Chapter 32: Assimilation in the Luminous Netherworld

Ryujin glanced back at Ralph’s position and immediately understood the situation. This seemingly generous and bold director actually valued his own life above all else; his current standing spot made it clear that he had no intention of getting involved in the events unfolding before them.

Looking back at the Great Trench and assessing his remaining mana, Ryujin abandoned the idea of summoning another batch of undead. After his previous summons and several skirmishes, he had less than 30 points of mana left. Even if he replenished his forces, it would only yield 30 skeletons—cannon fodder that would be useless in the battles to come.

He might as well handle it himself.

With this thought, Ryujin shifted his Staff of Death to his left hand, drew his rapier, and strode toward the Great Trench.

Following behind him was Vidnina. The soul-naga was no longer holding her longswords in all four hands; she had drawn them, her expression filled with wariness. The Fate-Weaving Spider followed behind her, muttering something unintelligible; her voice was so low that Ryujin could only hear a faint, buzzing drone. Behind them trailed the surviving undead: mostly gold skeletons and skeleton archers, along with a few sturdier zombies. The other skeleton soldiers, whether armed with common spears or swords, or the ritual skeletons, had all perished in the jaws of the hounds.

Just as Ryujin prepared to step into the Great Trench, Ralph called out to him.

"Mr. Sandro, are you really...?"

"I am going to stop the anomaly that is about to erupt. If Captain Wilde arrives, please tell him to hurry; I worry I cannot hold out for long."

"Mr. Sandro, you don't have to do this," Ralph shouted. "You have already achieved more than anyone else could. You only need to hold this position."

"It's too late. I don't know how long that blood-servant has been at work. Sometimes, there are things we must face ourselves."

With that, Ryujin stepped forward, pushed open the broken gate, and entered the Great Trench.

The Great Trench had originally been the base of operations for Sean of the Black Armor. On the surface, it appeared to be a seafood restaurant, but most of the cooks were actually Sean’s subordinates, and the customers were mostly laborers and the like. When Ryujin had launched his attack, most of the laborers and gang members had fled, leaving the main hall empty.

Ryujin scanned the environment and immediately identified his target. He pushed open a hidden door leading downward and, with his Staff of Death glowing with a light spell, led his subordinates into the depths.

At this moment, anomalies began to manifest below. A multitude of bioluminescent, jellyfish-like objects slowly appeared in the corridor. These entities had no offensive power and would shatter into fragments at the slightest touch, but upon seeing them, Ryujin’s expression turned grim.

Had he not entered the Gloom-Light Underworld before, he would not have known that these jellyfish were a hallmark of that realm. Much like plankton in the ocean, they possessed no combat strength, yet were an indispensable part of the ecosystem. Seeing them, Ryujin knew the ritual had already begun.

"Pick up the pace."

Ignoring the jellyfish, Ryujin charged downward with his troops. As they descended, notifications began to flash incessantly before his eyes. This sensation reminded him of his first entry into the Golden City, before he had even chosen his path as a necromancer.

[Alert: You have discovered an entrance to the Gloom-Light Underworld. You may choose to assimilate with the Gloom-Light Underworld to gain greater power...]

[Alert: You have discovered a Gloom-Light Jellyfish. You may study the jellyfish to master their habits.]

[Alert: ...]

These lines of text confirmed a grim fact: the Gloom-Light Underworld, which had forcibly devoured over a dozen planes and pressured the entire player base of the Southern Swamp plane to adopt necromancy, was likely a massive, uncontrollable gaming catastrophe.

Previously, when he had anchored his Necropolis within the underworld, it was not entirely part of the Gloom-Light Underworld, so he had not experienced this feeling of entering a game. But now, as he came into direct contact with the realm, he felt as though he were logging into a game, flooded with massive amounts of system data.

Under normal circumstances, a player might receive some information upon contacting the Gloom-Light Underworld, but not a barrage of notifications like Ryujin. He was seeing so much only because of his other identity: that of a new player. The Gloom-Light Underworld recognized him as a newcomer who had yet to declare his allegiance, and thus it was showing him its grandeur in an attempt to recruit him.

Ryujin had no time to ponder this. He hadn't even mastered his current necromancer skills; the last thing he needed was to take on another necromantic profession. Like he had done in the Golden City, he ignored the barrage of notifications and continued down the stairs.

Deep in the basement of the Great Trench, the air was thick with the stench of brine. Seawater flowed across the floor, and in the center of the hall stood a low platform.

On that platform, the man who had fled earlier with the giant hound was making his final preparations. Before him sat a basin-like object. With every incantation he uttered, seawater surged from the basin, occasionally accompanied by sea fish, shrimp, and other seafood.

This was the source of the Great Trench’s "seafood." Yet, the man ignored the food spilling out, chanting incessantly while watching the Gloom-Light Jellyfish that emerged along with the water.

"It is not enough. More! There is no time left—assimilate everything in the vicinity!"

Under his desperate command, the seawater on the floor began to turn black. Strange arms composed of light began to reach out from the water, as if trying to crawl from the abyss.

The man glanced at the arms reaching out and roared, "Get back! This is not for you! I do not want this; I want a city—a necropolis that belongs to me!"