Chapter 75 …
“The Abyss…!”
What exactly is the Abyss?
Isn’t it the decisive force that caused humanity to lose in the war against the gods?
A presence so dangerous and terrifying that it was erased from history.
Now that even the original humanity has vanished, only a very few in G.O.S.E. truly understand the Abyss.
Even among users, there’s hardly any difference.
“Probably only the Iron-Blooded Demon Beasts, I guess.”
While the tutorial lets you encounter the Abyss, that only happens for those who progressed through the hidden content.
Ordinary users wouldn’t even know what an Iron-Blooded Demon Beast is.
Even those who know its identity are in the same boat.
“They’d just think, ‘Oh, so the Abyss exists.’ I thought the same at first.”
Most people probably didn’t know much about the Abyss.
Even Dohyeon only learned about it when he became the successor of Kashiyar.
Yet, barely after hearing the truth of the world, it’s already appearing.
“How is the timing even like this?”
The timing was so perfect it felt like someone had orchestrated it.
No, before that—why is that name coming up here?
This is none other than a temple.
Specifically, a temple located in the second city of the main continent.
It’s a temple famous enough to be known even to the empire, yet Dohyeon didn’t expect anything related to the Abyss to surface here.
It was even more bewildering because the quest had suddenly changed to this.
“It changed because the top graduate reacted. It’s some kind of hidden content…”
Apparently, if a user with the title of “Top Graduate” acquires the quest item Ominous Aura, a synergy quest appears.
These kinds of quests exist occasionally.
They set tough conditions, almost taunting players with a “Let’s see if you can get it” kind of challenge.
“Huh, so I actually got it.”
Whether it was luck or the Eye of Truth, Dohyeon didn’t care.
Either way, it was good news for him.
Being hidden content, the rewards would likely be greater.
He briefly wondered if Gamilion also knew that traces of the Abyss existed in Brion, but decided to focus on the present.
“You said handling these traces is our duty, right?”
That meant they were among the few who knew about the Abyss…
It was a little surprising.
“Come to think of it, the Abyss appeared because the gods invaded… but they don’t know that, huh?”
Apparently, the current humans blindly believe in the gods.
Since the truth of human history has been erased, the Abyss is likely painted as the villain, and the gods as kind father figures.
As a result, the gods’ power and influence have only grown stronger.
“From the beginning, the Abyss existed, and even the omnipotent gods regarded them as dangerous. Their corrupting power was not ordinary. So, the benevolent god Lair tasked us with erasing their traces so that the lambs wouldn’t be deceived.”
As expected.
Hearing Gildetti’s speech about benevolent gods and primordial beings, Dohyeon nodded along politely.
Knowing the truth made the audacity of the gods infuriating, but the Abyss was undeniably a common enemy.
“So… hmm.”
Perhaps he seemed a bit indifferent.
The chief steward’s gaze lingered on Dohyeon for a moment, giving him a strange impression.
“Usually, people are shocked… but you know about the Abyss?”
“…I’ve heard a bit.”
“…! A foreigner knows about the Abyss!? It’s already spread that far…!”
As Dohyeon admitted, a shout erupted from behind.
It was the blonde knight from earlier.
Was this what it meant for someone’s eyes to go wild? The excited, fuming Zerdik made Dohyeon click his tongue in his mind.
“What a personality…”
Before Dohyeon could mutter a curse, he was immediately rebuked.
“Zerdik.”
“…My apologies.”
Seeing him calm down so quickly made Dohyeon think that perhaps his nature wasn’t actually bad… or was it?
Maybe he was mentally unstable—like someone with bipolar disorder.
Even a common merchant behaving like this would be avoided, but seeing it from a red-named knight made it more concerning.
“…I’ll step out.”
“Yes, that’s for the best.”
“Understood, I’ll take my leave.”
As if he could hear their thoughts, Sir Zerdik left on his own.
As he passed Dohyeon, he muttered quietly:
“…Sorry you had to see that.”
“?”
Dohyeon instinctively looked at Zerdik, surprised.
He hadn’t expected an apology. Regardless, Zerdik brushed past and left through the door.
“Tch, poor thing.”
The chief steward clicked his tongue as if feeling pity for Zerdik’s departure.
“He’s usually a bright kid. He just flips out whenever the Abyss comes up… Please forgive him.”
“Seems like there’s a story behind it.”
Dohyeon said it casually, but now he was genuinely curious.
What kind of story could make someone react like an alarm going off whenever the Abyss is mentioned?
