The Abyss did not change.
That was the first problem.
No matter how far they moved—
Nothing shifted.
No variation in terrain.
No sign of depth progression.
"…We've been walking for eleven minutes."
Kanzaki checked her device again.
"…Distance covered doesn't match time."
Takahashi scoffed lightly.
"Your tools glitching already?"
"…No."
Her voice stayed calm.
Too calm.
"They're functioning."
Pause.
"…The environment isn't."
Silence followed.
Kurose didn't stop walking.
"Mark the path."
Fushimi moved immediately.
A small blade scraped against the ground—
Leaving a clear line.
They walked forward.
Thirty seconds passed.
Fushimi stopped.
"…Captain."
Kurose turned.
The mark—
Was ahead of them.
Not behind.
No one spoke.
Takahashi frowned.
"…That's a trick."
No one agreed.
No one disagreed.
They continued.
Slower now.
Every step measured.
Yuna's voice broke the silence.
"…I don't like this."
No response.
Because everyone felt it.
Not danger.
Something worse.
They reached an open stretch.
The ground here was smoother.
Too smooth.
Kanzaki crouched.
"…Surface has been altered."
"By what?"
A pause.
Her fingers hovered over the ground—
But didn't touch it.
"…Not by something."
Slowly—
"…By repetition."
Takahashi exhaled.
"…You're saying something walked here?"
"…No."
She stood.
"…Something practiced here."
Silence.
Heavier now.
A low hum passed through the air.
Not sound.
Not vibration.
Something—
between.
Yuna flinched slightly.
"…Did you feel that?"
"Yeah."
Takahashi flexed his hand.
"…My arm felt lighter."
Kanzaki checked her readings.
Her expression shifted.
Just slightly.
"…Aether density fluctuating."
"Meaning?"
"…Your ability output won't be consistent."
"…So?"
"…So if you attack…"
Pause.
"…You might not get the result you expect."
Takahashi smirked.
"…Then I'll just hit harder."
Fushimi turned his head.
"…Don't."
That was the first time his voice carried weight.
Everyone noticed.
"…Something's adjusting."
"…Adjusting to what?" Yuna asked.
Fushimi didn't answer immediately.
His eyes scanned the darkness.
"…Us."
Silence.
Then—
A distant sound.
Not loud.
Not clear.
A faint…
shift.
Everyone froze.
"Direction?"
Kurose's voice was steady.
"…Everywhere."
Kanzaki activated her scanner.
The screen flickered.
Stabilized.
Then—
Distorted.
"…That's not possible."
"What?"
Her voice dropped.
"…There's no source."
The screen warped.
Lines bending inward.
As if the data itself was being—
Pulled.
Takahashi stepped forward.
"…Enough."
He raised his hand.
Aether gathered.
Flames ignited—
Then—
They collapsed.
Gone.
Not extinguished.
Removed.
"…What—"
Takahashi's expression changed.
For the first time.
"…I didn't cancel it."
Kanzaki stared at the device.
"…The system didn't reject it…"
Pause.
Her voice barely above a whisper.
"…It was overwritten."
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Yuna stepped back slowly.
"…Captain…"
"…Say it."
Her voice trembled.
Just slightly.
"…We shouldn't be here."
Kurose didn't respond.
Not immediately.
Because he was looking ahead.
At something the others hadn't noticed yet.
"…Formation."
Instant.
They aligned.
"…Look."
At first—
Nothing.
Just darkness.
Then—
Lines.
Thin.
Precise.
Cut into the ground.
Into the walls.
Across the bodies of nearby creatures.
Perfectly clean.
Too clean.
Takahashi stepped closer.
"…These cuts…"
He crouched.
Ran his fingers near one—
Not touching.
"…No resistance marks."
Kanzaki's voice came from behind.
"…Same depth."
"…Same angle."
"…Same precision."
Silence.
"…This isn't random."
Kurose's voice answered.
Calm.
Cold.
"…No."
Pause.
His eyes didn't leave the marks.
"…It's repetition."
A longer pause.
Something clicked.
Something none of them wanted to understand—
But did.
"…Practice."
The word settled into the Abyss—
And stayed there.
Fushimi slowly turned his head.
Looking into the deeper dark.
Where no light existed.
Where no movement could be seen.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"…It's not hunting."
A pause.
The Abyss felt closer now.
Listening.
"…It's learning."
Silence.
Absolute.
Far ahead—
Something shifted.
Not visibly.
Not audibly.
But undeniably.
And for the first time—
Kurose spoke without certainty.
"…We're being studied."
No one argued.
Because deep down—
They already knew.
