The waves of Dock 13 lapped quietly against the reinforced platforms, though every sound felt muted beneath the heavy weight of anticipation. Ethan Cross stood at the center of the harbor, gazing at the horizon where storm clouds brooded over the endless sea. Three chains had been sealed, and the Leviathan stirred with unease in the depths. Only one remained.
But Ethan knew rushing in without preparation was suicide. Too many players had already thrown themselves into the Abyss, lured by promises of glory, only to never return.
This was the calm before the deep. And he would use every second of it.
[System Update: Dock 13 Expansion Unlocked]
Tier III to Tier IV Crafting Stations Available
Defensive Installations Unlocked:
Harpoon Ballistas (Deals 1,199 piercing damage, armor-ignoring, 30s reload)
Abyssal Wards (Reduces sanity damage by 25% for all players in range)
Trade Routes Established – Resource prices fluctuating depending on faction influence.
New NPC Services: Abyssal Scholars, Deep-Sea Navigators, Mercenary Captains
Kaela adjusted the warding sigils carved into the harbor's stones, her expression taut. "We've bought time, Ethan. But the abyss pushes harder every day. If we delay too long, the corruption may spread beyond containment."
Ethan clenched his fist. "That's why we prepare now. Dock 13 has to become more than a stronghold—it has to be the spear tip. If the factions think they can push us around, they'll learn otherwise."
Brandon smirked, leaning on his spear. "About time. I was getting tired of sitting in the shadows while the Magisterium and Shadow Consortium snickered. Let's give them something to worry about."
Game Mechanic Update – Faction Standing (NPC & Player)
Faction Influence: Player-controlled hubs now generate reputation values based on resource control and victories.
Faction Reactions:
Iron Bastion → +15 (Respect for mine and dock control)
Magisterium Arcanum → -20 (Sees Ethan as a threat to magical monopoly)
Shadow Consortium → -25 (Loss of smuggling routes)
Dock 13 Status: Neutral Territory → Rising to Independent Power
Ethan opened his personal crafting interface, the new Tier IV system glowing with dozens of unlocked recipes. Materials from the Verdant Mines and the Sunken Library shimmered within his inventory—Golem's Heartstone, Ink-Soaked Crystals, and veins of Abyssal Iron pulsed with unnatural light.
He tapped into the crafting queue, selecting an experimental weapon blueprint.
[Crafting: Abyssforged Relic Weapon]
Base: Abyssal Iron + Golem's Heartstone Core
Special Materials: Leviathan Scale Fragments (2/3 obtained)
Result: Abyssforged Greatsword – Prototype
ATK: 2,731–2,991
Bonus: +15% damage against abyssal-type enemies
Special: Hunger Drain – Restores 2% HP with every abyssal kill
Crafting Time: 3h 45m
"Goddamn…" Brandon whistled when Ethan showed the glowing schematic. "That thing's practically cheating."
"Not yet," Ethan replied. "It'll need the final fragment to reach its true potential. Until then, we build what we can."
Kaela nodded. "We'll need armor too. The Herald of Hunger nearly broke us. The last chain's guardian will be worse."
NPC Recruitment
The Iron Bastion had dispatched their envoy—a dwarf named Harnic Stonebraid—who arrived with ten heavily armed miners, each carrying siege hammers capable of doubling as weapons.
"You've done good by securing these mines, lad," Harnic said, thumping Ethan's back with a hand like stone. "But ye'll not hold the Abyss off alone. Let us lend ye our strength. We'll forge what's needed and break what must be broken."
Ethan accepted, opening a Recruitment Contract window.
[New Allied NPC Unit: Iron Bastion Siegebreakers]
Level: 48 (x10)
HP: 7,550 each
Special: Siege Hammer Slam (2,101 blunt damage to structures, 917 to enemies)
Passive: +10% mining efficiency when assigned to Verdant Mines
Meanwhile, a cloaked figure approached—the envoy of the Shadow Consortium. He smiled thinly. "Ethan Cross. Word spreads. You've built something valuable here. Dangerous, yes, but profitable. Hand over trade rights, and we'll make sure no one undercuts your prices. Resist, and…"
He left the threat unsaid.
Brandon bristled, but Ethan simply said: "I don't deal with snakes. Get off my dock."
[Reputation with Shadow Consortium decreased by -15. Current: Hostile]
The envoy's smile widened. "So be it. You'll regret this." Then he vanished into the shadows.
Preparations and Drills
Ethan spent the following days orchestrating Dock 13 into a fortress. NPC engineers erected harpoon turrets along the seawalls. Ballista crews trained to fire on abyssal serpents breaching from the waves. Players who joined his faction were drilled in small-scale skirmishes, learning to kite enemies into wards that burned away sanity corruption.
Status windows pinged constantly as new systems updated.
[Faction Bonus: Dock 13 Defensive Readiness +15%]
[Crafting Queue Progress: Abyssforged Greatsword 68% Complete]
Despite progress, unease simmered. NPC fishermen reported unnatural storms circling the trench. Abyssal eels were surfacing closer to shore. And every night, Ethan dreamed of a massive eye staring at him from the abyss, chains breaking one by one.
Minor Skirmish
On the fourth day, the attack came. Not the Leviathan, not yet, but a Shadow Consortium raid.
[Alert: Dock 13 Under Siege – Player Raid Detected]
Dozens of rogue players poured onto the docks, blades flashing. Their goal wasn't victory—it was sabotage. They targeted crafting stations, hoping to cripple Ethan's production lines.
Enemy Player Status: Shadow Consortium Marauder – Level 47
HP: 5,122
Skills:
Backstab (Crit: 1,119 damage)
Shadow Cloak (Stealth +20s)
Poisoned Edge (DoT: 233 damage/sec, 6s duration)
"Defend the forge!" Ethan shouted, activating [Abyssal Chainfield]. Dark chains erupted across the ground, binding three marauders instantly.
Ethan dealt 1,131 damage with Void Rend.
Brandon's spear pierced another raider: 951 damage (Critical).
Kaela unleashed Radiant Burst, reducing the swarm's numbers with 1,233 AoE holy damage.
The enemy retaliated viciously. Ethan took a dagger in the ribs.
Ethan HP: -1,119 (Remaining: 7,601/8,720)
The battle dragged on for minutes, but the combination of Iron Bastion Siegebreakers and harpoon turrets broke the raiders' momentum.
[System Notification: Dock 13 successfully defended.]
Faction Bonus: Reputation with Local NPC Towns +10. Shadow Consortium Enmity +20.]
The last marauder fell screaming into the sea, pulled under by an abyssal eel.
Aftermath
Exhausted, the team gathered at the forge as the Abyssforged Greatsword finished crafting. Ethan pulled the massive weapon from the anvil, its edge glowing with shifting abyssal runes.
[Abyssforged Greatsword – Prototype Complete]
ATK: 2,991
Bonus: +15% damage vs Abyssal enemies
Special: Hunger Drain (2% HP restored per kill)
Status: Evolving Item – Requires Leviathan Fragment (Final) to awaken true form.
The blade pulsed with life, almost as if it breathed.
Kaela stared. "That weapon… it feels like it's watching us."
Ethan strapped it to his back. "Good. Let it watch. The Leviathan will learn to fear its own abyss."
But as the night fell, another notification echoed across every player's status window.
[Global Announcement]
The final chain weakens. The Abyss stirs. Prepare yourselves—when the last pillar breaks, the Leviathan will rise.
The countdown began: 7 Days Until the Final Descent.