Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Entering the Abyss
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After a refreshing and satisfying rest, I got dressed early in the morning and left the house. My destination was the Abyss portal.
Today, I would enter the Abyss.
"Hup!"
This portal, which I'd grown tired of passing through to reach the Tutorial zones, looked somehow different today.
My heart pounded, excitement surging. This was the step that would truly free me from the infamous title of bottom-tier hunter.
"Next. Let me check your ID. Alright~ you may enter."
After a simple ID check, I pushed my body into the portal. A suction force pulled me in instantly, dizziness hit, and before I knew it, I was in a pure white space.
At the same time, countless system messages popped up.
Only after a multitude of additional systems were added did the system make its declaration.
This meant I had truly become a player. Emotion welled up, but I suppressed it. I'd only just reached the starting line.
All that remained was to move forward. To do that, I needed to work harder and excel more.
"I will never fall."
As if sensing or ignoring my resolve, the system displayed one final message.
There were 11 choices in total, all beginner zones at the entrance to the Abyss—Stage 0 among the countless ones.
I didn't need to deliberate; I chose the city I'd already decided on.
The smallest territory in the Abyss where that job was hidden. As my body was sucked away once more, the world warped and changed.
When I opened my eyes, a new world welcomed me.
I emerged from the summoning altar—one per city—and sat on a nearby bench perfect for observing the world, taking a moment to survey it.
Amazing. Another world, just like that.
Scholars had analyzed ancient texts and announced that the Abyss was a single dimension of unknowable size beneath all dimensions.
'Well, that's why they call it 'infinite.'
Among Earth's current players, the farthest the vanguard had reached was Stage 53. Meanwhile, through hidden stages, the highest stage touched in the Abyss was Stage 666—the starting point of all evil.
It also meant we hadn't even properly entered the beginning. While savoring the clean, refreshing air utterly unlike Earth's in the Primordial City, suddenly something gazed at me.
"Gasp!"
My body froze solid. I couldn't do anything. Just the gaze alone crushed my entire being with overwhelming pressure, making me tremble, and my mind began to crumble as if I'd sensed what I shouldn't have.
"Hah...! Hah...!"
The gaze held no malice. Just curiosity, just doubt, just satisfaction. If anything, positive emotions. But the sheer power of the gaze itself wasn't something a mere low-rank hunter could withstand.
In times like this, my authorities—including Misfortune—protected me as one, so I forced myself to lift my gaze to the sky.
It felt like our eyes met. And the moment I looked at that existence, it responded with a message.
'Constellation?!'
Here in mere Stage 0? My curiosity was quickly resolved.
I realized who that constellation was. During the Dungeon Black Hole, to save the legion on the brink of death, I'd used the original owner's divine relic.
The God of Medicine, Asclepius.
'Come to think of it!'
A certain title came to mind at the mention of "trace."
👑 Name:Blessing of Ophiuchus📜 Rank:Mythic⭐ Grade:C+📖 Description:The blessing of Ophiuchus, the hidden 13th zodiac constellation. For some reason, its proper abilities cannot be used.✨ Abilities:
- Unavailable
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The serpent that appeared when I used the divine relic's greatest ability to heal my sister. Since it wasn't a disease, it couldn't heal her and slithered back toward my body.
Half severed by Misfortune, half returned to the relic inside me. That's how I got this title.
'I thought it was useless because it had no effect.'
Related to the constellation?
I swallowed hard. One long-standing question was answered.
The countless items in my inventory—were they copies of real things? Or did they exist in another form?
Judging by their quantity, it wasn't small. Surely, the same items existed in this world inside the inventory.
"May I ask if the serpent fully resides in the staff, O great God of Medicine?"
The answer came immediately to my question.
The message cut off mid-sentence, then came in a new form.
The god's spoken words echoed in my ears and pierced my mind. As the weight and presence in those words strained my body, my abilities activated once more to protect me.
This confirmed it. Items in the inventory were different from real-world ones.
They had the same power, presence, and abilities. But they were different.
I didn't dwell further. Learning this fact alone gained me much.
Wondering about truths I couldn't handle wouldn't help—the Tower of Gold's base self, dismissive by nature, wouldn't tell me anyway, and it wasn't bad for me.
What if it actually pulled real items into this world? The thought alone was chilling.
If I'd borrowed a constellation's sacred gear and caused an incident like last time?
Not only stolen but half-destroyed, it wouldn't be strange if it tore the offender apart.
The gaze lingered, as if waiting for my response.
'But what do I even say?'
I swallowed a groan. I couldn't let it pass vaguely. The other party was a god.
An existence from myths. Compared to Ra, its presence was far lesser, but it belonged in the same godly category.
And fundamentally benevolent. In myths and reality. If it were malevolent, it could've torn me apart just for possessing its trace.
The mere curiosity and goodwill showed how decent a god it was.
Well, that explained why it oversaw medicine. Its father was Apollo, one of Olympus's top 12 gods, after all.
Antagonizing it gained nothing. So, I began explaining with minimal info for maximum effect.
"When I copied your sacred gear with my authority and used its final ability, Ophiuchus, to cure my curse, it failed. At that moment, half the serpent's body dwelling in the staff entered me."
Surprise, shock, and immense curiosity emanated from the gaze. It intensified, scanning my body thoroughly.
No hostility, no heightened presence, so I stayed still. Soon, a message appeared.
Even it couldn't handle it? Well, the relic's ability I'd used was its ultimate one.
Not only couldn't it resolve my curse, it couldn't even approach properly.
I'd be lying if I said I had no expectations. It never offered to cure it, but disappointment lingered.
Even a great god couldn't solve it—could I?
'Put away weak thoughts.'
I wouldn't give up or collapse this time. I'd worked hard since regression; continuing that would suffice.
Feeling the lingering gaze, I met the god's eyes. A faint sigh-like hallucination echoed.
Two of the five previously unavailable abilities unlocked.
Whether it intended to study my curse or not, with that message, it vanished completely.
"Whew~~. My heart's still racing."
Facing a god's gaze directly brought another past memory to mind. The god I'd met while saving Ra during a hidden stage clear.
'Atum and Khepri.'
The constellations that divided Ra's power into thirds, taking a piece each, and ultimately sealing Ra.
Especially Atum, who fought me directly and threatened to kill me if we met in the Abyss.
'Gotta avoid them.'
I wouldn't mess with that side. Shuddering, I sat back on the bench and checked my status window and messages again.