Abyss Sovereign: Lin Yuan's Awakening

Chapter 003: Abyss Sense

For the next hour, Lin Yuan fought nonstop against one Cyclops after another. His arms burned like fire, his palms blistered and oozing blood, and every swing of his rough bone club sent a sharp ache up his shoulders. But he gritted his teeth through the pain, refusing to stop—survival was the only thing that mattered. He grew faster and more precise with each kill: the first Cyclops took him five minutes, the second three, and by the third, he took it down in less than a minute, his movements honed by desperation and practice.

【Cyclops ×3 Killed】

【Abyss Points +17】

【Obtained: Damaged Cyclops Core ×1】

Lin Yuan collapsed onto a jagged rock, every muscle in his body screaming in protest. His breath came in ragged gasps, and his arms felt so heavy he could barely lift them. Without hesitation, he crushed the damaged Cyclops core in his palm, growling at the system through gritted teeth: "Absorb this!" A cold, faint energy washed over his body, seeping into his sore muscles and easing the burning ache just enough to let him catch his breath.

【Abyss Points +15】

Current Abyss Points: 47.

His face fell instantly, the small glimmer of hope fading away. "s**t! That’s still 153 points short for Abyss Sense!" He fumbled to check the system’s timer, his heart sinking even further—less than an hour remained until the Safe Zone collapsed. "At this rate, I’ll never grind enough points in time. If the Monster Tide hits and I don’t have Abyss Sense to detect them, I’m dead meat."

Anxious, he snapped at the system: "No monster radar? Are you useless?"

【Current permissions insufficient. Redeem 「Abyss Sense」 as soon as possible.】

"No s**t!" Lin Yuan rolled his eyes, pushing himself up from the rock with a wince—his legs were wobbly, and his arms still throbbed. He gripped his blood-stained bone club tight, knuckles turning white. Complaining wouldn’t save him; he had to keep hunting, keep grinding points. Every Cyclops he killed was one step closer to Abyss Sense, one step closer to surviving the Monster Tide.

The deeper he ventured into Floor 1, the more terrifying the landscape became. The barren wasteland gradually gave way to jagged rocks and crumbling ruins—broken walls covered in black moss, collapsed houses with rotting wood, and even a rusted, half-buried car that looked like it had been torn apart by monsters. The air smelled of rot and iron, and the blood-red sky loomed overhead, making the whole world feel like a living nightmare.

Cold sweat broke out on Lin Yuan’s back. "The Abyss is swallowing the real world?"

【When the Abyss expands, it consumes real-world matter, permanently erasing it.】

"f**k!" Lin Yuan clenched his fists so tight his nails dug into his palms, rage surging in his chest. He hadn’t even gotten revenge on the people who ruined his life—he couldn’t let the world end like this. "Can we stop it? There’s no way I’m dying before I get payback!"

【Kill an Abyss Core or Lord to suppress expansion temporarily. They reside in the Deep Abyss (below Floor 30), with extreme combat power.】

【Reminder: Prioritize survival. Do not overestimate yourself.】

Lin Yuan knew the system was right—he could barely handle regular E-Rank Cyclops, let alone an Abyss Lord. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, forcing himself to focus. But just as he muttered to himself, a wet, crunching sound—like bones being gnawed—made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He froze, every muscle tensing, and slowly crept behind a pile of rubble to peek.

In the clearing ahead, a Cyclops was hunched over a mangled corpse, gnawing on its arm. But this wasn’t like the others—it was nearly 2.5 meters tall, its skin a dark, inky gray, and its bone club was thicker than Lin Yuan’s leg, caked in dried black blood. It looked far more ferocious than any Cyclops he’d fought before, its single red eye glowing with hunger.

【Abyss Monster: Cyclops (Elite)】

【Rank: High E-Rank】

【Weak Points: Eye, Back of the Neck, Heart】

【Tip: Elite monsters drop better rewards but are far stronger. Proceed with caution.】

Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed, a mix of fear and greed swirling in his chest. High E-Rank was way out of his league—going head-on would be suicide. But he stared at the monster, thinking of Abyss Sense and the approaching Monster Tide. Better drops meant faster points, meant surviving. Greed won out over fear—he had to take this risk.

He spotted a rickety, cracked wall next to the clearing. A plan formed. "I’ll outsmart you."

Lin Yuan hurled a rock at rubble on the far side of the clearing. "c***k!" The Elite Cyclops froze, growling and lumbering toward the noise—dumb as a rock, just as he’d hoped.

