Chapter 342: Abysskpi Evaluation

Chapter 342: Abysskpi Evaluation

A colossal reef formed from flesh and bones loomed like a dormant beast, its breath rising and falling slowly in the darkness.

This place had once been the Iron Brotherhood's forward base.

Three thousand years ago, the Iron Brotherhood was a magetissue specializing in mechanical modification, attempting to establish semi-permanent outposts within the Abyss.

The results were predictable.

Now, those once-indestructible Iron Bastions had fused completely with living flesh, becoming sinister entities straddling architecture and biology.

Thick alloy decks sprouted dense vascular networks, precision circuits replaced by nerve fibers, while viscous bodily fluids oozed from the gaping maws of massive artillery platforms.

"What nostalgic memories... those insects' screams..."

Na Rui ran their hand over an area of the wall where the Iron Brotherhood's emblem remained faintly visible.

Now a giant compound eye grew there, its pupil still reflecting the terror of some long-dead human.

It remembered vividly the moment this fortress fell.

Not because the battle had been particularly fierce, but because the dying explorers' final sounds had been so fascinating.

Some cried, others laughed, and a few even sang.

Na Rui had never understood why humans facing death could react so differently.

Countless eyes grew across the walls like a hive, densely packed across every inch of surface.

These were extensions of their body, surveilling every corner of the nest.

Tendrils of neural filaments hung from the ceiling, gently swaying in the air. Their tips bore tiny auditory organs capable of detecting the faintest sounds - even a needle striking the ground.

Na Rui loved listening to all manner of sounds - the screech of metal, the dripping of fluids, the pulse of living creatures, and even the strange whispers emerging from the void.

These sounds wove complex symphonies within their consciousness, providing rare entertainment across endless centuries.

But now, Na Rui's greatest concern was their Treasure Vault.

Deep within the nest's heart lay a special chamber wrapped in thick, multicolored membranes.

These membranes came from the Brain Jellyfish King, the clan leader among brain jellies, capable of transforming extracted information into semi-transparent films.

Within this kaleidoscopic realm floated their most cherished possessions:

A still-beating heart, perfectly preserved within a translucent sac.

This heart belonged to a conceited solo mage.

When Na Rui discovered him, the poor fool had been eroded down to just his heart, stubbornly pulsing.

Finding such resilience "adorable", Na Rui had preserved it carefully.

Dozens of glowing soul fragments danced within the chamber like fireflies.

These were their specially selected "Pure Memories."

First love's sweetness, maternal warmth, friendship's value, betrayal's pain, death's terror, and despair's darkness - all human emotions lay captured here.

Na Rui enjoyed watching these emotional fragments during idle moments, studying the complex world of human feelings.

Sometimes they would sigh, "Why do these insects' hearts contain such complexity beyond my understanding?"

"Another new friend has come to visit..."

Carefully, Na Rui placed the Puppet Substitute-filled sac into the Treasure Vault's center.

Excitement surged through their massive form like a girl receiving a long-awaited toy.

"You look so different from my other treasures."

The giant circled the sac, its immense body moving surprisingly fluidly through the confined space.

"Mage-like essence, Abyssal scent, and something... entirely new to me..."

Suddenly, a tidal wave of pain surged through Na Rui's consciousness.

Their recently-ended dormancy left their spiritual structure unstable.

Chaotic mana surged wildly through their mind, bringing not just agony but a terrifying sensation of their very essence tearing apart.

They craved order to stabilize their thoughts, yet their innate chaos violently resisted this yearning.

"Ugh... it's starting again..."

With a pained cry, Na Rui curled into the Treasure Vault's corner.

The countless eyes lining the walls sensed their master's suffering and closed collectively, as if sharing in the torment.

This pain differed from physical wounds. It was a soul-level self-annihilation.

Every Abyss Apostle faced this fate - the greater their power, the heavier the burden of chaos they must bear.

"Mother... if only you were still here..."

Na Rui's consciousness flickered weakly, childishly helpless.

"You'd know what to do, wouldn't you? You wouldn't despise my clumsiness like others do..."

