The tunnels twisted like a madman's labyrinth, each bend darker and colder than the last.Yuto inched forward, still trembling from his encounter with the shadowy entity.
His mind raced.
The Mark of the Abyss sat heavy on his soul, like an invisible brand. What did it mean? Would it help him? Curse him?
There were no answers. Only the cold, gnawing hunger inside him.
And something else.
A sound.
A faint, scratching noise coming from the darkness ahead.
Click. Clack. Scratch.
Something was moving. Something bigger than the crippled bug he had devoured earlier.
Yuto's instincts screamed at him to flee—but his body was already moving, crawling forward before he could think twice.
He needed food.
He needed strength.
As he crested a pile of loose rocks, he finally saw it.
A Spitter Larva.About the size of a large rabbit, with a bloated, translucent body and a fanged maw dripping green liquid.
[Spitter Larva – Level 3][Status: Aggressive | Hunting Mode]
Compared to Yuto, who was still technically Level 1 (and mostly useless), the Spitter Larva was a giant.
He gulped.
Or whatever the bug equivalent of gulping was.
[Notice: Combat Situation Detected.][Survival Advice: 1) Flee immediately. 2) Flee faster. 3) Seriously, RUN.]
"Thanks for the great tactical advice, Nyx," Yuto thought bitterly.
But something inside him refused to retreat.
If he ran now, he'd never survive in this hellish world.He needed to fight.He needed to win.
Even if he was weaker.
Especially because he was weaker.
The Spitter Larva spotted him.
With a wet, disgusting screech, it lunged forward, mouthparts opening wide to spray a jet of green acid.
Yuto reacted on pure instinct.
He jerked his body sideways, tumbling awkwardly over the rocks.
The acid sizzled where he had been moments before, eating through stone like boiling oil.
One hit = death.
Fantastic.
Yuto scrambled toward the side wall, circling around the Spitter.His mind raced, remembering the pitiful skills he had:
Crawl (LV2)
Venomous Spit (LV2)
Instinctive Surge (LV1)
Venomous Spit. That was it!
If he could poison it... maybe he stood a chance.
The Spitter Larva twisted its fat body around, preparing to spit again.
Before it could, Yuto mustered every drop of energy he had and spat back.
A thin jet of greenish fluid shot from his mouth.
It splattered across the Spitter's eye.
The creature shrieked, shaking its head violently.
[Venomous Spit Successful!][Enemy Slightly Poisoned.]
"Slightly?!"
It wasn't enough to kill it. But it was enough to make it stumble.
Yuto seized the opportunity.
Activating Instinctive Surge, he hurled himself forward at double speed, slamming into the injured eye socket.
He bit down with all the pathetic strength his mandibles could muster.
The Spitter thrashed, rolling, trying to crush him.
Pain exploded across Yuto's body. His exoskeleton cracked.
He was dying.
But he didn't let go.
He tore into the soft flesh, chewing, absorbing, consuming.
[Skill Activation: Absorption!][Enemy Vitality Draining.][Warning: Critical Damage Sustained.]
Yuto ignored the warnings.
He kept biting, even as the world around him blurred and darkened.
Finally, with a final screech, the Spitter Larva collapsed, twitching violently before going still.
Silence.
Blood.
Victory.
[Level Up!][Congratulations: You have reached Level 2.][Skill Gained: Minor Acid Resistance (LV1).][Vitality Restored Slightly.]
Yuto lay there panting, half-broken but alive.
He had done it.
He had killed something stronger.
He had survived.
Barely.
"I'm still here..." he thought, laughter bubbling up in his mind.
He wasn't just crawling anymore.
He was fighting.
And in the Abyss... fighting was everything.
Far above him, hidden deep within the darkness, unseen eyes blinked open.
The Abyss was watching.
And it was very, very interested.