The corrupted pond boiled with light and shadow as Aquara surged forward, her sleek body shimmering with a radiance unlike before. Three abyss-tainted fish, bloated and snarling with jagged teeth, darted through the blackened waters—desperate to resist their doom.
Kael stood at the pond's edge, eyes narrowed, feeling every pulse of Aquara's will as though it were his own heartbeat. The soft hum of her connection vibrated through his core. She's close… just three left.
The water rippled, and Aquara struck. A spiral of purified current lashed outward, forming a cage of liquid light. One fish slammed against it, shrieking in a guttural hiss before dissolving into motes of silver-blue. The second tried to sink deeper, its scales bristling with foul miasma, but Aquara's tail whipped across its body, releasing a stream of cleansing mana that burned away corruption until nothing remained.
The last one lingered, its abyssal energy churning into a storm within the small pond, as if resisting purification itself. Aquara darted through the surge, piercing straight through its bloated form. Her body gleamed as if the abyss itself fled from her. The corrupted flesh burst apart, dispersing into glowing fragments that sank quietly into the water.
And then—silence.
The blackness receded. The pond, once thick with oily corruption, began to shimmer with clear, crystalline blue. Water lilies unfolded, pale flowers drinking in the first clean droplets they had known in years. A fresh current flowed, a stream of life returning to the stagnant scar.
Kael released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding."She did it…" His voice was low, reverent.
A system chime rang like a bell in his mind.
[Aquara – Condition 2 Complete: Purify a Corrupted Water Source (1/1)]Second Evolution Path Unlocked → Condition 3 revealed.
The air trembled. Aquara's form pulsed with a surge of luminous water energy before stabilizing, her scales glowing faintly with purified runes. She looked stronger—more resolute.
Kael's vision shifted as his system revealed more.
Aquara: Level 7 → Condition 3 (Locked until further progress)
Pyraflame: Condition 2 Complete – Endured battles against 3 Elites (3/3). Next Condition Unlocked.
Luminara: First Condition Complete. Second Condition revealed.
Kael rubbed the bridge of his nose, absorbing it all. Four summons, all moving forward, each tethered to him like extensions of his will. He could feel the raw power beginning to hum under his command—it was intoxicating and heavy all at once.
The pond's glow reflected across his face. "This abyss… it's not just throwing monsters at us. It's shaping the very conditions of our growth." His fist tightened. "It wants to twist us, to force us into strength through its corruption."
The system's voice flickered again, cold and undeniable:
[Notice: Mission and Evolution Requirements are bound to the Abyss. The surrounding influence ensures Abyssal energy acts as catalyst for Summon growth. Continued exposure and trials are inevitable.]
Kael exhaled, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "So that's it… That's why every step, every evolution, drags us deeper into this cursed battlefield."
Behind him, Umbra slithered in the shadows, hunger still burning from its last feast. Its tracker flickered:
[Umbra – Condition 1: Devour Abyssal flesh (30/50)]
Pyraflame stood nearby, flames burning low but steady, the memory of clashing against two Elites etched into the embers of its body.
[Pyraflame – Condition 2 Complete. Awaiting next requirement.]
And Luminara hovered softly above Kael's shoulder, light radiating brighter than before, her tracker now displayed:
[Luminara – Condition 1: Purify Abyssal creatures (20/30)] → Condition 2 revealed (Locked)]
Kael let the system screens fade, his eyes lingering on the now-pure pond where Aquara swam gracefully, her body weaving through its revitalized waters. She looked serene, proud even.
"This is only the beginning," Kael whispered. "If this was the second step for Aquara, what's coming next will be far greater. And with Pyraflame, Umbra, and Luminara evolving too…" He clenched his hand, feeling the surge of energy coil around him. "I'll need to be ready for whatever the Abyss throws at us next."
The chapter closed with Aquara breaking the surface of the pond, sending a glittering spray of crystal-clear water into the air—her trial complete, her path forward open.
The last three corrupted fish writhed as Aquara's tide swept over them. Their scaled bodies cracked, their abyssal taint evaporating into nothing under her relentless purification. When the last dissolved, silence overtook the pond.
A serene shimmer spread across the water. No trace of corruption remained. The pond—once a festering abyssal nest—was reborn into a sanctuary of crystal clarity.
Kael's system pulsed violently.
[Aquara – Second Evolution Condition Completed!]→ Third Condition Unlocked:"Deliver the purifying blow to the Abyssal Mini-Boss of this floor."
Kael froze. The mini-boss… not just some random Core Beast. The message was clear: Aquara's growth would hinge on purifying—not killing—the corrupted mini-boss that guarded the floor's progression. It wasn't just strength she needed. It was a test of purity itself.
Pyraflame's skeletal flames surged immediately after, responding to the shift in the Abyss. Sparks erupted around it, the fire dancing wildly until the system locked the moment into clarity.
[Pyraflame – Second Evolution Condition Completed!]→ Third Condition Unlocked:"Endure and claim victory against the Abyssal Mini-Boss of this floor."
Kael's jaw tightened. The same boss. Aquara would need to purify it, Pyraflame would need to endure it, and both would face it as their proving ground. The Abyss is forcing them into alignment—tying evolution itself to the floor's own chain of power.
Then, Luminara drifted closer, her light swelling until Kael had to squint. A single radiant ring expanded outward, washing across his skeletal army. The system delivered her revelation without hesitation.
[Luminara – Second Evolution Condition Revealed!]"Safeguard allies during the collapse of the Abyssal Mini-Boss's lair and emerge with no casualties."
The trio's paths converged. Kael inhaled sharply."All three of you… your next step is bound to the mini-boss. This floor itself is your crucible."
He stared at the pond's calm waters, but his mind was already beyond it. He could feel the looming presence hidden deeper in the labyrinth. The Abyss was waiting, watching—its corruption pulsing like a heartbeat through stone and shadow.
Kael closed his hand into a fist."Then the next battle is already chosen for us. That mini-boss… it isn't just a wall. It's the forge for your evolution."
The skeletal commander looked over his forces—Umbra twitching eagerly with its hunger for growth, Pyraflame smoldering with readiness, Luminara glowing with protective determination, and Aquara reborn in purity.
Leveling, training, progress—they all pointed in one direction now. Toward the Abyssal Mini-Boss. Toward evolution. Toward survival.
The purified pond reflected Kael's image like a mirror, but the shadow behind his reflection was unmistakable: the looming will of the Abyss.
And deep inside the floor, the mini-boss stirred.