A voice echoed through Arthur's fading consciousness, cutting through the pain like thunder.
"A strong will to live. You have proven your worth."
The wooden bead bracelet on Arthur's wrist reacted instantly. It dissolved into a cloud of black smoke that surged upward, wrapping around his battered body like a living storm.
The pressure vanished.
The pain retreated.
Power answered his call.
[You have been recognized by "Yongpyo."]
The smoke condensed and reshaped itself around him. An open black jacket materialized over his bare torso, its fabric heavy with ancient authority. A strip of golden fur lined its edges, while a vivid red belt secured it tightly around his waist, anchoring the garment to a pair of black pants reinforced with subtle armor plating.
His body changed further.
His skin was replaced by a woven black fabric threaded with gold, flexible yet impossibly durable. Dark metallic plates integrated seamlessly into the outfit, reinforcing his frame without restricting movement. Long fabric gloves covered his arms up to the elbows, leaving his fingers exposed, crackling faintly with restrained power.
Arthur inhaled sharply.
His regeneration surged forward like a floodgate breaking open. Torn muscles knit themselves together, shattered bones realigned and fused, and his strength exploded outward with terrifying force.
The knights restraining him never had a chance.
Arthur flexed, and their grips shattered instantly. Bone snapped. Armor crumpled. He summoned his Device without hesitation, lightning erupting from his body in violent arcs that blasted his attackers backward.
One knight lunged again.
Arthur grabbed him by the head mid-motion, using the body as a living shield to block incoming strikes. Steel rang against armor as blades collided uselessly. Without slowing, Arthur twisted his grip and tore the skull free, ending the knight instantly before discarding the corpse.
He shifted modes.
Yongpyo responded.
Speed surged through his limbs, and Arthur vanished in a blur. He reappeared behind another knight, unleashing a massive electrical discharge that coursed through the armor and reduced the skeleton within to ash.
He switched again.
A torrent of flames infused with life fire erupted from his free hand, engulfing the next enemy completely. The knight did not even scream as his body disintegrated under the purifying blaze.
For the last one, Arthur chose brute force.
He activated Yongpyo's strength enhancement and stepped forward. Each punch carried overwhelming power. Armor shattered. Limbs tore free. The knight was reduced to fragments in seconds.
Arthur did not stop there.
He hunted down every remaining survivor buried beneath rubble and debris. None escaped.
Fifteen minutes later, the chamber finally fell silent.
Ding!
[Congratulations to the host for successfully completing their first boss room!]
[Your rewards are being delivered.]
[You have received 100,000 system points.]
[You have received "Special Roulette Draw" x2.]
[You have received "Familiar Summoning Card."]
[You have received "Random Skill Card" x3.]
Arthur reappeared in the rest area in an instant. His wounds vanished immediately, but the exhaustion struck him all at once. He collapsed onto the bed, his mind finally giving in.
Lilith had been waiting.
She rushed to his side and pounced onto him without hesitation, wrapping her arms around his body and pressing close.
"You went through so much," she whispered softly. "How about I give you a massage."
Arthur barely had time to respond before her hands were already working across his back, soothing his tense muscles with gentle, practiced motions. He did not complain. He did not resist.
He simply let go.
Sleep claimed him moments later.
When he woke again, his body felt renewed. His face was pressed against something soft and warm, and he realized Lilith was holding him tightly, clinging to him like a koala.
Careful not to wake her, Arthur used Shunpo to stand. Time had passed, though he did not know how much. What mattered now were his rewards.
"Use."
[You have used "Special Roulette Draw" x2.]
Ding!
[You have obtained "Physique: Heaven Refining Immortal Physique."]
[Congratulations, host. You have unlocked the physique column in the system.]
[You have received "Random Physique Card" as a reward.]
Agony struck instantly.
Arthur's body convulsed as unbearable pain surged through every nerve. He bit down hard to suppress a scream, his muscles locking as his entire being was torn apart and rebuilt simultaneously.
Then the pain vanished.
Warmth flooded his body like a gentle tide. His muscles pulsed rhythmically, overflowing with vitality. His skeleton glowed with radiant golden light, illuminating the rest area like a divine furnace.
Arthur watched as his body reconstructed itself at a fundamental level. Flesh refined. Bones strengthened. Every cell evolved into something superior.
The Immortal Heaven Refining Physique was taking shape.
