The Lightless Dark

Yesael Route.

Tito burst out of the sea like a merman, grasping an Ancestral Fish.

The journey had been going smoothly. He had already left the coastal waters controlled by the Trilobite Men and entered the midway point of the Yesael Route.

This area was now part of the Abyss Kingdom, the realm of the monsters that crawled out from the deep-sea trenches.

Although he encountered many troubles and difficulties along the way, even running into patrolling Prawn Knights at the borders of the Abyss Kingdom, Tito managed to overcome these obstacles and dangers with his thorough preparations and quick wit.

Tito was a person skilled at making plans, which greatly aided his journey.

"An island?"

While holding the fish, Tito suddenly noticed an island appearing in the distance.

He took out the stone map tablet and cross-referenced it to find the island's location. This was once the site of an abandoned Trilobite Man settlement, and many years ago, this island had been a gathering place for the Trilobite Men.

His interest was immediately piqued. As a poet writing an epic, he looked upon these ancient civilization ruins like a starving man gazing at a sumptuous feast.

As he approached the island, he noticed something unusual.

The island was filled with stone stakes, with unknown objects tied to them.

Upon swimming closer, Tito couldn't help but gasp.

Corpses were tied to the stakes, and one glance was enough to recognize them as Trilobite Men.

"Not good."

He turned to leave, but ripples had already appeared in the water behind him.

The poet immediately abandoned the idea of turning back and rushed straight to the shore.

He knew what was coming.

Drawing his sword, he stood on the island, ready for battle.

At this moment, going into the water would only lead to certain death. Instead, maneuvering on the island gave him a chance of survival.

His courage and strategy were excellent, but he was not a person skilled in killing and fighting. Yet, he was facing the bloodthirsty People of the Abyss who constantly engaged in slaughter.

One by one, the People of the Abyss emerged from the water, their long and powerful tails swaying, stirring up waves that made them resemble small boats crashing against the island's edge.

They didn't directly charge at the poet but raced along the shore.

When a few of them had distracted the poet's attention, another group coordinated and threw a capture net, ensnaring Tito and rendering his efforts futile.

"It's over."

Having heard of the brutal acts of these monsters, these two words immediately surfaced in Tito's mind.

The soldiers of the Abyss Kingdom rummaged through his backpack. They surrounded Tito without speaking, but the long tentacles on their heads collided with each other. Tito knew they were communicating in their unique way.

Tito thought they might be discussing how to kill him.

Or even how to eat him.

"Why would a Yinsai person run here?"

"Probably lost his way."

"A precious sword forged from the shell of a Ruhe beast. His identity is not simple."

These People of the Abyss didn't kill Tito but instead took him away.

Tito was brought into the deep sea. Amidst a group of reefs and ancient cups and ferns, he saw an underwater city that resembled a nest more than a city.

He also saw the master of this underwater city.

The sunlight refracted and illuminated this place. Inside a building constructed from giant stones, a monster lay on a stone seat, gazing at him with curious eyes.

Tito suddenly realized that these monsters were not quite what he had imagined.

Their eyes were almost the same as those of the Trilobite Men.

Perhaps, when they regained their wisdom, they were no longer monsters.

Then what were they?

Surely they couldn't be the same as us, people?

"I am the lord of the Sal Domain of the Abyss Kingdom. Yinsai person who dares to invade my territory, state your identity and purpose."

The voice penetrated directly through the ears, resounding in the consciousness.

Tito immediately knew this was a Person of the Abyss who possessed the power of wisdom. After so many generations, quite a few descendants of those sinful kings who received the bloodline of power from King Eli had awakened the power of wisdom on their own.

Tito didn't speak, but the other party could directly read his thoughts from his consciousness.

"Your name is Tito!"

"A poet? And possessing the royal bloodline of the Yinsai people!"

The lord of the monsters picked up Tito's backpack, his gaze falling on the few bone tablets. He didn't notice the faint glow emitted by the decaying cup hidden at the very bottom.

"Did you write this?"

Tito immediately panicked, afraid that the other party would take the Divine Cup.

He struggled to move forward, bubbles escaping his mouth.

Faintly, one could hear him saying, "Give it back to me!"

The moment he spoke, Tito panicked. He realized he had made a fatal mistake.

He thought of the power of wisdom. The other party might read the existence of the Divine Cup from the thoughts surfacing in his mind.

He immediately tried to suppress all thoughts about the Divine Cup, even emptying his mind to think of nothing, even though it was already too late.

But strangely, the other party made no move.

Instead, they focused all their attention on the poem he had written.

The other party didn't read a single bit of information about the Divine Cup from his consciousness, as if some force was preventing anyone from knowing of its existence.

Tito tried to communicate with the other party in his mind, drawing their attention to the poem he had written.

"I am a poet, preparing to seek the legendary God-Given Land."

"I am planning to write a great myth about King Redlichia."

"This is not just a myth about the Yinsai people; it also includes the ancestors and origins of your people."

The lord of the Abyss Kingdom looked at Tito as if trying to determine if he was joking.

"No one has seen the God-Given Land. It's just a myth."

The lord appreciated Tito's poetry and admired his literary talent.

At the same time, he hoped that Tito, who possessed royal blood, would join them instead of seeking the God-Given Land.

"Stay here!"

"I can spare your life and even make you a subject of the Abyss Kingdom."

"In the future, you can write chapters and record texts for us here."

Tito stayed in the Sal Domain of the Abyss Kingdom for nearly a month. Every day, he would carve murals in the palace for the lord.

Sometimes, he would also write poems praising the Abyss Kingdom, recording them on pillars or buildings.

The lord was busy every day and didn't constantly monitor or observe what he was thinking of writing.

On this day, Tito finally found an opportunity to escape with his backpack.

But before he could get far, a squad of monster soldiers from the Sal Domain pursued him.

In the vast sea, these bloodthirsty monsters quickly discovered Tito by sniffing out his scent.

Tito was captured and brought back.

This time, he had truly angered the lord.

"You want to escape that badly?"

"Have I been too lenient with you, or do you Yinsai people simply not know the meaning of gratitude?"

Tito didn't speak, but the lord could hear his inner voice.

"This place doesn't belong to me. I have my own mission."

The lord's arm, like a spear, swung out, its fluid motion stirring up the water current and Tito's blood.

"Ah!"

Tito wanted to cry out in pain, but underwater, the moment he opened his mouth, water kept pouring in.

He knelt on the ground in agony, his hands covering his eyes.

His world plunged into complete darkness. The seawater stung his wounds, and he struggled in pain, unable to utter a single word.

The lord leaned close to his ear, his voice resounding directly in Tito's mind.

"Have you seen the bottomless abyss?"

"You like writing poetry, don't you? But the poems you write about us lack soul, vastly different from your 'Yinsai Epic.'"

"Without experiencing our terror and suffering, how can you write the perfect poem about us?"

"Tito, come and feel our pain and fear."

"There, it is this kind of darkness, so dark that not a single shred of light exists."

Spreading his arms wide, the lord declared, "Welcome, Tito, to the world abandoned by God."

The lord no longer spared Tito a glance and issued an order to his soldiers: "Throw him onto the Island of the Dead."