22 Chapter 21: Abyss (1/2)

Drip…drip…drip…

”Oh, shut up…”

Mumbling, I struggled to sit up. Holding my head, I winced as I listened to the annoying sound of dripping water. Not far off, it seems like there was a stream flowing. I blinked and shuddered as a cool breeze blew past me, noticing the drop in temperature.

Damn, but it was cold.

”Where the hell am I?”

Cocking my head from side to side to relieve the stiffness in my neck, I glanced around at my new surroundings. Climbing to my feet, I suddenly felt a sharp pain stabbing my body, and almost toppled over. Huffing, I steadied myself.

”Whoa…”

Shaking my head to clear the pain and grogginess, I took stock of my surroundings. As expected, the abyss was dark, slight illuminated by mysterious luminous qi stones that were embedded throughout the rocky walls surrounding me. Just ahead was a narrow river that was about ten meters wide, but otherwise snaked left and right for as far as I could see, disappearing into a distance. An underwater stream, perhaps? Had I fallen into an underground creek?

And then I realized how wet I was. No wonder I was feeling so cold. My drenched clothes clung to me, sapping away my body heat at a frightening rate and causing chills o run throughout me. Gritting my teeth, I wrapped my arms around me as my teeth chattered, shivering violently.

My vision was blurry, but after a while I realized that it was because the lenses of my glasses were dripping. Since my clothing was wet, I couldn't wipe them dry. In any case, I was surprised that I didn't lose my glasses during the fall…

Wait, fall? That's right! I was falling after the bridge collapsed, after that fucking Qi Fu Ren betrayed me and attacked me when I was distracting the Behemoth! How…?

Then everything came back to me. I survived the fall from the bridge above thanks to sheer luck. Normally, there was no way I could survive such a fall from a great height, but somewhere while falling, I had encountered a waterfall that was running off some cliff. I had almost blacked out when I slammed into the water, but thankfully the tension in the water had already been broken by the falling debris of the destroyed bridge, or the impact would have killed me.

Most people didn't know, but you could still die if you hit water after falling from such a great height. Contrary to what most movies would have you believe, striking water after plummeting from a great height would kill you instantly because the force would be equivalent to hitting solid ground or rock. What killed the faller would be the tension of the water. Fortunately, there was a way to circumvent it. If the tension had already been broken by something else prior – for example, the descending debris of a bridge or building, then falling into the water wouldn't kill you.

Or so the theory went.

”Ugh…”

I clutched my head. Somehow, after hitting the water, I was carried away by its flow and swept along by countless waterfalls. The journey wasn't a smooth, fluid one. There were obstacles in the way, like rocks in the middle of the underground river. Unable to control my movements, and overpowered by the vicious currents, I was carried along right into a rock. Upon colliding with it (and various other things), I had blacked out.

And now, it seemed that I had finally been washed ashore. Given how I was a meter or two away from the river, I judged that I must have unconsciously pulled myself out to save myself from a watery death the moment the currents relaxed. I wasn't good at swimming, so I might really have drowned if I continued to allow myself to be swept away.

”Br…”

I still couldn't control my violent shivering. It was cold. Too cold. It was as if I had been immediately plunged into the middle of a Minnesotan winter, without the right gear. All I had on was the Wu Ling Academy uniform.

Damn…at this rate, I might catch hypothermia…

I had to find a way to warm my body up. Staggering forward, I made a small base camp by the river and found a place to sit down. Meditating, I began to direct the flow of qi within my body, attempting to warm myself up with my vitality.

How did Teacher Jiao teach me to control and convert my qi again…?

That was when I realized that the surrounding atmosphere was saturated with dense, thick natural qi. This was a great place for cultivation. I guess this was what one could call fortune within misfortune.

But it would still be pretty terrible luck if I couldn't make use of the resources provided to me. Clamping down on my teeth to stop them from chattering, I tried to take my mind off the chills that ravaged my body and focused on directing my qi. Absorbing the rich natural essence from the air, I began to convert it into qi to nourish my vitality.

To warm myself up, I have to focus on producing yang qi…

The fiery element of yang qi, the other side of cold yin qi. If I could produce enough of it, I should be able to create a small spark of fire…

Whoosh…

I didn't know how long it took, or how much time I spent meditating, but before I knew it, the water drenching my clothes was turning into steam. Even the water running down the lenses of my wet glasses evaporated instantly, the black plastic frame growing warm as it absorbed the heat. My body warmed up as my ferocious yang qi surged throughout it, the amount gradually increasing when I converted and added more of the natural essence into yang qi.

