It was early morning. After killing the boy I came back to the orphanage and slept some hours. When sunbeams began to appear, I immediately started directing myself towards the center of the city. I was scared that the gang members might notice his absence too fast, but they didn't.

I walked towards the center of Agartha where The Abyss was situated, always making sure to keep an eye on my back. The lower districts were dangerous for me at this moment. I had half of a red potion hidden under my shirt, it would be bad if I get assaulted before I even reach the safe part of the city.

Usually, an attack wouldn't happen because no beggar will try to rob another beggar, but it's better to be careful. After cleaning myself in the river, I don't look like actual walking trash anymore, being in the body of a girl also doesn't help. I had no option though, there is no way the soldiers wouldn't annoy me if I try to enter the center city looking like that, many rich humans value a lot of hygiene. I made sure to keep the pocket knife that I stole from the boy visible in case someone thought I was good prey.

The obsession of humans to show their prestige has been beneficial this time, the boy from before not only had proper clothes but also an abnormal amount of money. He had 47 copper coins which allow me to buy bread or even milk.

I wonder if I should have killed him. Without the orphanage run by the church, I wouldn't have any safe place to sleep. My situation was desperate, and killing him was only going to make things worse. Ultimately, it resulted in a small success, after all, he had money which now I can use to go to have more chances to survive, but in the future, I should act less impulsively. I can't commit an error in that dungeon, I can't let the parasite of emotion cloud my mind.

The Abyss cannot be underestimated, there I can't commit errors. The largest and deepest dungeon in the world by difference is also all the more bloody. If I remember correctly, it is the source of the most prominent and powerful adventures to have ever existed. Only 4 layers are known, but ancient sacred texts say that there are more than 6. However, this is not confirmed.

-Go to the bottom, all answers will be yours then-

Each layer of the 'Man-Eating-Hole' has its ecosystem with its own sets of natural rules. It's said by the church, that God created it as a way to punish an angel that rebelled against him, this is also yet to be confirmed so I can't believe it until further proof, after all, humans lie a lot.

-At the bottom, Demiurge waits for you, you need to be ready-

For now, it's useless to think about its nature. I need to concentrate on how to survive my first expedition. The percentage of adventurers that die on their first expedition according to the teacher, is close to 79℅. Sixty-eight percent are all impoverished people like me. He used to tell the class all the time about this, I don't know how reliable it is, but better take it into account.

I can't just go and start descending, I need to search for information about the fauna and the dangers that I will have to face. If I want to make it into my job, I will need to learn how to survive for various days without ascending in case something went wrong. Then, when I get enough money, I will -go to the bottom- do my studies, and search for a safe workplace that won't result in the detriment of my body and a diminution of my life span like the jobs obtainable in the slums.

Even while I was immersed in my thoughts, I kept alert for any possible danger. People started waking up and leaving their houses, and some of them already looked like potential dangers.

I kept walking, and gradually the slum around me began to change. The dilapidated buildings and narrow alleys began to give way to magnificent structures and wide streets. I could see more and more soldiers doing patrol.

For a moment, I stopped to take in the view. Everywhere I looked there were grand palaces and bustling markets, colorful flags, and exotic creatures. It felt weird as if I shouldn't be here. I don't like this feeling.

I began moving again. As I walked through the streets, I could feel the parasite emotion building inside me more prominently.

Adventurers bustled past me on their way to destinations unknown, merchants selling exotic wares, and acrobats performing daring feats in public squares. Everything was exactly how it was described by the teacher...it was........a weird feeling, one not pleasant... I'll just ignore it like always.

I stared into the distance and I saw the principal motive for why I came here. The Abyss.

-At the bottom, all answers are there-

I decided to -ignore it for now first I needed to gather information- go there first. I needed to get to the bottom.

I started walking, -searching for any kind of library- going straight to The Abyss. There all answers will be mine, and I could go back with it.

As I walked, I looked at the palm of my hand. My status was written there.

I was level 0 and my stats were horrible. If I wanted to descend to the fourth floor, I will need at least level 6 and rank 'A+' stats like the heroes from the past. I might need a companion like they did too... I'll think about it when I reach there. For now, I'm going to start descending.

"Can I help you?"

Uh? When did I get here? Just a moment ago I was thinking of descending and now I'm...in the adventurer guild reception...? Looking around I saw a lot of old men and women drinking and smoking while laughing very loudly. The place was massive and had statues of 7 hooded individuals.

"Mm... Do you need something?" A tall bald muscular man with a suit asked. He was at the counter in front of me, he looked at me with a confused face.

I signaled a pen and a sheet to his right on the counter.

"Mm... Do you want this?"

I nod.

"Oh...mmm... I see" With his brows furrowed, he gave it to me. I started writing.

"Oh, I understand. So you want to become an adventurer"

I nod.

"Are you sure...?"

I nod.

"...I see.." After gazing at me one last time, he entered a room behind his counter and then came back with a paper.

"Please, sign there..." He pointed with his finger towards a white space. I read the contract carefully to make sure it wouldn't get in the way of my plan, then I signed.

Without saying a word, he looked at me with an inexpressive gaze for quite a while, I stared back. When he got tired, he handed me a kind of bronze medallion, it glowed at my touch. Behind it had a weird type of clock and a compass.

"This medallion is a symbol of your collaboration with the adventures guild. With it, we can see your status. More specifically, we can see if you are alive or not, so don't lose it. You can go now"

After taking the medallion, I began walking towards the exit and the laughter of the old people grew louder.

"Hahaha! More food for The Abyss. How long do you think she will survive?"

"I'll give her 2 hours"

"No way that's too much!"

"Look at her gaze, she looks dead. Usually, they are the ones who last the most"

"Sigh~ What a waste. Girl, if you want, you can come with me. After washing all that shit on you, I'll make sure we have fun"

I leave the guild, and then I head to a store close by and buy a Zipped bag where I put my potion and the medallion. Then, I went to The Abyss at the center of the city. In the distance, I could see rows of adventurers waiting for a weird sort of elevator. There were elevators all over The Abyss, I could easily count around 29 of them around the hole. There were also an incredible amount of guards. I joined the row with 6 adventurers and waited.

It seemed that the 6 of them were in the same group cause they all descended at the same time. My heart started beating quite strongly after realizing that it was my turn.

"Your identification?" A soldier said.

I handed the bronze medallion. She looked at it for some moments and then gave it back to me.

Half an hour passed and the elevator finally returned.

"Every 30 minutes we ascend the elevator, when you want to come back go to the same place, and make sure to memorize where you were. May fortune be with you"

I entered the metallic elevator and the door closed. It lurched and began its smooth descent into the depths. Through the windows, I watched as the brightly lit surface world receded further and further away. I clenched my fist tightly around the hilt of the knife I carried with me.

The time passed very slowly. The world seemed to get darker every moment until finally, I couldn't see at all.

After a long time, I could see an orange glow in the distance. As I got closer, my eyes started to hurt a little, but they quickly adapted.

Once I was close enough, I could see a glowing orange forest at the bottom. The contrast between the black sky and the forest was big.

Once I started getting closer to the ground, I notice that the forest wasn't glowing but butterflies were flying all around.

When I arrived, I opened the door and cautiously stepped out of the elevator into the strange world. The orange butterflies glowed warmly around me, illuminating the lush foliage that seemed to go on forever.

One of the butterflies, upon seeing me, started to get closer. I cautiously stepped back, but it keep following me. Maybe it's poisonous, I should be careful.