Hours of Eternity

Chapter 3: Precision in the Dark

The 20th death came like the others sudden, cruel, and laced with regret. Han Ji didn’t even remember how the last bullet entered his body. Just the cold. The twitch. The nothing.

Then came the familiar darkness. The Cube’s void.

He stood, barefoot, as always, on that invisible floor floating in a sea of pitch black. The weight of his deaths hung on his shoulders. Twenty now. Twenty lives extinguished like matches in the wind.

The Cube loomed.

"Reward cycle initiated," it rumbled. The voice was mechanical, distorted. "Death count: 20. Selection phase begin."

Before him, a field of eleven glowing glyphs materialized each one a symbol of a path carved in death. He could either choose a new skill or upgrade an existing one.

Han Ji frowned, scanning the list. Some glyphs pulsed brighter, as if calling to him. He noticed the system had expanded. There were new categories nowsenses, instincts, and voice.

Skill Option 1: Moon Walker (Assassin Style Skill) Skill: Shadow Displacement

• Silent footsteps regardless of surface

• Temporary invisibility in moonlight or low light (up to 6 seconds)

• Can “step behind” enemy perception once per minute, dodging pre-aimed shots

Madness Cost: Eyes reject daylight permanently sees in grayscale

Maxed (Unlocked at 40 Deaths):

• Leaves afterimages that confuse targeting systems and enhance evasion

• Madness Lifted

Max Level (Unlocked at 40 Deaths & Requires 100+ Deaths):

• Teleport between shadows within 10 meters

• Invisibility duration doubles and can be triggered twice per minute

• Afterimages linger longer and create audio diversions

Skill Option 2: Bloodletter’s Mastery (Weapon Skill) Skill: Hemorrhage Control

• Precision blade strikes cause prolonged bleeding, bypassing armor

• Thrown weapons return if blood-marked

• Temporary boost in speed and reflexes after each confirmed cut

Madness Cost: Craves the sensation of cutting flesh

Maxed (Unlocked at 40 Deaths):

• Blood from kills hovers for 3 seconds and can be used to forge temporary weapons

• Madness Lifted

Max Level (Unlocked at 40 Deaths & Requires 100+ Deaths):

• Blood-forged weapons persist for 30 seconds and can shift form

• Every third cut disables enemy pain receptors

• Returning weapons ricochet between targets

Skill Option 3: Oblivion Grasp (Strength Skill) Skill: Apex Clutch

• Crush reinforced steel with bare hands

• Grip-based combat dominance (disarms, bone breaks)

• Cling to walls and ceilings for 15 seconds

Madness Cost: Hands twitch constantly when idle, hungry to destroy

Maxed (Unlocked at 40 Deaths):

• Can break enemy weapons on contact with a squeeze

• Madness Lifted

Max Level (Unlocked at 40 Deaths & Requires 100+ Deaths):

• Touch delivers vibration pulses that rupture electronics or organs

• Lock limbs together foes cannot escape once grabbed

• Shockwave crush impact within 2 meters

Skill Option 4: Abyssal Maw (Consumption Skill) Skill: Predatory Adaptation

• Gains temporary boosts by eating fallen enemies (stats, resistance, memories)

• Can devour cybernetic or monstrous tissue for enhanced regeneration

• Hunger increases speed and aggression

Madness Cost: Starvation hallucinations after 12 hours without feeding

Maxed (Unlocked at 40 Deaths):

• Full ingestion can permanently transfer certain traits

• Madness Lifted

Max Level (Unlocked at 40 Deaths & Requires 100+ Deaths):

• Store consumed traits and swap in combat

• Devouring psychic enemies grants foresight

• Partial consumption enables rapid healing

Skill Option 5: Purifying Light (Holy Radiance Skill) Skill: Radiant Annihilation

• Emits a searing glow that damages corrupted entities and tech

• Cleanses poison, decay, and psychic interference

• Allies nearby resist fear and hallucination

Madness Cost: Burns user slightly with each activation

Maxed (Unlocked at 40 Deaths):

• Creates a 10-meter zone that incinerates corruption instantly

• Madness Lifted

Max Level (Unlocked at 40 Deaths & Requires 100+ Deaths):

• Gain flight within radiant zone; untouchable by corrupted beings

• Light damages phased/hidden foes across dimensions

• Can overload the glow into an explosion of cleansing force

Skill Option 6: Death Whisper (Soul-Binding Skill) Skill: Soul Requiem

• Enemies' souls bound into weapons, whispering regrets or warnings

• Soul-bound weapons gain enhancements (speed, sharpness, guidance)

