First Blood in the Abyss

The Lava Eel struck first.

Its molten-scaled body twisted through the water like a living whip, jaws opening to reveal fangs glowing white-hot. The heat alone made the water around it boil.

> [Warning: Enemy attack incoming]

“Too fast—!” Kaito thought.

Instinct took over.

He slammed his claws into the volcanic sand and pulled his body sideways. The eel’s fangs snapped shut where his head had been a moment earlier, sending a shockwave through the seabed.

The screeching sound that escaped Kaito wasn’t fear.

It was adrenaline.

“So this is real combat…” he realized. “No respawn. No pause menu.”

The eel coiled, preparing another strike.

Kaito focused.

> [Skill Activated: Abyss Claw Lv.1]

Dark energy flooded his right claw, coating it in shadowy flame. The pressure felt heavy—unnatural—but powerful.

“Come on,” he thought. “Get closer.”

The Lava Eel lunged again.

At the last second, Kaito planted all six legs into the ground and swung.

SLASH.

His claw tore through molten scales, black energy ripping deep into the eel’s body. Superheated blood spilled into the water, hissing violently.

> [Critical Hit!]

The eel shrieked, thrashing wildly.

Kaito was thrown back, tumbling across the seabed. Pain exploded through his shell as his body slammed into a jagged rock.

> [HP: 87/120]

“Damn it… that hurt,” he thought, gritting his nonexistent teeth.

The eel wasn’t finished.

Despite its wound, it surged forward again—slower now, but desperate. Its instincts demanded it kill or die.

Kaito steadied himself.

His shell darkened slightly as his passive skill activated.

> [Hardened Shell – Damage Reduced]

The eel’s body crashed into him, fangs scraping across his armor. Heat burned, but didn’t break through.

“Now!”

Kaito drove both claws forward, pinning the eel against the rock. Dark energy flared again.

CRUNCH.

The eel’s head split apart.

Its body went limp, floating slowly upward in the glowing water.

Silence returned to the abyss.

> [Enemy Defeated: Lava Eel Lv.3]

[Experience Gained]

[Level Up!]

> Level: 2

HP: 140/140

Kaito stayed still for several seconds, his body trembling.

“…I did it.”

The realization hit harder than the fight itself.

“I killed something.”

In his old life, the most dangerous thing he faced was a presentation or an awkward conversation.

Here?

It was survival.

The system chimed again.

> [Mana-rich prey detected]

[Consume to initiate evolution progress]

Kaito hesitated—then dragged the eel’s remains toward himself.

“Sorry,” he thought quietly. “But I want to live.”

As he consumed the creature, heat and energy surged through his body. The runes on his shell glowed brighter, pulsing like a heartbeat.

> [Evolution Progress: 12%]

Pain followed.

His shell cracked slightly, then reforged itself, thicker than before. His claws grew sharper. His senses expanded—he could now feel distant vibrations in the water.

“…So this is growth,” he thought.

A strange emotion surfaced.

Not fear.

Not excitement.

But clarity.

“This world rewards action,” Kaito realized.

“Not hesitation.”

Far above him, deeper shadows moved—larger silhouettes than the Lava Eel.

Much larger.

The system issued a final message.

> [Warning: High-tier predators present in this zone]

[Recommendation: Relocate or evolve]

Kaito turned toward the darker depths of the underground sea.

His crimson eyes narrowed.

“Then I’ll hunt,” he thought.

“One level at a time."

The Devil Crab sank into the shadows, leaving ripples of glowing water behind.

To be continued…