Chapter 30: The Endless Abyss Dragon

A line of silent yellow text appeared in the sky.

"The world dragon awakens."

This line of words hung high in the dawn sky over the continent, visible to anyone who looked up. It faded and reappeared, spreading fresh terror across the land.

At four in the morning, a divine murmur echoed across the continent.

"The dragon's quest has been accepted—'Sword and Abyss: Gaze of the Dragon'—officially launched at 4 AM today. All prerequisite quests and teleportation points have been unlocked. Champions, ready yourselves."

Jing Rong lay on the highest peak in the west, arms pillowing his head.

The sun was about to rise, washing the landscape in a pure, clean shade of gray-blue.

As the second hand struck the hour, the land brightened with the turning of the sun, undergoing a dramatic transformation: the earth shifted from pale yellow to emerald, sprouting new, unprecedented minerals and gemstones.

"Dear warriors: know that from this moment onward, the weather system will become more chaotic and complex. Bear witness to the changes deep within the world, and amidst these fluctuations, find the courage and ideals to move forward..."

With this continent-wide announcement, a deafening peal of thunder erupted in the distance.

Jing Rong glanced back the way he had come.

The far east was swallowed by stormclouds, rumbling with thunder, the air thick with condensed moisture and crackling static.

When the first colossal bolt of lightning struck, the entire land was scorched, and everyone was instantly sent back to the nearest resurrection point.

626, still lurking in the thousand-player group chat, said sympathetically, "Devastating. Even Reinhardt's squad got wiped this time—they were just discussing plans in camp. This thunderstorm is unavoidable."

Everyone in the abyssal lava region was now afflicted with the Debuffs "Thunderstruck" and "Defense -200%."

The race for the world-first clear had just gotten much harder. On the first day of the launch week, many had already died over a hundred times, their salt levels rising.

Meanwhile, Jing Rong was far from the east, where the air remained crisp and undisturbed.

After the version update, the mountain had sprouted new herbs and fruits that gleamed like treasure.

Jing Rong liked them very much. He spent days collecting them on the mountain, storing them all in his item stash.

626 had another question: "How long are we going to wait here? Is that crone's divination actually reliable?"

The mountain they were on was a backwater zone where only low-level monsters spawned. Most noobs never farmed here.

This was the westernmost edge of the continent. Jing Rong had been wandering here for three or four days, and not only had he found no wife, he hadn’t even encountered a single humanoid monster.

Yet Jing Rong remained chill as ice. "In any game, never ignore the hints from prophets. Those hints are usually the patch notes IRL."

626 asked, "Really?"

This was its first game world—it had previously worked in the soap opera division and had no relevant experience.

It sensed something keenly: "You must really like gaming, huh, great Executive?"

Jing Rong denied it. "Just average."

He had merely 100%’d every worthy title in the multiverse that he deemed worth playing.

626 said, "I bet that witch is just a copy-pasted quest giver. This mountain looks like a dead spawn zone—nothing here. Your wife can’t possibly be a Dryad, right?"

The corner of Jing Rong’s lips curled. "What’s the wager?"

The usually composed Executive now carried a rare gamer glint in his eyes.

626 said, "That +5 agate you synthesized last night." It had been eyeing it for a while.

Jing Rong agreed. "Deal."

He lit a campfire and fed the flame reagents.

Just then, unfamiliar footsteps sounded from the woods.

A three-person premade group appeared before Jing Rong.

He glanced at them—all Lv.99 capped, though their gear was plain. Or perhaps they had hidden their legendary gear.

"Oh, someone’s already here?"

The party leader was an Angel, a pristine glowstick halo floating above his head.

The Angel extended a hand. "Greetings. We’re a premade group from Windmill Town. I’m Lucille. Did you also come here because of the witch’s prophecy?"

Jing Rong: "."

Jing Rong: "Yes. But I’m here to find my lover. She told me to come to the edge of the map."

Lucille said, "Really? We came looking for clues about the dragon. We asked the witch if she had any tips for the dragon strat... She said, 'As long as you embark on a journey westward, you will uncover clues no other warrior expects.'"

626’s laughter cackled loudest at this moment: "Buddy, seems like that witch just tells everyone to go west. She’s just an NPC on scripted loop."

True to his word, Jing Rong transferred an enchanted gem to 626.

By the firelight, the Angel party sat down beside him, their copium levels high. "Maybe this is just a worthless lead... This mountain looks empty. This World Boss is way too hard for us, right, brother?"

The Angel opened Jing Rong’s inspect screen and sighed even louder. "Looks like you’re in the same boat. Angels already have it rough, but you’re human—that’s even worse."

Jing Rong wasn’t familiar with this world’s version history, but he smoothly joined the conversation. "The Angel patch’s been dead for a while, hasn’t it?"

