181: Bottomless Abyss

About thirty kilometers north of Mount Melk, at a depth of tens of thousands of meters underground, there exists a place known as the "Bottomless Abyss."

Due to its unique magnetic field and air pressure, the gravitational pull there far exceeds that of the surface. It is one of the deepest known caves in the Human World and the only legendary mining site for "melks stardust."

The Bottomless Abyss is notorious for having one of the highest danger levels in the Human World. The beasts inhabiting this place have an average capture rank exceeding 50.

Thud!

With a soft sound, Lin Luo's figure descended quietly from the air, landing steadily on the edge of the Bottomless Abyss, which looked like a massive wound. He leaned over and looked down; his field of vision met only a profound, lightless darkness, with no bottom in sight.

The structure below resembled a subterranean canyon that had been split wide open. On the steep stone walls of both sides, countless coarse rock "beams" grew naturally. They were crisscrossed and layered, forming a subterranean maze so complex it was dizzying, extending all the way down into the unknowable abyss.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Luo leaped into the darkness.

The most terrifying aspect of the Bottomless Abyss was its abnormally powerful gravity. This gravity not only imposed a heavy physical burden on intruders but also generated immense mental pressure that directly affected one's autonomic nervous system, enough to cause those with weak minds to collapse.

However, for Lin Luo, as long as he maintained that flexible yet powerful energy shield around his body, the external gravitational influence was significantly weakened, becoming almost nonexistent.

Consequently, his descent speed was astonishingly fast, like a meteor falling into the abyss, unimpeded all the way.

After descending for an unknown distance, the surrounding air suddenly became murky. A nauseating, thick scent—a mixture of beastly body odor and blood—began to permeate the area.

At the same time, Lin Luo noticed that dense, honeycomb-like caves began to appear on the stone walls on both sides.

Within these caves lived a terrifying creature—they were covered in an incredibly heavy, metallic-lustered hard shell to resist the horrific gravity of this place. Most bizarrely, they possessed two heads, each with only a single, vertical, gloomily red-glowing eye.

Barbamos, a mammalian beast, capture rank 44.

These subterranean predators had clearly sensed the intrusion of the uninvited guest, Lin Luo. They crawled out of their respective nests one after another, emitting low, threatening growls, their single eyes flashing with greed and violence.

However, their reactions and speed were simply too slow compared to Lin Luo's descent.

Before they could even gather or attempt a pursuit, that figure enveloped in a faint glow flashed past them like a phantom, quickly disappearing into the deeper darkness below, leaving behind only a group of two-headed monsters staring blankly and growling irritably.

A moment later.

"Tap."

A slight but clear sound of landing echoed at the bottom of the deathly silent abyss.

Lin Luo stood at the bottom of the Bottomless Abyss. All around was absolute darkness and silence where one couldn't even see their own hand, with only the faint glow around him dispelling a small circle of Chaos.

Recalling the scene before he left, he couldn't help but curl his lips.

Although he had personally guaranteed there would be no danger, he still felt a bit disgruntled when Erina stopped trying to dissuade him for the sake of that stardust seasoning.

"...So, in the end, I was still sold out for 'deliciousness'." Standing at the bottom of the abyss, Lin Luo shook his head helplessly.

However, despite complaining about his partner's "pragmatism" and "fickleness," he knew in his heart that Erina wasn't unconcerned; she just preferred to believe in his abilities, and... the pursuit of ultimate deliciousness was forever an irresistible instinct for her.

"Alright, let's find the items first." He focused his mind, and the spiritual light at his fingertips converged into a brighter probing beam, beginning to scan this unknown Domain. Clues about the First Generation Melk, the "melks stardust," and the secrets hidden within this abyss... he had to find them all.

"Hmm? What's that over there? It's so bright!"

Before walking very far, Lin Luo discovered a soft pink light flashing from a corner of jagged rocks ahead and to the side.

That light was very conspicuous in the absolute darkness, crystal clear, like a grove of gemstones growing naturally in the dark.

