Alex moved on to the next panels, his eyes scanning the glowing text floating in front of him.
[You have unlocked the skill “Destiny Flame” (Artifact+)]
[Description: A flame brighter and more powerful than most, doesn’t go out unless the user wills it. Consumes 5 Destiny Points; no cooldown.]
“Oh?”
The skill didn’t seem all that impressive at first glance.
Even with its Artifact+ rarity, it wasn’t some game-breaking ability.
But Alex noticed one key detail, it didn’t use mana.
Instead, it consumed Destiny Points.
That changed everything.
Since he was the [Chosen One] of the God of Destiny, this meant his powers could still be pushed even further.
It might not have been the flashiest skill, but it was good enough.
But what really caught his attention was something else entirely.
“Eternal Flame,” Alex whispered.
A bright orb of golden fire burst to life, hovering just above his palm.
It pulsed with pure destiny energy, burning brighter than anything he’d ever summoned before.
The light spread out, piercing through the suffocating darkness of the abyss.
For the first time since he arrived here, he could actually see.
Alex grinned.
“At least I won’t be tripping over rocks in this damn place.”
Satisfied, he turned to the final panel.
[You have unlocked the “Destiny Slayer” talent (SSS)]
[Effect: ???]
“Damn?”
The effects were hidden.
That was unusual, but it probably meant the talent would reveal itself later.
He’d have to wait and see.
With that, his business was done.
But that didn’t mean he was safe.
“You should move,” Alphox’s deep voice echoed in his mind. “The darkness is clawing its way inside you.”
Alex didn’t need more convincing.
He could feel it, the cold tendrils of the abyss trying to seep into his very soul.
He gave a short nod and started walking.
The cave he’d found himself in was cramped, its jagged walls pressing in on all sides.
As he stepped outside, he looked up.
Nothing but endless, pitch-black darkness stared back at him.
“But…” Alex muttered to himself, frowning. “If angels can fly, how the fuck do they get stuck in this place?”
A voice, rough and ancient, answered from the shadows.
“The moment you cross the threshold of the abyss, there’s no escape.”
Alex froze mid-step, his heart skipped a beat.
“…Alright, thanks.”
He kept walking, trying to act like nothing was wrong.
His [Eternal Flame] lit the way, casting long, flickering shadows against the cavern walls.
But his mind was racing.
Something was off.
A few more steps and he came to a sudden halt, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Wait a minute…” he mumbled, his eyes darting around. “Who the hell answered my question?”
It wasn’t Alphox. It wasn’t the Undead King. He knew their voices.
This one was different.
It was old. Ragged. Like whoever, or whatever, had spoken hadn’t used its voice in centuries.
Then, the system chimed in, and his heart sank.
[The Abyss has noticed your presence.]
[They are coming.]
Alex’s jaw clenched.
And then, as if to make things worse, another message appeared.
[The God of the Abyss is watching you.]
“Of course you are,” Alex groaned, rolling his eyes. “If you’re watching, why don’t you come up here so I can kick your ass?”
No response.
Figures.
He hadn’t seen a single monster yet, but he knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long.
The bottom of the abyss was still far off, and the God of the Abyss was probably waiting down there, laughing at him.
But Alex wasn’t scared.
Not anymore.
‘I already killed you once in my past life,’ he thought, smirking, ‘Sure, it took thousands of people back then, and you weren’t in your domain. But now? I’m alone.’
And that was fine.
He had more than enough power to handle this himself.
[The Heart of Calamity warns you of the darkness.]
‘Yeah, yeah, I know,’ Alex thought.
All this “the darkness is watching” crap was starting to get on his nerves.
He was here to kill, not listen to ominous threats.
If the abyss wanted to mess with him, fine.
He’d just burn it all to the ground.
Fwsh! Dash!
With a burst of speed, Alex shot forward, the [Eternal Flame] lighting his path as he twisted through the labyrinthine tunnels.
The walls seemed to shift around him, but he didn’t slow down.
Strangely enough, there were still no monsters.
That alone was suspicious.
But Alex didn’t care.
He wasn’t going to stop.
After less than five minutes of running, he found himself at the edge of a massive hole in the ground.
The abyss stretched endlessly below, darker than anything his flame could pierce.
He crouched, ready to jump, when suddenly:
[Warning! It’s a trap!]
Alex froze, his instincts kicking in.
He couldn’t see the bottom of the hole, which was strange.
Even his [Eternal Flame] should’ve revealed something.
Narrowing his eyes, he activated another skill.
Cursed Eyes of Truth!
His golden eyes spun like twin vortices, zooming into the depths.
And what he saw made his skin crawl.
Hundreds upon hundreds of glowing eyes stared back at him from the darkness. All of them waiting.
[A lot of monsters are waiting for you to jump.]
Alex laughed.
“So that’s your plan, huh?” he shouted into the void, his voice echoing through the cavern. “Foolish!”
He spread his arms wide, taunting the unseen god.
Another panel appeared, as if the abyss itself was responding.
[The God of the Abyss dislikes your way of talking but is confident you will die before reaching the bottom.]
“Try me.”
Without wasting another second, Alex summoned his next skill.
Fated Cataclysm!
[-70 Destiny Points.]
A small orb of golden destiny energy formed in his hand, pulsing with raw power.
Grinning, Alex hurled it into the hole like a fastball.
Then he waited.
Thirty seconds passed, but it felt like an eternity.
The darkness around him seemed to close in, whispering in his ears.
[The darkness is corrupting you faster. Move.]
DiEdiEdiEYouCAn’TBeAtThemWHYevenTrYyOuWiLLsUfFeR
The voices scratched at his mind like claws. But Alex just closed his eyes and shoved them aside.
And then—
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion rocked the abyss, a blinding flash of golden light erupting from the depths. Read chapters at My Virtual Library Empire
The force of it shook the ground beneath his feet.
Alex didn’t hesitate.
Wings of destiny burst from his back, and with a mighty flap, he dove into the hole.
Fwish! Fwish!
BOOM!
He landed hard, creating a small crater in the stone floor.
Around him, the monsters that had been waiting were nothing but charred husks.
[You have reached the second layer of the Abyss.]
[There are seven layers to traverse before reaching the God of the Abyss.]
Alex stood up, brushing dust off his shoulders.
The first layer had been like a twisted tutorial.
No monsters, just pure darkness.
If you didn’t have a strong enough light source, or the speed to outrun the corruption; you’d be dead before you even realized it.
But Alex wasn’t like the others.
He’d survived.
And now, he’d wiped out every monster that tried to ambush him.
Notifications started flooding in.
[You have slain an “Abyss Monster” and gained 200,000,000 experience points!]
[You have slain an “Abyss Worm” and gained 230,000,000 experience points!]
[You have slain a “Darkness Corrupted Angel” and gained 300,000,000 experience points!]
Hundreds of panels surrounded him, the experience points stacking up like crazy.
Alex chuckled.
‘This abyss of yours,’ he thought, grinning to himself, ‘is just helping me get stronger. Thanks, asshole.’
He knew the God of the Abyss could probably read his thoughts.
Good.
Let him.
Because no matter what was waiting at the bottom of this abyss, Alex was going to kill it.
