CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER176-ABYSS MUTATION

For a 5-star awakener, Detection Spells were nothing special.

However, when they used them on the colossal structure floating above the northern frontier, their jaws nearly dropped in shock.

[City of the Undead]

[Rank: Silver]

[Level: 210]

???

What... what exactly was this thing?

Why was a building categorized as a boss?

These top-tier awakeners had seen their fair share of bizarre creatures. But a city that counted as a world boss? That was something completely new.

And to make things even weirder—this wasn’t even an enemy unit. It was flagged as a friendly.

For a moment, everyone wore a dazed, bewildered expression.

But then they all noticed the same thing: the enormous City of the Undead bore the brand of a contract servant.

What did that mean?

It meant that this Level 210 Silver-rank world boss... had been tamed. It had literally become someone’s summoned creature.

"Why don’t you just stay near Winterhold Castle for now?"

Daniel had chosen a large, empty plot of land near the city and instructed the City of the Undead to rest there.

Strictly speaking, Daniel didn’t even possess the kind of innate talent required to enslave monsters.

But that didn’t stop him from assigning the City of the Undead to another awakener.

"Lord Daniel, are you... really leaving the City of the Undead under my command?"

"That’s right," Daniel said casually. "Do a good job at Winterhold Castle, and there will be plenty of rewards for you."

With a wave of his hand, he tossed out a vague promise—and then, in his capacity as king of the northern human territories, Daniel issued an official announcement:

[System Announcement: The City of the Undead has been established. Awakeners may now enter to grind monsters and strengthen themselves.]

[Requirements and Rules: ...]

The moment the message appeared, the entire northern frontier erupted in excitement.

Level 210 monsters were incredibly rare.

And most high-level underground labyrinths were crawling with deadly threats. Trying to farm XP there came at the risk of certain death.

After all, the higher the labyrinth’s level, the greater the danger. One misstep, and even the most powerful adventurer could perish.

But the City of the Undead was different.

The posted requirements and restrictions were very clear—follow the rules, and it would be safe.

Most importantly, the undead within the city would not initiate combat against awakeners. Upon death, they would drop equipment and materials.

In other words, as long as you didn’t do anything reckless, your life wasn’t at risk.

The City of the Undead was, without exaggeration, a gift from Lord Daniel to the entire human race—a tool to help humanity once again surge in power.

And the best part?

There wasn’t just one such city.

There were twenty-one of them.

...

After bringing the City of the Undead to the frontier, Daniel didn’t linger.

With a flicker of light, he vanished—and reappeared deep within the abyss.

[Star Upgrade Quest (Special)]

[Objective: Land a hit on a Diamond-rank monster and inflict damage equal to 1% of its maximum HP.]

[Reward: Upgrade talent to EX rank – Infinity]

So far, Daniel had only encountered one Diamond-rank creature—the New Life monsters created by the Artists.

But damaging a New Life entity required deploying the Primordial Core Weapon.

And the Primordial Core Weapon... was simply too dangerous. Its effects rippled across all species and ecosystems.

Using it recklessly could have catastrophic consequences.

Which left Daniel with no real choice—he had to turn to the abyss.

All he needed was for a Diamond-rank creature to stand still and take a small hit. Once he shaved off just 1% of its HP, his EX-rank Star Upgrade Quest would be complete.

With this in mind, Daniel’s body shimmered and reappeared at the deepest reaches of the abyss.

This region had already begun developing terrain—there were winding rock tunnels that seemed to stretch endlessly, their destination unknown.

Within those rocky passages, countless abyssal creatures were lying in wait.

These monsters had pitch-black eyes, filled with a hunger for violence and slaughter.

Daniel activated Eye of Insight and scanned the area—his brow furrowed.

He had discovered something alarming: the abyss was undergoing a mutation.

These creatures were no longer passive or dormant. They were gathering, preparing to breach the barrier that separated the abyss from the surface.

Because these monsters lacked sentience or reason, even the Emperor of the Abyss couldn’t control them.

Daniel snapped his fingers, summoning a Spirit of Skills.

A hail of starlight rained down—obliterating thousands of abyssal creatures in an instant.

But there were too many of them. And they just kept spawning.

Even killing tens of thousands, even millions, wouldn’t make a dent.

Daniel knew this well.

He wasn’t trying to exterminate them. He just wanted to clear the path ahead.

Right now, his power was evolving at a pace most people couldn’t even imagine.

And it wasn’t just his main body—his clones were scattered across the world.

Some were fighting.

Others were conducting theoretical research.

And a few were working tirelessly to promote and expand the Infinite Divine Temple.

Daniel’s form shimmered again—and he reappeared in front of the Emperor of the Abyss, Malkar.

Malkar’s expression was visibly tense.

"My friend... have you noticed?" he asked cautiously. "The abyss... it’s changing."

Daniel nodded. He had just witnessed the insanity taking over the abyssal creatures.

They had no clear purpose or direction—only a frenzied instinct to charge toward the surface.

Many of them were already blocking the main exit tunnels.

"Lord Malkar," Daniel said calmly, "just be direct with me."

"You are as straightforward as ever," Malkar replied, waving his vine-like appendages as he transmitted a message.

"These mindless abyssal creatures are launching a full-scale assault toward the surface."

"But I need you to understand... this is beyond my control. In fact, when they go berserk, even I get attacked."

Malkar naturally assumed Daniel had come to hold him accountable. That’s why he rushed to explain the situation.

A misunderstanding at this stage would be disastrous.

The abyss didn’t want a war with the surface.

Daniel, however, remained calm.

This kind of situation was well within his expectations.

The arrival of the Millennial Apocalypse was pushing all the hidden monsters out of the shadows.

Even within the human race, there were undoubtedly forces itching to cause trouble.

The abyssal creatures, in many ways, were mindless beasts, driven by instinct alone.

Daniel’s understanding of the abyss came largely from the archives of Sarko and the documents left behind by the Artists.

And then, unexpectedly, Malkar made a proposal.

"My friend," he said, "if these mindless abyssal creatures are causing trouble for your people..."

"Then on behalf of the intelligent races of the abyss, I offer to help."