Red light engulfed the altar.
The world spun. Su Ming felt like a rock thrown into a tumble dryer. His hard carapace rubbed violently against unknown gravel and debris around him, emitting a grating "crunch" sound that set teeth on edge. A powerful sensation of weightlessness gripped his stomach; even as a crustacean, he felt a wave of nausea.
After a few seconds, the turbulence ceased.
*Splat.*
He landed on a patch of sticky black mud. The light around him was as dim as an unlit basement; only the faint, cold glow of emerald moss seeping from the rock walls provided illumination. The air was thick with a scent of sulfur mixed with rotting flesh, drilling directly into his two long antennae.
Before he could even steady himself, the game interface in the top right corner of his vision began to flash wildly. It was the system's forced "Server-wide Live Stream" function, allowing all players to view his perspective as spectators.
Su Ming shook his somewhat dazed head and tapped the flashing exclamation mark.
It was a real-time hot post on the forum. Because of his "Abyssal Sequence Activated" server-wide announcement in the Misty Forest earlier, the outside world had completely exploded.
**Forum Hot Post #1: "Confirmed! The Abyssal Sequence is that idiot lobster streamer!"**
The post contained not only clips of his battle in the Misty Forest but also combat analysis from various guild elites. The conclusion was surprisingly consistent: this was a useless Hidden Class. Aside from having a hard shell, it was good for nothing.
Bounties were flying everywhere.
[Imperial Dynasty Guild: Bounty of 100,000 Gold for the Abyssal Sequence! 5,000 Gold for anyone providing exact coordinates!]
[Light of the Temple: We will find this player at all costs. We need to verify if the Abyssal aura on him affects faction balance.]
Su Ming stared at the dense red text without speaking.
*Are these people really this bored?*
He was about to close the interface when a newly refreshed top-pinned bounty made his hand pause.
[Divine Chef's Pavilion: Additional Bounty of 50,000 Gold! We want him alive! Do not damage the lobster meat! Also, a quick question: Does this thing need its vein removed before steaming? Waiting online, it's urgent.]
"..."
*Do these people have brains? Who plays a game just to hunt someone down to eat them? What kind of trash guild is the Divine Chef's Pavilion? Are they all retired Michelin chefs?*
He clamped his claw shut on the interface. Now was not the time to complain.
A system notification echoed in his mind, devoid of emotion.
[Abyssal Rift Trial Started.]
[Level 1: Cross the territory of the Snake Lizards.]
Ahead, in the black mud, a series of faint rustling sounds emerged. Several large Snake Lizards crawled out of the rock crevices. Their bodies were covered in dark green scales, and their dark yellow vertical pupils stared fixedly at Su Ming. Bright red health bars floated above their heads.
Level 5, Snake Lizard.
This place was not as spacious as the Misty Forest. Jagged boulders loomed overhead, the ground was a sloping slide, and ahead lay a narrow tunnel that could only accommodate two lobsters walking side by side.
For a normal player, the strategy would be to draw the new iron sword, calculate the lizards' attack wind-up, dodge, and backstab.
But Su Ming looked at his two massive, glowing red claws, then at the smooth ground.
*Fight?* Too crude.
He retracted his claws and pressed his eight slender legs tightly against the sides of his carapace. His originally one-meter-tall, upright posture instantly curled into a round, red bowling ball.
The carapace of the Abyssal Bobo Lobster King was not only surprisingly high in defense; its surface was also coated with an extremely smooth glaze.
Su Ming aimed at the steep downward slide. Taking a deep breath of the foul air in the rift, he thought, *Roll.*
He suddenly snapped his tail with all his might. The entire lobster shot forward like an arrow leaving the string, racing down the debris-strewn slide. Gravity acceleration combined with his ridiculous body weight turned him into an out-of-control meteor.
The Snake Lizard ahead, just about to flick its tongue, didn't even have time to see what the red blur was before darkness swallowed its vision.