The Angel sighed deeply. "We were S-tier in the medieval version... Back then, everyone needed us. Every party wanted an Angel for blessings and CC cleanse... But then the version changed, and the world moved on without us."

The other two nodded, their halos dimming. "We didn’t want to respec either... Angels are one of the best character models in this world."

The campfire crackled as Jing Rong studied them, actually vibing. "That’s true."

Angels had 12-ft wingspans and halos—both of which Jing Rong approved of.

He asked, "Who’s the most beautiful Angel?"

Lucille paused, then pulled up the holiness ranking, showing him the profile of the top-ranked Angel. "That would be Archangel Sariel."

Jing Rong zoomed in on the blinged-out UI.

Without waiting for a reaction, he sent a Friend Request.

The party: "?? Huh??"

626: "Huh?? Bro, aren’t you simping hard??"

Jing Rong, however, showed no further reaction. He waited for half a minute—clearly, the other party was online but had outright rejected him.

"What kind of low-level human dares to dream of entering my social circle? Raise your gear score and strength stats first, then talk. Pathetic."

Jing Rong said, "Apparently not."

626: "…………"

Jing Rong had only wanted to try his luck. If the request had been accepted, it would have at least hinted at some possibility. His lover would be the most beautiful existence in this world, but for now, it seemed angels weren’t the answer.

This straightforward elimination method left 626 dumbfounded.

"Dude, aren’t your methods of testing and trying things a bit too decisive…?"

Jing Rong replied calmly, "Not particularly."

626 was speechless.

He did have the confidence for it.

Jing Rong had always sought the most beautiful, most devoted person who would come to him. Anyone who didn’t fit that logic could be dismissed outright.

"Bro, I’m sorry. Not all angels are this arrogant."

The angel, Lucille, apologized sincerely. "This world places too much emphasis on gear scores and strength stats—otherwise, you can’t get anywhere… It’s been a pleasure talking to you, but we have to go now. We need to hurry and farm for upgrades."

"Alright," Jing Rong said. "Good luck. Would you like some new potions made from gold coins? I can give you some."

Lucille smiled bitterly. "No, but thank you for the offer. We’ve already tried this new material—gold coins just level up cooking…"

"And might randomly increase crafting or music talent… all worthless perks."

Another companion forced a smile, thanked Jing Rong, then prepared to leave with heavy steps.

Jing Rong said, "If you’re looking for secrets, head to the small hill at eight o’clock. There’s a pond there, and at midnight, a glowing fish spawns."

"Seriously?!"

The others looked up in shock.

Jing Rong’s words were undeniably a dead giveaway, but who would share such important information with strangers?

Jing Rong said, "I honestly hadn’t remembered earlier. I’m here looking for my lover and haven’t scouted the area. If this helps you, all the better. Good luck."

The angel team exchanged glances, then immediately booked it in the direction he’d indicated.

At the same time, a system notification popped up before Jing Rong’s eyes.

"Good Deed Reward: Your global rep +30. Current world ranking: 80."

What many wouldn’t expect was that Jing Rong’s global rep was extraordinarily high.

This reputation came from players and NPCs he’d helped—tiny favors adding up. Among the top 100 in world reputation, he was the only one without a team or faction.

Midnight passed, and Jing Rong saw the angel team return.

This time, however, their faces were filled with excitement and joy.

Lucille eagerly held up a silver fish for Jing Rong to see. "Sir, we followed your advice and actually found this clue!"

His voice trembled with excitement. "Inside the fish was a firework crate! We’ve decided to share this clue with you—it’s what you deserve!"

Jing Rong examined the item’s tooltip.

"Firework Box Hidden in Fish’s Belly · Extremely Rare: A quest item from a major world. No one has ever seen such a bizarre way of hiding fireworks, nor this new type of firework. You may open it in any open space—trust me, it will please even the one everyone fears."

The answer was obvious.

Jing Rong said, "This should be a quest item to calm the world boss. There’s probably more than just this one."

The angel team stared in disbelief. "R-Really?"

They had never participated in a world boss raid before. Faced with such a legendary drop, they felt utterly in over their heads. "Our team isn’t strong enough to use this… but if word gets out that we have it, we’ll be ganked!"

The distance from this mountain to the nearest safe zone was long.

If others learned they possessed this item, they’d only face more pursuit and plunder.

Jing Rong asked, "They’re heroes. Would heroes really grief?"

Lucille’s expression darkened. "They just want the fastest server-first clear… We don’t know what to do with this, but we’re truly grateful for your help. Here, take these rare angel-wing consumables as thanks."

Jing Rong didn’t turn it down. "Alright."

Another member said anxiously, "Then… what about this item? I don’t want to be hunted anymore… I don’t want to face the world boss either. Captain, you know my dream was just to explore the map…"

Jing Rong said, "If you’re worried, just pop it here."

