I let out a low exhale and glanced back at the dead rabbit. It was a lot easier than I'd thought, but at the same time, a little bit difficult. I didn’t have much control over my attacks, or Gu - not as much as I'd like, at least - and I was sure I could do a lot more. But, it would take time. Baby steps.

I breathed in and steadied myself, walking slowly through the cave. Its ceiling towered above me, dark and foreboding. Water dripped down from the cracks, falling onto the ground and creating small puddles that echoed. Frightening as it was, I couldn't feel scared. I knew I could kill all the creatures in these caves, which made me wonder if I was being arrogant. No time to ponder, though, as a system screen popped up in front of me.

You have killed a creature: Demonic Bunny.

Congratulations, you have unlocked cultivation.

Do you wish to absorb its core?

I blinked and read the message, not sure what to think. Would this help? Hell yes. Was I skeptical, well, yes. But that was hardly relevant at the moment. I chose [Yes], wondering if there was a way to automate this. Turned out, there was, as the system responded by asking if I wished to absorb the core every time I killed a monster.

Of course, I chose [Yes].

The rabbit's body turned gray and crumbled into dust. Dust that turned into a bright red ball of energy, which was absorbed by my body. It was a weird sensation, not painful, but not exactly pleasant, either. It felt like having my body filled with something that didn't belong. And when it coursed through my very being and settled into my heart - my Eclipse Heart - it felt like it belonged. Like it was always meant to be there.

The moment passed, and I was left alone again, standing in the darkness.

The tunnels were long and winding, but the monsters were no challenge for me. Most were weaker than the demonic bunny. Others, stronger, but no match for my raw strength.

I fought a few, absorbing their cores. Their essence fueling my growth, strengthening me. It didn't take long for the first layer of the Eclipse Heart to form. A thick membrane that encapsulated the core.

Congratulations!

You have formed the first layer of the Eclipse Heart!

[Cultivation: Path Formation - Layer 00 → 01]

I hummed. A level up, kind of. Interesting. I didn't have time to celebrate, however, as I moved further into the cave, coming across a larger area that opened up.

It was a large cavern, the walls stretching upwards and covered in vines. Moss and lichen grew in patches, making the ground slippery and wet. But that wasn't what caught my attention. What did were the giant statues strewn about the place. They were old and worn, their features barely recognizable, but they were unmistakably human.

I approached one of the statues and reached out, touching its cold stone surface. There was a familiarity to it, something that stirred within me. It was as if it was calling to me, whispering secrets.

I shook my head and pulled away.

As I walked, a sound rose from behind. A low rumbling, followed by a series of clicks and screeches. I spun around, but it was too late. Something heavy slammed into me, knocking me to the ground.

"Shit!" I shouted, rolling to the side as a set of jaws snapped at the place where my head had been a moment ago.

I looked up and saw the monster looming over me. It was a wolf-like creature, with fur as black as night and eyes that glowed red. Its fangs were sharp and jagged, and its claws were long and curved. It was larger than any wolf I'd ever seen, easily towering over me.

"Fuck."

The beast lunged at me, but I was faster. I rolled out of the way, barely dodging its attack. As I got back on my feet, I reached out and tried to punch a Gu-enhanced punch. However, the wolf was fast, faster than I expected, and it dodged my attack with ease, slipping right beside me and growling as it scratched away at my side.

The hit was strong, and I felt a searing pain crash through me, but I pushed it down and kept my focus on the thing. My fist connected with the side of the wolf's head, sending it tumbling backward. It yelped and shook its head, and I took the opportunity to launch myself forward, tackling it.

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The impact knocked the wind out of me, and we both tumbled to the ground, locked in a grapple. It clawed and bit at me, but I managed to hold it off, gripping its throat with one hand and using the other to deliver punches into its ribs. Suddenly, I heard the sound of cracking bones. I looked down and saw the wolf's body go limp.

I blinked, staring at the beast. Had I just killed it?

"Wow, that was intense."

I looked down at the corpse of the wolf and frowned, standing up and letting it slide down as its body turned into dust. Another ball of energy flew out and entered my chest, absorbed into my heart.

I glanced around. Where had that thing come from, and why? It had come running akin to a feral beast. I walked through the open space, looking around. In the middle was a large pool of water, dark and still. Around the pool stood more statues, all of them looking up at the high ceilings.

