As they ventured deeper into the rift, the atmosphere grew heavier, the air thick with an almost oppressive dampness. The walls of the cavern twisted unnaturally, the faint glisten of moisture reflecting from their uneven surfaces. The only sound was the crunch of their footsteps against brittle ground—until Yun Jin broke the silence.

"Merlin," he said, his voice calm but firm. "What happened back there? You looked like you were in agony when those things opened their mouths."

Merlin, still rubbing the side of his head, gave a weak chuckle before frowning. "Wait… You guys didn’t hear that?"

The entire group shook their heads.

Merlin's expression darkened. "It was… the worst sound I’ve ever heard. Like someone stabbing a spear straight into my ear and twisting it around—"

"Alright, alright!" Reva cut in, waving a hand to stop him. "No need to be that graphic."

Merlin groaned, lowering his hands. "Fine, but you get the point. It wasn’t just loud—it was… unbearable."

Seraphine, who had been observing quietly, stepped forward with a gentle touch, wrapping a thin cloth over Merlin’s eyes as she began murmuring a soft incantation. A soothing light pulsed from her hands, weaving warmth through his body.

A moment later, the same soft glow spread outward, blanketing all of them. Yun Jin, Reva, and Merlin felt it immediately—a wave of warmth that seeped into their limbs, a slow but noticeable restoration of their energy.

Seraphine lowered her hands, giving them a determined nod. "I may not be the strongest here, but I’ll do my best to be useful."

Yun Jin nodded approvingly. "Your healing magic is already invaluable. If it wasn’t for you, Merlin would still be out of commission."

Inside, he was thinking deeper—If even a Rank D enchanter could provide this much support, what kind of abilities did a master enchanter have?

His musings were interrupted when Merlin squinted at the cave walls, his brows furrowing. "Wait… this place doesn’t look right."

"What do you mean?" Yun Jin asked.

Merlin gestured toward the uneven surfaces. "Look at the walls. Too many holes. The ground's brittle, way dustier than a normal cave. And those jagged ridges? Too uneven. It reminds me of the coral my grandfather used to grow in tubes."

Reva, who had been leading at the front, suddenly stiffened. Her body tensed, eyes narrowing as she inhaled deeply.

"Stop," she commanded.

Yun Jin and the others immediately halted.

"What is it?" Yun Jin asked, lowering his stance.

"Heat signatures… a lot of them," Reva murmured, closing her eyes and sharpening her senses. "At least five… no, ten. And…" her brows furrowed, her voice dropping, "something big. Below us."

Yun Jin’s gaze sharpened. "How big?"

Reva exhaled slowly. "Big enough that I don’t want to find out while we’re standing out in the open."

From their vantage point, the cavern opened into a vast expanse below—a settlement.

Unlike the chaotic, violent Abyssal Mermaids they had fought before, these creatures moved with purpose. The cave was structured, eerily organized.

[Juvenile Abyssal Mermaid LV.9]

At the center, juvenile Abyssal Mermaids trained with organic spears, their slitted pupils following each strike with precise, disciplined movements. Further out, a hunting party was returning—carrying the very corpses of their fallen kin, the ones Yun Jin and Reva had slain.

Yun Jin watched carefully as they moved with ritualistic precision, setting the bodies down.

The process began.

They drained the fluids first, filling carved-out rock basins with thick, black ichor. Half of the remains were split evenly among the Abyssal Mermaids, passed around their sattlement where they consumed their kin in eerie, synchronized unity.

The other half—still dripping—was tossed into a pool at the heart of the settlement.

It wasn’t a lake. It was too small.

A well?

No.

A pit so deep, its bottom was shrouded in complete darkness.

The air vibrated.

Yun Jin turned his gaze toward the figure standing at the center of the sattlement.

[Elder Abyssal Mermaid LV.24]

It stood taller than the others, its lean frame exuding an unnatural presence. Where normal Abyssal Mermaids had glowing red slits for eyes, this one’s had overgrown—crystallized into a jagged, pulsating ruby embedded in its face like a crown.

Similar shards jutted from its elongated arms, and in its grip, it held a staff adorned with the same shimmering crimson crystals.

The air trembled as the crystal pulsed, ringing out with a deep, bone-penetrating hum.

Instantly, every Abyssal Mermaid halted.

The cave fell into absolute silence.

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From the youngest juveniles to the seasoned hunters, every single one stopped what they were doing. Then, in perfect unison, they formed a circle around the pit and knelt.

The leader tilted its head slightly.

A deep, resonating hum emanated from its core, the red crystal embedded in its skull ringing like a tuning fork.

All at once, the gathered mermaids bowed lower, their bodies still slick with the blood of their fallen kin.

Then, without hesitation, they reached for their own arms—slicing deep into their flesh with their claws.

Dark ichor flowed freely as they extended their arms over the abyss, letting their lifeblood drip into its endless depths.

The leader turned its crystalline head toward the pit, its elongated form eerily still. The blackened blood of its kin dripped from the sacrificial basin, staining the jagged red crystal embedded in its skull. The hum grew deeper, vibrating through the cavern walls like the beating of a war drum.

Then, with slow, deliberate purpose, it raised its staff higher.