*Boom!*
A dull thud.
The Level 5 Snake Lizard was kicked away like an empty soda can, sent flying two meters by Su Ming's impact, and smashed hard against the rock wall. Its health bar instantly emptied, exploding into a pile of minced meat and a few pitiful copper coins.
"That was smooth," Su Ming thought silently, giving a mental thumbs-up to his carapace.
He didn't stop. Using the momentum, he crashed sideways through the narrow tunnel. When he hit a corner, he used his thick tail to whip against the wall, using the force to rebound. Wasn't this much faster than running on legs?
Once he mastered the essence of the "Spherical Tank," this terrain was practically tailor-made for him.
The map for Level 2 appeared quickly.
[Defeat the Hellhound Guard.]
Blocking the center of the path this time was a black evil dog the size of an adult water buffalo. Dark red drool dripped from its mouth, corroding shallow pits into the rocks beneath its paws.
Level 8, Hellhound.
The level gap was significant. In a direct confrontation, Su Ming wasn't sure if his carapace could withstand those corrosive fangs.
He stopped thirty meters away from the Hellhound and observed the surrounding terrain.
This was no longer a narrow tunnel, but a naturally formed, massive cave. Countless sharp stalactites hung from the ceiling, looking precarious. The Hellhound stood atop a huge limestone rock, roaring down from a high position.
Su Ming did not rush in like a conventional warrior to aggro the mob.
Like a patient sniper, he silently circled around to a pile of debris on the side and slightly above. He locked onto the thickest stalactite directly above the Hellhound's head.
He straightened his body and raised his right claw.
The Strength attribute of the Abyssal Tyrant flared to its maximum at that moment. He didn't need flashy skills; he only needed pure, heavy impact.
"Hah!"
His right claw became a blur, smashing hard into a protruding cornerstone nearby that connected to the stress point of the entire rock layer.
*Crack.*
The crisp sound of breaking echoed through the cave. The moment that cornerstone fractured, the entire rock wall above the Hellhound lost its support.
Rocks rained down.
The Hellhound seemed to sense something and猛地 (suddenly) lifted its head. But it was too late.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Several tons of massive rocks mixed with sharp stalactites crashed down like the sky collapsing.
There were no screams, only the dull sound of bones being crushed by stone.
The Hellhound didn't even have time to use a skill before it was buried alive in the ruins. From the pile of chaotic stones, only a broken equipment bag floated up.
Su Ming brushed the lime powder off his claws.
*This is how to play a game. Thinking about how to dodge skills and combo attacks all day is the game the system wants you to play. Using the terrain to bury monsters alive is what players should do.*
He leisurely crawled down the rubble pile and used his claw to pry open the equipment bag.
[Obtained: Worn Chainmail Leggings (White Quality)]
Trash. He didn't even look at it.
Suddenly, the air ahead distorted, and an extremely dangerous pressure surged from the depths of the darkness.
Su Ming stopped.
The relaxed feeling of "terrain kills everything" vanished completely. He felt as if he were under the water pressure of the deep sea; every joint creaked in protest.
[Final Trial: Retrieve the Abyssal Core.]
[Gravekeeper (Level 12 · Elite) Appears.]
In the darkness, two points of eerie blue fire ignited.
As the fire approached, a massive skeletal figure three meters tall stepped out of the shadows. It wore tattered black robes and held a giant bone scythe that was disproportionately large for its height. Black mist coiled around the bone scythe; wherever it passed, the black mud on the ground froze into frost.
Level 12.
For current players, this was a dimension-level strike. Even the top guilds of his past life would need to organize twenty well-coordinated players and four healers just to barely attempt farming a monster of this level.
And he was alone. Just a shrimp.
Su Ming stared at the dim depression in the Gravekeeper's chest. A piece was missing there; inside should be the "Abyssal Core Fragment" he needed to retrieve.
*Run?*
Impossible. The system prompt was clear: this was an irreversible trial. Either pass, or die and lose levels.