• Summon one spectral echo of a fallen foe (10 seconds)

Madness Cost: Weapon speaks mocking or begging

Maxed (Unlocked at 40 Deaths):

• Bound souls form a chorus, offering occasional precognition

• Madness Lifted

Max Level (Unlocked at 40 Deaths & Requires 100+ Deaths):

• Weapons house multiple souls with unique skills

• Call forth an army of echoes for 5 seconds

• Whispers can possess enemy weapons or tech

Skill Option 7: Clockwork Eyes (Sight) – UPGRADED Skill: Precision Threat Mapping – Advanced

• Predict enemy attacks 0.5 seconds before motion

Madness Cost (20–99 Deaths): Bloodshot eyes; sees phantom death shadows

Passive (Unlocked at 40 Deaths):

• Instantly memorize formations

• Detect environmental weak points

Passive Evolution (Unlocked at 40 Deaths & Requires 100+ Deaths):

• See 2 seconds into probable futures

• Madness Lifted

Skill Option 8: Blood Orchestra (Hearing) Skill: Weapon Acoustics

• Identify weapons, ammo, and distance by sound

Madness Cost (20–99 Deaths): Tinnitus; whispers from alternate-death selves

Passive (Unlocked at 40 Deaths):

• Hear suppressed weapons, heartbeats through walls

Passive Evolution (Unlocked at 40 Deaths & Requires 100+ Deaths):

• Hear lies and intent from microtones

• Madness Lifted

Skill Option 9: Carrion Breath (Smell) Skill: Chemical Warfare Instincts

• Smell adrenaline; track hostile intent

Madness Cost (20–99 Deaths): Constant taste of blood and gunpowder

Passive (Unlocked at 40 Deaths):

• Track enemies by scent trails

• Detect airborne chemicals

Passive Evolution (Unlocked at 40 Deaths & Requires 100+ Deaths):

• Emit fear-triggering pheromones

• Madness Lifted
  
  

Skill Option 10: Nerve-Threaded Hands (Touch) Skill: Tactical Telekinesis

• Disarm by reading tendon shifts

• Redirect force in close quarters

Madness Cost (20–99 Deaths): Chronic pain when not holding a weapon

Passive (Unlocked at 40 Deaths):

• Rebuild weapons from scrap

• Feel footsteps through floors

Passive Evolution (Unlocked at 40 Deaths & Requires 100+ Deaths):

• Interrupt nerve signals on contact

• Madness Lifted

Skill Option 11: Fractured Voice (Speech) Skill: Psychoacoustic Warfare

• Emit panic-inducing subsonics

Madness Cost (20–99 Deaths): Speaks backward during sleep; involuntary voice shifts

Passive (Unlocked at 40 Deaths):

• Mimic enemy comms

• Laughter causes combat hesitation

Passive Evolution (Unlocked at 40 Deaths & Requires 100+ Deaths):

• Speech implants false memories or suicidal thoughts

• Madness Lifted

Han Ji’s eyes lingered on the glyph for Moon Walker. It glowed with a hunter’s promise. Silent. Lethal. Perfect for infiltration.

But then the Cube’s voice shifted lower, graver.

"Do not make the same mistake I did."

Han Ji blinked. "What mistake?"

"Tools are plentiful. Mastery is rare."

He paused, staring at the skill he already had. Clockwork Eyes. He exhaled slowly.

"Alright, you cryptic toaster. I get it."

He selected Clockwork Eyes.

The glyph surged with light. Heat stabbed through his skull, blooming into vision sharper, harsher, and terrifyingly precise.

When Han Ji opened his eyes again, he didn’t return to an old death. No alley. No ghosts. Just the cold bite of wind and the hum of tension in his limbs. He stood where he always did when the cycle begin.

“New cycle” the Cube announced from nowhere and everywhere. “Death count reset. Welcome to Attempt 21.”

Han Ji’s breath quickened not from fear, but from exhilaration.

The shadows weren’t empty anymore.

They moved. They screamed. They remembered.

Each flicker in the corner of his eyes was a death his death. A dozen silhouettes twitching with bullets, crushed under wreckage, consumed by flame. Echoes of pain mapped across time. His mistakes, now visible. His ghosts, now tools.

He grinned wide, unhinged, teeth bared like a predator.

“The past is begging me not to repeat it,” he whispered. “Let’s disappoint it.”

“You’re enjoying this,” the Cube observed.

“I’m learning,” he said, and leapt into the night guided by the dead.