Born in Blood

Liam spent a week learning the layout of tunnels that Kirk had made throughout the years, as well as keeping in touch with his training schedule.

Resembling an ants nest, the network of tunnels connected to different parts of the abyss. Those closer towards the center had already collapsed, and only through avoiding magical beast habitats did Kirk successfully tunnel deeper.

Kirk had spent nearly two years in the Abyss, which gave him strange habits – like muttering to himself or chuckling under his breath at random times.

Such behavior was understandable... for the normal person.

Although two years in seclusion was something torturous for the normal person to go through, Liam found peace in solitude, and spent the majority of his first life alone.

Nonetheless, Liam didn't pay it much heed and focused on the journey at hand, training his mental sphere and nourishing his body.

Furthermore, he was finally able to eat cooked food, since Kirk created a makeshift bonfire using sticks and stones. They couldn't heat it for too long, though, in fear of any of the beasts having some sort of heat sensing ability.

Liam couldn't help but remember his mother's face when he ate – two weeks of him being away caused her stress, but it had been more than two months that Liam spent underground.

'She probably thinks I'm dead now.'

Tremors constantly echoed throughout their dwelling, seemingly growing stronger as time passed. Or closer.

Thankfully, it was time to leave the underground once and for all.

Liam and Kirk spent roughly two weeks sketching out a plan – marking the best routes and least riskiest methods of traversal.

"From what I've seen, the elephants and crocodiles are much more docile compared to the lizards and panthers. They naturally ooze huge amounts of dark smoke from their giant bodies, but our path should be more or less far away from them." Kirk explained, looking at a detailed map made of beast hide.

"Granted, peak Rank 3 Elephants and Crocodiles have infested that route. We'll need to act swift and silently."

Liam nodded in response.

The threat of beasts wasn't actually what worried them, but the possibility of being found out by the zenith Ranked monsters did.

A night's rest allowed the pair to bring their bodies to peak condition – granted, the constant tremors didn't do much for their sleep.

The next day, Liam's eyes emitted a focused pressure – devoid of fear or any unnecessary emotion.

Kirk was no different – the promise of freedom after such a torturous period made him look much more menacing than the average noble.

"You ready?" Kirk asked.

Liam heaved a soft sigh and firmly nodded.

The two exchanged an understanding look, before they entered a different tunnel, slowly walking towards freedom... or death.

***

Quakes echoed throughout the dark underground passages Kirk and Liam traversed through, causing small amounts of rubble and dust to fall at them from above.

The Abyss was huge, and after walking an entire day, they had finally reached the end of the narrow tunnel.

Kirk exchanged a knowing look with Liam.

A moment later, Kirk made a series of gestures, an exit slowly starting to form – the dark stone was slowly being peeled layer by layer, until finally, they were able to leave through it and assess their surroundings.

Ethereal dark vapor naturally floated around them like rivers – intersecting with each other to create a network of streams – and towards their right, monstrous sized elephants rested not too far away.

Their giant bodies were cloaked in shadow, while black smoke bellowed from their trunks – enveloping their habitats. They resembled small hills amongst the vastness of the Abyss floor.

Liam and Kirk's path had been closest to a corner of the underground, which was also why the lower ranked beasts lived there – they were merely their underlings.

Dozens of the same species of elephant blocked their path up ahead. Their bodies were twice the size of a normal elephant, but their aura wasn't nearly as powerful as a Rank 4 beast.

Kirk and Liam carefully avoided the corrosive black gas, but an encounter with the beasts was inevitable.

Thankfully, they came prepared.

An unfortunate elephant that blocked their path suddenly felt its feet absorbed into the ground, rendering it unable to move.

Its trunk curled up as it attempted to shout and alert its pack leaders, yet a shadow blurred towards it, severing its organ.

Not a moment later, a sharp pain pierced its brain, killing it instantly.

Liam was satisfied, but his stern face didn't express it.

He had used Lethality Mantle to coat his blades with sharpness, which allowed for his blade to easily run through even a peak Rank 3 beast. He didn't even have to use his blades' special ability.

Kirk's earth aptitude proved to be extremely useful for the two – since he could manipulate the terrain and create a slow but steady advance.

Like so, the process repeated itself, with no major threat appearing to either of them.

Strangely, the two worked well together, with Kirk focusing on subduing the beasts, and Liam finishing them off.

Another week passed, with the pair growing exhausted and requiring rest.

Kirk spent a good part of the day slowly but silently creating a cavity underground – which they were to spend the night in.

With the 'Ora' Mine growing closer, the density of 'Ora' around them grew by at least tenfold.

"We should be close to leaving their territory now. We just have to get through the Crocodile region and then make our way into the pit." Kirk said, chewing a roasted piece of meat.

Liam nodded, forcefully gulping down a mouthful of food.

A moment later, the pair went to sleep.