Atticus had experienced real battle and had trained in the intricacies of all the elements. As a plus, he had finished everything early. What he needed most right now was a life and death experience. A real one.
Atticus soon reached the cafeteria, and as soon as he entered, the earlier chatter permeating the room immediately quieted down.
Most of the crew members were present, and they were all staring at him with conflicting expressions.
Many wanted to congratulate him on finishing at the sanctum so early, but they couldn't ignore the fact that he was going to such a dangerous place next.
Atticus sighed. 'Of course the whole crew knows,'
He ignored the looks and made his way over to get a tray of food. Atticus found a seat along with Yotad and Dario and immediately started eating. This might be the last time in a while he would eat something this good.
Amara couldn't hold it in anymore and approached.
"Young master, are you sure you want to do this? I'm sure Dario must have told you about the story. No one would be able to help you,"
"I know. But it's grandfather's orders. Besides, I need this,"
At this point, only Atticus and the other apexes were aware of the true nature of the nexus, a death game. He truly needed the life and death experience.
Amara tried, but Atticus had already made up his mind. He was going.
After eating, Atticus retreated back to his room to get some rest. He felt well-rested already, but he was going to force himself to get some more in preparation for the next lesson.
However, Atticus didn't even get 30 minutes of rest before Dario came to inform him about Magnus' call.
Atticus didn't say anything and simply went to the control room where Magnus and the crew members were gathered.
Just like before, Magnus stood as imposing as ever at the front with the crew members standing respectfully behind him.
Atticus acknowledged them with a nod and moved to stand beside Magnus.
"Are you well-rested?"
Atticus nodded.
"You've been briefed about where your next lesson is to take place?"
Atticus nodded.
"You understand the importance of this lesson?"
This time Atticus paused for a few seconds to think before he nodded with a serious face.
"Good,"
Magnus nodded his head in approval and faced forward, and the control room descended into silence.
During its movement, the Aegis airship wasn't stopped even once, and after some time, the display cleared up, revealing the full view of Atticus' next training ground.
The display expanded, showcasing everything in multiple directions.
Dusktown, despite its name, was a town dominated by forest and fauna because of its proximity to sector 4, the domain of the Alverian family.
The Aegis airship was currently floating at the outskirts of the town, a place closest to the border.
This prompted the entire area to be covered by a thick forest, stretching predominantly in every direction no matter where he turned.
However, in the middle of this forest just below the airship was a massive hole.
It appeared as a massive, jagged scar in the earth, stretching far and wide, its edges rough and uneven as if torn open by some immense, otherworldly force.
The abyss was an immense, yawning void, its depths swallowed by darkness. Even from this height, Atticus could feel the oppressive aura it radiated.
Surrounding the chasm, the ground was barren and cracked, devoid of life. The closer one got to the edge, the more desolate the landscape became, as if the very presence of the hole drained the life from the land.
High above, the sky was a swirling mass of dark clouds, perpetually shrouding the chasm in shadow.
Lightning flickered within the clouds, casting brief, stark illuminations that only served to heighten the sense of dread and unease.
Atticus took in a deep inhale before exhaling in the next instant.
The Abyssal Chasm.
The Zorvans and the other races weren't the only threats to the human race. The humans were completely wary of the beasts of the chasm.
This ominous pit is one of the greatest mysteries and threats to the human race.
The Abyssal Chasm was a dark, gaping maw in the ground, seemingly bottomless.
No one knows where these holes come from but one day, without warning, a total of five holes opened up suddenly in five different sectors of the human domain, bringing along with them an army of fiendish beasts.
Each creature possessed strength ranging from Master to Master+ ranks. They launched ferocious attacks on everything and everyone in their path, leaving devastation in their wake.
Many lives had been lost because of the abruptness, but the tiered families had been able to stop each rampage in each sector.
After that, attempts had been made to try and close the chasms, but it had all been futile. No amount of earth thrown in was ever seen again, and the edges of the chasm appeared indestructible even by paragons.
Because of the obvious threat they each posed, they were all placed under close surveillance until something could be done.
However, only a few months passed before another army of beasts swarmed out of each chasm.
After the second battle ended, the paragon council determined that something needed to be done.
However, upon carrying out some tests, another conundrum appeared.
No matter what they tried, grandmaster rank and above couldn't enter the chasm. It was like there was an invisible force blocking them from entering when they neared.
This forced the higher-ups to form a massive force made only of Master+ rank individuals. Each tiered family had been asked to provide a particular amount each.
The force of over 100 Master+ rank had been formed in order to investigate. Each of them experienced and battle-hardened warriors.
Soon enough they descended into the chasm.
However, only a handful of them returned after some months, filled with injuries and stories that made many stomachs churn.
Since then, no family was willing to lose any more warriors and chose to simply guard and deal with the horde anytime they appeared.
The Abyssal Chasm.
This was where Atticus' next training would take place.
"Hand over your space storage,"
Atticus furrowed his brows, a confused expression appearing on his face.
"There's an intense mana field that disrupts the functionality of storage artifacts. The beasts you will encounter are edible and from the reports gotten from those who entered, there are multiple sources of clean drinkable water."
'I'm fucked,'
Atticus had been relying on the items in his space storage to at least lead a decent lifestyle during his training.
But of course, it couldn't be that easy.