Alex stood on the cracked, lifeless ground of the abyss, facing the enemies before him.
His left hand clenched around the sharp crimson claws of his [Bleeding Dragon Claws], while his right hand held onto the cold, dark surface of the [Staff of Pure Hatred].
Opposite to him, the Undead King stood tall, his skeletal form radiating an eerie, ancient power.
Before them, ninety-nine undead warriors, Alex’s own summons, now twisted and corrupted by the abyss, stood ready to fight.
Their once-loyal eyes now burned with dark flames, their weapons raised under the command of the abyss itself.
Alex exhaled.
These weren’t just random monsters.
These were his undead soldiers, creatures he had summoned and controlled.
But now… they were nothing more than puppets of the abyss, standing in his way.
The moment stretched.
Then—
The undead rushed forward.
Alex moved first.
With a single powerful step, he lunged into the swarm, his claws slashing forward.
The first skeleton shattered instantly, its skull crushed beneath the force of his attack.
At the same time, his staff pulsed with dark energy as he swung it in his right hand, sending waves of destructive magic into the crowd.
The Undead King followed right after.
From the ground beneath them, countless skeletal hands burst forth, his [Undead Hands] skill coming to life.
These hands clawed at the legs of the corrupted skeletons, dragging many of them down before snapping their brittle bones apart.
For every undead they cut down, another three surged forward, weapons slashing, clawing, trying to tear Alex and the Undead King apart.
But of course, their numbers were limited, so Alex was confident they would win.
Alex twisted through the attacks, his agility keeping him just out of reach.
He lashed out again with his claws, slicing through three skeletons in a single movement.
More of them leapt toward him, but he jumped back, using his staff to fire a [Crimson Spear].
The Undead King, unfazed by the onslaught, unleashed his second skill.
Undead Flame!
Black fire erupted from his bony fingers, spreading across the battlefield in an instant.
The moment the corrupted skeletons touched the cursed flames, they crumbled.
Still, the fight wasn’t that easy.
These undead warriors were strong, much stronger than regular ones.
Their stats were absurdly high, and their movements were quick, making them difficult to take down in large numbers.
Even as he fought, Alex could feel their weapons grazing against his armor, though they couldn’t really harm him because of his high defence.
He needed more mobility.
With a thought, his wings burst forth, his [Wings of Destiny] unfolding behind him in a flash of golden light.
With a single powerful flap, Alex lifted off the ground, flying just high enough to stay out of the undead’s immediate reach.
From the air, he began raining destruction down.
Spells shot from his staff, crashing into the skeletons below.
He also occasionally dove to use his [Bleeding Dragon Claws], slashing down from above as he swooped in and out of their range, cutting them down one after the other.
The Undead King, meanwhile, continued his rampage below, using his skeletal hands and flames to destroy everything in his path.
The battlefield became a storm of chaos and fire.
Skeleton after skeleton fell.
Until finally, the last undead warrior collapsed, its body breaking apart into dust.
A heavy silence followed.
Then…
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[You cannot receive experience from these monsters.]
Alex landed softly on the ground, his wings folding behind him.
“He will pay,” he muttered, gripping his staff tighter. “I will make sure of it.”
His voice was low, filled with cold determination.
Beside him, the Undead King stood still.
Alex turned his head, noticing the look in his eyes, or at least, the way his skeletal face was frozen in something close to shock.
The Undead King had just been forced to destroy his own warriors, creatures he had once commanded.
“…”
The Undead King didn’t say a word.
But then—
[Your reputation with the Undead King has increased.]
Alex blinked at the notification.
Despite his silence, the Undead King seemed… grateful.
Alex didn’t comment on it.
Instead, his eyes narrowed as he felt it, the gaze of the god of the abyss.
Varyn.
He was watching.
And he was the one who had sent these skeletons, as he feared the [World Cleaver] spell Alex had activated earlier.
Even a god could die from that.
But for Alex…
These corrupted skeletons were something else entirely.
They were an opportunity.
Alex walked over to the nearest fallen skeleton, kneeling down to watch around the skeletons.
A dark mist rose from the skeleton’s remains.
He watched, waiting for the system notification.
But—
Nothing.
Not a single [Abyss Fragment] had dropped naturally from these skeletons.
“Hah…”
So that was it.
Unlike the creatures in the upper layers, these skeletons had a much lower chance of dropping fragments.
That was probably what Varyn was counting on.
Far above, the god of the abyss watched, a smug grin on his face.
“Now we wait,” Varyn murmured, his voice filled with satisfaction.
“He killed the skeletons, but he didn’t get any fragments. He’s still stuck.”
He turned to Morgathis, the massive, twisted Primordial Abyss Dragon beside him.
“And as for the [World Cleaver] spell…”
He narrowed his eyes.
“If he tries to use it again, you will stop him.”
Morgathis trembled slightly before nodding.
“…Yes, Lord Varyn!”
Varyn smirked.
It was checkmate.
Or at least… that’s what he thought.
Because as his palm pressed against the skeleton’s remains, Alex’s fingers twitched.
“Extraction.”
The dark mist swirled once more.
And then, this time…
Ding!
[You have extracted an Abyss Fragment!]
Alex grinned.
So that was it.
The god of the abyss had sent these skeletons to stop him, but in doing so… he had actually given Alex exactly what he needed.
The [World Cleaver] was still prepared in the background.
His destiny points were still locked at 50/150.
And now one after another, Alex moved across the battlefield, extracting every last abyss fragment from the fallen undead.
Until finally…
Ding!
[Abyss Fragments in possession: 1,000]
He had them all.
“Hahaha…”
A quiet chuckle escaped his lips.
Far above, Varyn frowned.
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“Why is he laughing?” he muttered. “He should be cowering in fear.”
He didn’t understand.
He didn’t know about Alex’s talent.
And he didn’t know… that he had allowed the human to move forward.
Alex turned toward the massive [Abyss Door] before him.
A towering structure of darkness, with an enormous keyhole in the center.
And the moment he stepped forward…
Ding!
[1,000 Abyss Fragments detected.]
[Crafting “Abyss Key”…]
The fragments glowed, floating into the air.
One by one, they merged together, forming a massive, twisted key made of pure abyssal energy.
The key floated toward the lock, sliding in perfectly.
Alex reached forward, gripping it.
Then—
Click!
[Opening Abyss Door…]
“WHAT?!”
Varyn’s eyes widened.
“HOW?!”
He hadn’t seen a single fragment drop.
How had Alex gotten 40 more?!
It didn’t make sense.
But it was already too late.
The [Abyss Door] creaked open, revealing nothing but endless darkness beyond.
Alex exhaled, stepping forward without hesitation.
He wasn’t afraid of the abyss anymore.
It was time.
Time to end this.
Time to kill a god.
But on the other hand, Varyn didn’t stay motionless.
“I guess I should call him as well,” The God of the Abyss sighed.
He raised his arm, summoning his dark energy to create a swirling vortex in front of him.
And from it came out a figure.
“It’s the first time in a while you’ve called me.”
He was the [Chosen One of the Abyss].