The Abyss's survival laws ran far deeper than they appeared.

Though filled with chaos, this realm followed cruel, unique rules rather than mindless madness.

First came the necessity of rationality maintenance.

Even Apostle-level beings possessing world-shattering power found their consciousness structures constantly eroded by chaotic essence.

Na Rui felt this erosion keenly.

Every time they overused their abilities, their thoughts would blur into chaos.

Memories would reorganize erratically, even producing powerful self-destructive impulses.

They had witnessed complete uncontrolled descents before.

The Maw of Devouring, Kalasong - an older Apostle than Na Rui.

Unable to maintain rationality balance for centuries, he had eventually lost control entirely.

That once-cunning monster became nothing more than a living catastrophe devouring endlessly.

He consumed his own meticulously cultivated territory, along with all subordinates and treasures he once cherished.

Ultimately, self-consumption led to his end, leaving only a vast emptiness behind.

To avoid such a fate, Apostles sought methods to preserve rationality.

The most effective method involved cultivating subordinates:

By implanting power seeds within other beings, establishing special spiritual connections.

These connections not only transmitted power, but the subordinates' growth produced special reverse-nourishing mana.

This reverse-nourishment resembled magic world "Boon" mechanisms, yet far more direct and violent.

As subordinates strengthened, their spiritual structures would generate orderly fluctuations.

These fluctuations, transmitted back to the Apostle's original body through power seeds, stabilized their chaotic consciousness.

However, this process proved far more difficult than imagined.

Magically-transformed Awakening Beings possessed higher rationality but slow power growth.

Moreover, they maintained considerable independent consciousness, making complete control challenging.

Worse still, mages' spiritual protections often proved formidable, making forced transformation extremely low success rate.

Abyss mutants grew faster and transformed more easily, yet possessed greater chaos.

The cultivation process often resulted in unexpected mutations, even potentially turning against their masters.

For Innate Apostles like Na Rui, their intelligence surpassed ordinary mutants, yet their chaotic essence ran deeper.

This contradiction created an almost unsolvable dilemma in cultivating subordinates.

Power infusion required precise control, yet their nature rejected any form of order.

They longed for understanding and communication, yet their thought patterns violently clashed with other beings.

This contradiction created an almost unsolvable dilemma in cultivating subordinates.

Power infusion required precise control, yet their nature rejected any form of order.

They longed for understanding and communication, yet their thinking patterns clashed with other beings.

As a temporary solution, Apostles would actively release their power, stimulating surrounding Abyssal Creatures to mutate and evolve.

These enhanced beings produced faint reverse-nourishment effects that barely maintained the Apostle's rationality.

But such unconscious influence proved nearly insignificant.

For Na Rui, teetering on the edge of uncontrolled chaos, this minimal sustenance was like trying to put out a burning cart with a single cup of water.

They needed active, massive, stable reverse-nourishment, not these negligible remnants.

With pain-wracked movements, Na Rui raised their head and reached out to their only direct superior.

........................

Deep within the Ninth Layer of Abyss's Magma Sea, the "Dragon-Headed Demon" Cha Ye underwent his daily training.

This Supreme Apostle's appearance had long transcended any known biological category.

Three faces surrounded a central giant eye, each expressing different emotions and personalities.

Four pairs of blood-red wings could blot out the sky when fully extended, while the lower tail section bristled with razor-sharp scales.

Currently, Cha Ye endured the Magma Sea's deepest pressure.

This special magma not only reached temperatures far beyond regular magma but also possessed immense gravitational pressure.

Yet for Cha Ye, this environment was perfect for tempering his physical body.

He strengthened his essence through pain, using agony, pressure, and struggles at death's threshold as catalysts for power growth.

When Na Rui's timid plea for assistance arrived, Cha Ye's three faces simultaneously twisted with extreme disdain.

"Again with that useless thing..." His voice thundered like a blast furnace.

"Unable to handle even foundational problems, why did I ever think it might be useful?"

Cha Ye clearly remembered their first meeting.

Back then, it had just emerged from the Primordial Abyss's will, radiating suffocatingly powerful energy.

