Fire Mage-Chapter 656: Abyssal Hound

Chapter 656: Abyssal Hound

What’s going on? Is it because of Shadow Princess’s presence? Despite being completely hidden within the soul, the dread aura she exuded in the third layer made every creature instinctively guard against him.

Thanks to that, Charles’s journey was smoother than ever.

By the end of the second day, he reached the southern border of the Second Layer, where a colossal mountain cave yawned before him—a gateway to the Abyss itself. Its entrance was shrouded in an eerie mist that writhed and pulsed with sinister energy.

But Charles, relying on his [Night Vision] skill, saw the cavern’s interior clearly. With a flick of his finger, he conjured a ball of fire and let it hover a few feet above his head, illuminating the gloom.

The cave’s entrance was framed by gnarled, shadowy rock formations that stretched like claws, their jagged edges casting sinister silhouettes in the flickering light. The air was thick with damp chill, a mix of earthiness and something darker, more ominous.

As Charles stepped inside, the walls narrowed, closing around him as the passage wound deeper into the mountain’s heart. Rough and uneven, the walls bore scars of time and weather. Here and there, luminescent fungi glowed faintly, casting ghostly light over the rocky path.

The floor was uneven, dotted with dips and rises, shaped long ago by the slow passage of water.

Suddenly, the cavern opened into a vast chamber, swallowed by darkness in its farthest corners. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like stone icicles, their pointed tips threatening the floor below. A faint ethereal light pulsed through the chamber, like distant stars shining behind a heavy mist.

At the chamber’s center, a circular platform lay adorned with intricate swirling patterns that shifted with every flicker of light.

"Teleportation circle," Charles whispered, eyes widening.

But what made him freeze was the two-meter-tall black hound standing on the platform, growling fiercely with glowing red eyes. Six legs supported its massive frame, long ears twitching as it exhaled a chilling breath that sent a cold wave through the air.

At the same moment, a row of information appeared before Charles’s eyes:

[Name: ???

Race: Abyssal Hound

Rank: Legend Rank (Peak)

Age: 503,500 years

Health: Normal

Affiliation: Chaotic Evil

Title: Hell’s Guardian, Mount of the True Devil, Void Walker

Attributes:

Strength: 49.9

Agility: 49.9

Vitality: 49.9

Chaos Power: 1,998

Wisdom Power: 999

Bloodline Spells:

Soul Drainer, Shadow Cloak, Abyssal Howl, Void Walking, Abyssal Evasion, Umbral Pulse, Eldritch Sight

Unique Skills: Astral Chain, Body of the Void]

Two unique skills, Charles noted, furrowing his brow as detailed info on each spell flooded in.

He stored the leather bag in his space ring and prepared for battle.

Without warning, the Abyssal Hound vanished from its spot and reappeared behind Charles.

Anticipating the move, Charles cast his ’Burning Thoughts’ spell to intercept its mind—but to his shock, it failed.

He then tried [Fire Seed], [Purple Consciousness], and [Knowledge Seeker], but none of these spells penetrated the Abyssal Hound’s mind.

Sensing his attempt, the creature lunged, mouth wide open to bite.

Just as its jaws closed in, a shield of shadowy energy—the Eclipse Shield—flared around Charles, blocking the attack.

Not deterred, the hound’s fierce red eyes glowed with a dark pulse. It unleashed a unique bloodline spell—’Umbral Pulse’—sending a wave of dark energy that struck the shield.

The energy seeped into the Eclipse Shield, disrupting the flow of shadow energy and shattering the defense instantly.

At the same time, the Abyssal Hound’s mouth opened wider, releasing a bone-chilling abyssal aura that crept through the chamber.

Ice-like essence materialized from thin air, coiling around Charles, freezing his movements.

Seizing the moment, the hound lunged again for his head.

But Charles, sensing the danger, quickly cast [Soul Shock], striking the Abyssal Hound’s soul directly.

Simultaneously, he spun around and activated [Chaos Eye].

From his forehead shot a fiery red ray filled with chaotic energy, racing at the hound.

As the creature shook off the paralysis, the chaotic fire closed in—but just before it could strike, the hound darted left with impossible speed, narrowly evading the blast.

’Abyssal Evasion,’ Charles murmured, clicking his tongue. He waved his hand, igniting the chamber in crimson flames that scattered the chilling ice.

