Something was different.
Yuto could feel it crawling under his shell, between his fangs, inside his very soul.
The Abyssal Fragment had unlocked something.
[You have accessed a Hidden Mutation Path.]
[Caution: Evolution beyond this point may render you non-compatible with standard lifeforms.]
[Do you wish to view hidden evolution options?]
[YES] / [NO]
He didn't hesitate.
YES.
The evolution screen reappeared—but now, beneath the original tree of Venom Fang paths and Acid Crawlers, a new branch pulsed in sickly violet light.
It wasn't just a line. It was a web.
A chaotic spiral of strange forms, broken names, and incomplete data. As if even the system didn't fully understand what it was offering.
At the center, one node glowed brighter than the rest:
[Abyss-Blood Broodling] (Locked)
A creature fused with raw chaos from the Abyss. Neither insect nor beast. A thing that should not be.
Requires: Abyssal Core Fragment consumed (✓)
Requires: Survival of a Predator-class encounter (✓)
Requires: Unknown Condition (Pending)
Reward:
Passive: Abyssal Will (LV1) – Unknown effect
Active: Devour Reality (Locked)
Trait: "Marked by the Deep"
Even reading the name made Yuto's head hurt.
[WARNING: This path is unstable. Proceeding may drastically alter your identity.]
"...Sounds like a tomorrow problem," Yuto muttered.
Nyx finally spoke—quietly, seriously:
[Note: This path will bring power. But it may strip away your mind, your self, your... humanity. Do you wish to walk this path?]
Yuto paused.
Once, he had been a normal human. Yuto Itsuki.
A boy who died to a truck, cursed by life, forgotten by fate.
Down here, none of that mattered.
If losing what he was meant surviving—and winning?
Then maybe it was worth it.
"I'll wait," Yuto decided. "Not yet. But I want the option ready."
[Acknowledged. Hidden Path stored.]
He turned away from the screen.
The air around him felt heavier now. The Abyss was watching again.
But something was different about its gaze.
Less... indifferent.
More curious.
As Yuto crawled forward, the tunnels grew quieter. More organized.
He saw strange markings on the walls—runes burned into stone.
Dead bugs, all facing the same direction. Like they had knelt before dying.
And then… he saw her.
A figure.
Perched on a slab of black stone. Legs folded. Calm. Watching.
She looked like a human girl at first glance—small, pale skin, white eyes—but her lower body was unmistakably insectoid, wrapped in sharp carapace and dripping with poison.
[Arach-Kin: Unbound Caster]
[Level: ???]
[Name: Selkith]
She smiled.
"You're early," she said. "I was told the Abyss's little Sovereign wouldn't wake for another molt."
Yuto froze.
"How do you—"
"I felt you when you bit the Fragment," she said sweetly. "You're touched now. Like me. Half-thing. Monsterling. Prince or pawn—we'll see."
"Are you friend or enemy?" Yuto asked, defensive.
Her smile widened. "Why not both?"
She raised one delicate, clawed finger. A green flame bloomed above it.
"The Abyss doesn't make allies, little Sovereign. It makes tools."