Abyss Sovereign: Lin Yuan's Awakening

Chapter 004: Skill Awakening

Gripping the Elite Bone Club in his blistered hands, Lin Yuan felt a surge of energy—exhaustion from his fight with the High E-Rank Elite Cyclops faded, replaced by the urgent thrill of grinding Abyss Points. The club fit perfectly in his grasp, its faint energy hum and 10% E-Rank damage boost made taking down regular Cyclops almost effortless, doubling his efficiency.

Over the next twenty minutes, Lin Yuan cut through Floor 1’s desolate wasteland, hunting every Cyclops in his path. He took down seven regular E-Rank Cyclops in a row, each falling to a single well-placed strike to the neck or eye. Halfway through, he faced another Elite Cyclops—but with polished reflexes and the club’s power, he dispatched it in under a minute. His arm ached, and his palms stung, but he grinned as his Abyss Points climbed steadily.

【Abyss Points +62】

Current Abyss Points: 114.

Lin Yuan paused briefly, checking his points and the countdown timer, anxiety spiking. “Still 86 points short for Abyss Sense, and only 15 minutes left until the Safe Zone collapses!” The thought of the impending Monster Tide chilled him—without Abyss Sense, he’d be helpless against the horde.

“I’ll grind these points in ten minutes—no matter what!” He gritted his teeth, eyes sharp with determination. No more waiting for monsters; he sprinted deeper into the wasteland, every step a fight for survival. Each Cyclops brought him closer to Abyss Sense, closer to surviving the tide.

With the Elite Bone Club and hard-earned experience, his movements became second nature: dodge the Cyclops’ clumsy swing, dart behind it, and strike its weak point. He cut down monster after monster without pausing, his blistered palms bleeding onto the club, but he refused to slow down.

Ten minutes passed in a blur of blood and bone. The sound of cracking skulls and monster roars echoed through the wasteland as Lin Yuan fought relentlessly.

【Abyss Points +48】

Current Abyss Points: 162.

“YES! Finally!” Lin Yuan skidded to a halt, gasping for air, sweat and blood streaking his face. Ignoring his screaming muscles, he pulled up the Abyss Shop, gaze fixed on Abyss Sense—his ticket to survival.

【Abyss Shop · Basic】

[3] Abyss Sense (Skill) 200 Points (Detect monsters, resources, hidden rooms, SURVIVAL SUPREMACY!)

“Redeem! RIGHT NOW!” Lin Yuan’s mind raced with excitement and terror—time was running out, and he couldn’t waste a second.

【Confirm redemption of 「Abyss Sense」? Redemption consumes 200 Abyss Points. Current points are sufficient.】

“CONFIRM! HURRY!”

【Redemption Successful!】

【Abyss Points -200】

【Skill 「Abyss Sense」 activated, bound to Host’s soul, usable at will!】

A warm tingle flooded his mind, and his perception exploded outward, sharp as a razor. His sixth sense unlocked, mapping everything within a hundred meters—monsters, rocks, hidden resources—clear as day. “Holy s**t! This is Abyss Sense—it’s incredible!”

Curious and desperate to test his new skill, he focused his mind, pushing his perception wider, further than the initial hundred meters—

BOOM!

A flood of clear information surged in, and Lin Yuan’s eyes lit up. This skill was far more powerful than he’d hoped.

【Abyss Sense · Floor 1】

Current Area: Floor 1 Central Zone (Danger Level: Medium)

Monster Distribution:

Cyclops ×23 (50-200 meters, scattered, moving slowly)

Cyclops (Elite) ×2 (120m, 180m, solo, aggressive)

Hidden Creature ×1 (300m, unknown type, concealed aura, stationary)

Resource Points:

Abyss Crystal ×3 (80m, 150m, 210m, Low-Grade, unguarded)

Unknown Chest ×1 (260m, faint energy, suspected supplies, no traps)

Safe Zone Status: 4 Minutes 32 Seconds (Imminent Collapse)

Entrance to Floor 2: 420m (Host strength insufficient, locked)

“THIS IS PERFECT!” Lin Yuan swung his club, pain forgotten. “No more blind wandering, no more ambushes—this changes everything! I can survive the Monster Tide!”

Euphoria faded as he stared at the timer, cold sweat breaking out. “Only 4 minutes left… the Monster Tide is coming.” He knew the tide would be relentless, a flood of E-Rank monsters that would tear him apart if he wasn’t ready.

The system’s warning was no exaggeration—he had to gear up fast. Every second counted, and he couldn’t afford to waste time.

“I need to prepare fast.” Lin Yuan scanned the Abyss Sense map, locking onto the unknown chest and hidden creature. “Grab the chest first—supplies could save me. Then check the creature—its drop might be game-changing. 4 minutes is enough.”

Guided by Abyss Sense, he sprinted for the chest, no longer hiding. His feet flew over the cracked ground, wind howling in his ears, focus fixed on reaching the crate before time ran out.

Three minutes later, Lin Yuan skidded to a stop at the chest—half-buried in rubble, a rusted military crate with a faint glow seeping through cracks. It looked like a forgotten relic from past explorers.

