Reincarnated With An SSS-Rank Talent In An Apocalyptic World-Chapter 91: Losing Everything

Huff!

Exhaling deeply, my eyes yanked open and I tried to sit up—only to feel a severe pain in my chest. It felt like a hole had been burrowed through it.

"Aaaaah!" I gripped my chest tightly, wincing in pain.

My teeth sank into my lips, tearing them apart and causing blood to drip down to my chin. I had never experienced this level of pain before.

Even breathing was hard. I felt suffocated—like my heart would explode if I drew in too much oxygen.

But what am I supposed to do?

Suffocate in silence?

The pain was unimaginable. And worse, it didn’t just come and go—it stayed. Falling back on the bed, I grabbed the bedsheet, rolled it roughly, and dragged it to my lips, biting down hard. While I struggled with the pain, I didn’t even notice people rushing into the room. Only when a doctor in a white lab coat, accompanied by a few nurses, ran to my side did I realize they were there.

Their lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I watched as the doctor pulled out a syringe and injected its contents into the IV line. But I didn’t care. I was fighting for my life—just a step away from death’s door.

And then...

A soothing feeling washed over me, causing the pain to subside rapidly. My tensed body relaxed naturally. Inhaling deeply felt like I was taking in oxygen for the first time in a very long while. It was almost... flavorful and deeply soothing.

"Master Black... can you hear me?" a distant voice came from the side as my vision blurred slightly.

Glancing over, I realized it was the doctor speaking. Even though he was close, his voice sounded distant—like an echo.

"You don’t have to say anything. Just rest and gather your strength." The doctor seemed cheerful. "The world will be excited by this news!" he added, before turning around and walking away—leaving me alone before I could even ask the question burning in my head.

My bloodied lips parted slowly, weak words escaping in gasps.

"H-how... how l-long... hav-e I be-en as-sleep?"

At this point, it didn’t matter that he’d left. Even if he were still here, he wouldn’t have been able to hear me.

How can using one spell reduce me to this condition?

Slowly, I raised my hand—only to realize I had lost a lot of weight. My once vibrant skin was deathly pale and nearly bony. I remembered the scene within the water cylinder. Back then I felt horrible, but not as bad as I felt now.

Had my condition worsened over time?

Or did something else happen?

Did this have something to do with the abyss?

Did it strike me for refusing its offer?

So many questions raced through my mind, but all of them vanished when I noticed countless messages tucked away at the corner of my eyes. At first, I was confused, wondering why there were so many. But then my eyes widened in shock as a few messages came into view.

[DARK CREATURES ARE ATTACKING YOUR TERRITORY!]

[YOUR THRONE IS CHALLENGED. HURRY BACK!]

[QUEEN EMMA IS AT DUSKHOLLOW GATES. SHE SEEKS YOUR ASSISTANCE. MEET WITH HER!]

[VELENHORST EMPIRE HAS FALLEN. QUEEN EMMA IS DEAD!]

[DARK ENTITIES ARE ASCENDING THE MOUNTAIN!]

[DUSKHOLLOW CASTLE IS UNDER SIEGE. HURRY BACK AND DEFEND IT!]

[DUSKHOLLOW CASTLE HAS BEEN OVERRUN. NIGHTFALL DOMINION TERRITORY HAS BEEN LOST!]

[PENALTIES APPLY: -3 TO ALL STATS & -20 HP]

[ALL FRAGMENTS & TERRITORY TALENT LISTS LOST]

I read through the messages in awe, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

"What is going... on?!" I struggled to speak, driven by shock.

What did the system mean by Nightfall Dominion territory has been lost?

Didn’t I just pass out a day ago?

[You spent three weeks recovering from the use of Omen Pulse. However, your territory was lost within that time, causing a relapse in your recovery, worsening your condition and nearly leading to your death. Luckily, your high vitality saved you.]

Buzz!

A wave of shock washed over me, but I couldn’t even show it. My eyes dilated at the system’s words, and I read them repeatedly in disbelief before shifting my gaze to my stats.

Name: Adam Black

Level: 6

Race: Human

Talent: Gatekeeper

Talent Tier: SSS-Tier

[Stats]

Strength: 7

Speed: 7

Vitality: 14

Intelligence: 7

Health Points: 150/150

Energy Points: 20/20

Experience Points: 5450/6400

Corruption: 0.5%

Universal Fragments: 0

Dark Fragments: 0

Blood Fragments: 0

Limitless Fragments: 0

[Skills]

Name: Door

Status: Upgradeable

Tier: C

Cost: 1 EP

Proficiency: 30%

Technique: Doorpost

Name: Blood Pact

Status: Upgradeable

Tier: A

Cost: 10 HP

Proficiency: 0%

Name: Might of Man

Status: Upgradeable

Tier: C

Cost: Nil

Proficiency: 100%

Name: Berserk Mode

Status: Fixed

Tier: C

Cost: Nil

Proficiency: 100%

Name: Blood Ignition

Status: Upgradeable

Tier: B

Cost: 10% HP

Proficiency: 0%

Name: Crimson Threads

Status: Upgradeable

Tier: B

Cost: 1 HP per thread

Proficiency: 0%

Name: Angel

Status: Upgradeable

Tier: B

Cost: 3 EP

Proficiency: 0%

Name: Omen Pulse

Status: Fixed

Tier: B

Cost: 5 EP

Proficiency: 0%

Name: Corrupted Growth

Status: Fixed

Tier: A

Cost: 10 EP

Proficiency: 0%

[Territory:] Nil

Realizing I’d permanently lost the equivalent of everything I gained from the territory was heartbreaking. My stats—painstakingly earned through battle and effort—were gone. Even the 21 Universal Fragments I had saved, hoping to use them when I gained access to better abilities, were gone.

Not only that, the talent lists—filled with incredible options I could’ve purchased but greedily waited to upgrade—were wiped clean.

I’d lost everything to a simple mistake.

What is a Gatekeeper without a territory?

What is a god without worshippers?

What is a nation without a people?

"I have become nothing." I muttered, lowering my head in shame.

Overnight, everything I had worked for vanished.

Lord Ravus...

The Vanguard’s Curse...

The castle I had just repaired...

The recognition of the Velenhorst Empire...

Everything had completely faded away—even before I could truly use them.

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