”Whoa! That's hot! Ugh!”

Realizing that I got too carried away, I began going in the other direction and focused on converting a tiny amount of essence into yin qi. There had to be a balance. Too much yang qi and I would burn myself out. Moreover, I did not have much affinity with the fire element. Hell, I probably didn't have affinity with any element, which explained my One Star Constitution. Although I could produce basic flames or heat, I wasn't able to properly employ them in an authentic martial arts attack. I could probably throw Fire Punches, but the amount of heat I generated was negligible and probably wouldn't hurt an opponent who was a martial artist and had improved elemental resistance over normal people who had never learned martial arts.

But at least my clothes were now dry and I had warmed up quite a bit. After counteracting some of my excessive yang qi with a bit of yin qi to balance out the equilibrium of qi within my body, I rose to my feet again. There was no point spending too much time sitting around and meditating. I had to find a way out of this place.

”I fell from quite a huge height…is there any way for me to get back up there?”

I glanced around, but there was no sign of stairs or anything that would lead me back up to Sen Lin Forest or wherever I fell from. The walls in the distance was a sheer drop, too steep for me to scale. The cavern itself was too vast, almost like a forest in itself. I wouldn't be surprised if it was part of Sen Lin Forest, to be honest. I could walk around for days and still not find a damned stairs or clue that would lead me back to the surface.

Was there no way for me to return?

A sudden spike of despair stabbed me. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, trying not to give into the tears that threatened to well up in my eyes. This wasn't the time to cry. It wasn't…really, but I couldn't help myself.

I was all alone, in the middle of nowhere, cut off from my classmates. Betrayed by the fucker who bullied me, and left for dead. I couldn't help but despair when I thought about my miserable predicament. Did that fucker really want me dead? Was I doomed to suffer like this? Why was God so cruel to me? not only did I suffer the humiliation of being a One Star Constitution cultivator, I had to endure condescending looks and treatment from other students in Wu Ling Academy, I became unable to retaliate against bullying – and that same fucking bully was the one who almost killed me with his betrayal – and now I was thrown into an abyss despite doing my best to save everyone by distracting the Behemoth.

I helped everyone and this was the thanks I received? How was this fair? Why did I, despite working so hard, remain in such a miserable state, while everyone enjoyed the benefits of their talent? Why was I the one who suffered so much and got sacrificed, even when they were the ones with all the talent and by right should be stalling the Behemoth instead of me?

Why? Why? Why? Why?

”UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!”

I let out a roar of rage and despair. This wretched fate…the unfair Heavens or God, this horrible destiny…I will overturn it all. I will go against Fate and the Heavens if I had to. I will take my fortune back with my own two hands.

And I will get revenge on that bastard Qi Fu Ren and absolutely destroy him. He thought he was finally rid of me? I will show him. I will survive this no matter what and return to the surface. Then I will crush him.

Clenching my fists, I allowed my fury to motivate me, to push me out of despair. Now that I had a goal, I had to put that determination into action. Sucking in a deep breath to calm myself down, I opened my eyes, wiped the tears away and glared at the distant walls.

”I'll be fine. I'll find a way. I'll definitely find a way.”

Now that I had calmed down and regained my composure, I began to explore the cavern and look for a way up. I wasn't sure far underground I was in, but I was certain that I was still somewhere within the geographical space of Sen Lin Forest. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be one of those ruins we were in search of. If that was the case, there had to be a way out.

However, as I progressed, I noticed that the cavern I was inside was less of a manmade structure and resembled more of an underground forest. For one thing, it was vast, with trees clustered before my path. If I wanted to find a way out of this godforsaken place, I had no choice but to traverse the strange forest.

How are the trees alive down here?

Some kind of magical ecosystem? There was no sun down here, so it was unlikely that the trees relied on photosynthesis. Then again, I had no idea how the biology of the world in this timeline worked. It was entirely possible that these trees were nourished by the dense, rich essence or qi that saturated the air in the cave. Already I felt stronger just from meditating for a bit by the shore. What more could be said for the trees, which had been here for years? Possibly centuries, or even millennia?

This world is really full of fascinating stuff…

I nodded as I glanced around, impressed.

While I was a little apprehensive about entering the forest, I found to my benefit that the trees provided a lot of cover. If anything dangerous popped out, I could immediately dive and hide behind a tree. Aware of how treacherous the forest was, and still unsure about how deep underground I was in and thus the strength of the monsters and magical beasts that dwelled within them, I maintained an uneasy caution and traveled stealthily from tree to tree.