This fused physique, born from two top-tier cultivation systems, granted him the ability to absorb and refine nearly anything. His regeneration reached an absurd level, and his physical strength climbed to heights beyond mortal limits.
Finally, the transformation ended.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
Power surged from deep within his body, steady and overwhelming.
Ding!
[Your status has been updated]
Ding!
[You have obtained "Heavenly Indomitable Soul"]
Another scroll manifested before Arthur, hovering briefly in the air before dissolving into motes of light that were absorbed directly into his chest. Unlike the protagonist from Online Cultivation, there was no resounding bell or external phenomenon, yet the change was far more profound.
Arthur felt it instantly.
His soul itself grew heavier, denser, and more resilient. It was as if an invisible anchor had been forged within his very being, stabilizing his existence on a deeper level. Without even intending to, his body began to draw in power from the surrounding space, refining it into pure nourishment for his soul.
The growth was slow, but it was constant and undeniable. He could feel the path ahead of him clearly now. Transcendence was no longer a vague concept or distant dream. It was something he could reach with enough time.
He exhaled slowly, feeling an unfamiliar sense of calm.
"Honestly, those two rewards alone were worth all the effort today."
[Random Skill Card x3 used]
Ding!
[The cards have merged into "Advanced Unarmed Combat Mastery"]
A torrent of knowledge surged into Arthur's mind. Countless techniques, stances, counters, and transitions layered themselves over his existing martial foundation. Unlike raw information, this felt experiential, as if years of brutal combat and disciplined training had been compressed into an instant.
His body reacted instinctively, adjusting posture and muscle memory even as he stood still. His strikes would now be sharper, cleaner, and more efficient, refined to a level bordering on art.
[Familiar Summoning Card used]
Ding!
[You have obtained "Familiar: Abyssal Skeleton"]
[Congratulations, host. You have unlocked the familiar slot in the system]
[You have obtained "Familiar Promotion Card"]
A black magic circle spread across the floor beneath Arthur's feet, etched with unfamiliar runes that pulsed faintly with power. From within the circle, a small figure emerged.
It was a skeleton with pitch-black bones, no taller than one hundred and twenty centimeters. Unlike the undead he had fought before, its bones were smooth and reflective, resembling polished obsidian rather than weathered remains. Its eye sockets burned with golden flames, steady and alert.
"Clack… clack clack clack."
The little skeleton tilted its head and chattered excitedly, clearly attempting to communicate. Arthur stared at it for a moment, then sighed softly.
"Sorry. I don't understand you yet."
He crouched slightly, studying his new companion. Despite its size, there was something dignified about it. Something patient and resolute.
"Alright. I need to give you a name."
Arthur had never been particularly confident in his naming ability, but this time felt different. This was his first familiar, his first subordinate bound by something deeper than contract or utility.
His thoughts drifted forward, imagining the skeleton's future. He pictured a towering knight clad in heavy armor, standing unyielding in the face of impossible odds, cutting down enemies with a single decisive strike.
The skeleton seemed to tremble in response, its golden flames flaring brighter as if it could sense his vision.
Arthur searched through memories of novels, myths, anime, and history, until a name surfaced. A name tied to loyalty, resolve, and unbreakable will.
"I've decided."
He placed a hand over the skeleton's head.
"From today onward, your name is Garviel. I also grant you my last name. You are now Garviel Tempest."
The reaction was immediate.
A dense surge of dark light enveloped the small skeleton, forming a cocoon around its body. Arthur felt a portion of his Anti-Magic rush toward Garviel through an unseen connection, binding them together in a way that went beyond summoning.
Then a voice interrupted the moment.
"That's not fair! I want to have your last name too, and I was here before him!"
Arthur turned his head in surprise.
Lilith was sitting on the bed, cheeks puffed out, eyes glossy as she pretended to cry while glaring at the skeleton. Her tail flicked irritably behind her, betraying her exaggerated frustration.
"I noticed you woke up," Arthur said calmly.
She crossed her arms and looked away.
"You were too busy giving names and power to a pile of bones."
Arthur sighed, then smiled faintly.
"Come here."
Lilith hesitated for half a second before leaping off the bed and pressing herself against him, burying her face against his chest.
"I want it too," she muttered. "I want to belong."
Arthur rested his hand on her head.
"You already do."