He walked closer, and his glow illuminated the area.

He saw several peculiar creatures living there—their entire bodies were covered in crystal-clear shells that resembled the purest rubies, refracting a charming luster under the dim light.

They had a pair of large, shiny eyes that turned curiously. Most striking was the pair of huge front claws, also composed of "ruby," which looked both fierce and magnificent.

Ruby Crab.

Due to living in the extreme gravity environment of the Bottomless Abyss for a long time, their shells had become highly mineralized to resist the pressure, forming a true gemstone layer.

capture rank 46.

Besides the reportedly exceptionally delicious crab meat wrapped beneath the shell, the naturally formed "ruby shell" itself was a top-tier collectible that countless wealthy people dreamed of.

"They're quite beautiful," Lin Luo remarked as he looked at the several shimmering crabs. They seemed attracted by his glow but kept a safe distance, their large, jewel-like eyes staring at him without blinking. "If I collect some to take back, they should really like them."

As this thought arose, several figures involuntarily surfaced in his mind. Erina's tsundere appearance appeared, followed by more familiar faces flashing through his heart.

Kato Megumi, who always wore a faint, indifferent smile; Kirisu Mafuyu, stern on the outside but soft on the inside; Yukinoshita Yukino, as cold as snow; and the gentle, considerate Shiina Mahiru... the faces of these girls from different memories flashed by. Thinking that they might like these beautiful Ruby Crab shells, a smile appeared at the corners of Lin Luo's mouth.

With the thought, the few gathered crabs suddenly disappeared, and several stars lit up inside the space of his pendant.

"For now, I definitely have to have a taste."

Lin Luo snapped his fingers, the crisp sound exceptionally clear at the bottom of the deathly silent abyss.

Boom!

A cluster of warm orange-red flames ignited out of thin air, precisely enveloping several Ruby Crabs that were still in a state of confusion.

The flames danced, the temperature perfectly controlled so it would neither char the tender meat under the shell nor fail to instantly penetrate that hard gemstone layer to transmit heat evenly.

After a moment, an indescribable scent, mixed with a certain mineral-like pure fragrance, spread out like ripples, dispelling a portion of the surrounding murky beastly smell.

The flames extinguished.

Lin Luo grabbed the huge Ruby Crab that had been roasted just right.

Its surface ruby shell had become somewhat brittle after the high temperature.

He tapped it with his finger, and with a few "cracks," those priceless "rubies" shattered and peeled off like eggshells, revealing the true essence inside—crystal-clear crab meat as warm and moist as top-grade white jade, now emitting tempting steam and an increasingly rich, fresh fragrance.

The meat was firm and plump, with clear textures; just looking at it made one's mouth water.

Lin Luo tore off a large piece of crab meat and put it into his mouth.

Instantly, his taste buds felt as if they were being baptized by the purest ocean tides and sweet springs simultaneously.

"Sweet... delicious."

He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, giving a simple yet powerful evaluation.

That sweetness wasn't the sweetness of sugar, but originated from the ultimate concentration of the crab meat's own umami, carrying a unique crispness nurtured by the abyss minerals.

The meat was springy and firm; with every chew, more rich juices and flavors burst forth, full of depth.

One after another, until a small pile of crystal-clear gemstone shells had piled up beside him, Lin Luo finally let out a long breath of satisfaction, making a comfortable sound.

The deliciousness and abundant energy of the Ruby Crabs left him in even better condition.

Just then—

Rumble...!

A dull vibration like rolling thunder came from beneath his feet. The entire bottom of the abyss seemed to tremble, and dust on the rock walls rustled down.

Lin Luo's gaze sharpened, and his Divine Sense instantly spread out like a net.

Rumble...!

The dull vibration came again, and the entire abyss was shaking. Out of the smoke and dust, a massive and hideous figure suddenly charged out!

That monster had a body and four hooves as thick as a bull's, with a pair of curved bull horns on its head, but its head was like a scorpion's, with two eyeballs emitting a terrifying red light.

