The moment Ethan laid eyes on that massive, irregular crystal, something deep inside him stirred. Almost without thinking, he reached out and touched it.

The instant his fingers brushed the surface—

Whoosh!

The entire crystal liquefied in a flash, breaking apart into countless streams of glowing fluid that surged straight into his body.

"What the—?!"

Before he could even react, the system chimed in his ear.

DING!

System Notification:

Player Valkarion, congratulations. Your exploration progress in the world of Nethora has reached 32%.

Ethan's mouth opened slightly in surprise.

What the hell just happened?

He could feel it—something had changed. Something big. That crystal hadn't just been a gift—it was a piece of the world itself. A core fragment of Nethora's essence. And now it was part of him.

"Do you guys have any more of that stuff?" he asked quickly, turning to the soul-form leader.

The leader shook his head solemnly. "I'm afraid not. What you absorbed was my own Primordial Force. It's unique—each soul-form carries a different fragment. If you wish to gather more, you'll need to seek out others. Perhaps in that direction… or that one… or over there."

He pointed in several directions—north, south, east, west. Basically, pick a path and start walking.

Before Ethan could respond, Elira stepped up beside him.

"My Lord…" she said softly.

"You okay?" Ethan asked, glancing at her with concern.

"I'm fine," she nodded, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "What's our next move?"

Ethan paused, then casually pointed toward one of the directions the soul-form had indicated. "Let's check that way. I don't know why, but… something's pulling me there. Like a force I can't explain."

Elira followed his gaze.

In the distance, a jagged, shadowy mountain range loomed—dark, twisted, and pulsing with ominous energy. It looked like the mouth of a black vortex, constantly shifting, constantly churning.

Even from here, she could feel the pressure radiating off it.

"That's Requiem Mountain," the soul-form leader said suddenly, his voice low and reverent. "It's said that ancient beings—powerful ones—sleep within those peaks. Maybe one. Maybe many. If you're going there… be careful."

"Requiem Mountain…" Elira echoed under her breath, then nodded. "My Lord, let's go. I want to see what's waiting for us."

Ethan didn't hesitate. "Yeah. Let's move. Ataneya, you with us?"

"Always, my Lord," Ataneya replied, stepping forward without question.

…

They didn't waste time.

The trio set off immediately, heading straight for the mountain range. The terrain was harsh, the peaks towering and jagged like the spines of some ancient beast—but for them, it was nothing. They crossed the ridges with ease.

But what waited on the other side wasn't more mountains.

It was a chasm.

A vast, bottomless abyss stretched out before them, so deep it seemed to swallow light itself. The air above it shimmered with strange energy, and from within the darkness below, something stirred.

Tiny, glowing lifeforms—like floating spirits or elemental sprites—drifted upward from the depths, dancing through the air like fireflies. Each one radiated a unique, alien energy.

And then Ethan felt it.

The power he'd just absorbed—the Primordial Force from the crystal—began to react. It pulsed inside him, resonating with the energy coming from the abyss.

It was guiding him.

Pulling him.

And the direction it pointed?

Straight down.

Into the abyss.

"Is it right here?" Ethan murmured, eyes narrowing as he peered into the abyss. "Should we go down and check it out?"

But before he could move, Elira stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"My Lord, wait," she said, her tone serious for once. "There's something… strange down there. I can feel it. A power I don't recognize. We shouldn't just dive in blindly."

Ethan paused, surprised by her hesitation. But after a beat, he shook his head.

"Elira, we don't have time to play it safe. You know as well as I do—there's no such thing as a place like this without danger. Risk is part of the deal. We just need to stay sharp."

He gave her a reassuring look, then turned back toward the abyss.

"Let's go. We'll figure it out as we go."

And with that, he stepped off the edge and began descending into the darkness.

Elira hesitated for only a second before following. Ataneya, silent as ever, was right behind them.

…

It was impossible to tell how long they were falling—or flying, or drifting. Time felt warped down here. But eventually, they reached the bottom.

Or at least, what passed for it.

The moment they touched down, Ethan frowned.

"What the hell…?"

Despite their power—despite being Tier 15 monsters in their own right—they couldn't see a damn thing. The darkness here wasn't just absence of light. It was thick, oppressive, like it was alive. A black fog that swallowed everything.

Ethan tried scanning the area, but nothing worked.

So he did the only thing he could think of.

He summoned the Primordial Force he'd absorbed earlier—the one from the soul-form leader.

The moment it flared to life in his hand—

FWOOOM!

The darkness shattered.

Light exploded outward, illuminating the abyss in a cascade of color. Tiny, multicolored motes of light filled the air, like stars scattered across a midnight sea.

And then something even stranger happened.

Those motes… started moving.

Drawn to the Primordial Force in Ethan's hand, they floated toward him, slowly at first, then faster—until they were swarming around him, merging with the energy like iron filings to a magnet.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The ground trembled beneath their feet. Not violently—but enough to make it clear something massive was shifting.

And then—

A voice.

Low. Echoing. Furious.

"Who dares steal our Primordial Force?"

Ethan's eyes snapped toward the sound. "Wait—someone's here?"

He hadn't sensed anyone. Not until now.

And stealing? What the hell was this guy talking about?

"I didn't—" he started to explain, but the voice cut him off.

There was no warning.

BOOOOOM!

A wave of crushing energy slammed into them, and a figure—massive, cloaked in shadow—launched a full-force attack.

"Bastard!" Ataneya reacted instantly, her body glowing with power as she hurled a condensed energy sphere straight at the incoming blast.

SSSSHHHHHH!

BOOOOOOMMMMM!

The two forces collided midair, detonating in a blinding explosion. The shockwave was so intense it knocked all three of them back, forcing them to brace themselves midair.

The entire abyss shook.

Cracks split across the surrounding mountain walls, spiderwebbing outward like the world itself was breaking apart.

Ethan steadied himself, eyes narrowing.

"Another Tier 15?" he muttered, almost bored. "Seriously, how many of these guys are there?"

He wasn't even surprised anymore. At this point, Tier 15s were starting to feel like background noise.

But then again… it made sense.

Eagles don't flock with sparrows.

He and his team had stepped into a different league now. This was the realm of apex predators. And when you walked among giants, you didn't run into weaklings.

If they weren't strong enough, they'd have been wiped out by Tier 14s long ago. They wouldn't have made it this far. Wouldn't even be standing here.

This wasn't just a battlefield.

It was a filter.

And only those who belonged at the top could survive what came next.

...