A party of five.
…Well, strictly speaking, not all of them were human.
Forget it.
They followed the fluorescent passage downward.
The deepest part of the Chasm was now close at hand.
The nearer they drew, the stronger the Abyssal aura grew.
All along the way, Abyss-corrupted monsters lurked.
But before Yingda and Fan'nan could act,
Beruru, walking at the front, casually waved her staff of life.
The creatures died instantly without even realizing what had happened.
Abyssal power?
As Taro's Root Dependent,
with a life element attribute and class of Verdant Spirit,
Beruru's restraint over the Abyss was absolute.
"She shouldn't be ordinary, right?"
Yingda blinked in shock, voicing her doubts.
This little spirit wasn't as simple as she looked.
Many of the monsters she'd just felled were powerful enough to make Yingda herself wary.
And yet, the tiny one dispatched them with a flick.
"Now you notice?"
Huoliya covered her mouth with a light laugh.
That "little one" in front was no mere sprite—
she was a godling newly enlightened by the boss.
Against her, one could be instantly crushed.
Yes, the one getting crushed wouldn't be Beruru, but themselves.
Truly frustrating.
She, Huoliya, was a god. But weak, her authority small, her strength limited.
Stronger than Yingda and Fan'nan, sure, but only slightly.
This little being had just been born,
yet the power she wielded could flatten Huoliya with a single finger.
What a twisted world.
"A god…?"
"Sensei really is incredible."
Yingda blinked again. Surprised, but not doubting.
Sensei himself was a miracle.
A lifeform born directly from his hand would naturally be extraordinary.
That it was a god was hardly shocking.
Still, the disparity was daunting.
"No need to think too hard."
Taro spoke gently:
"Beruru is different from you. Her birth was far more demanding."
"Hehe."
Yingda's eyes sparkled. She grabbed Taro's arm and quickly changed the topic:
"Sensei, Sensei, this time Sister won. How will you reward her?"
"You…"
Taro tapped her forehead.
"Fan'nan's origin is that of a sea conch, water attribute.
The class best suited for her is naturally water-based.
In time, she'll study water arts from the Water Spirits and the Water Dragon King.
"But before that, we need an experiment.
I won't let you undergo class change until I'm certain it's safe."
Unlike them, he could merge, use, and learn the races and classes of Teyvat.
Because the world system converted everything into game templates for him,
allowing natural, conflict-free adaptation.
But the reverse—pulling out races and classes directly from the game and applying them here—
might cause unexpected results.
So before changing their races or jobs,
he had to test with experimental subjects.
Only when fully certain it posed no danger would he allow it.
Caution was necessary.
"Sister, happy?"
Yingda winked at Fan'nan, grinning.
"…"
Fan'nan ignored her sister's teasing, calm and unmoved.
Still, when the duel had first been proposed,
she had seemed composed, yet was the fastest to accept.
Now, with Yingda's needling, she couldn't help feeling… a little shy.
"And Huoliya 'Sister'? How about you?"
Yingda turned to her next.
This time she hadn't won—surely she was upset?
"Of course, congratulations to my little sister~"
Huoliya laughed softly.
"Boss's rewards are best if you win them.
But if not, no need to fret.
Gods grow slowly. Paths are long."
Not fighting? Hah. As if.
This "not contending" was the greatest contention of all.
All the sweet words gone, Yingda could only give up her teasing.
"We're here."
Through a corridor lined with diamond-shaped stone struts,
Taro's steps halted.
The chamber ahead expanded wide.
A glow of blue shimmered atop a massive stone pillar,
illuminating the entire hall.
Around the "Nail of the Sky,"
rows of diamond-shaped pillars crisscrossed.
Below, thin mist drifted.
Patches of foul sludge spread across the floor,
with monsters prowling around them.
Above, the azure glow of the Sky Nail clashed with the deep-violet Abyssal haze.
The atmosphere grew eerie.
"Below is the Abyss.
That pillar above… the Sky Nail from Celestia?"
Yingda frowned, staring.
Brother Fushir's soul had been trapped, unable to rest,
all because of this entwined power.
"The might from Celestia."
"It has many names.
The Nail of Judgment, the Nail of Punishment, the Nail of Salvation."
Huoliya's eyes gleamed.
At the cataclysm's end,
when earth split and skies burned, the Sky Nails descended.
To mend Teyvat's broken borders.
To suppress Abyssal forces invading the ley lines.
They saved the world from utter ruin.
But civilizations beneath them were countless in their destruction.
Among the first gods, many had witnessed it.
Morax was one.
She, weak though she was, had at least "heard" the tales of that disaster.
This pillar here… was surely one of them.
For in Liyue, there was only one such Nail.
"Sensei…"
"Shall we clear the monsters first?"
Fan'nan's hand turned into claws, ready to strike.
"Leave it to me! No one steal this!"
Beruru brandished her staff and darted out.
With a shout, her staff shone with verdant light.
Skill: Root — Radiance of Verdant Growth!
Green brilliance spread.
Vines erupted, lashing forth with overwhelming power.
The Abyssal beasts around the sludge were crushed outright.
The light, brimming with life, filled the hall.
Even the sludge disintegrated like melting snow.
"Wisdom Lord, Wisdom Lord, I found the shroom-beast!"
Beruru cried.
A vine glowing with verdant light lowered a fungus beast before them.
"…"
The shroom-beast was hideous.
(End of Chapter)
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