“You two sure caused a ruckus last night. Can’t have customers disturbing my business.”
Elena and I silently packed our few belongings and slipped out. The main street was crowded, but none of its shops were friendly to broke, low-level Hunters like us.
We wandered aimlessly until Elena overheard something on the roadside—two passersby gossiping in hushed voices.
“That Abyss of the Dead swallowed up more people again.”
“They say remnants of dark mages have nested there…”
At the mention of the Abyss of the Dead, Elena froze. Her clenched fist trembled.
“Is that the place you were talking about?” I asked carefully. She nodded.
“Yeah. Before I fell into dark magic, I heard rumors that the Abyss was the source. There’s no solid proof, but a rogue group might be twisting mana down there, running experiments…”
“So the experiments you went through… they could’ve started in that Abyss?”
A chill ran down my spine. There are plenty of dungeons in the world, but the Abyss of the Dead is notorious—a place even mid-level Hunters avoid.
Elena let out a cold sigh. “If I want to truly break this corruption… maybe I have to chase it back to its roots. Better than sitting around, waiting to lose myself.”
I immediately protested. “Wait, that’s insane. You’re still unstable, and I barely understand my own ‘domination.’ Charging into that dungeon is suicide.”
She shot me a sharp glare. “Got a better idea? Should I wait around, slowly turning into a monster?”
I couldn’t refute it. We had no real plan, no sure remedy.
“We just escaped a nightmare. Now you want to charge into another insane dungeon?!” I complained. She jabbed my shoulder in annoyance.
“Got no alternative. So quit whining and help me smash this dark magic at its source.”
It was reckless, but I understood her desperation. I scratched my head.
“We’re still E-rank. And your condition—”
“Don’t you think I know that? It’s a crazy plan. But…” She clutched her chest with a pained grimace. “This dark magic in me? Some random city cleric can’t fix that. I have to destroy it at the root.”
We left the street, voices rising. Then a sudden scream cut through the crowd.
“Help! A monster—!”
Two frightened townspeople sprinted toward us, panicked. I’d heard rumors about minor dungeon fissures at the city outskirts spitting out creatures. Elena and I exchanged glances and ran to investigate.
In a crumbling warehouse, insect-like monsters—five of them—swarmed. Their shells bristled with poison stingers. An E- or D-rank Hunter might handle one or two, but five at once was another story.
“Damn it…!”
I rushed in with my dagger. Elena rolled forward, drawing one away. Even if she wasn’t fully recovered, she was clearly experienced in combat.
One insect lunged, its stinger hissing past my head. I dodged low and drove my blade into its abdomen, splattering a sticky fluid. Another bug scuttled in from the side, forcing me to reel back.
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“Watch the tail!” Elena shouted. I tried to dodge, but it nicked me anyway—sharp pain flared.
“Tch…!”
Poison? My skin prickled with heat. Meanwhile, Elena slashed down another insect but was breathing hard, wary of triggering her own dark magic relapse.
“This won’t do!”
I ignored my racing heart and focused on the crest in my palm. A faint sense told me I could disrupt the monsters’ mana flows.
“Raaah—!”
Red energy erupted from my hand. It snaked over the insects’ bodies, slowing their movements for a beat.
“Now!”
Elena darted in and finished them off with precision strikes. Two more coordinated attacks, and the crawling swarm collapsed. We gasped for breath in the aftermath. My palm still tingled with a faint, heated surge.
Did I just get better at using it?
Domination… it felt like a skill that kept leveling up, in a sense.
Elena glanced at me, panting.
“You’re controlling that mana more smoothly than in the dungeon.”
“I’m not entirely sure how, but it’s definitely useful in a fight.”
It was a short battle, but it gave us both confidence.
Nearby, the injured townspeople had fled. Elena and I surveyed the scene around the demolished warehouse, catching our breath.
“You’re not half bad,” she said, half-mocking. “For an E-rank, I mean.”
“So are you. Even if you’re still unstable…”
She grimaced. “If we go into the Abyss, we’ll face monsters worse than these.”
I drew in a deep breath. “Yeah, I get it. We might as well go together. We may be weak now, but we can get stronger. And maybe I can test this domination power further.”
She looked at me, surprised, then almost smiled.
With that, we reaffirmed our alliance. Our next step: gather intel on the Abyss of the Dead.
Over the next few days, we scrounged up supplies and recovered what we could. Whenever Elena’s dark magic flared, I used my crest to quell it. We had a few close calls, but managed to hold things together.
What we learned was this:
- The Abyss of the Dead is deeper and more twisted than normal dungeons.
- Rumors say mad magicians once performed dark experiments there.
- Few Hunters have ever returned, but those who do bring out great treasures—so the legends claim.
It was basically a gamble, but Elena was dead set on breaking her dark magic at its core. And I couldn’t shake my own craving for greater power. Plus, I had plenty of debts and problems of my own.
“You’re really going?” I asked.
She answered firmly, “Yes. Even if you tried to stop me, I’d go.”
“Then… guess that’s that.”
My lips quivered slightly, a sense that we’d passed the point of no return.
On the night before our departure, we met at the inn one last time to finalize plans. We checked our gear, restocked potions, and made sure we hadn’t missed anything.
“…Thanks.”
Elena’s unexpected words startled me.
“What?”
“If it weren’t for you, I’d already be dead… or worse. So… I’ll do my best to make it out alive.”
She averted her eyes, mumbling under her breath.
“…I’m glad you’re with me, too,” I admitted, speaking honestly. My domination power aside, traveling with her felt less lonely.
For a moment, our eyes met, and a strange tension filled the air. We were starting to realize how much we needed each other.
“Then let’s go,” I whispered. “Into the Abyss of the Dead.”
She nodded silently.
The next morning, we left the city and headed toward that dreaded place, the name alone enough to send chills down any Hunter’s spine.
—End of Chapter 4