened instantly as he slipped on his gauntlets, ready for danger.

After a tense moment, he examined the ground and discovered a human skull.

'Human remains!' Riley recoiled.

But the pressing question remained: 'Where are we?'

A vast corridor stretched before them, made of black tiles—adamantine, Riley recognized. 'These people spared no eExpense.' Adamantine was among the strongest alloys, capable of withstanding even stage 6 Awakener attacks, and thus exceedingly rare.

Listening intently, Riley heard no signs of life nearby.

'For now, we're safe,' he breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, the system chimed in:

"Space Path stage 1: 0/100

Congratulations on awakening in your second Immortality."

Riley held his breath as a significant portion of aura was drawn into his mind. He felt a shift deep within him as aura flowed through his body, empowering him.

'So this is space power,' Riley realized.

"Space Path stage 1: 0/100

Space Binding: Solidify space through direct contact.

Short Teleportation: Teleport to a short distance."

Riley absorbed the information, eager to test out his newfound abilities.

Equipping his gauntlet on his left hand, he focused his aura on his right hand, feeling space power envelop it.

He encountered resistance as he attempted to punch his right hand with his left, akin to punching through thick liquid.

"Click."

His fist made contact with his hand, causing minimal damage. 'Just as I eExpected,' Riley thought, removing his gauntlet.

EExploring further, he found he could apply Space Binding to any part of his body for added defense.

'But there are limitations,' he noted. 'I can't move freely when binding a body part. Hopefully, that changes as I progress.'

EExperimenting with his gauntlet, he encountered the same resistance, realizing he could extend this protection to objects as well.

"What are you doing?" Jones's voice startled him.

"Just testing something. I'll eExplain later," Riley replied, choosing not to reveal his secrets just yet.

'Maybe someday, when I'm stronger,' Riley thought to himself.

"Where are we?" Jones asked.

"I'm not sure, but we're temporarily safe. Now that you're awake, let's find a way out," Riley urged.

With Jones's agreement, they silently exited the room, tiptoeing down the corridor. Along the walls, they discovered murals depicting humanity's history since The Crypt Dud—each image a grim reminder of their perilous situation.

As they continued, Riley felt a slight tremor, followed by...

"Run!" Riley shouted, as the ceiling began to collapse around them.

Dodging debris, they sprinted down the corridor, desperate to find an exit to the city.

"Boom!"

With no time to spare, Riley spotted a small exit and bolted towards it, his heart pounding.

But just as they reached it, an injured Byssted Knight barreled towards them, threatening to cut off their escape.

"Go! I'll catch up!" Riley instructed Jones, pushing him towards the exit.

"I'll save you one day," Jones murmured, hurrying through the falling debris and out of harm's way.

Riley watched Jones disappear through the exit, a wave of relief washing over him.

"Boom!"

Debris sealed the exit shut, leaving Riley trapped inside.

'Cursed luck!' Riley cursed inwardly.

'But there might be another way out.' Determined, he faced the injured Byssted Knight and dodged its attacks.

Following the trail of green blood, Riley soon stumbled upon a hidden chamber filled with Aura crystals, guarded by Byssted Knights.

'They're protecting something... or hiding something,' Riley realized, feeling a sense of dread wash over him as the Bysteds locked eyes with him.