She pointed to a lightly marked red area on the map.
The projection changed accordingly, revealing a wasteland shrouded in eternal blood-red skies, the ground occasionally writhing, as if it were alive:
"But the real challenge begins at the ’Bloody Shallow’—the 1st and 2nd layers of the Abyss. On the surface, it seems just like a wasteland under eternal blood-red skies, but in reality, it conceals thousands of ’Space Bubbles,’ each possessing its own unique ecosystem."
The projection displayed an astonishing scene—a barely visible boundary line, with two completely different worlds on each side.
On one side is a swamp ravaged by acid rain, on the other, a crystalline-glowing ice field.
Lady Allen’s eyes flickered with caution, as if recalling some unpleasant experiences:
"I once witnessed two entirely different worlds just one step apart. Most terrifying of all, these boundaries sometimes suddenly move or vanish, suddenly plunging unsuspecting explorers into a completely unfamiliar environment."
She paused, her gaze growing distant, as the projection showed the figure of an explorer.
He took one wrong step and suddenly found himself in an unseen swamp, swallowed in an instant:
"Once, I witnessed an experienced explorer step from dry sand into an invisible swamp with just a single misstep. He was engulfed almost instantly, without even time to struggle.
Even more terrifying was the fact that the ’swamp’ was actually a conscious liquid creature, which could remember the scent of its prey and learn to mimic their calls to lure companions closer."
Ron was seriously considering this information, already starting to devise possible strategies in his mind.
The strange characteristic of these shifting boundaries strengthened his resolve not to personally explore, but to send a Stand-In Puppet for remote control instead.
"In the ’Bloody Shallow,’ you will encounter even more powerful mutants, some of whom have evolved to possess strength close to that of an Official Wizard level."
Lady Allen’s voice grew low and serious.
The projection showed a gigantic spider, its entire body covered with crystalized red armor, its eight eyes glinting with unsettling intelligence.
"The ’Blood Crystal Spider’ is one of them, a creature that might have been just a common spider.
Yet, under the influence of Abyssal Energy, they grow huge and terrifying, capable of spraying webs made by condensing Blood Crystal, any creature ensnared by the web gradually transforms into Blood Crystal.
It is said that the oldest Blood Crystal Spiders can even create perfect Blood Crystal replicas, imitating the appearance and behavior of its captured prey."
In the projection, a giant Blood Crystal Spider shot a crystal-clear web, capturing an explorer.
The unfortunate person was gradually covered by red crystal, ultimately turning into a lifelike Blood Crystal statue, even preserving the facial expression.
Lady Allen’s gaze was deep, as if seeing through Ron’s mind.
She reached out and touched a Blood Crystal in the projection, which materialized, falling into her palm, emitting a faint red glow.
"You may think that with your current strength, dealing with these mutants should be no problem.
But remember, combat in the Abyss is entirely different from the surface world.
The energy there is chaotic and frenzied, conventional magic can produce unexpected reactions;
while physical attacks may miss due to space distortions.
More importantly, many mutants possess unique adaptive capabilities, able to rapidly analyze and adapt to an opponent’s attack patterns during battle."
Lady Allen glanced at Ron meaningfully as the powdery Blood Crystal in her hand began to change, forming different sorts of Abyssal Materials:
"It is noteworthy that different Space Bubbles yield different types of Abyssal Materials. The key to finding specific materials lies in discovering the right bubble."
Her expression suddenly became complex.
"Most bizarrely, these bubbles seem to ’sense’ the explorer’s needs. If you fervently desire a particular material, you often ’happen’ to discover a bubble rich in that material, as if the Abyss is deliberately luring you deeper."
Her fingers skimmed across the map, stopping at an area marked in deep purple, as the projection shifted, displaying a strange desert composed of Black Sand:
"When you enter the 3rd Floor ’Black Sand Wilderness,’ the difficulty level will increase further. The environment becomes more active and erosive, and the effects of curses intensify. Even Official Wizards find it difficult to remain there for more than a few days without noticeable impact."
Lady Allen’s eyes brightened extraordinarily, as if recalling some terrifying yet unforgettable scene.
The Black Sand in the projection began to writhe slightly, forming various eerie patterns and shapes:
"The ’sand’ there—if you can still call it sand—is sentient. Every grain is a micro-organism with a collective intelligence. They analyze intruders’ behavior patterns, then silently alter the terrain to trap their prey."
Her voice trembled slightly as the projection displayed an exploration team’s scene.
"I once witnessed an exploration team getting lost in the ’Black Sand Wilderness.’ At first, they just found themselves returning to their starting point, as if trapped in some spatial loop. Then, the sandy ground began to shift subtly, quietly isolating team members until they no longer saw each other. Finally..."