Chapter 110: The Abyss

Beside a groove around five or more kilometers to the east of Ninth Town, hundreds of knights had set up a cordon. Some farmers gathered nearby, whispering to each other about what was happening.

In the morning, when some farmers had come here to plough this wasteland, they suddenly heard a thunderous sound as they were busy working. Even the earth had trembled along with the sound, and a giant black hole had appeared on the ground before their eyes. The farmers were frightened by this and had immediately reported this to the cavalry.

Normally, this wouldn’t be such a big deal, but the hole was too huge. IT was over fifty meters in diameter and so dark that it seemed bottomless. Cold air also came blowing out from it time to time.

Han Jin frowned. This hole was by no means formed naturally, as its wall was as smooth as a mirror. It went straight down, and the air emitted from inside made him feel uncomfortable.

Moxinke picked up a fist-sized stone and threw it into the hole. No echoes came even after a long time. They were all wide-eyed and dumbstruck by how deep the hole was.

“Are you mad? The scent of dark element is extremely thick down there. Do you want to get all of us killed?” Cessacioun said angrily.

“How bad can it be?!” Moxinke retorted. “You might as well become a bard. It’s just a hole, why are you acting so surprised?”

“What dark scent?” Han Jin was very interested in Cessacioun’s words.

“Haven’t you heard about the tales of the Abyss?” Cessacioun cast a glance at him and said.

“It’s nothing but a tale. You are probably the only one who takes it seriously,” Moxinke curled his lips and grumbled.

“Listen to Cessacioun. It is true,” Sunier interrupted.

As Moxinke stiffened his neck and was about to say more, a sharp pain came from his waist. Sylner was forcibly pinching him from his back. He shut up at once.

“A long time ago, all the races on the continent lived in harmony. Though disputes often occurred, no large-scale battle ever happened,” Cessacioun said slowly. “Until one day, the Abyssal Race suddenly invaded the world above ground, bringing earth-shattering changes to the world by means of their coldblooedness and brutality.”

“The Abyssal Race you mentioned, were they very powerful?” Han Jin asked.

“They were born to fight. It is said you need at least ten well-trained soldiers to kill an adult tauren. The ancient classics recorded that the world of the Abyss is flooded with blood and violence, and that anyone who survives until adulthood in such an environment is a powerful and battle hardened veteran. Those who are weak will be eliminated when they are young.”

“What happened in the end?”

“However powerful the Abyssal Race was, it lacked numbers. Meanwhile, the perilous threat of extinction produced many legendary heroes for the races above ground. Abraham, the God of War, Gotha, the Paladin, Doreen, the Elven Messenger, and Damtin, the Mountain King. The dragons also participated in the war.” Cessacioun was in an elated mood when he talked about this. “The Abyssal Race suffered heavy losses and had to return underground in the end.”

“According to the records of the elves, the main reason for their defeat was their infightings,” Sunier continued in a slow tone. “When the King of the Abyssal Race went to war with the races above ground, some of its powerful subjects colluded with each other and seized control of the underground. So technically, the Abyssal Race was not defeated. Their king simply gave up on the war, because he knew their foundation was underground.”

“Whatever the reason, we won,” Cessacioun said.

“There is also a legend on this continent about a Horn of Evil. It is said that whoever can survive the depth of the Abyss and find the Horn of Evil can rule over the whole continent,” Reg added.

“Does anyone actually believe such nonsense?” Han Jin asked in surprise. Even if there was really a thing called the Horn of Evil, it must have fallen into the hands of the Abyssal Race. There was not a single chance they would let an outsider take it so freely.

Cessacioun smiled. “It is a legend because it has been circulating for generations. At least some will believe it. Zaganide during his youth was one of them. No one thought he would come back alive when he went underground. But he did come back safely, and had even brought back a group of vampires which eventually became his Vampire Guards of today. Who would have expected that? Had it not been for the help of the vampires, Zaganide wouldn’t have been able to lay such a great foundation for himself.”

“But the races above ground hated the races underground, didn’t they? How is it that Zaganide is still alive and well today?”

“The races above ground allied against the Abyssal Race because the Abyssal Race was too bloodthirsty and would mindlessly kill all living things. This brought them a sense of crisis. No one knew who would be the next unlucky one,” Cessacioun said. “But Zaganide is not unreasonable. Though he is bloodthirsty too, no one within his territory can resist his brutality, whereas those outside his territory have never experienced it. What’s more, now that the situation on the continent is so chaotic, who would take the initiative to attack a mad dog like Zaganide when they have nothing to gain?”

