17.Tartarus

The Níðmogrs will continue to come looking for trouble, and Oliver is somewhat looking forward to it—killing them will allow him to further enhance his toxin skills! But at the same time, he understands that the offspring of these creatures, the Níðhöggrs, are renowned figures in mythology. Níðhöggr gnawing at the World Tree is one of the key omens of Ragnarök, the twilight of the gods. You can’t underestimate the Níðmogrs. Not long ago, the strongest of the Níðmogrs Oliver killed was only Level 8—who knows what level the most powerful among their kind has reached by now? With these opponents around, Oliver’s desire to grow stronger burns even more fiercely!

Guided by the wishing bottle, he continues to wander through the void. Many weak deities are devoured by him, but unfortunately, the chaos energy provided by these feeble gods is limited, and Oliver’s progress, compared to his vast stats, seems negligible. However, after an unknown stretch of endless time, Oliver suddenly perks up—he discovers that he has arrived at the abyss marked on the map he obtained from Hector! According to the map’s markings, this area is extremely dangerous, but it also hides many treasures!

And just upon entering this region, Oliver spots an intensely dark, amorphous mass. “What is this thing?” Oliver cautiously observes the mass in front of him. It’s a pitch-black entity within the chaos, with a diameter spanning millions of kilometers, and even more astonishingly, it exudes an aura of darkness, chaos, and death! Of course, it’s only because Oliver’s soul power is strong enough that he can detect this object. In reality, to the eyes of some weaker divine races, this dark entity doesn’t even exist—in their vision, this patch of void is no different from the rest of the chaos.

And by sheer coincidence, shortly after Oliver arrives, he sees a Level 8 deity ignorantly walking toward that abyss. Then, the dark object suddenly opens its massive maw, like a beast lying in wait for prey, and swallows that Level 8 deity whole! Does this dark object have its own consciousness, deliberately hiding itself to devour other prey? Oliver ponders thoughtfully. And at this moment, his lingering and pausing here have evidently caught the attention of that dark entity.

[You have discovered a significant mythological entity, Tartarus—the Land of Chaos and Darkness—and the deity Tartarus, born from darkness and chaos.] The notification sound from the Book of the Chaos Era rings out.

The abyss Tartarus? Oliver muses to himself. According to the information he obtained from the Book of the Chaos Era, the abyss land of Tartarus is an extraordinarily special place—like the World Tree, it serves as a pillar of the universe created by Aether. After all, the World Tree represents life and vitality, and where there is life, there is death. Tartarus is the embodiment of death! It is a bottomless abyss, harboring countless terrifying things, and it is what later generations call the underworld—the destination for humans and many other beings after death.

It is said that Zeus of the Alliance of Light, after imprisoning the Titans with the Chaos Gem, sank the gem into Tartarus, using the purest dark power within Tartarus to corrupt the gem, turning it into an indestructible dark prison. From then on, the Titan race completely vanished from the universe, never to appear again. Yet the abyss before Oliver, though spanning millions of kilometers, is far too small compared to the underworld in mythology that supports the world.

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As Oliver is lost in thought, a cold voice suddenly reaches his ears. “You’ve discovered me?” The voice from the abyss is hoarse, laced with strong wariness and even hostility.

“I’m just curious, because I’ve never seen a deity like you before,” Oliver says. The deity of the abyss, Tartarus, is a god born within the abyss land of Tartarus—it’s said to be a spiritual entity, somewhat akin to the human concept of a ghost. Of course, as a deity, Tartarus’s existence is countless times more advanced than a mere ghost. Moreover, it resembles what humans in the East call an earthbound spirit—its existence is tightly bound to the abyss land, inseparable. In fact, this being can even manipulate the abyss land itself. What Oliver just witnessed—some deities being swallowed by the abyss—was this creature’s doing!

“Curious? Hmph, many divine beings have died because of curiosity. Since you’ve found me, get lost, or don’t blame me for being rude!” The cold voice continues to emanate from that mass of darkness. It seems this creature is worried that Oliver might interfere with its hunting.

“You want to attack me? You’re just a mere Level 11 deity,” Oliver says calmly. Through the Book of the Chaos Era, he has already seen Tartarus’s stats panel:

* Name: Tartarus

* Race: Deity

* Deity Rating: 11

* Attributes:

* Defense: 18,000

* Strength: 18,000

* Chaos Power: 19,000

* Soul Power: 12,000

* Skills: Unknown

* Possessions: Unknown

This guy’s stats are nearly 50% stronger than Oliver’s—after all, Oliver is only Level 10—but combat strength isn’t determined solely by stats! With the World Tree as his ally, mastery of 100 primal runes, and the Chaos Gem, Oliver isn’t afraid to take on even a Level 12 deity, let alone a Level 11!

“A mere Level 11?!” Tartarus scrutinizes the giant serpent before him with suspicion—in his perception, this guy is clearly only Level 10. What gives a Level 10 deity the right to look down on him, a Level 11?

“Don’t think I’m just Level 11. I’m not alone, you know. Beings like me are scattered throughout the chaos, and one day, we’ll merge completely, letting darkness and death swallow the entire chaos!” Tartarus says grimly, trying to intimidate Oliver.

This guy has kin? Now Oliver is somewhat surprised. No wonder the so-called underworld is said to be vast and boundless, yet this creature seems so small—could it be that it’s actually just a part of the future underworld? Oliver had thought this being grew and expanded over time to become the underworld, but it turns out it’s merely a fragment of it. It makes sense when you think about it—Oliver recently encountered a singular mythological entity in the chaos, the World Tree. To encounter another singular entity like Tartarus so soon? That would make the chaos seem far too small. So the underworld is actually pieced together from countless abysses—a completely different growth path from the World Tree, which expands as a single entity to support the universe.

“Not talking? Scared stiff, huh? Get lost, or don’t blame me for being rude!” Tartarus says coldly. In truth, he’s been itching to attack Oliver, but as a so-called “earthbound spirit,” he has a major flaw—his spiritual form can’t leave the abyss itself. At Oliver’s current distance, if Tartarus attacks, Oliver could easily escape. That’s why this creature hides itself, ambushing other deities who get too close in the darkness.

“Scared stiff?” Oliver laughs, his massive serpentine body slithering through the chaos, charging toward the monster at lightning speed!

“You…” Tartarus, seeing that Oliver dares to approach him, is inwardly delighted. The chaos energy emanating from this giant serpent is so rich—it’s practically a supreme delicacy for him!