Su Wang crouched before the village chief's splintered desk, tracing water stains on its surface. Morning light filtered through broken windowpanes, illuminating a half-unrolled waterlogged diary. Though the ink had blurred into Rorschach-like smears, crucial phrases remained legible: "7th of Third Month: The Sea Priest brought Abyssal Pacts, claiming to forge covenants with the Sea God..."
"Covenants? Pacts?" He speared a stuck parchment with his harpoon[1], discovering the ritual required villagers to drink Deep One[2] blood. The final entry read: "After Uncle Gui drank it, scales grew around his eyes. He keeps swimming out at night..." The writing ended abruptly, paper corners bearing claw marks.
His jade pendant[3] burned suddenly. The system interface materialized in his consciousness:
[Detected Cthulhu Legacy: "Abyssal Blood Pact" (Mortal-tier Lower)
Parse? Cost: 200 Points]
Su Wang eyed his remaining 250 points. "The starter pack barely covers lousy manuals? Robbery!"
The system remained silent, its corruption gauge blinking at 15%. His fingers found new scales on his nape - sandpaper rough. "Demonic Qi Absorption" warned of physical mutations from nether energy exposure. Purification cost 1000 points per 10% cleanse - currently unaffordable.
"Stockpile first." He stored the diary in his storage jade slip[4]. A wooden chest in the corner yielded twelve blackened soul crystals[5] - sacrificial offerings.
[Acquired: Mortal-tier Soul Crystals ×12
Exchange Value: 120 Points]
Utilizing three of his ten storage slots, he pocketed all crystals.
The village's deathly silence chilled his spine. Over twenty mutilated corpses littered the docks, Deep One mucus forming ashen scabs on stone. Examining a villager's wrist, Su Wang found faint azure fish-scale tattoos[6] - matching the diary's "Sea God Covenant Marks."
"So the covenant turns humans into Deep Ones." His fingertip brushed the tattoo.
[Warning! Cthulhu Energy Residue Detected
Contact Exceeding 10s Triggers Corruption!]
He recoiled as blue liquid oozed from the mark, reeking of rotten kelp.
While packing in his shack, Su Wang discovered an iron box under the bed - containing moldy flatbread and a sepia family photo. The father's milky eyes mirrored Deep One compound optics. "No wonder the missing fishermen... They were sacrificial lambs."
The Sea God idol's obsidian eyes were dimming, cracks oozing fishy mucus. The system interface suddenly activated "Demonic Qi Absorption", pages flipping to "Nether Energy Tempering": "Condense demonic qi into blade edges at 5% spiritual energy cost." Crimson light sheathed his fingertips like rusted blades.
"Smoother than harpooning." He sliced through three-inch timber. The charred切口 emitted burnt rubber stench. While effective, he worried about being branded a monster - this world only recognized Cthulhu-altered powers, not正统魔道 (orthodox demonic cultivation)[7].
At the village's ancient scholar tree[8], Su Wang gazed at the breathing fog wall on the horizon. His jade pendant's warmth felt more like a taskmaster than a system - each refinement risked corruption, each exchange demanded frugality.
"To Canglan Town." His harpoon clinked against flagstones. Three steps later, the Sea God idol collapsed behind him. Its eye-stone rolled free, revealing engraved text: "15th of Seventh Month: Tides Reverse, Deep Ones Return."
"Return?" The stone's reverse showed a crude map pointing northwest.
[Ancient God Ritual Coordinate Detected
Mark?]
A red dot pulsed on his mental map.
Two hours later, a beached fishing boat emerged through coastal rocks. Bite marks scarred its hull, a torn net snagging Deep One scales[9].
[Low-tier Remnants Detected
Yield: 10 Points]
"Better than nothing." His points hit 380. Notably, refining debris didn't increase corruption - partial vs. complete organisms mattered.
At noon, Su Wang studied his Rot Poison Talisman[10] in a sea cave. The gritty parchment's squirming patterns felt alive.
[Effect: 5m Toxic Mist (Deep One Vulnerability)
Side Effect: Human Paralysis]
"If only I had healing..." He instinctively slipped into English. The alchemy panel stayed blank:
[Primary Qi Condensation Pill: 300 Points
Required: Abyssal Kelp ×2, Rotheart Herb ×1]
"No ingredients, no pills." His harpoon's weight reminded him of Canglan's black market mentioned in the diary - if he could avoid being branded a heretic.
By mid-afternoon, mountain outlines sharpened through dispersing fog. Fresh cart tracks led Su Wang to a roadside argument:
"This Rotheart took three days to dig! Five soul crystals minimum!"
"Market price's three. Yours has worm-eaten roots."
Peering through bushes, Su Wang spotted the purple herb - exact match for his formula.
[Detected: Mortal-tier Rotheart Herb (70% Integrity)
Usages: Qi Pills/Rot Poison Powder]
As tensions escalated, Su Wang activated his talisman and leapt out, harpoon at the herb-seller's throat: "The herb stays. You leave."
The transaction turned violent. A hidden dagger flashed, met by harpoon parry. Toxic mist dropped both men.
[Acquired: Rotheart Herb ×1, Soul Crystals ×3
Total Points: 410]
"Don't kill... Iron Blade Society[11]..." The seller's wrist bore wolf-head tattoos. Su Wang recalled the diary's entries - Iron Blade hunted monsters, their members wearing beastbone bracers.
"Deep One bounties in Canglan Branch..." The seller wheezed. Su Wang released them, plans forming: a legitimate channel for monster materials meant sustainable point farming.
Nightfall found him in a mountain stone hut. Combining Rotheart with Deep One mucus over fire yielded three lumpy pills:
[Success: Inferior Qi Pills ×3
20% Dan Toxin Risk]
Lying on straw, Su Wang studied alien constellations resembling eldritch script. His jade pendant's warmth whispered of fate - the antique market downpour, the old vendor's "This jade chooses you" declaration.
"Nine Abyss Demonic Path... Don't fail me now." His demonic qi had thickened to pinky-width, enhancing muscles at the cost of spreading neck scales.
Midnight brought wolflike howls. Through cracks, azure lights bobbed on the sea - Deep One hunting parties. Su Wang gripped his harpoon, knowing he remained Misty Cove's sole survivor - and prey.
"To Canglan at dawn." His storage slip held Rotheart, soul crystals, tentacles, and the partial map. The points counter glowed mockingly - each digit bought with blood.
First light revealed crimson meridians[12] snaking up his wrist, mirroring"Demonic Qi Absorption"'s diagrams. "Time to visit the black market." His chuckle carried both resolve and madness. The path of Nine Abyss Demonic Dao had truly begun.
Terminology Annotations (To be formatted as Word comments):
[1] Harpoon: Critical weapon against aquatic entities
[2] Deep One: Standard Cthulhu Mythos hybrid race
[3] Jade Pendant: Transmigration artifact/system core
[4] Storage Jade Slip: Daoist cultivation storage device (10 slots)
[5] Soul Crystals: Cultivation currency/energy source
[6] Fish-scale Tattoos: Transformation progression markers
[7] Orthodox Demonic Cultivation: Taboo practice in Cthulhu-dominated world
[8] Scholar Tree: Chinese cultural symbol (Sophora japonica)
[9] Deep One Scales: Material for armor/rituals
[10] Rot Poison Talisman: Area-denial weapon vs Deep Ones
[11] Iron Blade Society: Monster-hunting guild
[12] Meridians: Energy channels in Chinese metaphysics