Chapter 5 - Abyssals   Virgin Dungeon was bright, but the sky had no suns. The soil was red and blue grass grew everywhere. It had its own ecosystem.

They walked a bit through the grass before Varian spotted two demon rabbits immersed in grazing, taking their time.

Demon rabbits were level 1 Magic Beasts. They were 1.5 meters tall, had blue fur and carried some serious muscle. Varian wouldn't be able to take more than three kicks without breaking a bone.

Two of the team members sneaked around and checked for any other beasts. Varian could barely follow their movements. They were much faster than him and Varian knew from their profiles they were at least Level 2.

The demon rabbits didn't realize their death was just finalized.

Arthur offered to take down a demon rabbit.

Varian declined and slowly crept behind the demon rabbits. He could feel the pulsing aura in his body. He felt closer to a certain something deep within.

Without further ado, he lunged at the rabbits. His gauntlet shone and his fists aimed at their necks.

"Click"

A demon rabbit's neck was crushed by Varian's punch. Demon Rabbits had some of the weakest defenses and the best strategy to face them was to land the first attack.

Boom!

Varian quickly rolled down and avoided the attack of the demon rabbit that dodged his previous attack. He didn't know how it avoided his sneak attack. By either luck or perception, but now he had to no time to spare, he had to fight it straight.

The demon rabbit jumped at him and Varian dodged by a side step. Though they had weak defense, they made up for it with speed.

Varian could only bet on his experience and move before the attack arrived to dodge it at the highest speed.

'Boom!'

The rabbit jumped at him again, threatening to rip him apart with its sharp teeth.

Varian swerved to the left and managed to land a punch on its back, injuring it in the process. Without giving it another chance, he crushed its neck.

Moving at the highest speed took a toll on his body, and Varian was sweating heavily.

"Really!" Arthur looked at the scene in surprise.

The operation might have looked like a cakewalk, but a single mistake could've cost Varian his life. Though Arthur would save him should such a moment arise, Varian took care of everything by himself.

Taking down a demon rabbit in the beginning was the best decision, else he'd have to keep up with two. Then, if he failed to dodge even one attack, he'd fall into a disadvantageous position and he'd be over. So Varian had no scope for making mistakes.

"As expected of my friend. Your fight honors me." Kyle nodded in approval.

"Your first dungeon fight. I'm happy." Maya cheered on.

Varian ignored their cheers and cut open the demon rabbits. There were two marble sized cores inside their stomachs. He collected them into his space ring, a low treasure that contained a separate space for storage.

'Hey System, are you dead? Aren't you supposed to display my progress or reward my first kill?' Varian asked. Since the communication was telepathic, no one noticed.

[This is not a game. But you're right about the progress part. As of now, however, you haven't progressed an inch. So don't bother. I'll display the progress when there's change.]

Varian's face twitched, and he cursed the goddamn novel authors who put rewards for every first kill.

They continued to venture deeper and as the demon rabbits got stronger and stronger, Varian had great battles.

Except for a few minor injuries, he was completely unharmed and came on top. They took a rest in between travels and soon, half a day passed. Instead of declining, Varian's proficiency only increased. Arthur's team was both surprised and intrigued.

They continued to go deeper and the demon rabbits got stronger.

After finishing the tenth demon rabbit, Varian stored its core when his gaze wandered and he noticed Kyle's quivering hands.

"Scared?" he asked with a teasing smile, causing everyone's gaze to turn to Kyle.

"O-Of course not. But aren't we moving too deep? We'll approach the Inner Area in an hour. What if we encounter Level 2 or even Level 3 beasts?" Kyle tried to sound brave.

A Dungeon comprises three areas: Outer Area, Inner Area and Core Area. Magic Beasts of deeper areas usually wouldn't stray out, but sometimes, they did.

This was the reason his mother never allowed him to enter Dungeons, even if she herself was an Awakener. Even she could not survive if she encountered a level 2.

Varian wasn't worried, however. Even the magic beasts of Core Area were only Level 3 — the same as Arthur. And the team had three Level 2s.

"Don't you trust my strength, Kyle?" Arthur chuckled and casually swung his sword.

The gale from it crossed a dozen meters and sliced the few demon rabbits in front into halves.

"No… I'm just worried about Cross Tunneling." Kyle spoke up and nodded to affirm his point.

Cross Tunneling was a rare phenomenon when two connected spaces's creatures are transported between.

This meant a magic beast from Mid Dungeon could appear in Low Dungeon. But the problem was …

"The chance is one in a trillion. Kyle, don't be so anxious." Maya patted his shoulder.

The group kept moving. Varian, however, was irked by the word Cross Tunneling. He didn't count on his good luck but always counted on the bad.

"But… there was a rumor by the Shadow Order. They said Cross Tunneling was a tool of the Abyssals. That Abyssals could also Cross Tunnel and appear in Dungeons." He voiced his concerns.

"Don't trust that damn Order. They're terrorists for god's sake." Arthur rebutted.

Varian, however, noticed that Arthur's smile was a bit stiff, and he lacked his normal easy going attitude..

'No smoke spreads without a fire. But all I hope is that my luck won't be so bad that I encounter something so unrealistic.' Varian hoped.

He stepped forward, and the next moment, a blinding light flashed in front.

A pillar of light descended from the sky, and Varian managed to peer as the light faded.

Ten Humanoids stood where the light had shone. They were 7 feet tall and had grey skin.

Abyssals!

Varian felt that all sound in the world vanished for a moment and before he could even think, he was thrown away by a gust of wind.

Boom!

Arthur quickly took on four Abyssals and his teammates took on two each. The situation wasn't optimistic.

"Run!" Arthur yelled and swung his sword to parry the Abyssal's spear. The shock waves from their contact created fierce winds and broke the ground further.

"Kyle, damn it! Come on!" Varian, along with Kyle and Maya, dashed for the exit.

A System reminder flashed on his retina where only he could see.

[First Path initiated. Body Path: Level 0 {5/30}]