[Donya was originally the daughter of the Ice Dragon Chief]
[Like you, she was born a twin]
[The birth of two Ice Dragon Eggs meant one of the ice dragons was destined to be abandoned]
[However, Donya’s mother, driven by maternal love, couldn’t bear to push Donya into the abyss, so she secretly hid her away]
[But a dragon’s growth cannot be hidden forever, and eventually Donya’s existence drew attention]
[Donya’s mother could no longer protect her, and so Donya ultimately couldn’t escape her fate]
[“These two dragon eggs were born from me, but they are both lifeless.”]
[“But it’s so lonely here, so I treated them as my children……”]
You look at the two lifeless dragon eggs before you, and in your mind’s eye, you see Donya and the two eggs spending their lonely days here.
At first, you thought Donya was a mature dragon woman, but it turns out she’s a little girl with such a tragic past.
You let out a sigh and casually pop the spider demon you just killed into your mouth.
[Devoured Abyssal Spider. Acquired talents: Serrated Steel Fangs (Purple), Berserk (Purple), Night Walker (Purple), Phantom Dream (Purple)]
[Serrated Steel Fangs (Purple): Massively enhances the strength of your mouth and teeth. There probably aren’t many people in this world whose bite is tougher than yours.]
[Berserk (Purple): Move at astonishing speed for five seconds. Excellent for both intimidation and assault. Can be used once every three minutes.]
[Night Walker (Purple): Night is no different from day to you. You are a messenger of darkness; light is no longer a necessity for you.]
[Phantom Dream (Purple): Has a high chance of dragging enemies into a dream. Based on their deepest desires, it creates the most beautiful yet lethal illusion. Enemies trapped in the dream are completely helpless.]
Looking at these four purple-grade talents, you think to yourself that using one charge of the Ancestral Dragon Scale wasn’t wasted.
You turn your head and speak to Donya.
“Donya, would you be willing to come outside with me?”
Donya lifts her dragon head and nods uncertainly.
“I trust you, Lai En. You killed the spider demon—it was the most powerful monster I’ve ever seen.”
“And besides… I suppose I am somewhat of a mother to you. What mother wouldn’t want her child to spread their wings and soar?”
Donya’s words make your throat tighten, and you finally make up your mind.
“I will definitely get you out of here!”
“I believe you.”
You and Donya exchange resolute gazes.
……
[Since that day, you told Donya about your ability to grow stronger by devouring monsters]
[And so the two of you began an endless hunt and devouring spree against the abyssal creatures]
[Donya supported you with her ice magic, and ever since you awakened Serrated Steel Fangs, there hasn’t been a monster you couldn’t eat]
[A hunt within the abyss had begun]
……
[A hundred-meter-long serpent dies beneath your claws]
[Devoured Abyssal Serpent. Awakened talents: Corruption Venom (Purple), Blood Surge Bite (Purple)]
[Due to the weakness of Venom (Blue), it has been devoured by Corruption Venom (Purple)!]
[Corruption Venom (Purple): Who knows how one could survive being corroded by this venom. Even the lifeless will be granted death by your poison.]
[Blood Surge Bite (Purple): A savage bite that tears open a prey’s wounds to the maximum, causing blood to gush profusely. Even a giant could bleed out.]
……
[A colossal octopus wielding countless tentacles is tortured to death by you and Donya with your ice and fire breath]
[Devoured Duke of Night. Awakened talents: Rapid Regeneration (Purple), Maddening Gaze (Purple), Frenzied Lash (Purple)]
[Due to the weakness of Limb Regeneration (Blue), it has been devoured by Rapid Regeneration (Purple)!]
[Rapid Regeneration (Purple): Your recovery is terrifyingly fast. As long as you aren’t chopped into pieces, you can always recover quickly.]
[Maddening Gaze (Purple) has fused with Phantom Dream (Purple). New talent acquired: Dream Summoner (Gold)]
[Dream Summoner (Gold): You have become one with dreams. With just a brief gaze, you can dominate your enemies using dreams at will.]
[Frenzied Lash (Purple): Any of your attacks carries the potential to induce hallucinations.]
[“I actually foolishly hoped this thing would taste like grilled octopus, but it still tastes just as disgusting……”]
……
[As you devour more and more abyssal monsters, you begin to feel yourself changing]
[There are always things whispering at the edge of your ears, yet when you snap back to reality, you find your surroundings eerily silent]
[You know that if this continues, you might go mad]
[But these Abyssal Creatures grant you unparalleled power, and you believe that as long as you keep eating, you’ll one day fly out of this place]
[Finally, one day, the two of you encounter “that thing”]
[It’s hard to describe its shape, but its entire body seems to writhe endlessly, like a living mass of ants]
[Even with your Endless Hunger talent, you feel fear in its presence]
[“No, I can’t give up now… just one last step!”]
[You refuse to abandon everything at the final threshold]
[“Lai En, that thing is different from every monster we’ve faced before.”]
Beside you, Donya is tense, her tail clamped tightly. She had starved for over ten days just to avoid this thing.
The shapeless mass seems to hear your conversation, emitting a terrifying whisper.
It is not a creature, nor an object.
It is more like a rift, and whatever world lies beyond that rift, you dare not imagine.
And you are fighting this rift itself.
The talents of countless abyssal monsters manifest upon you, as if you have become the abyss itself.
Yet that mass of black mist cannot be struck.
All your attacks are useless.
“Lai En!”
Donya screams your name through tears.
You finally lose control of your mind, fully connecting with the Abyssal Rift.
Chaotic, scribbled lines fill your vision. After fighting the previous abyssal monsters, the Ancestral Dragon Scale has only one use left.
But now, the final light of the Ancestral Dragon Scale is like a lonely boat adrift in the sea.
“Is this the end……”
It is that tiny spark of light that briefly restores your sanity.
The chaotic noises and patterns around you are about to consume you, hovering like vultures beside a dying man, ready to descend at any moment.
Just then, you suddenly remember a seemingly useless talent—Eye of the Evil God.
With a thought, a purple-red pupil opens in the air a few centimeters above your head.
The eye, the moment it opens, is brimming with excitement, darting its gaze everywhere.
“This is the talent Dai Ya brought me. Since everything’s about to end anyway, collecting a Gaze into the Abyss talent isn’t bad…… Not that it’s useful.”
“I’m sorry… Donya. I broke my promise. I can’t fly you out of here……”
[Awakened talent: Gaze into the Abyss (Blue). Gaze into the Abyss (Green) has faded away.]
Just as you awaken the talent and prepare to accept your fate, something unexpected happens.
The unrecognizable things begin to fear you instead.
“Huh?”
You open your status window and find the reason.
[Gaze into the Abyss (Blue): You have become the abyss itself. This is a major step in your exploration of the world. The next Evolution cannot rely on the same-grade “Gaze into the Abyss”; you must come into contact with an existence closer to the source of the world.]
“I’ve… become the abyss?”
Watching everything recede around you, you seem to understand why.
“That thing must be a cognitive entity. To put it in terms from back on Earth, it’d be a High-Dimensional Being. And now that I’ve become its kind, did it get devoured by me?”
That’s correct, Host.
Congratulations. You have devoured the Lightless One.