Pioneer of the Abyss: A Deepsea Livestreamed
Book 1: Chapter 74

Aqua

Once I wake up in the morning, I quickly go through all of my morning routine, head to my morning jobs, complete them as fast as I can, then return to my body again. All before beginning to make my way back to the caves again.

Because it’s time for my revenge against that damned snake.

And after spending about three hours making my way to the caves – totally not getting lost and thereby wasting the extra time I bought hurrying with my jobs along the way – I find the rubble around the caves cleared. I also find obvious signs that the serpent went back inside after we left.

Which is good, since it would’ve been very awkward to come here only to find the snake gone.

Anyway, after entering the main cavern of the cave system again, I find it full of monsters. Just like when I first arrived here a while back.

It must’ve filled back up because of the mana down here.

Although… there seems to be more mana down here than there should be. Which means there’s either another dungeon, or a mage type monster made its home here.

Mage type monsters emit their mana like a beacon after all. And if they spend long enough in one place, other monsters can begin spawning from the ambient mana they give off.

Technically humans can do the same, but humans only start giving off mana when they’re incredibly high level. Not to mention that humans tend to hold their mana inside their bodies instead, even if it takes extra effort.

Just to keep from filling the area around them with ambient mana, wasting their own mana in the process.

Still. Either reason for this isn’t good for my goal here.

I frown for a moment before shaking my head and deciding to first check on the adamantium and begin mining it. Since I still have that scythe, which can easily mine it.

The scythe is even shaped like a pickaxe, so…

With that goal in mind, I head straight towards where the adamantium is located. Only to find some more of those pesky bugs having moved in.

They’re rather weak though compared to me. So I wipe them all out without even having to use mana.

I just go around squashing them under foot. One after another.

Even the new queen that appears isn’t a match for me as I just grab it and flip it over before stabbing it with my trident. Making for a very easy kill.

After dealing with all of them, I move on to mining the adamantium. And mining. And mining.

Eventually I grow rather bored and decide to take a different route for this.

A shortcut, as it were.

Plus I’m just sick of seeing that hashtag spammed in my livestream chat. Because it’s getting annoying.

Anyway, instead of directly mining the adamantium, I just slam my fist into the wall on either side of it. Digging with my bare fists instead, and only around the adamantium. All the way until I manage to rip out the entire ore vein in a very simple manner.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

After all, my fists are easily strong enough underwater to shatter the stone, but they aren’t strong enough to break the adamantium. Which leads to me shattering all the stone around it and just leaving the adamantium behind.

Adamantium that I then proceed to pocket into my storage ring in a massive chunk.

And I repeat this process numerous times as the chat reacts rather strongly to what I’m doing.

[Is this how… you mine?]

[This is mining Aqua style]

[MINING WITH OUR FISTS! LET’S GO!!!]

[The best way to mine.]

[#MINERAQUA]

[#MINERAQUA #MINERAQUA #MINEEEERRRAQUAAAAAA]

Of course, my actions attract a lot of attention. Seeing as I’m pummeling the walls of the caves. But the only monsters that come to the cavern to check it out end up fleeing for their life the moment they see me.

So it’s fine.

It also seems to get me another hashtag from the chat when they see it.

[#PREDATORAQUA]

[#PREDATORAQUA #PREDATORAQUA]

[#PREDATOR AQUA!!!!]

Well that’s annoying.

I do what I’m best at though and ignore their existence. And when I finally finish ‘mining’ the adamantium and stuffing it in my rather large storage ring, I go ahead and finally leave this cavern. Heading straight back to the main cavern before going towards the new rubble-covered tunnel that I saw when I entered.

It’s obviously where the snake went when it came back inside.

This thing really doesn’t seem to like using caverns that already exist…

It just has to make its own caverns.

I carefully enter the tunnel before finding more eels and snakes in it. But this time I ignore the things as they flee at the sight of me, all while heading towards the back of the cavern.

This time around I won’t be slaughtering them. Just in case I have to escape.

I’ll leave that for later.

I just don’t want to be chased by an enraged serpent again in case the thing has leveled up. Which is technically possible.

The only reason I don’t think it’s the case is because the serpent is still living in this place. Meaning it’s surrounded by monsters far lower level than it and doesn’t have much chance to level up.

With that thought comforting me, I continue slowly making my way through the cavern. All the way until I find the end and identify the wall.

Giving me the exact result I’m expecting.

[Serpial Deel – Level 53]

It’s leveled up twice since I last saw it. Which isn’t much. And it leaves the monster at just a mere three levels above me.

Not very much thanks to my Bloodlines. On top of the fact that it’s not magical.

Honestly, Bloodlines are very much stronger the higher level the Bloodliner is. To an incredible degree.

It’s not all that much of a boost when you first initialize, but after getting dozens upon dozens of skills and several different traits from the Ancient Monster your Bloodline is from? Then the Bloodline becomes incredibly powerful.

On top of having the mana to help, and no doubt some traits that are better at later levels.

Like Physique of the Abyssal Kraken, which gives me about a fifty percent increase in strength.

A bonus that is far greater at level fifty than it is at level one.

On another note, there’s actually something I really want to test with this massive monster. Specifically how exactly Maw of the Abyssal Kraken attacks it.

Up until now, every monster I’ve used the skill on has been quite a bit smaller than the maw itself. So I haven’t really been able to test it out on monsters bigger than the maw.

Does the maw just shred them to pieces? Or does it try to draw them in while shredding them without finishing them off first?

I’m not sure. Which is why I really want something to test it on before I face an even stronger monster at this size.

But I should save that skill for later due to how much mana it costs.

Oh, and…

I tilt my head as I continue staring at the serpent in front of me that looks more like a wall than a serpent.

…how long is it just going to sit there?

The thing doesn’t move for over an entire minute as I float next to it. Almost like it isn’t worried I could even hurt it.

Which I guess would probably be the case with someone my level when facing a monster that no doubt has everything into its strength and constitution. What with those scales and the fact that it digs its own caverns.

I glance back at the other monsters before turning my focus on the snake again. Briefly wondering if the thing can’t actually sense my bloodlines.

But then a thought comes to mind.

Maybe the other monsters can sense my Bloodlines because they’re fish and other aquatic creatures, while this snake can’t since it’s not one?

It’s just a snake. And no matter whether some snakes can live underwater or not, they’re still snakes.

Not fish. Not aquatic animals.

I think.

Either way, this damned snake is going to learn a heavy lesson for ignoring me.

I clench my fists with my trident in one hand as I grin at the serpent in front of me.

A short and painful lesson at that.