This portal undoubtedly led to the Abyssal Plane.
In the background epic of [Eternal Realm], this was the gathering place of dark forces that stood against the Divine Pantheon.
The Divine Pantheon governed 24 Supreme Gods, corresponding to 24 main cities.
Beneath the Abyss, dozens of powerful Abyssal Archons also lurked, their forces powerful enough to rival the gods themselves.
According to intelligence circulating on player forums, the minimum recommended level for exploring the Abyssal Plane was 105.
Its core regions were even high-risk maps for Levels 150-260. Adventurers below this level who ventured in would often perish instantly under Abyssal energy erosion and monster sieges.
But Kalis was no ordinary player.
The portal's red light faded further, its contraction accelerating. He could clearly feel the unknown energy surging behind it.
This place was most likely hiding key clues to a hidden class or even a chance to lift the Eternal Hatred Curse.
"If I miss this, I don't know how long I'll have to wait." Kalis's eyes burned with firm resolve. He clenched the Abyssal Core Shard in his left hand; the dark purple crystal immediately released a layer of energy shield, isolating the residual Abyssal aura in the cave.
With his staff gripped tightly in his right hand, he dashed forward in a few strides, his figure instantly merging into the scarlet portal's glow.
Whoosh!
The portal closed completely behind him, and the dungeon map was immediately reclaimed by the system. Absolute darkness engulfed him for a brief moment.
Seconds later, faint light interweaving deep blue and dark purple gradually illuminated his surroundings, and a system notification sounded simultaneously:
"Ding～ You have entered the Abyssal Plane [Void Rift]!"
"Notice: Suppressed by Abyssal laws, all healing effects are reduced by 55%, and your Spell Attack Power is reduced by 11%!"
A wave of weakness swept over him. Kalis's Spell Attack Power dropped from 221 to 197 points. But with the ten-thousandfold amplification of Ultimate Amplification, this reduction was almost negligible to him.
He looked around and found himself in a massive underground mine. Unlike Silverpeak Mine, there were no torches for illumination; instead, Void Crystals embedded in the rock walls emitted a faint blue glow.
Some high-grade crystals glowed with deep purple, refracting bizarre yet magnificent light and shadow.
The clinking of pickaxes and intermittent coughing echoed through the air.
Several human miners dressed in tattered clothes hunched over, swinging heavy pickaxes to mine crystals, their faces filled with exhaustion and fear. Kalis glanced at one of their attribute panels:
[Void Miner Colin]
Level: 50
HP: 36,500/36,500
Attack Power: 168
Physical Defense: 42
Spell Defense: 42
Skills: [Mining (Skilled)], [Basic Alchemy (Novice)]
This ordinary human miner had slightly lower attributes than Tavren, the miner who dabbled in magic, was clearly just a regular NPC.
Crack!
A sharp whip crack suddenly shattered the mine's silence, followed by a shrill, piercing curse:
"You lowly human scum! Stop slacking off! Mine faster! Anyone who slows down will have their bones crushed by my whip!"
Following the sound, Kalis saw a scrawny monster only 1.2 meters tall, covered in purple-black scales.
It waved a barbed whip, lashing fiercely at a thin elderly miner. The monster's attribute panel popped up immediately:
[Abyssal Goblin Overseer (Elite Monster)]
Level: 100
HP: 125,000/125,000
(Target level is too high to display additional data)
"I despise bullies the most." Kalis's eyes turned cold. He gathered energy in his hand and shot a Magic Missile.
-1,970,000
"Squeak!"
Before the Abyssal Goblin Overseer could even scream, it was instantly killed by the million-level damage, dissolving into a wisp of black smoke.
"W-what happened?"
"The overseer… the overseer is dead?"
The miners looked up in shock. When they saw Kalis standing at the mine entrance, their eyes erupted with unimaginable light.
Colin was the first to react. He rushed forward excitedly, grabbing Kalis's arm tightly, tears welling up in his eyes: "Adventurer! Are you an envoy sent by the Divine Pantheon to save us?"
"Adventurer, save us! We've been imprisoned here for three months!"
"Those Abyssal monsters force us to mine every day. Anyone who refuses is thrown into the blood pool as a sacrifice!"
The miners surrounded him, weeping as they recounted their experiences, their expressions tragic.