Excited, Cha Ye had believed he'd found a treasure.

Naturally-born Apostles were extremely rare, usually possessing incredible potential.

But the more he interacted, the more disappointed Cha Ye became.

This so-called innate Apostle indeed possessed power, but was as clumsy as an ox.

What infuriated him most was how Na Rui's chaotic thinking patterns even affected Cha Ye's own consciousness stability during their communications.

After every conversation, Cha Ye needed several days to cleanse his affected thoughts.

Regarding basic skills like subordinate cultivation, Na Rui was completely clueless.

No matter how patiently Cha Ye instructed, it always repeated the same mistake.

Either it unleashed power too forcefully, instantly obliterating the objective, or mishandled control, resulting in uncontrolled chaos.

What infuriated Cha Ye most was that Na Rui seemingly never learned from failure, always repeating the same mistakes in the same naive manner.

"Cha Ye, sir..." Na Rui's consciousness fluctuation overflowed with indignation and Despair:

"I... I really don't know what to do anymore... Every time I fail... Every time..."

"Silence!" Cha Ye angrily flapped his wings, unleashing a colossal magma tsunami:

"I'm neither your father nor mother! You're such an idiotic waste that I've grown tired of dealing with you!

He ceased cultivation, his colossal body slowly rising. Three pairs of eyes simultaneously glowed with dangerous red light:

"The Exchange Battle approaches... and you're still stuck on infantile problems!"

Exchange Battle - the term deepened Na Rui's fear.

This ultimate competition among Abyss Apostles would see the loser not only stripped of status but devoured entirely by the victor.

Na Rui's chaotic nature made stable power control difficult, making it relatively easy to dominate weaker explorers.

But in these peer-level competitions, there was no chance of victory without Cha Ye's protection barely maintaining their position.

"Additionally", Cha Ye's voice darkened further:

"That accursed Cassandra recently conducted forbidden experiments in the Abyss's deep regions, disrupting the entire mana balance. Those cracks now show unstable fluctuations."

Even for Apostles, countless forbidden zones remained in the Abyss depths where terrifying entities from other dimensions had penetrated.

"I warn you one final time, Na Rui", the dragon-headed monster's threat sounded like Death itself pronouncing judgment:

"If you enter Dormant state again, I won't protect you during the next Exchange Battle.

Other Apostles would happily tear you apart and feast on the accumulated power essence within you."

After the communication severed, Na Rui slumped in a corner of the Treasure Vault, Despair drowning them like tidal waves.

Cha Ye's words were cruel, but every one was truth.

In this flesh-eating world of the Abyss, even Apostles must compete for survival.

Na Rui began recalling other Apostles' "success cases", seeking Inspiration.

"Mad Bite" Morglon commanded a legion of mutationwerewolves.

These werewolves possessed near-Moonlight Rank combat power while maintaining absolute loyalty.

Seeds implanted in their brains made betrayal physiologically impossible.

Na Rui once attempted imitation, but the result was disastrous.

Its seeds were too powerful - recipients either died instantly or became irrational beasts.

Morglon's success seemed simple but required extreme precision in power control, precisely what Na Rui lacked most.

Na Rui envied other young Apostles' achievements.

"Blood Tear Duke" Asmodeus, though becoming Apostle nearly two millennia after Na Rui, had established a vast family network.

These family members spanned human worlds, gathering intelligence, spreading chaos, and seeking new transformation objectives.

Asmodeus's secret lay in Gradual Progress.

Starting with simple blood parasitism, he gradually strengthened hosts' bodies and spirits until achieving perfect transformation.

Though time-consuming, this method boasted extremely high success rates.

Moreover, "Family members" post-transformation maintained original wisdom and Personality.

Na Rui attempted similar methods but always grew impatient.

Seeing experimental subjects' slow progress, it would recklessly increase power output to accelerate transformation.

The result? Catastrophic failure - subjects would explode violently at the final moments before completion.

These memories brought Na Rui's failures flooding back, each a lesson paid in Pain.

