Divine Path System Chapter 5 - Abyssals

The Virgin Dungeon was illuminated, yet the sky lacked any suns. Red soil stretched across the landscape, blanketed by omnipresent blue grass, forming a self-contained ecosystem.

After trekking through the grassy expanse, Varian noticed two demon rabbits idly grazing, seemingly unbothered by their surroundings.

These demon rabbits were level 1 Magic Beasts, standing about 1.5 meters tall with dense blue fur and powerfully built muscles. Varian knew that taking more than three of their kicks would surely result in broken bones.

Two team members scouted the vicinity, moving with a speed that left Varian struggling to track them. Recognizing their profiles as at least Level 2, he understood he was significantly slower than his companions.

Those demon rabbits remained blissfully unaware that their demise had just been sealed.

Arthur volunteered to dispatch one of the beasts, but Varian declined, slowly stalking toward them. He could feel the aura pulsing within his own body, drawing him closer to an innate power buried deep inside.

Without further hesitation, he launched himself at the rabbits. His gauntlet gleamed as his fists moved to strike at their necks.

"Click"

Varian crushed one demon rabbit's neck with a single blow. Since these beasts possessed remarkably fragile defenses, the most effective strategy was to secure the opening strike.

Boom!

Quickly rolling aside, Varian barely evaded a counterattack from the second rabbit, which had managed to dodge his initial attempt. Whether due to luck or instinct, it avoided his attack, leaving him no choice but to engage in a direct, high-stakes confrontation.

The rabbit pounced, and Varian side-stepped with precision. While their defense was thin, these creatures made up for it with explosive speed.

Relying solely on his combat experience, Varian fought to time his movements to evade each strike at the absolute limit of his reflexes.

"Boom!"

The beast lunged again, teeth glistening with the intent to tear him apart. Pivoting to the left, Varian landed a strike on its back, inflicting significant injury before finishing the fight by crushing its neck.

The effort of pushing his speed to the maximum left Varian drenched in sweat.

"Incredible!" Arthur observed, his expression filled with genuine surprise.

Though the engagement might have seemed trivial, a single lapse in judgment could have proven fatal. While Arthur was prepared to intervene, Varian had handled the entirety of the struggle alone.

Eliminating one target immediately had been a vital decision, as facing two simultaneously would have eventually led to an unavoidable error and his total defeat. There had been no room for failure.

"Exactly what I expected from a friend. Your combat prowess is truly impressive." Kyle nodded in approval.

"That was your first dungeon battle! I'm so proud," Maya exclaimed warmly.

Ignoring their praise, Varian sliced open the carcasses to retrieve two marble-sized cores, storing them in his space ring—a low-tier treasure providing a localized storage dimension.

'System, are you still there? Shouldn't you be displaying my progress or rewarding my first kill?' Varian questioned mentally, ensuring no one noticed he was communicating telepathically.

[This is not a game. However, your assumption regarding progress tracking is correct. Currently, you have yet to advance even a single notch, so do not concern yourself. I will update you once there is notable progress.]

Varian’s face twitched, silently cursing the novelists who falsely conditioned readers to expect rewards for every trivial first victory.

They ventured further into the depths, and as the demon rabbits grew more formidable, Varian found himself tested by increasingly intense battles.

He emerged unscathed, sustaining only minor scratches, and his confidence soared. The team rested periodically, and as half a day slipped by, Varian’s combat proficiency continued to ascend, leaving Arthur’s team both intrigued and astonished.

Upon finishing off a tenth rabbit, Varian caught sight of Kyle’s trembling hands as he stored the latest core.

"Are you afraid?" Varian asked with a playful smirk, drawing everyone's attention to Kyle.

"O-Of course not. But aren't we venturing too deep? We will reach the Inner Area in an hour. What if we run into a Level 2 or Level 3 beast?" Kyle attempted to project confidence.

A Dungeon is divided into an Outer Area, an Inner Area, and a Core Area. While Magic Beasts rarely stray from their designated zones, exceptions happen.

This fear was why his mother, a powerful Awakener, had strictly forbidden him from entering Dungeons, knowing that even she might struggle against a Level 2 threat.

Varian remained unfazed. Even the denizens of the Core Area were only Level 3—matching Arthur—and the team possessed three Level 2 combatants.

"Do you not have faith in my strength, Kyle?" Arthur chuckled, casually unsheathing his sword.

With a single swing, he released a gale that traveled a dozen meters, slicing the nearby rabbits in two.

"No… it’s just the risk of Cross Tunneling that worries me." Kyle nodded, trying to justify his unease.

Cross Tunneling was an exceedingly rare event where creatures are displaced between connected spatial dimensions.

This meant a beast from a Mid Dungeon could manifest in a Low Dungeon. The problem was…

"The odds are one in a trillion. Kyle, try to relax," Maya said, patting his shoulder.

The group pressed forward, though the term "Cross Tunneling" clung to Varian’s mind. He never relied on good fortune, preferring instead to prepare for the worst.

"But there were rumors from the Shadow Order. They claimed Cross Tunneling is an Abyssal tactic, a way for them to manifest directly inside our Dungeons," Varian voiced his apprehension.

"Do not trust that cursed Order. They are nothing but terrorists," Arthur retorted.

Despite the words, Varian noticed Arthur’s smile seemed brittle, his usual laid-back demeanor shifting to one of underlying tension.

'There is no smoke without fire. I just hope my luck holds out and I don’t encounter something so absurd,' Varian prayed.

He took a step forward, and in that instant, a blinding, brilliant light erupted before them.

A massive pillar of radiance descended from the sky. As the glare finally began to dissipate, Varian squinted to see.

Ten humanoid figures stood amidst the fading light, tall with gaunt grey skin.

Abyssals!

Varian experienced a sensory void; silence seemed to swallow the world. Before he could process the threat, a violent gust of wind sent him flying.

Boom!

Arthur immediately intercepted four Abyssals, while his teammates engaged two each. The outlook was dire.

"Run!" Arthur bellowed, parrying an Abyssal spear. The resulting shockwaves shattered the earth and whipped up a ferocious tempest.

"Kyle, damn it! Move!" Varian scrambled with Kyle and Maya toward the exit.

A system notification pulsed silently on his retina, visible only to him.

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