Three days. That's all the time Junzo and his party had.
The moment Junzo accepted the Abyss Slayer class, the weight of the System's attention settled on him like a second skin. He could feel it something in the world had changed. The skies were dimmer. The wind carried whispers. And every monster that once ignored travelers now turned toward him like moths drawn to a blazing flame.
As dawn broke, they departed from the Adventurer's Guild headquarters and mounted a high-speed transport beast: a Wyvern-Class Sky Serpent, contracted via the Guild's emergency fleet. Only parties ranked A-Class or above had permission to access them.
[System Notice]
Your Party has entered: World Region – Desolation Range
Environmental Effect: Abyssal Fog – Vision -40%, Magic Regeneration -30%
Warning: World Boss signature detected.
Time remaining before eclipse begins: 67:02:41
The Desolation Range stretched out like the bones of a dead world. Blackened rock, dried rivers of magma, forests of petrified trees this was a place scarred by the System Collapse of the First Era. It wasn't a zone new players ever saw. In fact, most players believed it to be inaccessible.
But here they were, heading toward the heart of it.
Rina, the party's high-level Mage and strategic analyst, floated beside Junzo atop her summoned cloud.
> Rina (Level 67 – Arcane Empress): "The Eclipse Dragon, Moraz'Thur… that name was sealed in the forbidden records. This thing isn't just a monster, Jun. It's an ancient entity that devours the sun itself."
Kai, the dual-wielding rogue with the fastest agility stats in the party, flipped beside them on his hover board.
> Kai (Level 66 – Shadow Striker): "I've seen players glitch out just stepping near this place. It's like the System doesn't know how to handle its own code here. Are we really going through with this?"
Junzo's eyes didn't waver.
> Junzo (Level 61 – Abyss Slayer – Elemental Blade of Ruin): "We don't have a choice. If we let the Eclipse Dragon wake, it will black out the entire Southern Hemisphere. That means no sunlight, no magic recharge, no crops, no life. Game world or not millions of players and NPCs will die."
As they descended into the Valley of Hollow Suns, the fog thickened and whispers grew louder. Monsters began appearing far different from the typical spawn types. Their bodies were glitching, shapes half-formed, constantly warping between polygons and muscle.
[System Alert]
Abyssal Corrupted Creatures Detected!
Corrupted Centaur Lv. 72 (Rare)
Malformed Magus Blob Lv. 65 (Unstable)
Fractured Golem Lv. 80 (Boss-Rank Elite)
Total Enemies Detected: 18
Without a word, Junzo raised his sword. It shimmered with both divine and corrupted energy, a duality granted by his new subclass. The corrupted enemies shrieked as they noticed him he was the Abyss Slayer. Their natural predator.
> Junzo: "Form up. Rina, use suppression fields. Kai, pick off the ranged blobs. I'll handle the Golem."
> Rina: "You're gonna solo a Boss-Rank Elite?"
> Junzo: "I am the Abyss Slayer."
[Skill Activated] – Core Breaker
Target: Fractured Golem
Effect: Deal 25% of Max HP as True Damage
Cooldown: 3 hours
Junzo blurred forward, his blade igniting with Elemental Flame and Void Ice. He struck the Golem's chest directly where the core glowed and the impact shattered it with a massive explosion. Cracks of blue data-light pulsed out from the Golem's remains as it dropped instantly to one knee, stunned and blinking in glitching fury.
Kai zipped past, slashing three Malformed Magus Blobs before they could chant. Rina rained down suppression fields and anti-Abyssal magic, slowing the Corrupted Centaurs' charge.
Ten minutes later, the party stood among steaming data fragments and loot drops.
[Battle Complete]
EXP Gained: +92,000 (Junzo + Abyssal Bonus 1.4x)
Junzo Leveled Up!
Level: 61 → 62
New Skill Unlocked: Abyss Chain – Bind up to 3 Abyssal Creatures for 15 seconds. Cooldown: 45 sec.
> Rina: "Your class is broken, Junzo. You're not even halfway to max level and you're nuking world threats."
> Kai: "No kidding. Feels like you're playing a different game than the rest of us."
Junzo didn't smile. His eyes were locked on the sky. There, on the horizon, the sun flickered.
Then blinked. And for a moment vanished.
[Global Notification – SYSTEM BROADCAST]
The Eclipse has begun.
Eclipse Dragon Moraz'Thur is awakening.
Final Seal Break: 66:59:59
Raid World Event Begins: Phase 1
Required Party Level: 70+ Recommended (SSS-Rank Event)
And then, a roar echoed across the world.
It wasn't just sound. It was pressure. A scream in the code of the game itself. Players all across Aetheria felt it. NPCs fell to their knees. Guilds received emergency alerts. And Junzo's HUD glitched as a red eye briefly flickered at the edge of his vision.
The Eclipse Dragon had noticed him.
[System Message: Warning]
You have been marked by Moraz'Thur, the World-Eater of Eclipse.
Effect: Abyssal Aggro +100%
All Abyssal Creatures will now prioritize you as the primary target.
Junzo's grip on his blade tightened.
> Junzo: "This is just the beginning."