The moment Ren plunged into the pit, the world dropped out from beneath his feet.
Wind roared past his ears as darkness swallowed everything.
He snapped his wings open—just enough to slow his fall. Jagged stone walls blurred past him as cold air whipped against his armor.
Above, screams and panicked shouts echoed as the others plunged into the abyss. Some fell in controlled dives, while others tumbled helplessly to their deaths.
Peering into the darkness, he saw it.
A faint blue glow at the bottom of the pit, growing brighter with each passing second.
Before he could focus on it, a shadow flashed across his peripheral vision. His instincts screamed.
Ren twisted mid-air just in time to avoid a massive pincer slicing through the space where his torso had been. The creature lunged again, but now he clearly saw what was attacking him.
A Lethal-Backed Crab.
Ren folded his wings, dropping several meters in freefall. Then he flared them open just as the crab's pincer swept over his head.
His eyes sharpened. Beneath the crab's underbelly, a faint crimson line glowed.
With a powerful flap, he boosted himself toward it. He seized one of its legs, muscles tightening, and flung the massive body downward. Instantly, he folded his wings again and dove after it.
Twisting mid-air, he landed on its exposed underbelly as it flipped upward.
He swung his claws along the crimson line, piercing the fleshy surface. Gripping the torn edges, he ripped it open.
His fist tightened.
He drove it deep into the wound.
The beast spasmed once…
Then went limp.
Ding!
[Aberrant Creature: Lethal-Backed Crab]
[No Beast Memory Gained]
[Consume to Gain Ascension Point]
---
Ren exhaled slowly. Finally… a moment to breathe.
He deactivated the Jade Phoenix Carapace.
The emerald armor faded, revealing a handsome young man crowned with white hair.
Almost immediately, weakness washed over him.
Ignoring it, he opened his system interface and navigated to the Beast Soul tab.
[Beast Memories]
[Primitive]
Primitive Frenzy Bee Perfume
[Aberrant]
Frenzy Bee Boots
Lethal-Backed Crab Summon
Lethal-Backed Crab Possession
His gaze settled on the newest addition.
---
[Beast Memory: Lethal-Backed Crab Possession]
Boosts the user's stats to that of an Aberrant Lethal-Backed Crab. The user emits a special pheromone that causes nearby crabs to mistake them for one of their own.
Cycle: 0/6
Note: Every 30 minutes counts as one cycle.
---
"Now that's a beast memory…" Ren muttered, a faint spark of excitement flickering in his eyes.
With the immediate danger gone, he turned his attention back to the eerie blue glow below.
As his senses steadied, realization struck.
It wasn't a monster.
It wasn't an artifact.
It was water.
A river glowing an unnatural shade of blue.
Ren's hand froze just before he could activate Consume on the corpse beneath him. Instead, he bent his knees, bracing himself as the ground rushed up.
SPLASH!
The crab crashed into the glowing river first, splitting the water like a falling boulder. Ren followed a heartbeat later, riding the impact as glowing ripples exploded outward.
Dozens of bodies struck the water behind him—some screaming, others already silent, killed during the descent.
Ren resurfaced sharply, scanning his surroundings.
What he saw stole his breath.
An underground world unfolded before him—a massive river system carving through a labyrinth of caves. The cavern walls were jagged and layered with glowing blue ore, casting shimmering reflections over the flowing current.
Some passages were narrow enough for a single person to squeeze through. Others rose high into darkness—cathedral-like chambers echoing with distant drips.
The river stretched endlessly, weaving through chamber after chamber like a living vein beneath the mountains.
What are they really after…?
A skittering roar echoed through the cavern—rapid, overlapping clicks like countless claws scraping against stone.
Ren snapped toward the sound.
From the shadowed tunnels, a swarm of crabs poured out, their armored bodies scraping over glowing rock as they rushed forward like a tidal wave of chitin.
Before he could warn the others, the survivors panicked.
Classes activated.
Beast Memories flared.
They swam toward tunnels untouched by the swarm, scattering in every direction.
Within moments, Ren stood alone at the river's crossroads—several cave mouths yawning open into darkness.
He slowed his breathing and studied each path.
Then he noticed it.
One tunnel bore faint, fresh sword marks carved into the stone. The edges were sharp—untouched by moisture or erosion.
Someone went this way.
Someone strong.
Oskara.
He activated a Beast Memory.
[Lethal-Backed Crab Possession]
Power surged through him instantly. His muscles tightened, strength rising to nearly rival the Jade Phoenix Carapace.
He flexed his fingers once, then swam toward the marked tunnel.
The moment his foot touched solid ground, something inside him resonated.
A notification screen appeared.
---
[Genesis Detected]
[8.8 Kilometers]
[2.8 Kilometers]
[4.8 Kilometers]
[7.75 Kilometers]
[1 Kilometer]
[Quest Unlocked]
A Spark of Genesis
Locate and seize the spark.
Reward: ???
Do you accept?
Yes / No
---
"Quest…?" Ren muttered.
A cold ripple passed through him.
The Quest function was exclusive to those of the upper realm.
So how—
Before he could finish the thought, crabs surged from deeper within the tunnel.
Ren prepared to strike—
But paused.
A pungent aura, visible only to him, emitted from every pore of his body.
The charging crabs slowed.
Their aggression wavered.
Then they diverted around him, skittering past as if he were one of their own.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
Interesting.
He turned back to the screen.
A Quest… how is this possible? And why is the reward hidden?
And what exactly is a Spark of Genesis?is it like my…? Ren thought, an idea already forming in his mind
"Immediately he selected Yes."
Immediately, he felt it—a subtle force tugging at his mind, pulling him toward a direction.
His eyes sharpened.
It was the same tunnel marked by Oskara's blade.
So that's where you're headed.
Ren moved.
The water gradually shallowed to knee level. He transitioned into a sprint, boots splashing lightly.
The deeper he went, the stronger the pull became.
Then—
Clashing steel.
Beastly screeches.
Ren froze.
He slipped into a shadowed corner, every sense sharpened.
Peering ahead, he saw them.
Oskara and his team, locked in fierce battle against a massive black crab.
Where are the others…?
The answer came instantly.
Drek and the remaining members burst from a side tunnel, two enraged crabs rampaging behind them.
Drek hurled a satchel filled with milky-white eggs toward Oskara.
"Run!"
A spark lit in Ren's mind.
Perfect Payback