The water grew colder as I descended.
Not the kind of cold that nipped at your scales. This was the kind of cold that gnawed on your thoughts. That whispered doubts into your mind and made you wonder if you were sinking or if the world above had already forgotten you.
The Abyss Trench.
It was less a place and more a feeling.
Like the bottom of the world had cracked open.
Even the System's glow dimmed the deeper I swam.
[Warning: High-pressure zone detected.]
[No Return Zone: Trench Depth Level 1]
[Environmental damage: -1 HP per minute without adaptation]
I grimaced—not that I had lips. I checked my stats.
HP: 12/12
Passive Buff: Blessing of the Deep – Pressure resistance increased
Result: Pressure Damage Nullified
Thanks, Leviathan.
Without that blessing, I'd probably be paste.
Still, the pressure wasn't the worst part.
The worst part… was the silence.
There were no sounds here. No fish. No movement. Just ruined pillars of coral, crumbling statues, and shattered shells of things too large to imagine. It was like someone had built a kingdom here long ago and then drowned it in despair.
At the trench's center stood a spire.
Black stone. Covered in markings that glowed faintly. Wrapped around it was a shape that hadn't moved once.
A body.
Massive. Coiled. At first, I thought it was another serpent.
But as I swam closer, the truth hit me.
It wasn't a serpent.
It was a dragon eel.
Its fins were frayed and sharp like blades. Its scales were pale silver, and its face was ancient—lined with scars and etched with symbols.
And in its claws—
Was a trident.
The Trident of the Deep.
Three-pronged, forged from deep-black metal with glowing blue veins pulsing across it like veins through a beating heart.
Even from a distance, it radiated power.
And the moment I looked at it—it looked back.
[Warning: Boss Encounter Initiated]
[Guardian of the Trident – Azzurall the Forsaken]
[Level: ???]
[Class: Abyssal Guardian]
[Former Title: Herald of the Leviathan]
Former?
Wait.
This was the betrayer the Leviathan mentioned.
Azzurall's eye snapped open.
The water vibrated.
"Another worm comes to claim the master's weapon," he hissed, voice dry and cruel. "You reek of him."
He moved with terrifying grace. One moment, still. The next, the current buckled around him as he darted forward.
I barely dodged, a single claw grazing my side.
[-4 HP]
I spiraled, used my Burst Swim, and launched a Venom Fang Bite right into his lower fin.
[Venom Applied – Effectiveness: 12%]
He barely flinched.
"I served him once," Azzurall growled. "Until I realized what his evolution truly meant."
He swung the trident like a blade. It struck the seabed, sending a shockwave of water and shattered stone in every direction.
I dove beneath the ruins, weaving through tight gaps in the wreckage. My Lurelight flickered, buying me a second of confusion to reposition.
I had to think. I couldn't brute force this.
I was smaller. Weaker.
But I was smarter.
I checked my skills.
Toxic Gland (Lv. 2) – Venom slows enemy movement and weakens defense
Lurelight (Lv. 1) – Distracts enemies
Burst Swim (Lv. 2) – Short boost in speed
NEW: Abyss Sight (Passive) – See clearly in darkness, detect weak points
That last one was new—probably from adapting to the trench depth.
I activated it.
The world sharpened.
I could see thin lines across Azzurall's body—scars, cracks in his scales, old wounds. And right below his left fin: a glowing weakness.
A fracture.
That was my shot.
I swam in circles, dodging and taunting.
"Too slow," I thought at him. "Maybe your old bones need rest."
He roared and lunged.
I slipped under him, spun mid-swim, and bit down hard on his fracture point.
[Critical Hit!]
[Venom Penetrated Scaled Weak Point]
[Effectiveness: 44%]
Azzurall let out a pained shriek.
Blood—black and thick—spilled into the water.
I darted away as he thrashed, smashing pillars in fury.
"You… insect!"
He spun with unnatural speed, and the trident flew from his grip. It pierced a nearby coral mound and stuck there, humming with energy.
For a split second, I considered it.
Go for the trident.
But no—he was between me and it.
I needed one more move.
I darted up, weaving through ruins.
He followed.
Predictable.
When I reached the top, I dove again, straight down—past his left side—and bit again into the same weak point with everything I had.
[Venom Fang Bite – Critical!]
[Target Condition: Internal Bleeding. Muscle Rupture. Paralysis Beginning.]
He screamed, body spasming.
Then I activated Lurelight, casting a flicker behind his head—making him twist the wrong way.
His jaws missed me by inches and slammed into stone.
His eyes dimmed.
[Boss Status: Critical]
I didn't hesitate.
I darted to the trident, grabbed it with my jaws, and the moment I touched it—
everything changed.
[You have acquired: Trident of the Deep]
[Divine Weapon – Bound]
[Status: Incomplete – Requires Awakening]
[Effect: Passive Water Control Lv. 1, Trident Strike (Locked), Leviathan's Voice (Locked)]
[New Title Earned: Tridentbearer]
You are now recognized by all Deep-kind as a chosen heir.
Hostile entities will increase in aggression.
You have gained the right to seek the Myth-tier Evolution.
The trident shrank as it bound to me.
It glowed blue and coiled along my spine, as if melting into me—a living weapon waiting to be awakened.
Azzurall, bleeding and sinking, stared at me with hollow eyes.
"I warned him… what comes when fish become gods…"
His last breath bubbled away.
And the trench fell silent.
I swam slowly, body aching.
But I held the trident now.
And the System had changed.
[New Evolution Path Unlocked – Abyss Herald]
A mutation born from venom, shadow, and divine legacy.
Path of control. Of dominance. Of oceanic mastery.
I looked up toward the distant surface.
The world above didn't know what was rising from below.
But soon, it would.