The descent back into the Abyssal Chasm was suffocatingly quiet.

Leaving the second-floor safe zone behind, Kaelen and Seraphina plunged into the pitch-black depths. The ambient temperature plummeted. The toxic purple miasma grew thicker the further they descended, clinging to the jagged stone walls like a wet web.

Thanks to Kaelen’s Abyssal Aura, the poisonous fog parted before them, forming a protective bubble as they walked.

"We’re approaching the fourth floor," Seraphina warned. Her voice was barely a whisper in the dark. She held Roderick’s greatsword tightly, then her golden eyes scanning the shadows. "The Vanguard calls this the Weeping Caverns. It’s a labyrinth of dead ends inhabited by Venomous Driders."

"Level?" Kaelen asked, in a casual tone

"Between forty and fifty," she replied. "They hunt in packs. They use illusion magic to confuse their prey."

"Illusions won’t work on me," Kaelen stated. "My mana core is fundamentally tied to the void now. The system filters out standard magical interference."

Seraphina glanced at him. "You truly are an anomaly, Master."

"We need a place to rest for an hour," Kaelen said, ignoring the compliment. "I leveled up twice when I killed Roderick. I need to allocate my stats, and we need to check his spatial ring."

"There’s a small, defensible alcove about a mile ahead," she suggested, relying on her years of dungeon-diving experience. "The entrance is narrow. I can guard it while you meditate."

"Lead the way."

They navigated the winding tunnels in silence. Occasionally, the chittering of unseen monsters echoed from the deep ravines, but no one dared to approach the overwhelming dark aura radiating from Kaelen. The beasts of the Abyss recognized their own magic, and they recognized a predator.

They soon arrived at the alcove. It was a shallow cave hidden behind a waterfall with black, foul-smelling water like indsided a dungeon.

Kaelen sat cross-legged on the dry stone floor. He took Roderick’s silver spatial ring from his pocket and held it up to the dim light of a basic glowstone Seraphina had found.

"It has a holy lock," Seraphina observed, sitting beside him. She placed her stolen greatsword across her knees. "Only a cleric of the Church can unlock a deceased knight’s ring. If you force it with standard magic, the internal space will collapse and destroy everything inside."

"Standard magic," Kaelen smirked. "Good thing I don’t use that."

Kaelen closed his eyes and channeled his energy. He didn’t try to pick the magical lock; he simply overwhelmed it.

[Activating Skill: Abyssal Extraction.]

A beam of dense violet energy wrapped around the silver ring. The holy runes etched into the metal glowed fiercely for a second, trying to resist. Kaelen pushed harder. The void magic aggressively devoured the holy signature, breaking the invisible seal like a dry twig.

[System Alert. Holy Seal breached. Spatial artifact unbound.]

"Done," Kaelen said while opening his eyes.

He tilted the ring forward and channeled a tiny amount of mana to empty its contents.

A pile of loot clattered onto the stone floor. There were dozens of high-grade health potions, a heavy pouch jingling with gold coins, several polished whetstones, a spare set of chainmail armor, and a Guild mapping crystal.

Kaelen picked up a glowing red potion bottle. "Look at this. Major Health Elixirs. He had five of them."

"He reported to the Guildmaster that you begged for potions and he had none to spare," Seraphina noted, her voice laced with disgust.

"He was a liar until his final breath," Kaelen said coldly. He tossed the potions to her. "Keep these. Your Saintess Vitality heals you, but emergency burst healing is always useful."

Then he picked up the spare chainmail. It was slightly too large, but it was forged from decent steel.

"Put this on," Kaelen ordered, handing her the armor. "That cape is barely covering you."

Seraphina took the chainmail, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Turn around, Master."

"I have already seen everything, Seraphina," Kaelen teased gently, though he turned his back to give her privacy. "I physically merged with your mana core."

"That was a life-saving ritual," she argued softly, the clinking of metal echoing in the small cave as she dressed. "This is different. I’m still adjusting to... not being a Paladin."

"You’re adjusting very well," Kaelen said.

Once she was dressed, Kaelen turned back around. He pocketed the heavy pouch of gold. Financial security was something he had never experienced. In the capital, support classes were paid in copper scraps. Now, he held enough gold to buy a noble’s estate.

But he didn’t care about the capital anymore.

Kaelen reached behind his back and pulled out the heavy, pale leather grimoire. He placed it in his lap. The moment the book touched his skin, it pulsed with a warm violent light.

"What does it say?" Seraphina asked, leaning closer. Her shoulder pressed against his, a natural desire to be near his Abyssal warmth.

"I couldn’t open it in the safe zone," Kaelen explained, running his hand over the blank cover. "It requires pure void miasma to awaken."

Kaelen pushed his Abyssal Aura directly into the book.

The heavy leather cover snapped open. The thick paper pages flipped wildly on their own, glowing with ancient, shifting runes. The text was completely foreign, but Kaelen’s mind instantly translated the words.

A barrage of system alerts flooded his vision.

[System Alert: The Primordial Grimoire has bonded with the Mana-Binder.]

[Analyzing dungeon topography...]

[Warning: The Holy Church has sealed the Tenth Floor of this Chasm. A Primordial Dungeon Core lies dormant beneath the seal.]

[New Main Quest Unlocked: The Heretic’s Domain.]

[Objective: Descend to the Tenth Floor. Shatter the Church’s holy seal. Feed the Dungeon Core with Abyssal magic to claim ownership of the Chasm.]

[Reward: Absolute territorial control. Creation of a safe Sanctuary. Mythic-tier base construction unlocked.]

Kaelen stared at the floating text. His heart hammered against his ribs.

"What’s wrong?" Seraphina asked, sensing his sudden spike in emotion.

"The Church didn’t just abandon this dungeon," Kaelen whispered, looking at her. "They sealed the bottom floor. There is a Primordial Dungeon Core down there."

Seraphina gasped. "A Core? If someone claims a Dungeon Core, they control the monster spawns. They control the very layout of the caverns. It is an instant, impenetrable fortress."

"Exactly," Kaelen smiled, a predatory glint in his eyes. "The system just gave me a quest. If we reach the tenth floor and break the Church’s seal, I can take control of this entire mountain range."

"The tenth floor," Seraphina repeated, realizing the reality. "Master, no human has ever survived past the fifth floor. The ambient miasma down there will instantly melt ordinary flesh. The monsters there are most likely Level 80 or higher."

"You’re Level 85," Kaelen reminded her, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of golden hair behind her ear. "And I’m Level 40. By the time we fight our way down to the tenth floor, I will be much stronger. I have the ultimate growth class."

"It is a suicide mission for anyone else," she murmured, leaning into his touch.

"But not for us," Kaelen said smoothly. "The Church thinks they could keep me as a slave on the surface. So, I will build my own kingdom in the darkness. A sanctuary where the Inquisitors can never touch us."

Seraphina looked into his violet eyes. The ambition radiating from him was captivating. He wasn’t just surviving anymore; he was conquering.

"Then we clear the Abyss," Seraphina declared, gripping the hilt of her greatsword. "My blade is yours."

"Get some rest, Saintess," Kaelen said, closing the grimoire. "Tomorrow, we drop into hell."