Chapter 88: The ‘Little Darling’ in the Black Abyss
In the Void, the shallow layer of the Black Abyss.
Black gale winds swept past, a massive boulder covered in cut marks. The gale winds within the Black Abyss were the most common yet most dangerous weather; many explorers died under these seemingly insignificant winds.
A square stone mountain stood amidst a continuous mountain range, appearing abrupt. It looked nothing like a natural formation, more like a gate.
The entire stone mountain was red, as if stained by blood, about fifty meters high. If viewed from above, many holes could be seen on its summit.
Each of these circular holes had a diameter of about one meter, with metal covers embedded in them. Made from some unknown metal, these covers had not been eroded by the gale winds.
The stone mountain perfectly blocked the gap in the mountain range, like a fortress, connecting the surrounding peaks and forming a vast basin behind them.
Protected by layers of mountains, the basin was lush green. Here, there were extremely rare green plants in the Black Abyss—neat rows of fruit trees and verdant vegetables, clearly tended to with care.
A group of creatures, about one meter tall and walking upright, were tending this green land. Their bodies seemed somewhat frail. Upon closer inspection, one would notice their ears were round, their faces had whiskers, and their small black eyes were bright and spirited.
This was the Lelesno Clan. Other races in the Void were more accustomed to calling them the Ratfolk, because they preferred to live beneath the mountains.
This green land was the home of the Lelesno Clan. At the edge of the greenery, a girl with golden hair tied in a ponytail was munching on an apple.
With a crisp crunch, a large bite was taken from the apple. The texture was refreshing, and as she chewed, the juice burst in her mouth. The sweet nectar made the girl squint her eyes, looking quite pleased.
"Gala da wuwu (Black Abyss language)."
A Ratfolk on the distant stone mountain fortress shouted, his voice filled with terror.
Rumble…
The ground began to shake. Outside the valley, tens of thousands of beasts stampeded. Three black dragons flew in the sky, blotting out the sun. Just these three black dragons nearly blocked all the sunlight from the basin.
The Ratfolk let out terrified cries, dropping their farming tools and quickly running toward their dwellings beneath the mountain.
With a loud crash!
One black dragon pounced into the green land, destroying large patches of precious vegetation.
"Roar!!"
The black dragon let out a deafening roar, sending waves of sound spreading outward. Wherever the sound waves passed, vegetation exploded.
Strangely, this black dragon did not massacre the Ratfolk. Its eyes held not ferocity, but fear.
Yes, the other two black dragons perched on the mountains were the same. Rather than coming to destroy, they seemed to have been forcibly driven here.
And the tens of thousands of beasts rushing toward the mountains also had eyes full of terror.
The apple, bitten twice, fell to the ground. The golden-haired girl drew the longsword at her waist, fully unleashing the treasure. Raising her sword, a golden beam shot straight into the sky.
"Contract… Sword!"
A massive golden sword beam slashed down, striking the head of the black dragon in the basin.
Light exploded, and powerful winds spread outward. Compared to the destruction caused by the black dragon landing, this sword strike caused even more damage to the basin. But with a powerful enemy approaching, the girl, who had unleashed her ultimate move, could no longer care about that.
When the golden light faded, a pair of black, fleshy wings spread. The black dragon shook its head, revealing a white mark on its head—not even a trace of blood.
The girl, holding her sword with both hands, gritted her teeth. She wasn’t surprised by the result of this strike; she had done it only to lure the black dragon away.
Just as she prepared to charge out of the basin to lead the three black dragons away, they completely ignored her. The one she had struck looked somewhat helpless, as if to say, ‘Why did you hit me? I’m a victim too.’
The girl froze, understanding the black dragon’s meaning.
The black dragons had been driven here from the middle layer of the Black Abyss. Their strength absolutely crushed the creatures of the shallow layer.
Countless giant beasts surrounded the mountains. Among them were many more terrifying than the black dragons.
The beast horde parted to form a path. A figure clad in black armor, which looked as if it had been corroded by magma, stepped out from the crowd.
Pfft!
Blood splattered. The black-armored figure tore out the heart of a giant beast. The beast quickly withered, not daring to move from start to finish.
"Kill them all."
The black-armored figure spoke. He had no name; those who knew him called him Number 1045.
"Hey, hey, hey, calm down, Number 1045."
A toad crouched on Number 1045’s shoulder. This toad wore a crown and held a thick notebook in its claw.
"According to the agreement, I will slaughter this Ratfolk clan."
Number 1045’s voice was icy cold. Killing was his only pleasure.
"That was just the previous agreement. Plans have changed. Now that we’re here, we find this is actually the hometown of the Violent Rat. If we flatten this place, he won’t just tear you apart—he’ll come after me too."
The toad yawned, not wanting to offend a particularly powerful Ratfolk.
"What to do? That little darling has been too comfortable lately. I originally wanted to teach her a lesson and make her taste despair."
The toad fell into thought. After a moment, its claw slapped its hind leg.
"Got it. Number 1045, are you interested in taking on a disciple?"
"…"
The black-armored man, Number 1045, said nothing.
"Let’s decide happily like this. You take the little darling as your apprentice. Time is still plentiful; training her into an Arbiter is no problem. Now, only the little darling remains as the sole seedling. If she withers, it’s bad for both of us."
The toad grew more excited as it spoke, its gaze sweeping the surroundings.
"You there, come here."
As soon as the toad spoke, a figure wreathed in black smoke stepped out from the beast horde. Ominous, powerful, and cold—that was the feeling this smoky figure gave off.
"You should understand the Ratfolk language. Go negotiate…"
"As you command."
The smoky figure knelt on one knee. Moments later, it entered the mountains ahead.
About half an hour later, the smoky figure emerged from the mountains with a golden-haired girl. A large group of Ratfolk stood by the mountains, anxious but powerless.
"Little darling, first meeting. You can call me… forget it, just call me Toad. I’m used to being addressed that way."
The toad leaped down from Number 1045’s shoulder.
"From today, he is your master. You can refuse, but your friends…"
The toad let out a sinister laugh, then turned and walked away. Number 1045 did the same.
"This is…"
The girl was full of confusion, but she knew this wasn’t the time to ask questions.
"You’re too weak. Now we’re going to the Black Chamber. Some sword-crazed lunatic is training there. You need to learn swordsmanship from him. Your swordplay is too crude—it’s like swinging a club.
Number 1045 is only your nominal master, making it easier for you to seek guidance from other strong individuals. Don’t just stand there, follow. It’s a pity that Law Destroyer wasn’t dragged in. Indeed, once someone becomes a Hunter, they can no longer become an Arbiter."
The toad, Number 1045, and the golden-haired girl walked away. The surrounding beast horde scattered as if fleeing.
…
[Teleportation complete. The Hunter has returned to the Exclusive Room.]
[The Exclusive Room is an absolute safe point…]
[The Hunter has returned to Reincarnation Paradise. Beginning settlement of derivative world rewards.]
War World: Blue Sea Star
Difficulty: War World
World Source obtained: 42.3%
Completed mission count: 5 (War missions × 5)
Comprehensive evaluation: None
Reward obtained: 1355 points of Battle Merit
Mission comprehensive settlement in progress…
Hunter level has been raised to Lv. 53 (Raised by Lv. 3)
Settlement complete. Rewards have been automatically deposited into the Hunter’s Mark.