The pit responded.

A low, guttural resonance rippled through the air, deeper and more primal than before. The vibration crawled over their skin, the mana in the atmosphere stirring unnaturally, drawn toward the abyss.

The very air trembled as something unseen stirred beneath the darkness.

Yun Jin’s grip on his sword tightened.

The others exchanged tense glances, each of them understanding the same thing—they had to finish this quickly.

Merlin stepped forward, tapping his staff against the ground as mana flared from his fingertips. A surge of energy washed over Yun Jin and Reva, wrapping around them like a second skin. Reva's eyes widened as she clenched her fists, feeling the explosive increase in her strength and speed.

“This is… insane.” She flexed her fingers, marveling at the power coursing through her. “I feel twice as fast. Twice as strong.”

Seraphine, watching intently, furrowed her brows in awe. “These buffs should only work on one person at a time… How are you maintaining them on both?”

Merlin smirked, barely winded. “I’m just that good.”

Seraphine responded with her own blessing, casting a thin, shimmering layer of holy energy over the party. Yun Jin felt it settle into his muscles—an enhancement of endurance, along with a gentle, steady stream of regeneration.

With everyone prepared, Yun Jin turned to Merlin and gestured.

Merlin nodded, steadying his staff.

The humming below grew louder, its intensity warping the mana around them like a storm on the verge of breaking. But Merlin stood firm, his eyes sliding shut as he focused. The air around him shifted, magic circles blooming like ripples in water—one, two, then three, each overlapping with the next.

More appeared, layering upon each other, weaving into a complex array of spiraling arcane script. The final circle formed directly above his staff, crackling with immense energy.

Then his eyes snapped open.

With a single movement, Merlin pointed his staff toward the center of the enemy gathering.

The Abyssal Mermaids turned in alarm—but it was already too late.

“Flame Comet!”

A massive spiral of fire roared to life, an infernal sphere streaking through the cavern like a blazing meteor. The impact detonated instantly, the explosion splitting apart into a violent vortex of flame. A firestorm erupted at the heart of the settlement, consuming everything in its path.

The juvenile Abyssal Mermaids never stood a chance.

Their shrieks of pain were lost in the inferno, their bodies reduced to charred husks before they could react. Even the larger ones collapsed, writhing in agony as their flesh blackened and peeled.

The leader, standing at the heart of it, emerged half-burnt, its flesh seared down to the bone. Its crystalline eye pulsed violently as it tried to scream—a vibration so intense it should have deafened them all.

But Merlin had been prepared.

The silent field was already in place, suppressing the leader’s accursed sound before it could take effect.

Yun Jin and Reva seized the opening.

Like a comet and a falling star, the two warriors shot forward, cutting through the burning battlefield. The remaining Abyssal Mermaids barely had time to react before Yun Jin’s blade carved through their defenses, while Reva’s flaming fists shattered their bodies into smoldering remains.

Amidst the chaos, the leader waved its staff, its movements frantic yet precise.

The half-dead Abyssal Mermaids—those barely clinging to life—began convulsing. Their bodies twitched and spasmed before they lurched toward each other, merging into grotesque, shifting abominations.

Yun Jin gritted his teeth, recognizing the process. He tried to intervene, but only managed to cut down two of them before the transformation completed.

Four had attempted to fuse.

Two were destroyed.

Two remained.

[Mutated Abyssal Mermaid Lv.22]

[Mutated Abyssal Mermaid Lv.18]

Yun Jin’s eyes flicked toward the leader, who had begun moving with purpose.

It opened its mouth—not in pain, but in command.

Even though no sound escaped, the mutated Abyssal Mermaids responded immediately, stepping between Yun Jin and their master, blocking his path.

“Tch.” Yun Jin narrowed his eyes. He moved to cut them down, but—

“Not so fast!” Reva’s voice rang out as she surged forward, flames igniting in her palms. She struck one of the mutated creatures with a devastating blow, her fire engulfing its body, but—

It didn’t fall.

The creature staggered but refused to collapse, its reinforced bones barely cracking under the force.

The leader took the opportunity to leap backward—straight into the pit.

Yun Jin’s breath hitched. He dashed to the edge, his eyes straining against the abyss. But even with his sharp vision, he couldn’t see anything beyond the black void below.

Then—

The air exploded with an overwhelming, oppressive force.

A pulse of energy surged from the depths, raw and unrefined, its presence so massive it felt like the weight of an ocean pressing down on them.

A form began to emerge.

Towering. Writhing.

From the pit, a massive figure ascended, dragging itself into the cavern with a slow, agonizing movement.

The leader had not fled.

It had fused.

Now embedded into the upper half of a monstrous, abyssal form, the leader’s elongated arms clutched its staff like a spear. Below it, the rest of its body had merged with something far worse—a monstrous, thrashing being, its body wracked with unnatural convulsions, as though in constant agony.

Its stomach was a void.

Not empty, but an abyss darker than a moonless sky.

Yet scattered across its massive body, in stark contrast to the abyss, were glowing white lights—like distant stars against the night.

[Elder Abyssal Mermaid Lv.24]

[Baby Void Orga Lv.29]