Walking along a narrow path inside an ancient forest, a young man with a solemn expression mumbled incoherent words under his breath.
The ancient forest lood like a living sentinel. Towering trees that stood tens of ters high were scattered everywhere, their imnse trunks rising like pillars that upheld the sky itself.
Their thick, dark bark was etched with the traces of long-lost ages, marked by deep grooves and scars left behind by ti.
Beneath the towering trees lay thick shrubs and tangled vines that twisted across the forest floor like coiling serpents.
Deadly flowers blood in patches of unnatural color, their petals shimring with venomous allure.
Man-eating plants lurked among the undergrowth, their gaping maws hidden beneath deceptive beauty.
Howls of various beasts echoed continuously throughout the forest. Each roar sent powerful vibrations through the air, causing leaves to tremble and birds to take frantic flight.
From ti to ti, powerful beasts standing over three ters tall would erge from the shadows and appear before the young man.
Their enormous bodies radiated ferocity and dominance.
So bore jagged horns; others had massive claws that tore through stone as if it were paper.
Yet whenever they glanced at the young man, they simply averted their gazes and ignored him.
It was as though he were invisible.
Judging by the oppressive auras emanating from them, the weakest among these creatures was at least a Level 15 Beast, while the strongest reached Level 17.
As the young man ventured deeper into the forest, Level 17 beasts beca increasingly common.
Their colossal bodies resembled moving mountains, each step leaving deep impressions in the earth.
And yet, none of them obstructed his path.
After walking for half an hour, the young man arrived before an ancient temple that stood hidden among the dense vegetation.
Deadly vines coiled around its towering pillars and crumbling walls.
The vines were as thick as an adult human’s wrist, their surfaces lined with tiny barbs that glistened faintly.
As he stepped closer, the vines sensed his presence and began to move.
They slithered aside silently, parting to create a narrow path leading into the temple’s entrance.
The young man showed no surprise. Without hesitation, he walked inside.
Along the sides stood nurous statues of ancient beasts.
So were half-destroyed, their heads missing or limbs shattered; others had completely collapsed, their fragnted remains scattered across the ground in silent ruin.
Those that remained intact radiated an imposing aura of power and majesty.
Others portrayed grotesque and unfamiliar forms: twisted limbs, multiple heads, or wings fused with scaled bodies in unnatural configurations.
The young man continued walking until he reached the end of the hall.
There, seated upon a gigantic stone throne, was a towering figure.
The young man imdiately fell to his knees.
The figure was a reptilian humanoid of imnse stature.
Dark green scales covered its entire body, each scale reflecting faintly in the dim light like pieces of polished armor.
A heavy, armored tail rested behind the throne, thick and powerful.
Its elongated snout revealed rows of jagged teeth, and ridged scales ford natural plating across its shoulders and spine.
Two dark purple eyes glowed faintly beneath a heavy brow ridge.
"My Lord," the young man called out, his voice filled with reverence and fanatic devotion.
"What have you co for?" an old, hoarse voice echoed throughout the temple.
The very air trembled under the weight of that voice. The temple vibrated slightly, dust drifting down from the high ceiling.
"Have you completed your mission?" the figure continued. Its dark purple eyes locked onto the kneeling man below.
"No, my Lord," the young man replied, his voice trembling as he confessed his failure. "I was stopped by a necromancer."
The reptilian humanoid did not respond imdiately.
Its purple gaze bored into the young man’s body as though seeking to pierce through flesh and bone to examine the truth of his words.
The temple descended into heavy silence.
The silence was suffocating.
The young man trembled beneath the invisible pressure pressing down upon him.
Beads of sweat streaked down his cheeks. His heart raced frantically, pounding against his ribs as though trying to escape his chest.
Finally, the figure broke the silence.
"Continue."
The single word carried imnse authority.
As though granted imperial pardon, the young man exhaled deeply in relief before recounting the events of his failed mission.
He described the devastating battle in the basin, the clash of beasts, the chaos, the blood that soaked the earth.
He described skeletal monstrosities rising from corpses, hollow eyes burning with eerie light.
Throughout the narration, the reptilian humanoid’s massive face remained largely unchanged.
Yet, upon closer inspection, one might notice its jagged teeth tightening ever so slightly.
Who is the fool who dares to disrupt the will of God? it thought, rage simring deep within its heart.
A necromancer?
How could a re necromancer wield such power?
Such strength was not sothing a mortal should possess.
That was power befitting a god.
Could it be that another god had descended to this floor?
Its thoughts spiraled, one possibility after another surfacing within its mind.
The Beast God had claid this floor as its territory. No other god should dare to trespass upon it.
A god’s descent to a lower floor was no trivial matter. It required ticulous preparation, rituals, sacrifices, and plans that might take decades or even centuries to arrange.
Thus, it was difficult to believe that this mortal was supported by another deity pawn.
But if he is not supported by a god... how can he turn so many beasts into undead servants without suffering backlash?
The more it pondered, the more perplexed it beca.
Its existence on the First Floor was not accidental but strategic.
Unlike the human awakeners who possessed only limited knowledge of the Abyss’s inner workings, it understood far more.
It knew that in the Abyss, power always demanded a price.
To wield unimaginable strength, one had to pay with sothing of equal value, life, soul or mory.
Nothing ca freely.
Especially for a profession such as necromancer.
Their power operated under the immutable laws of cause and effect.
Every resurrection required a sacrifice.
Every command over death carried consequences that corroded the wielder’s existence.
No mortal could escape that principle.
Yet according to the report, this strange young man seed unaffected.
He displayed no visible backlash.
No corruption twisted his body.
No sign of life-force depletion could be detected.
It defied reason.
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