Most bizarrely, its forelimbs were a pair of scorpion pincers covered in thick armor, with poison hooks at the ends flashing with cold light, and a thick scorpion tail raised high behind it.

It was extremely fast, carrying a foul wind as it crashed straight toward Lin Luo!

Lin Luo had just put away the gems. Seeing this, his gaze sharpened. Without dodging, his feet took root in the ground, his right fist clenched tight, and he threw a punch to meet that terrifying charging body!

Bang! Thud!

Two loud bangs exploded almost simultaneously!

Lin Luo's fist smashed hard into the monster's scorpion pincer, while his left arm simultaneously blocked the scorpion tail's poison needle piercing from the side. The collision of immense power caused the very air to distort.

Boom—!

A visible shockwave suddenly exploded, sweeping in all directions like a hurricane. Several nearby thick stone pillars shattered with a series of cracks; debris flew everywhere, and dust billowed.

The ground beneath both Lin Luo and the monster sank down into a large crater.

The brief stalemate was broken by an even more violent roar!

The monster was completely enraged by Lin Luo's strength. Its scorpion pincer, carrying a whistle that tore through the air, swept horizontally toward Lin Luo's waist!

Lin Luo's reaction was as fast as a ghost. His five-colored glow suddenly brightened, his body rotating half a turn like a top. His right leg was raised high like a battle-axe, carrying the force of ten thousand catties in a downward chop, smashing hard toward that monster's scorpion head!

"Roar!" The monster seemed to have anticipated this strike as well; it actually didn't dodge, instead ramming upward with its bull horns covered in the hardest shell!

Clang—!!!

Another deafening metallic explosion! The collision between the leg and the bull horns actually sprayed out physical sparks!

Lin Luo felt a wave of numbness in his lower leg; the hardness of this monster's shell exceeded his imagination.

And that monster's head was also driven downward by this kick, emitting a dull groan of pain.

Borrowing the force of the recoil, Lin Luo's body flipped lightly backward, opening up a distance of several meters. The monster leaped back almost at the same time, its bull hooves plowing deep furrows into the ground.

Taking advantage of the distance created by the backflip, Lin Luo's eyes turned cold, and his palms met and then separated—

A silver long spear, formed purely of condensed energy and entwined with spiral Qi, appeared abruptly in his hand!

Without the slightest bit of charging or pause, the moment Lin Luo's feet touched the ground, the core strength of his waist and abdomen suddenly erupted. He twisted, swung his arm, and threw!

Whoosh—!!!

The silver spear transformed into a bolt of lightning that tore through the darkness. Carrying a sharp, air-piercing whistle, it shot straight at the monster at a speed difficult for the naked eye to capture!

Puchi!

A sickening dull sound!

The energy spear pierced through the hard chitinous shell and sank deep into the scorpion pincer!

"Roar—!!!"

The long spear dissipated, leaving behind a pitch-black hole.

In its pain, the monster became like an out-of-control heavy chariot. Enveloped in a foul wind and dark red light, it charged furiously. Its scorpion pincers danced wildly in an attack like a violent storm, covering all of Lin Luo's space for evasion!

Instead of retreating, Lin Luo advanced. His figure transformed into a five-colored stream of light, actively crashing into that storm of death!

Clang! Clink! Thud! Boom!

The dense sound of clashing, enough to make one's scalp tingle, instantly resounded through the abyss!

Both sides fought with speed against speed, and ferocity against ferocity!

The five-colored glow and the dark red light eroded and annihilated each other; the dull sounds of fists, feet, pincers, tails, and horn rammings intertwined with energy explosions.

Wherever they passed, the ground cracked, rock pillars were pulverized, and dust and debris were swept into mid-air, only to be turned into powder by even more powerful shockwaves. The entire bottom of the abyss seemed to have turned into a giant mortar, enduring the frantic ravaging of these two "monster" class existences.