The rocks melted into molten lava, and mutated plants and trees ignited in fierce light, illuminating the cavern.

The hound’s speed slowed drastically.

But only for a moment.

A bluish aura suddenly enveloped the beast, restoring its movement.

’Body of the Void,’ Charles frowned. It nullifies time-based spells.

Before he could react, the Abyssal Hound vanished again.

Tricky, Charles muttered. His Right Eye flooded with future visions—each showing him frozen in place, moments before being devoured.

It has another way to restrict me. Astral Chain?

Invisible chains suddenly erupted, binding him tightly, stiffening his entire body.

The Abyssal Hound reappeared, jaws wide to strike.

But an invisible forcefield—’Ancient Ward’—materialized, blocking the bite.

Why didn’t I see this in my visions? Charles wondered, intrigued despite the peril.

The hound snarled, unleashing another Umbral Pulse to shatter the shield.

Instead, the eerie energy vaporized on contact.

This defense is impressive.

Charles broke free from the Astral Chain and drew his longsword.

Sensing danger, the hound vanished in a swirl of shadows—casting [Shadow Cloak].

Cold determination gleamed in Charles’s eyes.

"Grace, lend me your strength."

As he spoke, a surge of life force drained from his soul—years of his lifespan slipping away.

But this was only the appetizer for Grace’s power.

I’m not strong enough to wield this sword fully, he muttered, feeling a fierce reddish aura envelop him.

The rebirth domain surged, doubling the flow of time—and with it, all his abilities and physical attributes.

My physical attributes have surpassed 64! Charles grinned and activated [Hands of Wonder].

Over ten thousand invisible threads slithered through the air like tiny snakes, weaving an intricate web.

In an instant, he pinpointed the Abyssal Hound’s hiding place and sprinted forward.

He cast [False Field], activated [Eye of the Faceless], and analyzed every move with Rune Eye.

Thanks to his doubled speed, Charles reached the hound in seconds and raised his sword.

The Abyssal Hound tried to dodge with ’Abyssal Evasion,’ but invisible web-like threads spiraled around its legs, halting it.

As it prepared to use ’Void Walking,’ a strange purple fire seeped into its mind, erasing its current thoughts.

Before it could recover, Charles slashed downward, cleaving the Abyssal Hound in two.

As the Abyssal Hound’s corpse collapsed, the strange, maddening aura lingering in the surroundings began to fade, dispersing entirely within seconds.

Only then did Charles realize a surge of cold anger had crept into him. But thanks to the Mind Blank amulet, its influence was greatly reduced. He quickly shook off the unfamiliar emotion and turned his gaze toward the sword.

"Hungry."

An eerie voice echoed from Grace.

Suddenly, a powerful suction burst from the hilt, greedily draining his life force. Before he could even blink, he lost a hundred years of his lifespan.

Thankfully, Grace ceased its draining after that and fell into a deep slumber.

"A hundred years... just for one battle." Charles frowned but found solace in what he had learned.

"I can’t use this sword carelessly. Not only does it feed on my soul, it even tampered with my thoughts. If not for my mutated soul, things might’ve gone badly. But now that I’m a Rank-6 Fire Mage, my lifespan has increased—somewhere between ninety and a hundred thousand years. My resistance to mental manipulation has grown, too."

He sensed the lingering effect in his soul, then shook his head and dismissed the Rebirth Domain.

His attention shifted to the center of the chamber, where a strange circular pattern had been drawn on the ground.

"No letters... just odd images of beasts and birds," he muttered, stepping onto the teleportation circle.

Activating his Mythos Decoding skill, he began trying to decipher it.

Suddenly, the etched patterns glowed with a bluish light and enveloped the entire circle.

At that moment, Charles felt a strange pulling force—like an invisible hand had seized his body and flung him into deep space.

"I can’t breathe."

He clenched his jaw, wrapped himself in a red flame, and held his breath.

"But where am I being taken? Aren’t dungeon layers arranged vertically like a tower?"

Before he could make sense of the void, the space before him cracked open—just wide enough for a person to pass through.

The invisible hand shoved him forward, pushing him through the spatial tear.

The suffocating pressure vanished instantly. Charles found himself plummeting through a cloudy sky.

Without hesitation, he unleashed his wisdom power to stabilize himself mid-air. Slowly descending, he scanned the vast desert landscape. Sand and rocky hills stretched endlessly in every direction.