Whispers of the Abyss

Long ago, three kingdoms ruled over Greenmoon Island—Runewood, Ironbloom, and Greenblade. Each kingdom had its own legendary knight, keeping the others in check and ensuring a fragile balance.

However, everything changed when the Queen of Greenblade vanished at sea. With no word of her return, the other two kingdoms assumed her dead. Seizing the opportunity, they launched ruthless invasions to claim Greenblade's land for themselves.

Without its legendary knight, Greenblade crumbled almost instantly. Yet, even after its fall, the war did not end. Runewood and Ironbloom turned their blades against each other, each desperate to seize as much territory as possible.

Years have passed since that day, yet the battle rages on. Though fierce, the war remains somewhat restrained. The strongest warriors seen on the battlefield are Great Knights. Clashes between Silver Knights are rare, and only once did the Golden Knights of both kingdoms cross swords.

The reason is simple—mutual destruction. Both sides understand that an all-out war would only invite annihilation. If their strongest combatants were to fall, the once-mighty kingdoms would become easy prey for outsiders. True deterrence lies in the power of Golden and Legendary Knights. Without them, a kingdom is as good as defenseless.

Beyond that, battles involving high-level knights tend to leave devastation in their wake. These warriors possess numerous life-saving techniques, and their fights drag on, turning entire battlefields to ruin.

Only in battles where one side is overwhelmingly stronger do things end quickly.

Take Edric, for example. He effortlessly killed Duke Stonefist, not because of luck or strategy, but because the power gap was too great. Edric was both a mage and a Golden Knight, wielding several formidable skills, including the legendary skill Energy Absorption and the golden-rank skill Magnetic Pull. These abilities made Edric far superior to his peers.

Using Magnetic Pull combined with telekinesis, his own raw strength, and the explosive force of Energy Absorption, Edric annihilated the newly promoted Golden Knight Duke Stonefist in a single blow. The enemy, lacking enough life-saving treasures, perished instantly. The remaining two knights, witnessing this overwhelming might, fled without hesitation.

They had no true reason to risk their lives. They weren't defending their homeland or fighting for a treasure they desperately desired. In such a situation, retreat was the logical choice. 

For all their power, Golden Knights are rarely brave. Those who live long enough to reach such heights do so by being cautious, not reckless. Only fools fight to the death against much stronger opponents when they have the option to escape and fight another day with more allies and a better strategy.

...

Edric sighed as he lay in bed, feeling unwell. "I didn't know even Legendary Knights could get seasick…" he thought bitterly.

A few days ago, he had boarded a legendary ship, leaving Silverflower Island for Greensun Island. With no pressing tasks at hand, there was no reason for him to stay in Silverflower any longer.

A ship bound for Greenmoon had been ready to set sail. Among its passengers were a few Golden Knights from the three kingdoms, along with around a hundred Silver Knights and five hundred lesser-ranked knights. Edric had slipped aboard unnoticed—by simply killing one of the Great Knights and taking his place.

His shapeshifting skill was good, more than enough to conceal his true identity even from Golden Knights.

Rising from the bed, he glanced inside his space ring. A few small piles of magic items lay inside—spoils from his time in Elowen City.

There was only one Golden-tier magic item, about sixty Silver-tier ones, and a few thousand of lower rank. In short, nothing truly useful to him. At this point, his regular combat power was already at the Legendary level. And in an emergency, he could temporarily achieve Mythic-tier strength by using his Self-Consumption skill—permanently sacrificing one of his abilities for an immense surge in power.

Though he disliked losing skills permanently, he wouldn't hesitate when necessary. After all, he had plenty of skills that he barely used and wouldn't miss if he sacrificed them.

"I should spawn new eggs on Greenmoon Island," he mused. There were already many waiting to hatch back on Silverflower Island, but he wasn't concerned. Those offspring carried basic memories and knew what to do upon birth. He had already left behind detailed instructions, as well as clothes, food, and money. The children he had already spawned were managing everything in his absence.

"Those brats have Mythic-tier potential! In a few decades, many will break through to Golden rank. It's safe to say that Silverflower Island is as good as mine in the long run!"

His plan was simple—travel from island to island, leaving behind his offspring before eventually making his way to the Flicker Empire.

"I won't leave for the Flicker Empire until I open the gate to the Abyss."

Leaving for the Flicker Empire had always been his long-term plan, but now, with the Spawn skill in his arsenal, there was no rush. Instead, he would lay the foundation first, strengthening his hold on these islands. Only when he was absolutely certain of his safety would he take that final step.

...

The legendary ship drifted silently across the vast sea.