I didn't know how long I walked for. After what felt like hours, I was beginning to feel slightly exhausted. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to rest. Taking a deep breath, I advanced another step, only to stop.

”Eh?”

There was a wide clearing in front of me. Surrounded by trees, it was a little bare other than the carpet of green grass that covered the soil. There wasn't anything of interest, but it did seem like a good spot to set up camp and rest…

At least that was what I thought, until I noticed the other presence in the clearing.

”!”

I quickly dove toward the nearest tree and sought cover under it. Closing my eyes, I breathed a few times to calm down, then carefully peeked out from behind a huge root. Straight ahead, right at the edge of a clearing, was single creature that hopped into view. At first I thought I had seen wrongly, that it wasn't a magical beast, for it resembled nothing more than a big ball of white fur. Then I caught sight of the long ears.

Is that…a Lunar Rabbit?

Relying on my knowledge of magical beasts, I identified the creature as a Lunar Rabbit. As I had read in the encyclopedia, the creature was the size of a medium-sized hound, with heavily muscled hind legs that it used for kicking. However, it differed greatly from the images in the encyclopedia. For one thing, I didn't remember seeing the dark red lines that ran along its body, like veins bulging and sticking out of its fur. The red lines also pulsated ominously in the darkness, almost glowing, and I could sense a thick demonic aura emanating from the creature.

The Lunar Rabbit…is it corrupted by demonic qi?

That was the only explanation…no wonder I instinctively felt fear. Its sheer presence was overpowering and suffocating, almost like a demon was closing its claw around my heart. There was also something unnerving about the Lunar Rabbit, from the predatory manner in which it sniffed the air and glanced around menacingly with glowing, crimson eyes.

Yeah, that was definitely a dangerous monster. I sure as hell didn't want to approach a demonic beast like that. Briefly considering my options, I decided to stay hidden and wait for the corrupted Lunar Rabbit to leave. Closing my eyes, I slid back against the tree and waited patiently. Since I was at it, I might as well make use of this time to rest.

Lunar Rabbit, huh?

I remembered that there was a Lunar Rabbit Sect. Tu Zi Yi had joined that sect, and I remembered how it was a poor, pitiful sect that was barely able to survive with the few resources it had. Initially I wondered why the hell would a sect name themselves after such a nonthreatening beast, but now that I had actually seen the Lunar Rabbit in the flesh, I knew that it was far from harmless.

That thing was dangerous! I didn't know how much of it was due to the demonic qi corrupting it, but I sure as hell wasn't going near it to find out.

Wait…! What if the demonic qi that corrupted it…is from this very atmosphere!?

I had been nourishing myself with the natural essence from the cavern's air. If it turned out to be demonic essence – that explained why it was so dense and rich – wouldn't I end up corrupting myself like the Lunar Rabbit and turning into a demonic monster?

My heart began to pound. I didn't want to turn into a monster…

”!!”

I was suddenly aware that the Lunar Rabbit's movements had somewhat changed a little. It was sniffing the air, its heavy breathing thunderous against the silence that permeated the strange forest. Its ears stiffened as it stood up straight and rigidly, as if listening for something.

Crap! Can it hear me? Am I breathing too loudly?!

A stupid thought occurred to me. Perhaps the Lunar Rabbit could hear the ferocious pounding of my panicking heart…or it could somehow sense the disturbance in my emotions when I dreaded turning into a monster like it.

Yeah, I mean…any normal human would panic, so stop blaming me for having such idiotic thoughts. Put yourself in a similar dangerous situation like mine, and see if you can stop your fear and panic and think rationally, you damned edgelords!

I pressed myself against the tree, praying fervently. I forced myself to calm down, in the unlikely scenario that the Lunar Rabbit could hear my pounding heart (nah, it was more likely that it would hear my heavy breathing before it would ever hear my heartbeat) or sense the emotions, so that I could minimize my presence.

Fortunately, the Lunar Rabbit's attention was focused not on me but something else.

”Gr…!”

At the sound, I couldn't help but curiously peeked out again. This time, I caught sight of a Silverback Wolf slinking out of the forest, growling fiercely. It was almost identical to the Silverback Wolves that I had seen and fought against in the outer regions of Sen Lin Forest. Except for one difference. Like the Lunar Rabbit, this particular Silverback Wolf had been corrupted by demonic qi. It possessed the same pulsating dark red lines all over its body, standing out visibly against its armored, silver fur. I was pretty sure the Silverback Wolves that my class and I encountered in the outer regions of Sen Lin Forest did not have those vein-like lines.