The three froze.

Jing Rong sat by the fire, firelight flickering on his calm, sharp features, giving him a mysterious vibe.

"But this is a quest-critical item for the major world…"

Jing Rong said, "RNG works in mysterious ways. Things will unfold as they’re meant to. After hearing your story, I think if you’re so worried, you might as well set it off right now and see what this new firework looks like. That would also be a purpose for its existence."

"Of course, this is just a suggestion."

The Exec didn’t often give advice.

Jing Rong usually only engaged in straight-up trades. He wasn’t generous enough to escort this angel team to the nearest safe zone—he simply proposed the easiest fix.

The three angels looked at him, their eyes lit up with realization. "What you said… totally tracks! We’ll follow your suggestion!"

In this world, there were always those who disliked conflict. Rather than flexing their skills, they preferred making friends, traveling, and trying new foods from around the world. Though flamed for it, they couldn’t abandon what they loved.

Minutes later, the group were on edge as they gathered around the firework crate.

"Who’s lighting it?" Lucille asked.

No one answered.

"Then… I’ll do it." Steeling himself as leader, Lucille snagged a spark from Jing Rong’s fire and lit the fuse.

White smoke hissed from the fuse with a soft crackle. Lucille clutched the crate, fumbling to drop it, but stumbled on a pebble and fell.

Gasps filled the forest.

"The box! It’s gonna drop!"

"Holy crap! The box, the box is about to plunge off the cliff! Someone go—"

Several angels spread their wings, attempting to retrieve the rolling top-tier item, but the wind from their wings only pushed it further away.

Just as the box was about to plunge off the cliff, a hand caught it.

Jing Rong had barely grasped it when the fuse burned to its end.

"Close your eyes."

Jing Rong said calmly, then shut his own.

The others weren’t fast enough—the firework’s glare overwhelmed their vision, afflicting them with a temporary blindness debuff.

626 muttered, "What a sneaky item! Now I see why dragons are so tough. A tool meant to pacify them even comes with a blinding effect?"

Jing Rong replied, "Or maybe blinding people makes the dragon happy."

626: "...Bro, is that really how a normal person thinks?"

That’s next-level evil.

This man must never become a World Boss. If that day ever came, the world would surely descend into hell.

Five seconds later, the dazzling light faded. The burst fireworks pierced the clouds, soaring like a flare into the sky, climbing higher and higher—until the entire night sky lit up in response.

It was the most beautiful, largest, and highest firework the game’s continent had ever seen.

A... massive glowing rainbow bubble.

It hovered in the night sky, shimmering with iridescent hues like an enormous soap bubble. In a land drenched in warrior’s blood and epic battles, it looked utterly out of place—no, it downright killed the vibe.

"What the hell... is that...?"

Everyone was dumbstruck.

At that moment, a line of yellow system text appeared in the world’s sky:

"[The World Dragon’s Key Item has been activated. Coordinates: [3324.6527.1178]]"

"[Activator ID: Jing Rong, Human.]"

A rank prompt also popped up before Jing Rong’s eyes:

"[Your World Reputation has increased by 8,000 points. Current World Reputation Rank: 40 (↑10).]"

The global chat blew up instantly.

"What? There was a key item for this World Boss? What was it? Did anyone see?"

"No idea, but judging by the coordinates, it was in such a remote spot? Anyone know what it actually does?"

"Jing Rong? Who’s that?"

"God help me, this guy’s a newly maxed-out player, right? His gear is literally just an iron sword! What kind of luck is this?!"

"Insanely jealous! This dude just got blessed by the luck gods—8,000 reputation for free!"

"Was there only one item? Does this guy have more? Bros, let’s hunt him down!"

Jing Rong didn’t open the world chat. 626 remarked, "This reputation boost doesn’t seem like the good kind."

Jing Rong agreed, "Yeah."

Broadcasting his coordinates and ID was practically a continent-wide kill order on his head. Especially since he was just a squishy human.

Within a single minute, 14,000 players had added Jing Rong to their PK watchlist.

Jing Rong picked up his backpack and said to the shell-shocked trio, "Let’s go. We need to leave quickly—this place is about to turn into a bloodbath."

Lushiel stammered, "Y-You could join our party! We might not be strong, but we can fly you out! We can even cast buffs on you..."

Jing Rong smiled faintly. "I’m good. Wishing you happy travels. That firework was nice, wasn’t it?"

Lushiel stared at this seemingly fragile human, a pang of emotion welling up inside.

"Bro... you’re the most unique player I’ve ever met. We’ll make sure to enjoy our journey! Thank you—you’ve shown us the meaning of travel!"

The night breeze flowed like water.

Meanwhile, a continent away, deep within the molten hellscape—

Corpses littered the ground as players were continuously sent back to respawn points.