The second it stepped under the wall, Lin Yuan charged, slamming his shoulder into it. "BOOM!" The wall collapsed, pinning the monster under rubble. It roared in rage, shaking the air.

"Now!" Lin Yuan sprinted forward, swinging his rough bone club with all his strength, aiming straight for the Elite Cyclops’ eye—the weak point. But the monster reacted faster than he expected, lifting its forearm to block. The club slammed into its arm with a crunch, but only a faint white mark appeared. "Holy s**t! Its skin is like steel! How am I supposed to kill this thing?"

In an instant, the rubble exploded into dust. The Elite Cyclops broke free, its red eye blazing with rage, and charged at Lin Yuan—twice as fast as a regular Cyclops. Lin Yuan barely dodged its swinging club; the shockwave from the hit sent him flying backward, slamming into a rock. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his shoulder throbbing in agony.

He clutched his bleeding shoulder, gritting his teeth against the pain, but his eyes never left the monster. He waited for the Elite Cyclops to overextend, its neck exposed for a split second. Lin Yuan seized the chance, hurling his bone club like a spear. It sank into the monster’s neck—but not deep enough, only grazing its flesh. The Cyclops screamed in fury, swinging its massive fist at him.

The fist hit him square in the chest, sending him crashing into a boulder. His vision blurred, blood pouring from his lips, and he could barely breathe. "I can’t die here... not yet..." He roared in his head, slamming his fist into the ground to push himself up. "System! Do something! I’m gonna get killed!"

【Emergency Protocol: Consume 50 Abyss Points to boost all attributes by 50% for 5 minutes. Execute?】

"EXECUTE!"

【Abyss Points -50】

【Temporary Boost Activated!】

A scorching hot energy flooded his body in an instant—every ache and pain vanished, and his muscles bulged with raw power. His speed and strength skyrocketed, and his vision sharpened, letting him see every move the Elite Cyclops made. Lin Yuan shot up to his feet, a savage grin spreading across his blood-stained face. He charged the monster head-on, dodging its club with ease and slamming a fist into its gut.

"BOOM!" The punch landed with a loud crash, and the Elite Cyclops doubled over, spitting black blood all over the ground. Lin Yuan didn’t let up—he grabbed the monster’s arm, swinging it around and slamming it face-first into the rock. He pinned it down, throwing punch after punch at its eye, until the monster’s struggles grew weaker and weaker.

【Elite Cyclops ×1 Killed】

【Abyss Points +25】

【Obtained: Intact Cyclops Core ×1, Elite Bone Club ×1】

【Temporary Boost Expired.】

Exhaustion crashed over him the second the boost expired, and he slid down the Elite Cyclops’ corpse, gasping for air. His body ached all over, and his hands were shaking, but he couldn’t stop grinning—he’d killed a High E-Rank Elite! He checked his system panel, his eyes lighting up when he saw his points: 52 total, a net loss of 25, but the reward was worth it. His gaze fell on the Elite Bone Club at his feet, and he reached for it, his heart racing with excitement.

【Elite Bone Club】

【Quality: Basic (Low)】

【Attack: +15】

【Special Effect: 10% extra damage to E-Rank monsters.】

"Jackpot!" He picked up the Elite Bone Club, swinging it lightly—it was perfectly balanced, far lighter than his old one but ten times more powerful. He could feel the energy pulsing from it, and a wide smile spread across his face. With this club, killing Cyclops would be a piece of cake. He crushed the Intact Cyclops Core in his palm, feeling the energy surge into his body, and checked his points again—82 total. "Only 118 more points for Abyss Sense. I can do this."

He glanced at the system timer—40 minutes left until the Safe Zone collapsed. "No rest. I need to grind more points, fast." Lin Yuan forced himself up, gripping the Elite Bone Club tight. His body still ached, but his resolve was stronger than ever—he had to get Abyss Sense before the Monster Tide hit. Every step he took was wobbly, but he kept moving, deeper into the ruins, ready to hunt more monsters.

What he didn’t know was that a thin wisp of black mist had curled up from the Elite Cyclops’ corpse, swirling silently into the dark sky. The mist vanished into the blood-red clouds, and in the distance, a low, menacing roar echoed—deep, powerful, and far more terrifying than any Cyclops. A far greater danger was closing in on him, and he had no idea it was coming.