The Gravekeeper moved.
It wasted no words, simply raising its giant bone scythe high and swatting down at Su Ming like it was hitting a fly.
The wind pressure nearly knocked Su Ming off his feet.
He dove sharply to the right, sliding across the ground.
*Boom!*
The bone scythe smashed into the spot where he had just been standing. Black mud splashed everywhere, and the ground was hammered into a half-meter deep crater.
*Fast. This isn't the attack frequency of a normal Level 1 monster.*
Before Su Ming could regain his footing, the Gravekeeper's left hand swept across. Those dry, bony fingers carried bone-chilling cold, heading straight for his face.
*Can't dodge.*
Su Ming could only instinctively raise his two claws to shield his front.
*Bang!*
A massive force struck. Su Ming was flipped onto his back, his carapace scraping against the ground, sending up long sparks. His health bar instantly dropped by a third.
*Pain.*
Excruciating pain spread from his nerve endings throughout his body. Su Ming felt his internal organs shifting.
He forced himself to ignore the nausea and flipped back over, staring fiercely at the colossal figure raising its scythe again.
*Must get close.*
Only at close range would its long-handled bone scythe fail to发挥 (exert) its power due to the distance being too short.
But how to get close?
The Gravekeeper's second attack was already upon them. This time, a vertical chop.
Su Ming did not retreat; he advanced. He snapped his tail and charged recklessly into the Gravekeeper's embrace.
The Gravekeeper seemed not to expect this tiny red insect to dare charge forward, causing a tiny, almost imperceptible delay in its movement.
*Now!*
Su Ming stared fixedly at the falling bone scythe. At the 0.01 seconds before the blade touched his back carapace, he did something incredibly insane.
He charged forward voluntarily.
Not to dodge, but to use his most vulnerable head antennae to jam into the blade of the bone scythe.
*Schlick.*
The grating sound of cutting echoed.
*Pain!* The left antenna, which he was proud of and half a meter long, was severed at the root by the bone scythe. Pale blue lobster blood sprayed from the broken end, splashing onto the black mud.
*It's broken.*
The blinding pain made half of Su Ming's vision turn red, but he didn't retreat.
This seemingly self-destructive move allowed him to perfectly jam himself into the Gravekeeper's embrace. The long handle of the bone scythe, due to this sudden turn of events, got stuck between the Gravekeeper's own ribs.
And the giant skeleton monster, having missed its swing and having its handle stuck, suffered a one-second stun.
One second was enough.
Su Ming let out a silent roar. He poured all his strength, including the last bit of stamina accumulated from taking abuse, into his right claw.
The claws of the Abyssal Bobo Lobster King were born to crush prey.
*Target: The dim Abyssal Core in the Gravekeeper's chest!*
"Shatter!"
*Crack!*
The indestructible ribs snapped like dry branches under the power of the Abyssal Tyrant. His right claw pierced deep into the Gravekeeper's chest cavity,死死 (firmly) gripping the faintly glowing red crystal.
He dug hard.
The hollow eye sockets of the Gravekeeper flickered violently with blue flames, then rapidly extinguished.
The massive skeleton lost its support and collapsed with a thud, turning into a pile of black ash. Su Ming sat down in the pile of ash, panting heavily.
The left half of his face burned with pain; the broken half of his antenna throbbed.
[Congratulations! Trial Completed: Retrieve the Abyssal Core.]
[Obtained EXP: 50,000.]
[Your level has increased to 2!]
[Your level has increased to 3!]
[Congratulations! Passive Skill Unlocked: Abyssal Pressure (Beginner).]
[Item Obtained: Abyssal Core Fragment (1/5).]
Two beams of golden light rose from his feet, enveloping his broken carapace. The broken wound healed rapidly, leaving only a faint white scar, but the half of his antenna did not grow back.
Power filled his body. He could clearly feel his carapace becoming thicker, and the deep-sea oppressive sensation that had always lingered around him became even stronger.