Further Ahead—
The marks didn't end.
They increased.
Walls.
Ground.
Bodies.
Everywhere—
The same cuts.
Perfect.
Identical.
As if something had been repeating the same action…
Until it became flawless.
No one spoke.
Even Takahashi stayed quiet now.
"Captain…"
Yuna's voice was low.
"…We should turn back."
No answer.
Because Kurose had already seen it.
Ahead.
Not far.
Something—
Standing.
"…Contact."
Formation tightened instantly.
Weapons raised.
Breathing controlled.
But it didn't move.
Didn't react.
It simply…
stood there.
Facing the wall.
One hand placed against the surface.
Still.
"…That's it?"
Takahashi frowned.
"No movement."
Kanzaki's scanner activated—
Then—
Flickered.
Distorted.
"…Signal unstable."
"…Is it alive?" Yuna asked.
No response.
Because no one could answer that.
They stepped closer.
Slow.
Measured.
The figure didn't turn.
Didn't acknowledge them.
As if—
They didn't exist.
"…Hey."
Takahashi stepped forward.
"Move."
No reaction.
A pause.
Then—
A shift in his tone.
"…Don't ignore me."
Aether gathered.
Heat rose.
🔥 Flames formed around his arm—
Clean.
Controlled.
S-Rank.
Still—
No reaction.
"…Fine."
He moved.
Fast.
A clean strike—
Direct.
Precise.
And then—
Something impossible happened.
The figure moved.
Not away.
Not to dodge.
It moved with him.
Same angle.
Same speed.
Same motion.
For a moment—
It looked like there were two of them.
Then—
The attack passed through.
No impact.
No resistance.
Takahashi landed—
Eyes widening slightly.
"…What?"
Silence.
The figure's arm lowered slowly.
The motion…
Perfect.
Too perfect.
It turned.
For the first time—
They saw his face.
Human.
Almost.
Skin pale—
Too smooth.
Faint black veins beneath the surface.
Eyes—
Still.
Empty.
"…Ryuzen…?"
The name slipped out.
From someone.
No one knew who.
He looked at them.
Not with recognition.
With observation.
Like they were—
Objects.
Kanzaki raised her scanner again.
"…I need data—"
He moved.
Not fast.
Not aggressive.
Just—
Reached.
His fingers touched the device.
And it ended.
No explosion.
No resistance.
It collapsed into gray ash—
And flowed.
Into his arm.
Kanzaki froze.
"…What…?"
A faint distortion passed through the air.
A sound—
Not heard—
Felt.
『 TECHNOLOGY ASSIMILATED: [SENSORY GRID] 』
Silence.
Absolute.
Takahashi's expression hardened.
"…You—"
He stepped forward again.
Faster this time.
More force.
🔥 Flames erupted—
Stronger.
Sharper.
Ryuzen watched.
His head tilted—
Just slightly.
Then—
He raised his hand.
Aether formed.
But wrong.
The flame—
Wasn't normal.
Color distorted.
Edges unstable.
A gray-black fire—
Flickering like it didn't belong.
Takahashi's eyes widened.
"…That's my—"
Ryuzen moved.
Same technique.
Same structure.
But cleaner.
The two attacks collided—
Takahashi's flames—
Collapsed.
Overwritten.
"…No—"
Ryuzen stepped forward.
One motion.
Then—
Stopped.
Mid-action.
His body froze.
Completely.
Something flickered in his eyes.
A voice—
Broken.
Layered.
"Ry…u…zen…"
Another—
Deeper.
"—You finally—"
Another—
Ancient.
"—stop—resisting—"
Fragments.
Clashing.
A face appeared.
For a moment.
Incomplete.
Smiling.
Familiar.
Then—
A black line cut through it.
Gone.
Silence.
Ryuzen's head tilted.
As if—
Something had occurred.
Something…
irrelevant.
The motion resumed.
Faster.
Cleaner.
Takahashi didn't even react.
Didn't understand.
A thin line appeared—
Across his body.
Perfect.
For a second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Separation.
No scream.
No resistance.
Just—
Completion.
Silence filled the Abyss again.
Yuna stepped back—
Shaking.
"…That's not—"
She couldn't finish.
Kanzaki stared.
"…He… copied it…"
"No."
Kurose's voice cut through.
Low.
Cold.
"…He improved it."
Ryuzen stood still.
Again.
Looking at them.
Not with anger.
Not with intent.
With calculation.
His head tilted slightly.
As if—
Something was missing.
But he didn't know what.
Then—
A step forward.
And for the first time—
Fear wasn't imagined.
It was certain.
[ END OF CHAPTER 2 ]