The Dark Rebirth of Pandora: Revenge of the Abyss

Chapter 582: Small Continuous Events

”...Hmmm...” I murmur, gazing out the castle window at the city below. The scent of the Abyss, compared to the pure air of my universe, is almost unpleasant. After having spent time in my universe, staying in the Abyss is practically degrading.

But it’s not like I can do much about it; the Abyss is the best place for me to grow more powerful. Besides, the smell of blood here is something I enjoy.

”Pandora, what are you doing? C-Can I help?” Baeh’Wa asks nervously as I contemplate the situation. I’m looking at my Status, checking the skills, passives, and traits I’ve stolen. Baeh’Wa seems tense because I’ve been staring at what appears to be nothing for so long.

”Oh yes, you can. I want a list of every powerful monster that dominates the Abyss, in short, the Apex Predators and my mother’s servants.” I’m thinking of killing them all and devouring their bodies. This will shatter the Abyss’s balance, but I don’t care. I’m interested in learning from these monsters.

And also trying to steal the traits of these beings by devouring them. I can simply usurp their place in the Abyss. I bet my mother won’t mind if I do this, although it will make these monsters try to survive however they can, so the weaker ones will probably flee.

”T-That’s fine, but many have already gone far away.” Baeh’Wa murmurs, restrained, as if afraid of my reaction. A faint dripping sound comes from the black sludge oozing from her face.

”Wait, what?” I question, unsure if I heard correctly.

”M-Most of them m-moved away... b-because you got strong... s-so they didn’t want trouble... the Abyss is gigantic... s-so there’s plenty of space... i-it’s normal for monsters to abandon their territory after a while...”

”A-And even though they’re servants... t-they’re not forced to stay here, t-they serve because they want to... i-in most cases.”

’Damn...’ I didn’t think they would flee. Every monster that’s an Apex Predator seems so proud, so I thought they’d stick around. But in the end, they’re monsters; instincts apparently trump pride.

”They’re pretty fast. They fled just because I got stronger? And you, you stayed.”

”I o-owe my life to Echidna-sama, and I’m w-weak. If I leave the c-castle, I could be killed... a-and besides, m-many find you dangerous... u-unlike A-Azraelith, who doesn’t influence the Abyss much... y-you influence it directly...”

’I should have been more cautious... although rumors spread really fast if it made powerful monsters move away...’ Probably only about 3 or 4 Apex Predators stayed around here, the ones who serve my mother more directly, like that woman with the giant eye floating behind her and Baeh’Wa.

”Baeh’Wa, do you know how the Abyss expands?” It’s kind of confusing. Theoretically, there’s infinite space within the Abyss. But if that were true, it would also mean there are infinite monsters here, which would naturally mean there should be thousands, millions, billions, and even more Apex Predators.

But here at my mother’s castle, it’s become clear that the Abyss has less than 50 dominant Apex Predators. So it’s obvious the Abyss can’t truly be infinite.

After all, it would be absurd to consider that. However, it’s a fact that the Abyss somehow seems infinite, ”stretching infinitely” as you walk. But they aren’t empty spaces; there are monsters in those extensions, another proof that it’s not infinite, but also that something isn’t right.

”W-Well... I’m not sure! B-But Echidna-sama gave me t-this. She said I s-should learn to read... b-but it’s hard... a-and she said I would get stronger and smarter after a conversation a-about the Abyss.” Baeh’Wa pulls a book from inside her stomach. It’s dripping a black goo that comes from Baeh’Wa’s body.

”...” I take the book from her hand, looking at the cover. It’s a black cover and the smell is kind of bad, but the book itself has the preservation magic I saw in my mother’s room, so it really does come from her.

The book’s cover has dozens of carved eyes, some closed, others half-open, and others completely open, randomly scattered while the cover is very hard.

And the book is strangely heavy, excessively heavy. It’s heavier than the spear I used to fight Azraelith, a spear that already weighed as much as a planet.

”You carry this inside you all the time?” I look at her belly. It doesn’t seem like spatial magic, but rather that it was truly inside her body like a weight to be carried.