“Are Dark Elves a branch of the Abyssal Race too?” Han Jin asked curiously.

“No! We just have different beliefs,” Sunier answered unpleasantly.

“What about this hole? Could it be a passage for the Abyssal Race to travel above ground?” Seeing that Sunier was displeased, Han Jin tactfully changed the subject.

“This is not the first time a hole like this has appeared on the continent. Some say it can lead to the underground world, while others say that’s nonsense. There is no way for me to know the truth.”

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“If it really can lead us to the underground world, does that mean the Abyssal Race can use this to travel above ground as well?”

“Even if they can, they wouldn’t do it at this moment.” Cessacioun shrugged.

“Then why are you still so nervous? If they don’t have the guts to climb up, why are you still so afraid?” Moxinke mumbled.

“They might not want to appear above ground in large numbers, but what if the Abyssal Race truly lived below and we accidentally disturbed them? They could very well kill us and return to the depths. The powerfuls among the Abyssal Race are not something we can fight at the moment. Just imagine something like the vampires but even worse!” Cessacioun said in a solemn tone.

“Forget it. Let’s seal the hole first and leave,” Han Jin immediately said when he saw that the two were going to get into an argument again.

Under Reg’s command, the knights cut down lots of trees and dragged them beside the hole. “Wait, don’t move!” Sunier suddenly said with her eyebrows knitted.

“What’s wrong?” Cessacioun asked in astonishment.

“I feel as if… someone is in there.”

Han Jin took out a piece of paper from his space ring and made a paper crane. He drew a charm on it, and the paper crane immediately came to life. If soundlessly flew down along the wall of the hole, fluttering its tiny wings.

They all stepped a few paces back and left the edge of the huge hole. A moment later, Han Jin opened his eyes. “She’s right, someone’s down there!” he said in a low tone.

“Who?”

“I don’t know. I will go down and have a look.” This said, Han Jin looked at Reg.

Reg tacitly understood his hint and quietly ordered the knights to dispel the farmers, while Sunier and the others surrounded Han Jin in a circle.

Han Jin’s special magic was one of their biggest secrets. They had reached an agreement to keep it out of the eyes of the public.

“Can you do this alone, Raphael?” Sunier asked in a low voice.

“Don’t worry. I may not be as good at fighting as you, but I am the best one in terms of running away.” Han Jin smiled.

“How about… I go with you?” Moxinke grinned cheekily. “I have two lives. Even if I jumped down, your spell would protect me.” He was very curious about the Art of Faked Earth Corpse that had been released on his body for a long time. He always wanted to know how exactly the spell worked, but ‘unfortunately’, he hadn’t had the chance to die yet.

“As you wish.” Han Jin gave Moxinke a blank look. “But if you waste my spell, I can assure you that I won’t give you any magic charms for three years.”

“Why three years? How about three days?” Moxinke haggled.

Han Jin wasn’t in the mood to bicker with him. Seeing that the knights had followed Reg’s order and had turned away, Han Jin shrunk down and disappeared into the ground.

The next moment, Han Jin appeared in the underground world, hiding himself behind a rock, holding his breath and listening.

“Damn!” a desperate voice yelled. “I told you not to meddle with this. Why didn’t you listen to me?!”

“How would I know the magic matrix could only be used once!” another voice explained.

“Bullshit! Do you know how long this underground city has been sealed?” the first voice said angrily. “Do you think the energy within a magic crystal is limitless?”

“Stop arguing,” a third voice came. “Try to seal the hole as soon as possible!”

“Do you have any idea how? I don’t have any more backup magic crystals. Besides, it is too late now. I saw several people above ground already. The hole must have attracted their attention. We will be punished by Lord Zaganide!”

Suddenly, with a loud sound, two blood-red dots of light raised in the air and rushed directly toward where Han Jin hid.

“Enemy! The black ravens have spotted an enemy!”

Han Jin slightly tapped the ground with his tiptoes and rushed out from behind the rock. After a wave of his arm, a charm of Pure Light was thrown out. Under the dazzling white light had faded, Han Jin saw three monsters standing in front of him, two of which had similar bodies to human beings but looked ferocious with a pair of crooked horns on their heads, while the third one was a real monster that looked like a jellyfish floating in the sea. Its egg-like body was covered with scales and supported by ten-odd tentacles. It didn’t seem to have any of the human organs that provided sense, like ears, mouths, and the such.