[Abyssal Pressure (Beginner): Your very existence is taboo. Creatures below your level will suffer continuous mental intimidation, reducing their attack desire by 20%. Wild non-boss monsters have a high probability of fearing you and will not attack aggressively.]
"Great item," Su Ming thought, feeling the changes within him. This was a god-tier map-clearing skill.
Before he could carefully check the status panel, the space around him began to distort. The black mud, the debris, and the stalactites were gradually shattering into countless points of light.
The teleportation had begun.
...
...
A gentle breeze blew.
It carried the scent of charcoal from the blacksmith's shop and the smell of meat buns from the shop next door.
Su Ming opened his eyes. The familiar stone-paved road, the familiar wooden fence.
Clearwind Village, the Starter Village spawn point.
The fountain in the center of the square was gurgling with water. A few players who had just entered the game were gathered around it, adjusting their character models. Everything looked so peaceful and quiet.
He had returned.
Bearing the smoke of battle and half a broken antenna, he had survived an irreversible Abyssal Trial.
"The realism of this game is no joke. Even the feeling of the wind on my body is so realistic," Su Ming thought, stretching his sore eight legs. He planned to find a quiet corner at the back of the mountain to study the Abyssal Core Fragment.
He took two steps.
*Something's wrong.*
*Very wrong.*
*Silence.*
The usually noisy Starter Village square had suddenly fallen into a deathly silence. Players who were chatting, trading, or teasing NPCs were all quiet.
Dozens of pairs of eyes stared fixedly at him. Or, more accurately, at the ID tag above his head, which was originally visible only to him but now seemed to affect everyone.
[Su Ming (Abyssal Sequence)]
Someone stepped back a pace.
"Holy crap, it's him! The Abyssal Lobster from the forum!"
"Is it really him? How did he teleport directly into the Safe Zone?"
"Quick! Record the screen! Didn't the Divine Chef's Pavilion say there's a bounty for capturing him alive?"
The murmurs around him exploded instantly. Countless people drew their new iron swords, their eyes flashing with the greedy light of seeing a walking 500,000 Gold prize.
Su Ming's heart skipped a beat.
He instinctively tried to move toward the guards at the edge of the Safe Zone. In the game settings, the Safe Zone guards were absolutely neutral and would protect any player not marked as Red Name by the system.
But before he could move, a spear with a whooshing sound was driven hard into the stone pavement right in front of him.
The spear tip penetrated three inches into the stone.
Sparks flew.
Su Ming was forced to stop. Following the spear, he looked up.
An NPC Guard Captain, fully armored, stood before him. The face, originally set to be "enthusiastically guiding newbies," was now cold as ice. A set of silver-white heavy armor creaked on his body, and a red cape billowed in the wind.
"Don't move, monster."
The Guard Captain's voice held no emotion. His cold gaze swept over Su Ming's massive claws and the broken antenna.
Su Ming tried to speak: "Captain, I'm a player..."
Before the words were out, the Guard Captain suddenly pulled the spear from the ground, the tip pointing directly at Su Ming's brow.
"Clearwind Village does not welcome Abyssal dogs."
A system prompt popped up in front of Su Ming's eyes, blindingly red.
[Warning: You have been marked as an "Enemy Target" by the Clearwind Village Safe Zone.]
[Guard Barrier Activated.]
Su Ming whirled around.
At some point, the wooden gate doors around the Starter Village, which were usually open, had been tightly closed. A semi-transparent pale golden light curtain was slowly spreading above the village, isolating him and the countless players trying to rush in to watch the spectacle.
He had indeed leveled up. He possessed Abyssal Pressure and a harder carapace.
But in the face of the NPC regular army's faction barrier, he was still a powerless intruder.
The dozen or so NPC guards behind the Captain raised their longbows and staves in unison. Arrowheads and magical lights locked onto this solitary red lobster.
"Fire," the Captain ordered coldly.