I walked to a statue near the pool and studied it. There was a faint light coming from it, illuminating its features. The statue's expression was calm, and serene, and its body was adorned in robes, its hand holding some type of weapon I couldn't recognize. It was an oddly familiar statue, almost like something I'd seen before. I frowned and turned around, surveying the chamber once more.

The statues... were arranged strangely. Not quite symmetrical, but rather in a pattern.

In the center was a statue of a man, wearing a simple robe with no adornments. A man I recognized as the first Sect Leader of the sect. This was confirmed by the weapon in his hand, one of the sect's signature weapons, the Crescent Moon Sword. The name flashed in my mind and, all at once, everything started falling into place. The patterns, the sculptures, the structure of the place... it was all making sense.

There were twelve sculptures, including the Sect Leader. Each one represented an elder from the sect at the time of the first Sect Leader. Eleven statues encircle the main figure. Eleven disciples followed their master. The puzzle, however, was far from solved. I had no clue what it was and what I wanted from it.

In the end, I decided to make my way through the statue maze and explore what the rest of the cavern held, shaking my head. Who knows, maybe it would shed some light on what the hell was going on with this place. Maybe. I walked but stopped when I heard a voice in the distance, echoing.

It was a cry, of sorts. Not human.

The air around me suddenly got colder. An unnatural wind swept through the room, ruffling my hair. I squinted, looking for the source of the noise.

Something was wrong.

Something was wrong, and I wasn't sure how long I had before it revealed itself. A howl echoed off the cavern walls, followed by a chorus of snarls. I felt a shiver run down my spine. Whatever was coming wasn't friendly, and judging by the number of growls, it was a whole pack of something.

A flash of movement caught my eye. I turned just in time to see a giant wolf, larger than the one I'd killed, jump down from the roof. It landed gracefully and stood up, its red eyes glaring at me. It growled, and the voice that came out was not that of one wolf, but as if a whole pack of wolves had spoken together, and the result of that was the voice coming out of the wolf's mouth.

"Intruder."

It spoke, and my eyes snapped wide. What the fuck?

"Human intruder."

The words echoed throughout the chamber. The wolf's eyes narrowed, and its lips curled back, revealing its fangs. Well, this wasn't good. A quick [Identify] was enough to reveal that I shouldn't be messing with this one. The wolf snarled, its body coiling like a spring.

"Eliminate."

Then it pounced.

I jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the massive wolf's jaws. The beast landed gracefully and turned to face me.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath.

The wolf lunged again, this time aiming for my neck. I ducked and rolled out of the way, then swung my fist towards the beast. It avoided the blow and spun around, trying to bite at my legs. I hopped back, narrowly avoiding its jaws as they clamped on the place I'd been. I punched the ground, sending a pulse of Gu rupturing through it, causing a pillar of rock to erupt beneath me, launching me into the air. The wolf growled, watching me fly.

As I landed, I kicked off and flew at the wolf, punching it in the jaw. It reeled, stumbling back, and I pressed my advantage, throwing another punch. But the wolf recovered quickly, leaping out of the way. I continued throwing punches, trying to land another hit. But the wolf was fast and agile, dodging every blow.

Just then, something leaped out of the shadows of the wolf and pounced at me, forcing me to jump back. However, the sudden attack was unexpected, and it did what it was supposed to. It gave the wolf the opening it needed. It lunged, biting my leg.

Pain exploded through me as its fangs pierced my flesh. I cried out, clutching my leg. The wolf pulled, dragging me closer, its jaws crashing down. I punched its nose, causing it to release me. I pushed Gu, exploding it through my feet. I propelled myself into the air, kicking off the wolf.

It yelped, letting go of my leg, and I fell to the ground. I winced, my leg throbbing with agony. I looked down at the wound. Blood was pouring out of the holes. I gritted my teeth and stood up. The wolf was watching me intently, its eyes narrowed, a constant growl leaving its mouth. I wasn't strong enough. I knew. I needed to escape, and come back stronger.

I gathered Gu into my fists and took a step back, readying myself to flee. The wolf charged, and I jumped, flying towards the exit. The wolf snarled and raced after me, its massive paws pounding the ground. I was barely a meter away from the exit when it slammed into my back, and I was thrown against the wall.

I coughed, tasting blood. My vision blurred, and the world spun around me. However, I was sane enough to throw a Gu-enhanced punch to the sidewall, making parts of it to hit the ground and creating a makeshift shield between me and the wolf. It didn't matter. The wolf tore through it like it was paper.

"Fuck."

My legs were numb, and my lungs were burning.