Leonhardt roared, "Priest! Give me a HoT (heal over time)!"

Priest Sotho had barely begun chanting when a dragon’s breath descended, reducing him to ashes.

Leonhardt was the last one standing in his party. He activated his last-stand skill, but the dragon’s breath didn’t spare him either.

The moment the damage immunity wore off, Leonhardt’s vision darkened—back to the respawn point he went.

They had never faced such a brutal progression raid before. No boss had ever been this unpredictable, this devastating.

If they couldn’t even survive the dragon’s breath, how could they possibly face the dragon itself?

After a full day and night of relentless combat, thousands of deaths, they still hadn’t found a single way to counter the breath.

Then—the earth trembled.

From the depths of the abyss came a series of terrifying, massive movements, as if the dragon had rolled over.

What followed was an uncanny calm. For a brief moment, the scorching flames across the land seemed to pause.

Leonhardt checked himself several times. When he confirmed the "[Dragon’s Breath]" status effect had truly vanished, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"What’s going on? The [Dragon’s Breath] stopped?"

Others cautiously peeked out from hiding.

The searing heat that had scorched the land had indeed receded—replaced by a breeze as gentle as spring.

To everyone’s shock, a sweet-smelling breeze blew from the abyss’s depths.

A new buff appeared on their HP bars:

"[Dragon’s Joy: On this day, the dragon felt happiness, and so spring winds swept across the land, and life returned. We still do not know—what brought it such joy in the abyss below? Was it gems? Or a princess?]"

Under this buff, rapid health regen and a +500% DEF boost took effect. Leonhardt only hesitated for a second before shouting, "This is our chance! Push now, boys!"

At this moment, they did not realize the distant firework had any close connection to the dragon's delight.

The distance between the two places was just too vast, too far.

Only creatures with vision sharp and powerful enough could see people and events from such extreme distances.

In the abyss, the black-and-red dragon rolled over, steadily placing its claws gently and intently on the small sofa before it.

To the warriors, this sofa was already enormous, but to the dragon, it remained as small as a building block.

Even so, the dragon steadily placed a projection screen in front of the tiny sofa.

With its golden dragon eyes, it focused intently on the center of the screen.

At the center of the screen hung a giant, shimmering rainbow bubble—a firework set off by someone far away.

It completely captivated the dragon, its eyes sparkling with flickering light.

In the tens of thousands of years it had lived, facing the abyss and the horizon, it had witnessed and understood everything in the world.

It had witnessed sunrises and sunsets, the movements of creatures on the land, yet in the blink of an eye, nothing new had ever appeared on this continent.

This was the first colorful bubble the dragon had ever seen.

It reached out with its claw, tilting the screen with precise and delicate control, bringing the view closer.

The dragon saw the person who had set off the firework.

That person was a young human man, pale-skinned, with black hair and dark eyes, his features calm and composed.

He wasn’t looking at the sky but was instead speaking to someone by a campfire: "I’ll trade you three premium gems."

After a few seconds, the young man laughed and said, "Fine, fine."

He slightly lifted his face, and the screen showed his face with perfect clarity.

At that moment, the dragon’s talon twitched.

Outside, people noticed that the abyssal spring wind had suddenly grown unusually fierce.

At the same time, yellow text flashed across the world, appearing above everyone’s heads.

"The World Dragon has formed a desire."

"Three premium gems aren’t enough to get this enchantment stone."

626 was still bragging to Jing Rong. "You’d need at least a hundred. My system colleagues are all dying to bid because this is the enchantment stone the Executive lost in a bet."

Jing Rong was still weighing other options to make the trade when his vision suddenly turned red, flashing repeatedly.

He stopped in his tracks.

626 was also startled. "What’s going on? Why are you running hot?"

Jing Rong was just as confused. "Not sure."

He watched as the flickering continued for quite some time before finally seeing the system notification.

"System Alert: You have gained the notice of the ??? faction."

"System Alert: ??? has developed a keen interest in you. Your reputation with the ??? faction has risen to 100. Your world ranking has risen to 33."

Today, Jing Rong’s global reputation was shooting up like a rocket.

But at this moment, neither he nor 626 had any idea what was happening.

626 asked, "What faction is this question mark?"

Jing Rong could only speculate based on experience. "Some secret assassin guild, or an unknown boss that hasn’t been logged yet."

Both were possible. Jing Rong was currently accumulating world aggro, and with the game's fresh out of beta, there were bound to be many mid- or high-level monsters yet to be discovered.

The possibility of a dragon never crossed Jing Rong’s mind.

Neither he nor 626 had considered that within twenty-four hours, tens of thousands of people had been wiped repeatedly in the abyss without even catching a glimpse of the boss.

Author’s Note:

Our Executive never imagined that our dragon is something of a recluse.

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