"Wait! I don't think we should trust him so easily."
Goron turned toward the voice. "What do you suggest, Velvet?"
The speaker was a girl with blood-red hair cascading down her back. Her beauty rivaled that of Lyria, but her aura radiated arrogance and a chilling, predatory bloodlust.
"I'll observe him and evaluate his behavior. If he doesn't meet the standard… I'll take care of it." Velvet didn't finish her sentence. She simply drew her thumb across her throat.
"Velvet's right," another man chimed in, holding a vegetable knife like it was a dagger. "If he's the one from the prophecy, he'll show it. If not… better to kill him now."
Goron groaned, rubbing his forehead. "You people… Fine. But we're sticking to the plan we practiced. Understood?"
"Uhm!"
"Got it!"
"Hehehe…"
From afar, Rover watched the villagers huddled together in a secretive circle, whispering amongst themselves.
Now and then, one would glance at him with curiosity. Others looked at him with outright bloodlust.
Rover scratched his head, clearly confused.
Just then, Goron stepped forward with a wide, overly friendly grin.
"Hahaha… Welcome to Abyss Village—ah no, I mean Abisa Village! Hahaha…"
"My name is Goron, village chief of Abisa! Hahaha…"
Rover: "…"
Goron: "…"
Silence.
Rover didn't know what to make of it. In his past life, he never logged into the game, so he had no idea if this weird intro was normal.
"Uh… you…" Rover finally broke the awkward silence. "Do you have any quests or… advice for me?"
"Ah! Hahahaha…" Goron suddenly burst into laughter. "Young man, would you like to become an Abyss Lord?"
Rover: "…"
"Huh?!"
The man laughed as he spoke, "I've studied human culture thoroughly and documented everything right here."
"Ah! Christoro, you arrived at just the right time." Goron beamed, his sycophantic smile completely at odds with his age and rugged appearance. "You're the one I trust most—quick, tell me, what should we do now?"
Christoro chuckled and shook his head. He pulled out a thick book, flipped through a few pages, and said, "First, we should start with simple quests—ones that provide a reward after completion."
"Ah! That's easy enough." Goron nodded. "Just like the Adventurers' Guilds in human cities, right?"
"Wait!" Christoro cut in sharply. "It's not just that—we also need to make the rewards attractive. Enough to motivate him to take on the quests."
"Hmm…" Goron frowned. "But all we've got are Abyss Crystals, right?"
"You idiot." Velvet scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "We could just use weapons or potions as rewards instead."
"She's right," Christoro added with a grin. "If we give him Abyss Crystals, he'll get suspicious right away. Human-made weapons will do the trick."
"But… where are we supposed to get human weapons?" Goron scratched his bald head, still frowning.
"Don't worry about that." Christoro waved it off. "Amuno and I can just 'borrow' a few from the human world."
"Then can we just have him kill some rabbits outside the village?" Goron asked.
"Rabbits?" Velvet wrinkled her nose like she just stepped in dung. Her expression practically screamed disdain. "You moron. What's he supposed to learn from killing rabbits? How to skin dinner?"
"I say we let him fight the Rabbit King first."
"What?!" Goron nearly choked. "You said it yourself—he's human! How's a normal human supposed to kill the Rabbit King?!"
"If he's the Chosen One, what's the big deal?" Velvet snapped back. "It's just a Rabbit King! I could wipe it off the map with a flick of my wrist!"
"No way! He's still weak!" Goron shouted, unwilling to back down. "Rabbits!"
"Rabbit King!" Velvet roared.
"Rabbits!"
"Rabbit King!"
"Rabbits!"
From a distance, Rover watched them argue with an expression that mixed confusion and disbelief.
"What the hell is even happening right now?" he muttered. "Seriously, what is wrong with this place?"
He sighed. "If I'd known things were going to be this weird… I would've read the newbie guide before logging in."
That's right—there was a newbie guide.
But Rover had been too focused on getting stronger, too eager to seize his second chance. He logged in without any preparation at all.
Christoro watched the argument between Goron and Velvet and could only sigh. "You two are acting like children. Just let him kill some rabbits first, and then fight the Rabbit King. Simple."
"Ah! You're right." Goron grinned. "Christoro, you really are the clever one. Unlike that red demon over there."
"OY! Who are you calling a red demon?!" Velvet snapped, her crimson eyes blazing like they were about to shoot fire.
"All right, all right!" Christoro held up his hands to calm them. "Enough with the bickering."
"We'll stick with this plan for now—give him some simple quests and stall for time. Amuno and I will head to the human world to grab some supplies."
At his cue, a hulking, shirtless man stepped forward. He wore nothing but an apron, carried a butcher's knife, and had the face of a lion with a thick beard that looked more like a mane.
"Amuno, come with me to the human realm."