“I cannot speak carelessly about his circumstances… but he lost much to the Abyss at a young age. He’s determined to erase it from the world.”
“…Has the Abyss actually appeared?”
“The Abyss can appear anywhere, anytime. It uses the bodies of those it corrupts.”
“Oh.”
Now it made sense.
The Iron-Blooded Demon Beast from the tutorial was summoned by a summoner who had made a contract with the Abyss.
However, Gildetti was talking about something slightly different.
“Beings of the Abyss generally can only survive within the Abyss. They leave traces and manifest through corrupted bodies. In this case, it’s somewhat easier to control… The problem is the contractors.”
He sighed before continuing.
“Sometimes, there are those who make a pact with the Abyss—the fallen.”
“Those who’ve abandoned their humanity.”
It was then that Taksinel, who had been silent until now, added:
“They sacrifice part of their body to the Abyss for symbiosis and gain great power… It’s common among high-ranking priests and mages. Foolish to the extreme. Their fate is inevitably ruin. That foolish choice cost Zerdik his family… tsk.”
Taksinel stopped as he clicked his tongue, but the words were enough.
“So the contractors lost family, huh?”
A common tale.
A story of a knight who loses his family to enemies and is driven by revenge. But apparently, it wasn’t the case with Jihad and Eliza.
“Ah, that’s why he was such a jerk… Damn, now I feel sad. Why does everyone with a story have to go berserk.”
“Riza… Rizaliza!”
“…Surprisingly sentimental.”
The tip of his nose tingled, and he sniffled.
Despite looking cynical, he was unexpectedly tender-hearted.
As for Eliza… having lost her master for 150 years, it was understandable.
Dohyeon wondered if Jihad was in a similar situation.
“Nope. He’s been forgetting until now.”
Lost in thought, Gildetti continued:
“Still, he’s admirable. He achieved the youngest knight in Brion at 14 and now, at 19, is the chief steward’s personal guard. That’s why Sir Lebed probably marked him as the next candidate for Grand Paladin, right, Sir Taksinel?”
“…He still has flaws, but the potential is undeniable.”
Though Taksinel replied reluctantly, pride shone through.
Dohyeon’s view of Zerdik shifted.
“The youngest knight and future Grand Paladin… so that’s why he had a red name.”
Even without his current strength, he was undoubtedly a talented NPC.
Brion, especially the Lair Temple’s Lair Paladins, were among the most famous and powerful orders, thanks largely to Grand Paladin Lebed.
“I heard he cut a tidal wave with a single strike? It caused a stir in the community.”
Lebed had once displayed his power to users during an event, and that feat was still talked about a year later.
Even in discussions about the strongest NPCs, his name appeared frequently.
Not one of the Seven Strongest, but close enough.
A future candidate for that position, his potential was immense.
“That was a long digression.”
Gildetti’s voice snapped Dohyeon back.
He extended his hand.
“Traces of the Abyss must always be handled first. We’ll deal with them, but could you check if there are corrupted monsters?”
“Understood.”
“Monsters heavily corrupted will show mutations at a glance. Those in early stages won’t, so please take some blood samples.”
Ding-
[Do you accept the linked quest “Searching for Traces of the Abyss”?]
Searching for Traces of the Abyss
Rank: Rare+
Description: Traces of the Abyss are extremely dangerous and stimulating.
If consumed by low-intelligence monsters, they become instantly corrupted and extremely aggressive, posing a threat to citizens.
Gildetti wants to find out why these traces appeared. Check for mutated monsters and collect concentrated Orc blood.
Concentrated Orc Blood (0/50)
Explore the Briny Rock Forest (0/1)
Quest Success: Gildetti’s favor increases, Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket, linked quest ‘???’ unlocks
Quest Failure: Linked quest unavailable
“Kuh… Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket!”
The rank was upgraded to Rare+, and the reward was now Intermediate instead of Low-level!
Dohyeon smiled.
“Feels good.”
With an Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket already, the final stage would likely give even better rewards.
Plus, the quest suited him well.
Since he was already killing a thousand monsters for the main quest, this was like hitting two birds with one stone.
In that sense, gathering more blood now was better than the previous tedious material collection.
“Understood. I’ll get it quickly.”
“Then I leave it to you.”
As they exchanged greetings and stepped outside, a cold voice reached them.
“Hey.”
“?”
Turning around, Dohyeon saw a familiar face.
The glossy-haired blonde, Zerdik, leaning against the wall.
“…What now?”
