Yuto tensed.
The Arach-Kin girl, Selkith, tilted her head with an eerie smile, her many insectile legs clicking softly on the stone altar she sat upon.
"You're still clinging to that idea of identity, aren't you?" she said, her white eyes glowing faintly. "That you're still human... inside this bug shell."
He hissed reflexively, venom glands pulsing.
[System Alert: High-threat encounter.]
[Selkith – Status: Unpredictable. Combat inadvisable.]
Nyx whispered quickly:
[Analysis: 98.3% probability of defeat. Suggest negotiation.]
Yuto forced himself to breathe — or do whatever passed for it now.
"What do you want from me?" he asked.
Selkith leapt down, her movements disturbingly graceful. "I want to offer you a pact."
A glowing rune appeared beneath her claw.
[Pact of the Hollow Web]
- Form a magical link with Selkith.]
- Gain: Lesser Abyssal Magic, Memory Anchor, Mutagenic Catalyst (1x).
- Cost: 30% of EXP gains, Partial Soul Tagging.
- Risk: Possible long-term corruption.
Nyx's tone turned sharp:
[WARNING: Accepting this pact will bind part of your essence. Your autonomy will be reduced.]
Yuto stared at the offer.
Magic. Memory stability. A path to evolve faster… maybe even survive longer.
But at what cost?
He looked up at Selkith, who now crouched before him like a predator eyeing prey.
"If I say no?" he asked.
Selkith's smile widened. "Then we play a game."
With a flick of her fingers, the webbed cavern around them began to shimmer—walls twisting, the ceiling cracking open into a spiral of writhing darkness.
[Instanced Trial Arena Activated.]
"You get one minute," she said, voice light. "Survive against one of my babies. Impress me… and I'll give you the pact without the chains."
The ground ruptured.
A creature crawled out.
It looked like a mutated mix of a mantis and a shadow—six blades for arms, a face covered in mouths, and too many eyes.
[Spawn of Selkith – "Webrazor Mantis"]
[Level: 6]
[Trait: Phase Cut]
Yuto gulped.
He was still Level 2.
And this… this was a killing machine.
The fight began.
The Webrazor Mantis lunged. Fast—faster than anything Yuto had faced before.
Yuto dodged sideways, activating Stealth. The shadowy cloak flickered around him—just enough to confuse the beast. It hissed, blades carving into stone.
He spat Paralytic Venom—a hit!
The mantis flinched, but didn't freeze.
Too strong. Too fast.
He couldn't win head-on. He needed to outthink it.
He led it deeper into the chamber—toward one of the web-covered pits.
At the last moment, he vanished with a perfect Stealth flick, leaping to the wall.
The mantis charged blindly—
CRASH!
It plunged into the pit.
[Tactical Kill Registered.]
[EXP +96]
[Level Up! You are now Level 3.]
[Skill Unlocked: Venom Thread (LV1)]
Selkith clapped slowly, walking toward the pit.
"You tricked it," she said with amusement. "Not bad."
She looked down at Yuto, a gleam in her eye.
"You're clever, Sovereign. You'll need that. The Abyss eats the loud. But it fears the quiet."
She drew a line of blood across her palm, and a dark rune appeared in the air.
"No chains," she said. "Just a gift."
[You have acquired: Mutagenic Catalyst (1x)]
[Spell: Shadow Needle (LV1)]
[Tag: Watched by Selkith]
Yuto accepted them—cautiously.
He was stronger now. A little.
But something deep in the Abyss had stirred when he won.
And Selkith… she wasn't just testing him.
She was preparing him.