Amuno's face lit up. "Ah! The human world, hahaha! I've always wanted to go, but Goron kept locking me up in this dump."
"Finally, I get to see what it's like!"
Without another word, Christoro raised his hand, and the book he was holding floated into the air, expanding into a massive, ancient tome.
The pages parted like a grand gateway, revealing a portal—an entirely different dimension hidden within the parchment.
Christoro and Amuno stepped into the book, and with a flicker, it vanished, leaving not a trace behind.
Rover watched in awe, muttering to himself, "Was that… spatial magic?"
In his past life, he had fought countless monsters and powerful players—but never had he seen anyone use spatial magic like that. Not even close.
As he stood there stunned, Goron finally approached with a warm grin. "Hahaha! Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Adventurer, your arrival is like the light of the Abyss God—no, like a sun that warms this village."
"Lately, horned rabbits and the One-Horned Rabbit King have been causing chaos in the area. It's brought us to the brink of despair. Will you help us drive them back?"
"If you can bring me ten Horned Rabbit Horns and the horn of the Rabbit King, I'll reward you with something special."
Rover's eyes lit up. Now this felt like a real fantasy RPG.
"Of course!" he replied with a grin.
Goron pointed toward Velvet. "This young lady is Velvet, a member of our village. She'll accompany you and act as your guide."
"WHAT?!" Velvet snapped, her voice rising in protest. "Why me?!"
"Shh!" Goron motioned for silence, lowering his voice. "Didn't you say you wanted to observe him? To see if he's really the one from the prophecy? Well, here's your chance."
"Tsk! Fine." Velvet clicked her tongue but nodded. "Yes… I'll be your guide."
Rover was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected an NPC to personally guide him. In his previous life, he never heard of any players getting this kind of treatment.
Seems like this game really goes all-in for new players, he thought. But then again… it makes sense. When the game merges with reality, each player becomes a hero.
Maybe… that's the real reason players are so carefully nurtured.
A tinge of regret crept into his heart—regret for having ignored the game in his previous life.
If only I had...
But he shook the thought away.
No. This life will be different.
He stepped forward and extended his hand, following social convention. "Nice to meet you. I'm Rover."
Velvet looked down at his hand with clear discomfort in her eyes—as if it were filthy and unworthy of touching her.
But after a moment, she sighed and reached out, grasping his hand.
"I'm—Ack!"
The moment her hand touched his, her eyes widened. A jolt of something—like an electric shock—rushed through her.
Rover blinked, confused. Velvet stared at him with the same expression. Her cheeks flushed with an almost imperceptible pink.
What... was that? she wondered, stunned. That sensation...
...
[- 0]
[- 0]
[- 0]
Rover stood panting, staring at the horned rabbit in front of him.
It didn't look too different from an ordinary rabbit—except for the crimson crystal horn protruding from its forehead. He'd seen crystals like that all too often in his past life.
But something was off.
He'd landed several clean punches—but the creature hadn't taken any damage.
It just sat there, head tilted, staring at him with curious, innocent eyes.
"What the hell is going on?" Rover muttered. "In my last life, even with a garbage class, I could kill a goblin in one hit. But now…"
He clenched his teeth, pulled back, and threw another punch.
It was flawless—perfect form, perfect force. A punch honed over hundreds of thousands of repetitions, the signature of a seasoned fighter.
The air whistled as his fist flew forward.
BAM!
[- 0]
"What the hell?!" Rover recoiled as the damage number floated above the rabbit's head.
Zero damage.
His punch had landed squarely—he felt it. But it stopped the moment it touched the rabbit's fur, as if an invisible wall had blocked the force entirely.
The horned rabbit tilted its head again, giving him a look full of innocent confusion. It looked less like it was in danger—and more like it thought Rover was waving at it.
Rover frowned. Something was definitely off. Then it hit him—something he'd overlooked.
"System," he commanded mentally. "Open personal status screen."
With a chime, his interface unfolded before his eyes.
.....
Name: Rover
Level: 0
ATK: 10 | STR: 15 | AGI: 12 | INT: 2
Class: Abyss Arbiter | Rank: ???
Talents:
Bosses Harvest: You can only gain EXP by killing bosses.Curse of the Abyss: Damage to normal monsters is reduced by 99%.Blessing of the Abyss: Damage to bosses is increased 100x (x100).Solitary Path: Cannot learn skills from books or NPCs unless they belong to the Abyss branch. Only usable skills are those unlocked through Abyss Key or Boss Souls.
Skill:
Basic Abyssal Fist – Basic physical skill | Damage = 100% ATK + (25% STR)
....
Rover skimmed through the information, and everything seemed normal—until his eyes landed on one talent.
Curse of the Abyss.
"What the hell is this?!" he shouted. "99% reduced damage to normal monsters?! System, are you seriously screwing with me right now?!"