The first attempt occurred millennia ago - targeting an Abyss Exploration Team led by several Dawn Star Rank Mages.

The young Na Rui had naively believed forcing Abyss essence into explorers' bodies would naturally transform them into loyal subordinates.

The result was catastrophic.

Abyss Apostles' power proved too rampant for ordinary beings. Their bodies began uncontrollable mutation upon contact.

Muscle tissues grew wildly, blood vessels burst and reorganized, bones twisted and morphed.

Eventually, all perished in agonizing screams, leaving behind only unidentifiable flesh fragments.

"Why... why does this keep happening?"

A baffled Na Rui stared at the wreckage, unable to comprehend why other Apostles could easily complete transformations that proved so difficult for themself.

The second attempt occurred millennia later. Learning from past mistakes, Na Rui selected a stronger Moonlight Rank mage as objective.

This time, power wasn't directly injected. Instead, Na Rui attempted "gentle" transformation through spirit connected.

Initially, everything proceeded smoothly.

The mage's body showed no rejection, and spiritual connection established successfully.

Excitedly, Na Rui began transmitting consciousness fragments, hoping to gradually modify the subject's mindset.

But problems soon emerged.

Na Rui's consciousness essence was too chaotic. When its mental fragments entered the mage's spirit world, violent cognitive conflicts erupted.

The mage's rational thought structure collapsed.

Memory Fragments scattered, Personality Core wobbled precariously.

Though physically unharmed, the mage's spirit had been completely shattered.

He became a drooling idiot, occasionally spouting incoherent phrases - remnants of Na Rui's consciousness fragments at work.

"You... you swine! What have you done to this precious transformation sample?"

Upon hearing the news, "Blood Tear Duke" Asmodeus arrived immediately to mock:

"I've seen many failed transformations, but turning a Moonlight Rank mage into an idiot? That's a first."

Na Rui remained silent, watching helplessly as the now-valueless failure was discarded.

Eventually, Na Rui ended the mage's life personally, burying its final hopes for "gentle transformation."

The third attempt occurred six centuries ago. Na Rui adopted other Apostles' recommended "slow erosion" strategy.

Carefully selecting a mage, it confined him in a specialized biological prison, injecting Abyss mana in small doses daily.

This method proved more stable - the subject's body and spirit didn't collapse immediately.

Na Rui sensed daily micro-transformations.

Skin darkened to Abyssian dark purple, eyes occasionally flashed chaotic light, thought patterns subtly changed.

Believing it had finally found success, Na Rui envisioned the glorious moment of creating its first subordinate.

It even prepared a comfortable dwelling containing various "beautiful" treasures.

But disaster still struck.

While gentle, slow erosion gave the subject time to adapt and resist.

This mage was an alchemy expert.

During transformation, he gradually mastered the prison's structure, learning to harness internal Abyss mana for self-enhancement.

On the seventy-third day, he successfully cracked the biological lock while Na Rui hunted for food, escaping control.

He even deliberately destroyed one of Na Rui's most treasured "music boxes."

Furious, Na Rui immediately pursued but couldn't locate the escapee.

"Why... why do I always fail?"

These three painful failures nearly made Na Rui abandon thoughts of cultivating subordinates.

Whenever observing other Apostles successfully building forces, Na Rui could only hide deep within its nest, pretending indifference toward loneliness.

Now, with the Exchange Battle approaching, Na Rui knew it had no choice.

As Despair consumed it, an anomaly suddenly appeared within the Treasure Vault.

Around the mysterious Puppet's encapsulating sac, Abyss mana began gathering in unprecedented patterns.

These usually chaotic energies formed regular spirals, resembling ancient rituals' preparations.

Stranger still, the Puppet's surface emitted faint, pure light.

Not Abyssian twist radiation, but a gentle glow that strangely calmed Na Rui.

"What is... this?" Na Rui halted its chaotic thoughts, fixating on this unprecedented phenomenon.

In its long existence, Na Rui had never witnessed Abyss mana behaving so orderly.

Perhaps... fate had finally delivered a special gift.

Na Rui's terrible large eyes ignited with long-forgotten hope.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end