Chapter 362: Family Ranking

Chapter 362: Family Ranking

The Abyss-Ashe had heard countless stories about this place.

Most of them were complaints from the sword Princess during their idle chats, with only a few tales gathered from Shattered Lake.

Almost every place where sorcerers congregated had an Abyss nearby, sometimes even beneath a city. These Abysses could never be completely eradicated, and the monsters within were endless. A single misstep could lead to an Abyss monster attacking a town.

In the past, when populations and civilizations were still developing, the Abyss was a significant threat to kingdoms and a priority for national defense.

However, as the number of sorcerers surged and sorcerer civilization entered a rapid development era, even though the Abyss strengthened with the increase in sorcerers, the monsters couldn’t match the explosive advancement of sorcerer technology. As a result, the threat of the Abyss diminished year by year.

Eventually, the Abyss’s status dropped from a ‘major threat’ to a ‘daily task’ level, no longer even considered a national defense issue.

The Blood Moon Kingdom chose to hand over the Abyss to adventurers, using it as a means to deal with unruly adventurers who didn’t fit into civilized society, effectively turning the Abyss into a garbage disposal. In contrast, the Gospel Kingdom assigned Bluebeard to suppress each Abyss. However, Bluebeard wasn’t part of the national defense forces but rather a corporate private army. Simply put, the Gospel Kingdom leased the Abyss to corporations, allowing them to manage the Abyss and profit from it.

In the past, the Abyss was a looming threat to humanity; now, it was more like a minor inconvenience.

Of course, this only referred to the first layer of the Abyss. The deeper levels remained a perilous zone where even legendary sorcerers from the Sanctuary could fall.

For the sword Princess, a village girl sorcerer, the best way to earn resources and gain combat experience was to venture into the Abyss.

Materials from Abyss monsters were often highly valuable. They could be used to craft equipment or made into potions that enhanced the ‘virtual realm resonance’ of specific spirits. For example, a ‘Vibration Sword Potion’ could significantly increase the chances of successfully summoning a Vibration Sword.

Moreover, Abyss monsters sometimes dropped spirits, making it almost like a mini virtual realm.

But the problem was, the Abyss was not a virtual realm.

If a sorcerer died in the Abyss, they truly died.

Moreover, the Abyss is unpredictable. If you’re unlucky and encounter an Abyss boiling, Deep Monsters might wander up to the first or second layers for a stroll. Even legendary sorcerers from the Sanctuary can meet their end. This isn’t a rare occurrence—if a legendary sorcerer is busy farming gold on the lower levels, they might attract Deep Monsters.

It’s a classic case of mutual escalation: you bully my smaller monsters, and I’ll send my bigger ones to bully you. It’s like both sides swapping baby creatures.

Thus, venturing into the Abyss is a mix of risk and opportunity. In the past, when society wasn’t as developed, people had no choice but to dive into the Abyss to gather sorcerer resources. Nowadays, with society more advanced, everyone prefers to comfortably become legendary sorcerers at home before venturing out. Who wants to risk their life fighting in the Abyss?

At that time, the sword Princess hadn’t yet participated in school competitions and was still struggling financially. She would repeatedly complain in Ashe’s ear about the dangers of the Abyss, with a clear motive: “I’m so cute, please take care of me. How could you bear to let such an adorable girl go on an Abyss Adventure?”

Ashe would always nod vigorously—of course, he could bear it. After all, he wasn’t the one going into the Abyss. “Sword Princess, you need to work hard in the dungeons so I can enjoy a good life.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to support her; he simply couldn’t afford it.

“But I remember, isn’t the Abyss terrain constantly changing?” Ashe asked. “Because of these frequent changes and outbursts, sorcerers can’t establish military bases and clear the Abyss layer by layer.”

“You’re right, the Abyss does frequently change,” Annan nodded. “But the changes don’t affect people. The Abyss terrain shifts, but its overall style remains the same—a dungeon stays a dungeon, a cave stays a cave, and a maze stays a maze.”

“The next part is simple—since Beauty Houttuynia hasn’t ‘died,’ the Abyss changes won’t affect them. Even the ground, buildings, and walls they touch won’t change. If there are enough Beauty Houttuynia spread widely, they can stabilize the Abyss terrain.”

