They threw him into the Abyss to die. Instead, he found the power of a god.

Paul Veussia was supposed to be a prodigy. Two days after awakening his mana he'd already condensed half a core; in a week he'd have been a Mage. Then the people who feared what he might become cast him into the Abyss, a pit of monsters and dark mana that no one is meant to walk out of.

But the core burning inside Paul is no ordinary one. It's a Malefic God core, the rarest and most forbidden power in the world, and the ancient sword demon sealed in the dark has been waiting a very long time for a student worth the teaching.

To climb out, Paul will have to survive his new master's merciless trials, clear the floors of a killing tower one impossible enemy at a time, and awaken a bloodline thought long extinct: the Blood-Winged Phoenix. Sorcerer, Mage, Master, Grandmaster... every rank is one more step toward the men who buried him. And the kingdom's grand tournament is where he means to collect the debt.

The competitors there will know him by one name only.

The Dark Mage.

The Dark Mage is the first book in a cultivation progression-fantasy series, featuring:

- A ruthless, underdog-to-overpowered protagonist

- A hard, ranked magic system and brutal system-driven trials

- A demon mentor sealed in a sword, with an agenda of his own

- Bloodline awakenings, forbidden sword arts, and one deceptively deadly cat

- A tournament arc

Perfect for fans of Cradle, Solo Leveling, The Primal Hunter, and Defiance of the Fall.