The attack came from the side opposite what Roth had been expecting. An eel jumped from the water, maw open, lunging toward him. To Roth, the whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion. Wondering if his feeling came from how low-level the eel was, Roth inspected it to check its level.
Eelania, the Abyssal Tar Eel (Elite)
Lvl. 48
Hp: 30,000
Ep: 2300
Skills: [Ambush]; [Acidic Spit]; [Stealth]; [Tar Bolstering]
Weaknesses: Eels are so used to living surrounded by poison and decay that they are among the few creatures harmed by medicine or healing effects.
You are seeing many new things.
+1 insight.
Now that his insight had broken through 50, just by inspecting a creature, Roth could discover its weaknesses. It wasn’t that he was planning to fight it, though. There was a blur just as he was about to activate [Peace Decree].
-30,000
Roth looked down, annoyed at Lin, who was already fileting the eel and throwing the skin and unwanted bits of the eel to the surrounding tar.
“Lin!”
“Argh. Not this again, human. I’m a cat. I have to eat. Step aside, and let me enjoy this meal.”
Roth bit his lip but said nothing. Having an S+ grade pet was something else. His growth was spooky, and he was highly intelligent and stubborn as a mule. Additionally, Roth had little control over his progression. Just a few days ago, Lin had taught himself a ridiculous skill.
Lin has learned [Sashimi Slash].
Sashimi Cutting (Epic)
Description: Felinians can cut almost anything to ribbons using their razor-sharp claws. They can also cut fish just right to bring out the flavor of its meat.
Effects:
1000% critical damage against creatures that can be turned into sashimi;
You can make sushi and sashimi.
Seeing his kitten chomp down the neatly cut meat, Roth couldn’t stay angry, and his expression softened. How could anyone resist such a cute little creature?
Lin has eaten Abyssal Tar Eel Sashimi.
+1 dark affinity.
“So that’s a way to increase darkness affinity,” Roth mumbled.
“You want some, too?” Lin asked, offering a piece of the white fish meat.
“No thanks. You can have it.”
“Very well, then.”
Roth sighed and sat back down, making the ferry boat’s old wood creek in response. In this sea of tar, there were no waves to rock the boat, only unsettling stillness. The ferryboat and the ferryman groaned together as they moved, wooden hull and lizard muscles fighting the drag of the tar. Around them, bubbles that popped released a faint, noxious odor, while others merely collapsed upon themselves with a muted pff, absorbed back into the mire. Roth’s gaze drifted to the horizon. He wondered how long it would take until they reached the Dark Abyss.
*
The dark, wrinkled trunk patted insistently on Yillian’s shoulder. “Hush! We’ll go back to fighting in a bit. I need to think. Calm down, Powder!” Yillian said, kicking the restless black elephant beneath him. Black elephants’ bloodthirst made them unstoppable on the battlefield but also made them annoying. Whenever he was doing something other than fighting, Powder kept complaining.
The general of Pegasus stared at the three diamonds in his hands. He made himself go through their riddles one more time.
Three rats are sitting at the three corners of an equilateral triangle. Each rat randomly picks a direction and starts to move along the edge of the triangle. What is the probability that none of the rats collide?
What is faster than light?
I bubble without boiling. I freeze the past without getting cold.
Each of these diamonds had dropped after obtaining the first kill on three separate wild bosses in the Dark Abyss. However, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t crack this riddle. He stared at the expanse of black tar before him. The last riddle was evidently referring to this place. However, he had already run along the shores of the tar sea multiple times and found no city. What was he missing?
He didn’t dislike his assignment out here in the dark lands. There were plenty of skirmishes with players from other guilds and many unexplored dungeons and wild bosses. He was also able to do his own thing away from Anak, Xerxes, and Loki. It was just him, his elephant, and his troop.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
The only annoying thing was the constant messaging from his guild leader. He paid really well, but there were days that Yillian didn’t feel it was worth putting up with his overzealous boss. He just wanted to find this cursed city, if there was any, but today didn’t seem to be the day he’d finally get Loki off his back.
A report arrived from one of his team’s scouts. “General, there’s someone coming from the sea. What should we do?”
Yillian’s brows shot up. Traveling to the Dark Abyss by boat was highly unusual but not worth his time. “Whatever you want. Don’t bother me. I’m busy.”
He got back to the riddles. Darkness was faster than light. That was just another reference to the Dark Abyss, wasn’t it? What about the riddle of the rats? Maybe there was a rat boss hiding somewhere in the Dark Abyss who held the missing key to the city. Or maybe it dropped another enigma diamond. Hadn’t they found a rat dungeon a few days ago? Should he travel back there?
“Sir.”
“WHAT?”
“I’m sorry to bother you. The player is almost landing on the beach. He’s on our kill list.”
“Uh? Who?”
“He’s marked as Slayer. He fits the description. He’s a freakishly tall man with a cat.”
Yillian grinned. It was the guy who had almost killed Loki. This was excellent news. The next time Loki pestered him about finding the city, he could tell him that he had at least killed the Slayer several times. “You did well to message me. I’m coming! Don’t engage. Send me the coordinates.”
“Let’s go, Powder!” Yillian called out, pulling the reins and urging the elephant to set out. The dark, heavy beast responded excitedly, echoing the call with a trumpet-like sound that made the earth tremble. The rest of the troop standing by quickly appeared, ready to follow Yillian.