“But how do we deal with the monsters in the Abyss?”

“Now, the white mist is suppressed by Divine Intervention, but don’t forget, this is where the Beauty Mist originates,” Annan said with a soft laugh. “Even we sorcerers are affected by the white mist; do you think the monsters are immune?”

“Creatures and beasts affected by the white mist are constantly filled with joy and pleasure, losing their will to fight from a physiological standpoint. Constant exposure to high concentrations of Beauty Mist quickly raises their threshold to the point of mental collapse. About once a month, reclamation sorcerers come to collect the monster corpses—we’re currently wearing the protective suits they use for their work.”

“Handling excess population, producing strategic resources, defending against Abyss invasions, efficiently slaughtering monsters... what a practical facility,” Igor remarked. “You could tell me that the Beauty Houttuynia Farm also serves as a sewer and a hospital, and I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“What about the Abyssal Passage?” Ashe asked. “This is the first time I’ve heard of such a mechanism.”

Feeling the trembling ‘Lise’ suddenly stop, Ashe blinked and cautiously released her.

Did he scare her too much? It was just like throwing a box covered with hundreds of cockroaches at her; it shouldn’t have been enough to make her faint...

However, ‘Lise’ broke free from his embrace, turned around, and quietly glared at him. “Did you find that amusing?”

“If I say no, it was definitely amusing, but if I say yes, it wasn’t that amusing...”

‘Lise’ furrowed her small brows, placed her hands on her hips, and said, “Do you think it’s fun to disgust me?”

For some reason, Ashe felt as if ‘Lise’s figure was growing taller, like she had become a neighborly big sister who loved to lecture, while he had turned into a mischievous child. He chuckled awkwardly, “It’s not that fun...”

“Don’t do that again, or I’ll start hating you.” ‘Lise’ looked at his frozen right hand. “Does your hand still hurt? Your whole body is injured, and I still made you carry me...”

Ashe was startled by ‘Lise’. Just as he was about to reach out, he pulled back and turned to shout at Igor, “Igor, Lise is mentally disturbed because I grossed her out. Come quick... Igor, what are you doing?”

Unlike them, who were quietly waiting for the Exorcism Surgery to finish, the Con Artist was hiding under a blanket, not showing an inch of himself. It was clear he had gotten it from Banjeet.

Annan was also hidden under a blanket off to the side. The two of them seemed out of place with the rest of the group.

“If a kid has mental issues, just beat them senseless. Solving the problem and the person who brought it up must resolve one of them,” Igor’s voice came from under the blanket. “You only need to take off your belt as a tool.”

Curious, Ashe walked over. “What are you doing under there? Let me see—”

“See what? Your dead head!”

A fist shot out from under the blanket, knocking Ashe flat on the ground. Ashe hadn’t expected that this mental sorcerer had also trained in physical combat, and he couldn’t dodge it!

Lying on the cold ground, Ashe felt the pain in his arm and abdomen return. He cast a ‘Joy Sword’ on himself, sat up, and saw ‘Lise’ beside him. Before he could say anything, ‘Lise’ reached out and hugged his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder, and nuzzled him. “Stop fooling around. I might not always be so playful, but no matter which me it is, I always like you.”

Ashe felt goosebumps all over his body as a strong sense of dissonance washed over him. No, this mature big sister tone should be coming from Qenna, or Annan at least. When you talk like this, it makes others question my usual parenting methods!

Not only Annan and Banjeet, but even Harvey was looking at him like he was a pervert. Ashe felt his social status at the Funeral Firm was about to plummet to the level of an untouchable!

I get it. This is your method of revenge, isn’t it?

Lise, you’re so devious!

Click.

Suddenly, everyone’s Gospel Book popped out, each containing a shining bookmark. Everyone froze for a moment, then realized what was happening.

“We’ve been in the Abyssal Passage for a few minutes, but over two hours have passed in the real world,” Banjeet said. “It’s already past midnight... It’s May 20th now!”

“The second ranking list updates right at midnight?”

“What kind of ranking will it be?”

“Is Annan’s plan really working?”

With various thoughts in their minds, they all opened their bookmarks. The title of the second ranking list came into view—

Family Ranking.