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Kaelen has lived his entire life starving in the shadowed gutters of Oakhaven. When the ruling class throws him into the ruined undercroft as fodder to trigger ancient traps, he expects a quick and brutal death. Instead, he finds the system. ​Awakening a fractured mana core in the pitch black, Kaelen discovers that the subterranean depths are not just a tomb. They are a living dungeon. The endless obsidian labyrinth is packed with twisted monsters, forgotten magic, and glowing experience points. Armed with nothing but a rusted sword and a relentless will to survive, he must carve his way upward through the strata. ​He is not ascending alone. Malakor, a ruthless proctor with secrets much darker than the abyss, forces Kaelen into a lethal partnership. But in a world where true power is earned through spilled blood and shattered bones, trust is the greatest liability. Kaelen must master his new stats, conquer the dungeon denizens, and evolve his mana core before the rot consumes him completely. Survival is no longer enough. The ascent to power begins in the dark.