Weeks passed before they finally arrived at Greenmoon Island. The journey had taken longer than expected, as they had been forced to change course multiple times to avoid violent sea storms. But at last, they had reached their destination safely.

It was a clear day without the slightest obstruction in the sky. Edric stepped out of his room, eager to see the green moon with his own eyes for the first time.

Standing on the deck of the ship, he waited patiently for the sun to set.

As the last light of the sun faded beyond the horizon, the moon rose.

He gazed up, his eyes fixed on the piercing green light. His mind trembled as if the very essence of his thoughts was being pulled into its depths. It felt as though he were staring into a black hole—his vision and consciousness ensnared, unable to tear themselves away from the moon's eerie, otherworldly glow.

Ding!

Congratulations! Task Number 3 is now available!

[Demon King of Greed]: Eliminate all traces of the Demon King of Greed's influence on Greenmoon Island.Time limit: 100 years.Reward: Super-grade chest.

"Super-grade chest!" The system's alert snapped him out of his trance, but the task itself left him even more stunned than the moon's unsettling glow.

"The system seems to have a strange obsession with demons… So why is it suddenly asking me to erase the influence of one?"

Edric frowned. Until now, many of his system's tasks had involved spreading the influence of the Demon King of Weirdness. But now, it was demanding he erase another demon king's presence.

"Do the Demon Kings have some kind of rivalry? Is that why the system wants me to erase the Demon King of Greed's influence?"

A chilling thought crossed his mind. "Does this mean… the system itself is a creation of the Demon King of Weirdness?"

His thoughts spiraled. If the system was an abyssal creation, then—was he an agent of the abyss?

The realization sent shivers down his spine. He had always assumed that his system was a standard gift given to transmigrators by some higher power. But now, it seemed like everything—the missions, the rewards, the abilities—was just a tool to serve the abyss. More specifically, the Demon King of Weirdness.

"Damn it… The clues were always there! How did I not see it?"

His unnatural lack of compassion. The thrill he felt in bloodshed. His growing tendency toward evil. The system's relentless push for him to spawn demonic offspring. Even the task to open a gate to the abyss—it all pointed to one thing.

"I'm not just an agent of the abyss… I might actually be a part of it!"

Edric's hands clenched as he stared out at the sea, completely lost.

The children he had spawned once told him something strange—that he and the Demon King of Weirdness were the same.

"Could it be… that I'm actually a Demon King myself and I just don't remember it?"

Closing his eyes, he desperately tried to dig into the depths of his memory.

But no matter how hard he searched… nothing came.

If he was a Demon King, he certainly didn't have any of the power that should come with it.

"Could it be that the system…"

Edric's eyes widened in realization.

"The system… What if the system itself is the Demon King of Weirdness—using me as a medium to act in this world?"

He stared at the innocent-looking system panel, his heart pounding in his chest.

"There's no way to confirm any of this! Damn it!"

A sigh escaped his lips. He was too weak to interfere with something on the level of Demon Kings. Even if he had suspicions, what could he do?

Ding!

Congratulations! Task Number 4 is now available!

[Amnesia]: Forget everything from the last two hours.Time limit: 1 second.Completion reward: None.Non-completion punishment: Loss of memory from the last two hours.Non-completion reward: A Super-ranked skill.

"What?"

Edric's eyes widened in shock.

Ding!

You failed to complete the task [Amnesia]!The non-completion punishment has been successfully implemented!The skill [Mental Fortitude (Extreme)] has been granted to you.

Edric blinked, looking around in confusion.

"What's going on? How did I get here?"

He glanced up at the sky. The moon was green. That meant… they had arrived at Greenmoon Island?

"Wait… an extreme-ranked skill? How did I get it?"

His heart turned cold. This was the first time something like this had happened.

"Did I sleepwalk?"

Feeling uneasy, he quickly made his way back to his room. The legendary ship was massive, with exclusive quarters for every knight on board.

Opening his system panel, he found… nothing. No records, no logs.

Frowning, he checked the new skill's details.

[Mental Fortitude (Extreme)]: Grants the host immunity to mental influences from all forces weaker than Extreme rank. Greatly increases resistance to mental influences from those of Extreme rank.

Sitting on his bed, Edric felt an unsettling sense of gloom wash over him. "Something happened. But I don't remember what."

For hours, he racked his mind, trying to uncover any traces of lost memories. But no matter how hard he thought, he found nothing.

In the end, he could only push it to the back of his mind.

"I just hope I don't sleepwalk again."

With a sigh, he decided to set aside everything that had happened tonight. He stood up and stepped out of his room.

Today, they were finally setting foot on Greenmoon Island.