Kalis raised his hand to calm them: "I am not a temple envoy, but I can help you escape. Where is this place? How strong are the Abyssal monsters outside?"
The system map only displayed "Abyssal Plane Void Rift" with no specific location information was incomplete.
Colin wiped his tears, sobbing as he replied: "This is the exclusive mine of the Abyssal Lord Morath. They dug through the earth's veins, forming a temporary passage to Silverpeak Mine. We're all captured miners. If we refuse to mine, we're sacrificed to Lord Morath, we don't even get to keep our whole bodies!"
"Lord Morath… what level is he?" Kalis pressed. The name had a similar style to Zalathor's, making it likely an Abyssal Lord of the same rank.
Colin shook his head, his face filled with fear: "We don't know his exact level, but he's extremely powerful. He's already devoured hundreds of miners! Adventurer, please help us, we're truly desperate!"
Kalis nodded. Although no system quest notification popped up, this had clearly triggered a hidden Abyssal quest, and the rewards were sure to be generous. "Stay here and don't wander. I'll scout the outer perimeter of the mine."
"Thank you, brave warrior!" Colin quickly added. "Follow the mine tunnel outward, and you'll find an iron fence. Beyond the fence, there's a human Mage imprisoned alone! He's being held separately; they say he's very strong. If you can save him, he'll definitely help you fight the Abyssal monsters!"
"A human Mage?" A hint of interest flashed in Kalis's eyes. "Thanks for telling me."
He turned and stepped into the mine tunnel, heading outward. Occasionally, he encountered patrolling Abyssal Goblin Overseers.
Kalis took them out from a distance with Magic Missile, moving silently without alerting other monsters.
More than ten minutes later, a thick iron fence appeared in front of him, covered in Abyssal runes, clearly a special terrain lock. Kalis tried pulling it, but it didn't move an inch. A system notification popped up:
[Notice: Forcing this gate open requires 520 Strength. Current Strength: 39. Cannot force open.]
"Magic Missile!"
He tried bombarding it with the skill, but the Magic Missile hit the fence and vanished without a trace, no damage done. Unlike the previous Magic Crystal Pool, this iron fence was not a destructible structure.
"I guess I'll have to wait for the monsters to open it." Kalis sighed helplessly, hiding in the shadows of the mine tunnel to wait.
After about ten minutes, two figures approached from the outer side: two Abyssal Goblin Lieutenants, 1.4 meters tall, with darker scales than ordinary overseers and short swords inlaid with crystals in their hands.
"Damn it! That human Mage is so stubborn!" The left Goblin Lieutenant cursed angrily. "Just a lousy Level 130 Mage, ugly and skinny, yet he dares to yell at us! If Princess Lilith hadn't specifically asked for him to be her consort, I would have torn him apart and eaten him alive!"
"That's right! Princess Lilith is the most beautiful being in the Abyss. To take a liking to such human trash it's an insult to her beauty!"
The other Goblin Lieutenant echoed, his tone filled with jealousy. "Once we present him to the princess, we must capture some miners to take our anger out on. Eating three alive will finally quench our rage!"
Creak—
The Goblin Lieutenant turned the rune lock, and the iron fence slowly opened.
They turned around, preparing to delve deeper into the mine to capture miners, only to suddenly come face-to-face with Kalis in the shadows.
"Ah——!"
Before the Goblin Lieutenants could sound the alarm, Kalis raised his hand and cast Thunder Chain. Blue lightning spread like a spider web, wrapping around them instantly:
-2,364,000
-2,364,000
Two million-level damage numbers popped up. The two Goblin Lieutenants were instantly electrocuted to ashes, leaving only 12 Gold Coins scattered on the ground.
"Much richer than ordinary overseers." Kalis picked up the Gold Coins, nodded in satisfaction, and stepped through the iron fence.
Intense shouting and cursing came from the outer perimeter of the mine, sharp words filled with anger and resentment. Kalis listened carefully, his expression gradually turning odd:
"That witch Lilith! Don't think I'm afraid of you! I'm a proud human Mage, how could I become the consort of a monster? Dream on!"
"Kill me if you dare! You'll never make me submit!"
"That voice… could this be the human Mage being forced to marry the Abyssal Princess?"
Kalis thought to himself, quickening his pace toward the source of the sound.