”Oh y-yes... it was kind of hard at first, but now it’s easy!” She gives a small, timid smile, while I realize she’s gotten stronger just from carrying it around.

’Maybe this is good...’ I look at my dress, my divine weapon that is always active with me, and then I increase its mass, but I stabilize it with magic so it doesn’t generate its own gravity. After all, I don’t want to simulate a planet, just make it heavy.

”Urgh...” I sink into the floor, almost falling to my knees from the weight the clothing becomes. An absurd weight bears down on my body. The book in my hands becomes hard to hold as I force myself to stand upright, breathing deeply.

”...” Baeh’Wa stares at me, while I decide to keep this weight on constantly. It’s good training, both physical and magical, since I’m forced to constantly stabilize just to not generate gravity from the mass.

”I’ll keep the book, alright?” I say, pretending everything is fine. I straighten my posture, looking at Baeh’Wa, waiting for her response.

”Y-Yes... y-you can keep it. Echidna-sama o-ordered me to obey you. I-if you want it, then I must give you whatever you desire.”

”Here.” I take a book from within the shadows, and using the Fundamentals of Creation, I amplify its weight. This is a personal notebook of my observations. I made it twice as heavy as the book she gave me.

I used this book to make my general notes on magic in the Abyss. Anyone who reads this will be able to stabilize magic in the Abyss much more easily, which will consequently make them stronger.

”Keep this book with you. A fair trade.” When she takes the book, her hands sink so violently that she’s pulled down, smashing into a formless black goo that begins to regain its shape.

”...” I ignore her, looking at the book she gave me. It has a seal, a very powerful seal. I have no way of knowing what’s inside, but unlocking the book would itself be another great training exercise. The Abyss is almost tedious and repetitive, so I’m thirsty for a difficult challenge.

’This book smells like the Abyss. I wonder if it’s a book about the Abyss itself, considering Baeh’Wa wanted to give it to me when I asked about it.’ Baeh’Wa is intelligent.

Her shyness makes her seem kind of pathetic, but without a doubt, her intellect and magical abilities have been shown during the few conversations we’ve had.

I start heading to my room slowly, with her following me with faltering steps from the book’s weight. Each step is difficult because of the weight of my clothes. As soon as I get used to this weight and can walk normally, I’ll double it.

I’ll keep doing this until I’m in a fight. Even though physical training won’t make me much stronger, it will allow me to withstand aura attacks, gravitational attacks, weight, and general physical attacks much more easily and with more stability. It will also strengthen the inside of my body and my muscles.

...

...

...

”So, Violet, what is Pandora doing?” I ask Violet, who is helping me. That lazy Pandora has locked herself in our room and told me to stay out because she’s busy. What a bitch! The room is mine too.

”Azraelith, Pandora is trying to unlock a book! She told me to come help you in the meantime. Oh, and don’t even try to call her! I know Pandora! When she gets focused on something, she gets really annoying, she’s so persistent and standoffish!”

”Besides, she’s still hungry lately, so she gets irritated more easily! Because there isn’t much to hunt that catches her attention!!” Violet talks too much. I really didn’t need to know Pandora is hungry.

’Wait, she’s hungry...’ I think about giving Pandora a gift. Even though I’m still very angry about being decapitated by her, I give her credit, since I didn’t notice the blade coming. She managed to conceal that weapon perfectly.

”Violet, there are some things I want your help with. Can you go very far from Pandora?” I ask, interested in how far she can go from Pandora.

”Of course I can! I can go anywhere without Pandora! But if Pandora calls me, my body returns to her! But as long as I don’t want to go back, and she doesn’t call me, I can go away from her with no limit!”

”This happens because me and Pandora are connected forever, eternally! I will accompany her until the end of time! Our destinies are connected forever, and even in death, I will accompany her.”

”...Right... now come with me.” I take her hand, pulling her along. I’m going to hunt some monsters, and then there’s something I’ll try to find. Special weapons like Violet can detect others of their kind.

I’ll try to find another weapon like her in the Abyss. Mama has already said there are at least 3 to 10 of them around here. They fell and got hidden throughout the Abyss, and I’m going to try to get one for myself using Violet.