Pioneer of the Abyss - Book 2 - Chapter 5

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't mind this. It's so that free readers can't see half the chapter when the chapter eventually becomes patron only.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For those of you who are reading this on a website that is not Patreon, please stop. You're reading a pirated version. Instead, if you would be so kind, please click on the table of contents link below and go to my Patreon instead. Or even read it off of Royal Road, which is free.

Discord Invite

Table of Contents

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Click the following link for the 1394 word chapter 5:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nxI2HaTmaEk5L4cSEp2AisG3GGSXsOgKXMuOG61kKbM/edit?usp=sharing

Or you can read the unformatted version below:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aqua

I end up fighting for several hours until I nearly run out of mana. Stopping at around fifty or so mana left remaining. At which point I finally stop inside of one of the ships for the night.

Deciding to spend the night in the dungeon without leaving after all.

Mostly because I don’t want to come back tomorrow just to find that someone is inside the dungeon and I’m locked out. Since only a single group of humans can enter a dungeon at any particular time.

And even if the humans can’t exactly do anything in the dungeon and would likely die if they entered, I don’t want to have to deal with waiting for them to leave. Especially on the off chance that they hide inside of the dungeon somewhere away from monsters and stay inside the place for the entire span of time it takes before the dungeon breaks.

None of that is very likely to happen, but I’m too paranoid to take the chance.

Plus some of these ships actually have beds in them. So I take advantage of that.

On another note, while hunting the monsters above the water, I had my servants search the waters below for any signs of the boss.

And they did find them in the form of a large tunnel at what turns out to be the very center of the dungeon.

If I had to guess, the boss is most likely in that tunnel somewhere.

Unfortunately, I started leveling slower and slower with each level. To the point that I only made it to level ninety-nine before getting too low on mana to go further.

Which is disappointing.

I let out a sigh at that thought as I collapse onto the bed, just staring up at the ceiling.

The plan for tomorrow is to deal with the jobs in the morning before fighting some more monsters to level up to level one hundred. Then to go down through the tunnel and check out the place.

There are two possibilities I can think of for that tunnel.

It either leads directly to the boss, or it leads to the next area of the dungeon. Where the monsters should be higher level.

Either way is good for me.

So with those plans in mind, I go ahead and fall asleep. Then I wake up in the morning, do my usual morning routine, set up the alarm in the cabin I slept in, and finally accept the business inquiries to send me into my System Phantom.

Making me reappear in a large office.

The first ‘job’ of the morning isn’t actually a job.

It’s a meeting.

And it’s not one I’ve been looking forward to.

I narrow my eyes slightly as I see the three people seated in the room already.

The Patriarch of the Abyssal Orca Bloodline family.

The Patriarch of the Kraken Bloodline family.

And the Matriarch of the Hydra Bloodline family.

All three of them in the same room without Rhett in sight.

Each of them smile at the sight of me appearing in the room in my System Phantom. But I don’t smile back to either of the Patriarchs.

Although Rhett’s mother is a different story as I give her a faint smile and a nod of my head while moving to sit on the chair next to her.

Ignoring the open chair next to both of the Patriarchs, who are sitting opposite each other from the table. With the Hydra Matriarch sitting on a third end of the rectangular table in between the other two ends.

Both of them look disappointed, albeit with Kaelthas looking less disappointed since I sit on the side of the Hydra Matriarch closer to him.

Which is on purpose since I don’t really have much of any reason to dislike the Krakens.

It’s just the Abyssal Orcas that I have a grudge against.

“As I stated in the mail I sent, this is a gathering to discuss the current events within the Abyss,” Flare Hydrignis declares with a slightly sweet yet cold voice that echoes throughout the room. “Starting with the news discovered by the Azuranths.”

The rest of us all turn to look at Kaelthas at those words. Only for him to snap his fingers, making two portals appear within the room before two more people who share similar features with Kaelthas to jump through the portals and land on the ground scattering water everywhere.

Both of the Krakens have all the features of awakened Kraken Bloodliners. With deep blue hair, glowing lighter blue eyes, and some tentacles that grow out of them to lower themselves to the ground only to vanish again afterwards. And most importantly, their slit eyes without any whites in them.

I identify them out of curiosity.

[Vesaros Azuranth – Bloodline: Kraken – Level Unknown]

[Juline Azuranth – Bloodline: Kraken – Level Unknown]

Their levels are to be expected. Starting at level ten thousand, people can’t see the levels of others unless they’re also level ten thousand or above.

And pretty much all Bloodliners currently known are at least level ten thousand except for two. With those two being me and that last Bloodliner who awakened whose name I don’t remember.

All I remember about him is that he’s a member of the Ouroboros Bloodline family.

The man named Vesaros turns to look at me and smiles as he says, “It’s wonderful to meet you, Aqua.” And the woman named Juline also smiles at me.

Although I have no idea who either of them are beyond the fact that they’re Kraken Bloodliners. Meaning they’re relatives.

But since Kraken Bloodliners are the only living Bloodliners who do not age – the two undead Bloodlines notwithstanding since they’re already undead – it’s impossible to tell how old these two are. Just like with Kaelthas.

Then again, most Bloodliners have incredibly slow aging already. Even if they do still technically age.

I’m pretty sure the general is at least seven thousand years old. Around the same age as Kaelthas.

And they both look around the same age physically, except with the general maybe having one or two tiny differences that make him seem a couple years older physically.

“Get to the point,” the general growls out, but the two Krakens don’t even look his way.

I don’t bother looking at him either.

Still, they do get to the point as Vesaros looks between me and Flare as he says, “Monsters similar to Aqua’s abyssal servants have been found in the middle layer of the Abyss. They even have the same species tag as the abyssal servants.”

I stare blankly at that, but none of the others look even the slightest bit surprised. Clearly having already been told about it beforehand.

After a few seconds of staring, my eyes narrow and I ask, “So what are you asking?”

Silence fills the room for a bit before Flare asks from next to me, “I know my son has said no to tell anyone about your Bloodline, but can you tell us if it is a single Bloodline or two?”

I meet her gaze before looking at the others. Then I focus on Kaelthas as I ask, “Will this help with finding my parents?”

He nods his head right away, answering, “It’ll bring us closer to what attacked us and what is down in the Abyss that may have captured them.”

I purse my lips for a few seconds, only to eventually let out a sigh.

Well, there isn’t any real reason to hide my Bloodline from others. Not when no one even knows what my Bloodline is or does.

And if it helps my parents, then I might as well.

Also…

A smile slowly stretches across my face as I glance at the Abyssal Orca in the room.

…that could be amusing.

Very amusing indeed.

So without any further hesitation, I state, “Alright. I’ll tell you my Bloodline. But don’t tell anyone else outside of this room.”

They all quickly agree as their curiosity clearly shoots up. But I honestly don’t really care if they tell others.

The smile on my face grows as I focus directly on the general and finally declare, “My Bloodline is known as the Abyssal Kraken.”

His face freezes in a look mixed with shock and despair.

Now that’s what I was looking for.