“Hiya!” As Yillian let Powder take him toward the coordinates sent by the scouting party, he activated the party chat to brief his troop.
“There’s been a sighting of a target called the Slayer. For those of you who played with me back in New Earth, we fought him and IronIre a few times. He has impeccable reflexes but is impatient and eager. He’s tenacious and will gladly die as long as he can take down his opponent. Just kite him until we’ve made him spend all his life-saving skills. He also has a very high-grade pet. Be careful. I’ll run ahead. Meet you there.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yes, sir!”
Yillian wondered how the Slayer’s pet compared to Powder’s A-minus grade. Powder could probably squash the cat. Even though the elephant seemed to run more clumsily than the surrounding horses and riders or the dashing figures of the rogues, it was much faster. After a minute of running, he left them in the dust, making him and Powder the first to arrive at the beach.
The ferry boat leaving the coast was made of dark old wood, and on it, a lizardman stood with a long rod that he used to row the ferry. Yillian didn’t care about the departing figure of the lizard ferryman. Yillian knew of other players who had made it all the way here using the same method. He only cared about the man on the beach.
The Slayer stood atop a white horse that shone brilliantly against the dark tar and black ashen beach. It was as if the moon itself had landed on the shores of the Dark Abyss. The mare had powerful muscles and kicked the dusty ground. There was also a crown on the horse’s head. It was the first time Yillian saw a horse wearing a crown. Was it a special item? Or a special pet, too? He hadn’t heard anything about the Slayer having a horse. Wasn’t he supposed to have just the cat?
He soon spotted the white and gray cat perched on the Slayer’s shoulder. The Slayer had two pets. Yillian bit his lip enviously. How he wished he could have two pets instead of one. But that kind of effect was incredibly rare. Yillian had his elephant make another intimidating battle sound, trying to get a reaction from the cat, but the animal seemed almost asleep. It was bored!
Annoyed, he turned his attention toward the horse’s rider. The Slayer had an impressive height and a beautiful set of equipment made of dark, scaly leather with purple veins that shone in the gaps. Yillian didn’t need to inspect it to know it was at least a rare set, possibly even higher. There were also two staves wrapped in cloth on his back. Did he have the fighter class? What kind of class used two staves?
Yellian expected to find the crazed, angry look he’d seen on the Slayer’s face in New Earth. Instead, he found the restful eyes of a quiet man. Yillian didn’t like it. Impatience and recklessness had been the Achilles’ heels of the Slayer. But this didn’t seem like either a reckless or an impatient man.
"Slayer!" he called out, arriving atop his elephant.
"Do we know each other?" the Slayer responded from atop the horse, which neighed impatiently, eager to escape the bloodthirsty aura of the dark elephant.
"Yillian, from the Blue Wings in New Earth. We fought a couple of times."
"Oh, I remember you. You beat me in the semifinals of the PvP tournament."
"That’s right," Yillian nodded, happy to have left an impression. "So, what brings you here?"
"Personal business.” After a few moments, Roth added. “I see. You’re with Pegasus."
Yillian grinned. It looked like the Slayer was able to see some of his character's information, including his guild. "I can see you have high insight. Well done. Yes, I work for Pegasus now."
The Slayer looked down and locked eyes with the elephant. He made a series of guttural sounds while clicking his tongue. It was as if he was speaking a foreign language. Powder did something that Yillian had never seen him do before. He took a few steps back. “What’s wrong, Powder?” Yillian whispered, but the elephant kept slowly drawing away from the Slayer.
“What have you done to Powder?” Yillian demanded.
The Slayer grinned. “Just said hi. Since you’re not here to reminisce, I guess I'd better get going."
Yillian glanced over his shoulder. His troop was only a few seconds away. "No, Slayer. I’m sorry. I can’t let you leave this place alive."
Kinetic Spear!
The ash from the dark lands condensed into the shape of a long spear, too large for any man to wield with their hands. Yillian could only do so because he was a battle esper, specialized in using telekinetic projections in close combat.
“Hiyah!” Yillian beckoned Powder, but it refused to charge. “Powder! Attack. Go!” The elephant didn’t move.
Yillian looked over at his adversary, who had changed in the brief moment he looked away. A pair of whiskers popped up from the Slayer's face, and his nose elongated into a snout. His beard and facial hair grew, becoming scruffy and gray. He almost looked like a mouse. At the same time, the crown on the horse began glowing. If the white horse had looked like a moon before, now it was almost blinding, like the sun. Yillian had to look away, dazzled, but he still sent the spear toward the Slayer and finally convinced Powder to charge him.
By the time he regained his sight, there was only dust in the air but no Slayer.
Infrasonar!
Powder stood on its hind legs and stomped the ground hard, sending a ripple of energy through the ground. This skill enabled him to detect any enemies within a wide radius. All he got on the map was a little blip at the very edge of the skill’s reach. He had barely caught him with this long-range scan. Yillian gulped. How had the Slayer covered that much ground in such a short amount of time? Had he teleported? The only player he’d seen move this fast was Zin. Yillian bit his lip. Should he chase?
The other players from Pegasus arrived. "Boss, where did he go?"
"False alarm. It wasn’t the Slayer," Yillian lied. "Just someone adventuring here in the dark regions. We’ll let him be."
The players exchanged confused looks but shrugged, accepting Yillian’s word for it. Yillian looked in the direction the Slayer had disappeared. He had a bad feeling about this.