Abyss System The Rise of the Lord-Chapter 74 What am I capable of?

The sound of the water was continuous.

It did not strike the ears or overwhelm the mind—it merely reminded one of its existence. As if time was passing, the world was in motion, yet he remained in place.

Zaber sat by the river. He lay in this state until sunset. The light of Ruya and Siamond broke on the water’s surface, fragmenting into tiny pieces. The light trembled in the water, moving as if it were a living creature. He did not look at the sky. The stars held no interest for him tonight.

Tonight, he did not flee.

Tonight, he did not fight.

Tonight, he stopped to measure himself.

He slowly opened his palms. His skin was covered in bruises, and from sitting in the water too long, the cold seemed to have seeped into his bones. There was still a tremor between his fingers. His muscles had relaxed, but the pain had not left. Though he had drunk the healing elixir, it could not mend a broken soul. The body would recover, but what was inside had not vanished.

"Power..." he said inwardly.

He stood. His body was not light. When he moved, his body resisted slightly, his veins pulling as if something inside was opposing him.

Whispering:

Am I stronger than an ordinary adventurer?

No.

The level of a middle-aged man.

In Idal city, anyone could kill me, he concluded coldly inwardly. This was not fear; it was calculation.

He dressed and straightened his clothes.

I can kill anyone too.

If I use crooked and uneven paths.

Zaber acknowledged this.

"My physical strength is low," he said inwardly in a cold tone.

He sat on the ground, folding his knees. He slowly steadied his breathing, trying to even his heartbeat.

Fast?

No.

He could run quickly, but at the level of an ordinary human. He could endure long distances— he had stamina. But this was not for combat; it was suited for escape and survival. He was suited for the moment, not for war.

Zaber acknowledged this too.

Then...

he looked at his hand.

The soul chain.

He closed his eyes. In his imagination, the chain seemed to stir. Light, yet hungry. As if a starving predator, waiting only for the command.

"This is my only advantage," he said inwardly.

The soul chain ignored defenses. Any creature with a soul—it did not matter. If it pierced, it was over. Fast, merciless, silent.

But...

Zaber opened his eyes.

"If they strike me first..." he said in a low voice. "I will die."

This was the truth.

The soul chain could not be summoned under a blow. If attention scattered, if the body was in pain—it would not work. And there was one more thing.

"Useless against the soulless," he said.

Golems, magical puppets...

For them, the chain was hungry but found nothing.

Zaber took a deep breath.

There it is.

What if I entered an open fight?

He calculated inwardly. Precisely. Dryly. Without emotion.

Once—no problem.

Twice—fatigue.

Three times—dizziness.

Four times—chance of fainting.

Five times...

"Death," he said slowly.

He fell silent.

Five people could easily kill me.

That meant if he was forced into combat with more than three enemies—the odds worked against him. If one was fast. If one struck from a distance. If one understood him.

Zaber did not laugh.

"I am not strong," he said finally. "I am merely dangerous."

He stood. His posture straightened, but this was not pride. This was a decision.

"That means I will not be a warrior."

He looked at the water. He saw his reflection—shadowless, eyes deep, face cold. Not a child. But not a man either.

"I will be a trap," he said.

He would hide. Wait. Learn. Strike only when necessary. He would never fully reveal his power. He would never expose himself.

"If they come to understand me..." he said in a low voice. "I will die."

Therefore, he had to be incomprehensible.

He finally looked at the stars.

This was freedom.

He took his sword.

"That means this is what I am capable of," he said inwardly.

He walked to a tree, leaned against it, and sat. Embracing the sheathless sword, he propped it against his right shoulder, intending to sleep. But in the next moment, he stared at the sword.

If I move unknowingly in my sleep or fall to the side, this sword will cut my throat, he thought.

He slowly placed the sword on the ground. He folded one leg, extended the other fully. Propping his hand on his leg, he closed his eyes.

It was near dawn.

The sun had not yet risen, but the sky had already begun to lose its darkness—a dim, milky light slowly spread around.

Zaber woke.

The morning cold tickled his skin. He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the sky for a while. There was tranquility in the air. Only the continuous noise of the waterfall kept this silence alive.

He felt dew had fallen on him. His black clothes were damp, the cold had seeped into his body. Zaber slowly stood. His long black hair fell over his face, blocking his view. He brushed his hair back with his hand and straightened his posture.

He walked toward the waterfall.

Approaching it, he splashed cold water on his face. The water felt as if it pierced his skin. His breathing deepened involuntarily. Sleep vanished in an instant. His thoughts felt cleared.

Zaber looked to the side.

The anthill he had brought last night was on the ground. The six eggs inside were visible. He took it in his hand and stared for three seconds, channeling black mana. Then—he saw a very faint, almost imperceptible movement. The eggs seemed to stir.

Zaber carefully placed the hive on the ground.

Then he looked at the slime.

"Kyu... kyu..."

It made a soft, almost amusing sound. The slime was eating grass. In the next moment, it encountered a stone. It swallowed the stone and struggled to digest it. Stopping its movement, it "kyu kyu" again and froze.

Seeing this, something inside Zaber softened.

Last night, while bathing, he had seen several fish under the waterfall.

He placed the hive next to the sword leaning against the tree, then said to the slime.

"Do not try to eat this."

As if understanding, the slime clung to the grass again.

Zaber walked toward the waterfall.

Staring at the water, he closed his eyes for a moment.

"This feeling..." he whispered inwardly.

He activated his ability to the maximum.

Mana sense was usually perceptible within five meters, even without activation. But he remembered that this function had disappeared after accepting the soul chain and felt disappointed inwardly.

At that instant, the surroundings were drawn in blue in his imagination.

A thirty-meter radius was clearly sensed. Dozens of fish moved in the water. The waterfall was about one and a half meters deep. Every stone, every current was clearly visible—not with the eyes, but with feeling.

Zaber took his pitch-black sword that reflected no light and stepped under the waterfall.

"My mana is at an ordinary human level..." he whispered. "Forty-five seconds. I can use my ability."

He began watching the fish.

He sensed four fish swimming disorderly below. He focused on the second one. He moved slowly, very slowly—without disturbing the water.

He brought the sword close to the fish.

The sword was completely black. Both the edge and the surface absorbed light. In the water, it appeared like an ordinary stick.

The fish approached the sword.

When the distance was one handspan—

Zaber held the sword with his left hand, clenched his right hand into a fist, and struck the back of the sword’s edge sharply with the bottom of his fist.

Bubbles exploded in the water.

The fish split in two.

A light cloud of blood spread in the water, but it was very little—the current swallowed it immediately.

Zaber smiled lightly.

"It is as I thought..."

He concluded inwardly.

When mana sense is activated, my presence almost disappears. This ability means blending with the environment. A state the enemy cannot sense.

He took the fish from the water.

He brought the split fish to the shore and began searching for firewood.

Then he stopped.

Looking at a fallen tree branch on the ground, he suddenly thought.

"Wait... I am a black dragon," he said inwardly. "Cooking is not necessary."

He bit into the raw fish.

A moment passed.

A disappointed expression appeared on Zaber’s face.

"Not sweet..."

He stood silently for a moment, then shrugged.

"But it does not matter."

He stood upright and began eating the fish.

Dawn was breaking; sunlight fell on the waterfall like a curtain, painting it golden.

Friends, what do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments. Don’t forget to add this novel to your library. Power Stones and Golden Tickets help Chapters come out faster and give me great motivation

Privilage added, open Chapters in advance and read without waiting