Chapter 293

Chapter 293

As the silver towers in Solara begin to fade from my line of sight, I take my new dagger out of item storage and begin twirling it through my fingers again.

It looks like it should be made of heavy metal or dense stone like obsidian, but this long blade can't be more than 100 grams. It's made of a foreign substance I've never felt before in high quantity.

With too many questions begging to be answered, I activate my Demonic Energy Manipulation skill and the world around me flashes black and white. The rising golden hills of sand in the desert turn white in my vision, and the only darkness in the landscape is the shadows from the sun.L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.

I'm starting to get used to the switch.

However, the blade in my hand now glows with a dim purple hue.

"This is new..."

It's barely visible, but from the contrast of the bright sand below me and the lack of color in my vision otherwise, I'm sure it's there. It's the exact same color as the wisps of matter that dissolve off Dungeon Walker portals I used to make when it was a base-level skill.

I take a deep breath, then allow a full unit of Demonic Energy to flow from my core into the blade through my fingertips.

It feels natural to do so.

Once in contact with my energy, the dagger starts to glow light purple closer to the sharp edge of the blade. Its intensity and luminosity increase but the shade of purple hue darkens as more energy seeps into it.

The denser the energy is packed the closer to the base color of a jet-black blade the weapon returns to.

I take a few more steps forward while examining the dagger further. The outer glow now has taken a somewhat physical rippling form. Light wisps of dark purple energy float around the weapon. Trace amounts of the excess refined Demonic Energy dissolve into the air.

Out of curiosity, I feed it more.

Another unit flows from my core into the blade and the purple hue darkness again. Thicker wisps with the consistency of candle smoke form around the black weapon and it only temps me to give it more power to test its limits. One unit at a time, I continue sending refined cool energy from my body to the blade.

It hits 5 units, and the dark aura around it nearly covers my hand it's so thick.

However, the white dome up on the hill shows an interesting reading that was not present yesterday.

There's a weak pulse of grey energy coming from the top of the observatory every 10 to 20 seconds. Without my perception, it'd be invisible, but I can see clearly that the mana-based energy wave is pointed straight at the Abyss.

Surprisingly, as it makes contact with the black void, it glides right through and fades away out of my detection range but creates no yellow sparks or hint of reaction with the darkness.

Despite the odd new sonar-like energy reading, there aren't any people nearby. It's tempting to peek inside and find out for myself what's really going on, but if by chance there's surveillance in the area I don't want to ruin my chances of meeting the Boss and his Craftsman tomorrow.

I grit my teeth and turn away.

The information is noted. I'll re-assess the situation in time. If there's no one home, I'm better off not knocking at the door.

Taking a hard left, I begin my walk along the Abyss just like I had the day before. Activating Demonic Vision and pulling out The Midnight Dagger, I patiently wait for a wolf to appear from the black fog.

After no more than 500 meters of travel away from the abandoned town, the first pair of red glowing eyes stare at me from within the dark border. It growls and tightens its jaw while digging its sharp claws into the sand, but doesn't budge from about 7 meters deep in the Abyss.

I take a step closer, channeling 5 full units of Demonic Energy into my sword just like when I tested it out earlier.

With every step closer that I take, the wolf's growl sounds louder and deeper. Its crimson eyes shine brighter through the darkness and the creature stands its ground.

Other than the two occasions where the wolves jumped out of the void to attack me, this is the closest I've gotten to one of these monsters. More importantly, this is the closest I've ever been to the Abyss itself.

With blade in hand, and confidence coursing through my veins I continue to draw near.

The hot sand beneath my feet crunches with every step, and my eardrums echo with the monster's deep growls.

I take a final step close enough to the swirling wall of darkness to the point where reaching out a hand would allow me to touch the barrier.

The wolf finally snaps and lets out a battle roar while jumping forward.

I do the same, plunging dagger-first into the Abyss.