I moved my hand to draw my short sword on reflex, only to find that it was missing.

Ah…that's right. My sword broke.

Now I remembered. When attacking the Behemoth and stabbing its eye, the blade of my short sword had shattered. I was completely unarmed.

Well, it's not as if the magical beasts are attacking me…for now, I'll just stay hidden.

Just when I thought that, I heard a few more growls. To my surprise, four more Silverback Wolves – each sporting the same demonic red lines that pulsed all over their bristling muscles – loped out of the bushes and trees to join their comrade.

Pushing my glasses up, I watched the situation while being safely hidden. No matter how I looked at it, it was clear that the Silverback Wolves had an advantage over the Lunar Rabbit. They would absolutely rip the poor thing apart with their claws, teeth and numbers. Not only that, having fought the Silverback Wolves, I was highly aware of their silverback fur armor, which was impervious to blade. The Lunar Rabbit possessed neither fang nor claw, and didn't seem to possess any way of fighting those Silverback Wolves.

It was going to be one-sided.

Not that I sympathized with the ”poor” Lunar Rabbit, of course…I couldn't afford to feel pity for a demonic creature that might very well kill me.

”Ku!”

The Lunar Rabbit was not intimidated at all. With a cute cry, it leaped into the air and spun about. In a single, fluid motion, it delivered a roundhouse kick to the first Silverback Wolf before it could even react, smacking the lupine creature's head with its massive legs.

Crack…

My jaw dropped as the thunderous sound echoed throughout the forest. The Lunar Rabbit's kick had struck true. And the next moment, the Silverback Wolf collapsed, its neck bent at an unnatural angle. The Lunar Rabbit's kick had snapped the wolf's spine.

Holy…!

I blinked a few times, unable to believe my eyes.

The Lunar Rabbit was far from done, however.

It was still spinning in the air. Making use of its momentum from the roundhouse kick, the rabbit slowly whirled around in midair, and then as if kicking off something invisible, launched itself at its next foe. The second Silverback Wolf never saw the attack coming. Before it could even turn around, the Lunar Rabbit's leg slammed into the side of its face.

SNAP!

Again, the Silverback Wolf's neck was snapped cleanly by that vicious kick, and it fell onto the ground, twitching in its death throes.

Amazing…

Despite myself, I couldn't help but admire the Lunar Rabbit. Despite its numerically superior foes, it was killing them with superior martial arts. I realized that this was actually a terrible matchup for the Silverback Wolves, which relied on their fur armor to protect themselves. That armor meant nothing when their opponent did not use sharp weapons, fangs or claws to fight. The Lunar Rabbit was pulverizing them with sheer strength, using raw muscle to break their necks. It didn't need to penetrate their armor – and the Silverback Wolves' fur offered no protection against overwhelming blunt force.

Even though I was supposedly an intellectually superior human, there was still a lot of things I could learn from the magical creature. The Lunar Rabbit was actually using martial arts…did the Lunar Rabbit Sect specialize in kicks, then?

But it wasn't over yet. As the Lunar Rabbit landed, two of the remaining Silverback Wolves pounced on it, thinking it was most vulnerable. As before, they still maintained their cunning and weren't about to miss such a golden opportunity.

However, the Lunar Rabbit wasn't the least fazed. Having landed on its hands rather than its legs, it did a handstand and whirled about like a tornado. Its two heavily muscled hind legs lashed out and caught the two Silverback Wolves in their jaws. Before I realized what happened, the two Silverback Wolves were flung back and struck a couple of trees with such colossal impact that they actually broke the trunks in half, and were buried under the collapsed wood. Blood leaked out from their corpses, spreading out into a pool underneath the fallen trees.

The last Silverback Wolf growled and raised its tail, accumulating a frightening amount of qi into it. I realized that it was about to use a long-range elemental qi technique. Immediately, the temperature plummeted as icicles materialized above it.

The Silverback Wolf can actually use long-range elemental qi techniques?! But the ones in the outer region of Sen Lin Forest couldn't…ah, that's right…

I suddenly recalled a passage from the encyclopedia. High-level magical beasts could use qi techniques, which were basically akin to magical spells in a more fantasy-like setting. Even within the same species, certain members had survived and fought long enough to…”level up”, if you will, and obtained the ability to use qi techniques.

This particular Silverback Wolf was an example of that. It was obviously of a much higher level or cultivation stage than its brethren.

”Gr…!”