Void Evolution System Chapter 5

A dull ache pulsed through his entire body as Damien gradually opened his eyes, finding himself surrounded by nothing but cold, oppressive stone.

‘Huh? Where am I?’ Damien’s mind raced before the memories of his arrival flooded back. ‘Dammit! That arrogant prick actually shoved me into the gate! I didn’t even do anything to—’

His train of thought was severed by a chorus of roars and high-pitched screeches echoing toward his position. Looking down, he saw his clothes were drenched in blood, an obvious lure for the local beasts.

Terror turned his face pale at the realization. He scrambled to his feet, noting that enough time had passed for his major injuries to close up, and began to sprint.

Damien was weak. Since the World Awakening, he had spent most of his days lamenting his lack of power, and in this dire environment, that weakness was laid bare. He ran desperately, but the monsters were closing in from every side.

He was fortunate that the creatures in the immediate vicinity of the gate had already been cleared out; otherwise, he would have been slaughtered before regaining consciousness.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck! What am I supposed to do? I can’t fight, but I’ll starve if I don’t move. If I stay, I die, but if I fight, I’ll also die!’ Panic gripped him. Despite his experience entering gates, his actual combat skill was non-existent. The most he had ever done was thrust a sword a few times while "stealing" kills to gain levels.

He lost track of how long he had been running, but eventually, the monstrous cries faded into the distance. Collapsing against a cave wall, he tried to rest his battered frame. This frantic dash was likely the most intense physical exertion he had endured in years.

Pressing his back against the stone, he attempted to steady his breathing and calm his nerves, but his mind refused to settle.

‘I’m going to die. I’m really going to die here. I have no chance against these beasts. I lack a weapon, I have no muscle, I don’t possess any offensive skills—I have nothing. I don’t even know where this dungeon is. I have no clue how far Earth is or if I’m even in the same galaxy anymore. What’s going to happen to Mom if I never come back?’

*Pah!*

Damien delivered a sharp slap to his own face. ‘No! Giving up isn’t an option! It doesn’t matter if she thinks I’m gone. My priority is to survive. I have to survive and find a way back to Earth. I need to get back to Mom, back to Elena, and back to drop a literal planet on that bastard’s head.’

At that final thought, his blood began to simmer with rage. He had always let Jin’s provocations slide because of the man's status. He had endured because he possessed nothing. This entire nightmare was the result of his own weakness.

‘I need power. It doesn’t matter what I have to endure to get it, but I must become strong enough to return home.’

Even though the situation was terrifying, he understood that paralysis meant certain death. He had always worked through his fears before, and though the stakes were higher now, the objective remained the same: survive.

“Damien, you must never forget. Even if you are weak, you must forge a will to live, a will to achieve, and a will to survive. No matter the odds or the hardship, you must endure. Because if you survive and fight, and if you persevere through the struggle, one day you will become someone that even the heavens must look up to.”

Damien recalled his father’s final words before he had vanished into thin air. ‘Dammit, why am I remembering that old man right now?’

Despite his cursing, he could never truly find it in himself to hate the man.

As he had matured, reflecting on those final memories allowed him to sense the hidden pain his father had always masked from him and his mother. Considering those words in his current predicament, he could finally feel his father’s immense resolve.

Whatever that resolve had been aimed at didn't matter now. ‘To hell with it. If that guy could spout all that martial master nonsense and maintain such resolve before the World Awakening even started, why should I act like a coward now?’

‘I have to go back and save Mom, I have to check on Elena, I have to crush that arrogant prick, and eventually, I need to find my father just to punch him in the face.’

Damien’s resolve began to solidify. In his earlier panic, he had forgotten that he was still breathing and still had a purpose. As long as life remained in him, his goals were still within reach. As long as he lived, he could become the man his father spoke of—someone the heavens would respect.

In response to his declaration and inner resolve, the very fabric of space within a twenty-five-meter radius began to warp and ripple. Unfortunately, Damien was too absorbed in his own thoughts to perceive the distortion.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and the spatial fluctuations vanished instantly.

Hours had slipped by while he rested, but he seemed to have found a secluded spot, as no beasts had stumbled upon him during his internal crisis.

‘Man, I’m an idiot for having a breakdown in a life-or-death spot like this. How do those novel mcs adapt to this crap so quickly?’ Damien let out a dry chuckle.

“Well, if I were a novel mc, my plot armor would have cured my mom by now, and I’d have some broken power-up to fix everything. Obviously, that’s not the case here.”

Damien stood up, his gaze now sharp and clear. He began to move quietly through the dungeon floor.

‘Regardless of which world this dungeon belongs to, there have to be weapons here. People must have died in this place before. There’s no way our group was the first to ever set foot in here.’

After what felt like hours of searching, he finally discovered his prize: a skeletal remain and a pair of slightly corroded short swords.

‘I was hoping for a spear, but these will have to do,’ Damien thought as he gripped the hilts. They were forged from a strange black metal. Although one blade showed signs of cracking, they were still sharp enough to serve as a makeshift defense.

‘Alright then, let the hunting begin.’