“System, can I open this? Is it safe?” He tapped the crate, heart racing—supplies could mean the difference between life and death in the tide.

【Scanning complete. Abyss Lost Supply Crate, left by previous Abyss explorers. No traps detected, can be opened directly without tools.】

“YES!” Lin Yuan jammed his club into the lid’s gap, gritting his teeth and using all his strength to pry it open. “OPEN UP!”

“SCREECH—!”

The rusted lid creaked open, releasing a faint chemical and metal smell. Lin Yuan leaned in, grinning—inside were a sharp silver dagger, two glowing red vials, and a tattered manual: “Basic Evasion.”

【Obtained: Abyss Dagger (Basic) ×1, Minor Stamina Potion ×2, Basic Evasion Manual ×1】

He grabbed the dagger first, its blade glinting in the blood-red light. A quick slice at a nearby rock split it cleanly. “Holy s**t! This is sharp!”

【Abyss Dagger: Attack +8, Special Effect: 30% extra damage to monster weak points!】

“30% extra weak point damage? This is perfect!” Lin Yuan clipped the dagger to his belt, excitement surging. With this and his club, he’d carve through monsters easily—especially with Abyss Sense guiding him.

Next, he picked up the Basic Evasion Manual. “System, can I learn this now? I need every advantage.”

【Basic Evasion Manual: Learn passive skill 「Basic Evasion」 immediately, no Abyss Points required. Learn now?】

“LEARN!”

Lin Yuan felt his body lighten, more agile than before, his danger sense spiking. “Passive 15% evasion, plus 50% for 5 seconds? This will save my life!” He grinned—now he had two skills, two weapons, and a fighting chance.

“Now I have two skills, the Elite Bone Club, and this dagger. I can fight the Monster Tide—I can survive!”

Suddenly, the system’s warning blared in his mind, sharp and urgent—

【WARNING! Safe Zone collapses in 58 seconds!】

58 seconds! Lin Yuan tensed, eyes locking on the hidden creature’s location—300 meters away, unknown type, concealed aura. The system hinted at a special drop, something game-changing. It was a risk, but he couldn’t pass it up.

58 seconds! Lin Yuan’s body tensed, his eyes locking onto the hidden creature’s location on his Abyss Sense map—300 meters away, unknown type, with a concealed aura that suggested it was no ordinary monster. A special drop, the system had implied, and special drops could be game-changing—maybe a powerful skill, a better weapon, or something else that would help him survive.

Should he go? Time was tight—if he sprinted, he might kill it before the tide arrived. But get caught halfway, and he’d be trapped. He hesitated a second, then a ruthless glint flashed.

“Fortune favors the bold. I’m going.”

Gripping the Abyss Dagger tightly, he sprinted toward the hidden creature’s location, his body boosted by the Basic Evasion skill, moving faster than ever before. He had to reach it, kill it, and get away—all before the Monster Tide arrived.

In less than a minute, Lin Yuan skidded to a halt behind a boulder, gasping. He peeked out—and his skin crawled. In the clearing was a giant spider, over a meter wide, with a silver metallic exoskeleton, razor-sharp legs, and a glowing purple back pattern pulsing with energy. It was beautiful, yet terrifying.

In the clearing ahead lay a giant spider, over a meter wide, its body covered in a silver metallic exoskeleton that glinted in the light, eight razor-sharp legs ending in pointed claws, and a glowing purple pattern on its back that pulsed with energy. It was unlike any monster he’d seen before—beautiful, yet terrifying.

【Abyss Monster: Silverblade Spider (Rare)】

【Rank: High E-Rank (Equal to Elite Cyclops)】

【Traits: High Agility, Venomous Fangs (Paralytic Venom), Metallic Exoskeleton (High Defense)】

【Weak Points: Abdomen Underside (no exoskeleton, vulnerable), Back Pattern (Energy Core, critical hit)】

【WARNING: Rare monster with special drop. Extremely difficult to kill—proceed with extreme caution.】

A Rare monster! Lin Yuan’s eyes lit up, then frowned. “High agility, venom, tough exoskeleton? Harder than the Elite Cyclops—but its drop is worth it.”

A deafening boom echoed—the Safe Zone collapsed. His Abyss Sense screamed, flooding his mind with terrifying news.

【ALERT: Monster Tide has flooded Floor 1!】

Current Monster Count: 23 → 87 (rising rapidly!)

Time until monsters reach current location: 5 minutes! Host is surrounded—no escape route!】

87 monsters—and counting! Lin Yuan’s blood ran cold. “5 minutes until they reach me. Kill the spider fast, or die.” No choice—he had to fight.

He glanced at the spider, then at the distant roar of the tide. Gritting his teeth, he drew the Abyss Dagger, Abyss Sense locked on its weak points.

“Quick and clean. I’m taking this thing down.”

With a low growl, he burst from behind the boulder, sprinting for the steel fang Spider, agile from Basic Evasion, mind focused solely on survival. A desperate fight to the death had begun—and the Monster Tide was closing in fast.