Ethan stared at the Siren called Adredah. In his vicinity, he could see that most of the other crewmates were in a state of fear.

  Captain Merril was amongst those who appeared solemn, but with his many years of experience at sea, and having faced many challenges no less terrifying than this one, he quickly regained his nerves.

  "There is only one of her, and many of us. We also have Father Ignatius here as support. We all have families we wish to return home to, and they depend on us for their livelihood. If we fall here, there's no telling what hardships they'll go through. So I'll ask of you, men, do not waver!"

  The crewmates regained their composure after hearing Captain Merril's speech. Of course, there was still the underlying fear inside them, but to a much lesser degree.

  They pointed their guns, which oozed an otherworldly aura from Father Ignatius's previous chant, and fired.

  The Siren, Adredah, expressed a faint smile as she swiftly maneuvered and dodged the shadowy bullets. With a few steps, she covered a few meters towards a crewmember aiming his gun at her.

  He repeatedly fired at the sight of the creature quickly approaching him. With each move, she easily dodged the bullet and then stood just a few feet away from him.

  The other crewmates, not wanting to hit their companion, were momentarily barred from unleashing their barrage of bullets on her.

  Adredah smirked. Using it to her advantage, she leaped and appeared right behind the man.

  At some point in time, her nails had become sharp enough to cause deadly strikes.

  Without a moment's delay, she easily impaled the back of the crewmate, hitting his vital organs.

  "Urghh!!" Blood erupted from his mouth as light immediately vanished from his eyes.

  "She… She killed Reuben!" a crewmate exclaimed.

  "You bastard!" Another crewmate, seeing his companion impaled by Adredah, angrily took aim and fired once more. The scattered crewmates instantly followed suit.

  'She killed that guy with little to no effort…'

  Ethan watched the scene, and his body slightly trembled. This was his first time experiencing such a bloody spectacle. He scanned his surroundings and quickly ran to Father Ignatius as the others attempted to kill the Siren.

  Ethan approached Father Ignatius, hoping to learn how to kill this terrifying creature.

  "Father, do you have any other… 'abilities' that might be able to help us in dealing with her?"

  Father Ignatius momentarily stared at Ethan with an unclear expression.

  Ethan nervously looked away at Father Ignatius's probing gaze.

  I've been watching you since earlier. I'm a bit surprised a person such as yourself hadn't caught my attention yet."

  "I've only recently joined the ship.. That might be why."

  Father Ignatius let out a chuckle.

  "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter now, does it?" he turned his attention towards the crewmate's struggle. "My 'abilities' as you call them, are powers drawn from the Abyss. You're only an ordinary person, so I wouldn't expect you to know of it. It's an ominous and corruptive force used to bring forth power from its wielder's mind. Simply put, it's the driver behind all the madness that looms in this world."

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  'The Abyss…' Ethan pondered over the sudden information that was just revealed to him.

  Father Ignatius then raised his hand, and a dark shadow enveloped it. It continued seeping until it reached his elbow.

  Ethan was a new resident in this world; he had never seen or experienced anything that related to mysticism in his old world, only reading about it through the novels he used to enjoy. However, it didn't take much experience for him to understand that the power that Father Ignatius was demonstrating carried a sense of.. Corruption.

  "This is the Abyss. A power that should not be regarded lightly. The deeper one is towards the calling of the Abyss, the more prone they are to losing their minds. And when that happens, well, it's a fate some regard worse than death. I'm relatively low-ranking in the church of Tegin, so I don't necessarily need to have too much proficiency in it. Heh, well, with my talent, I doubt I'd be able to pass my current level even if I wanted to."

  Ethan stared at the black, shadowy aura that enveloped Father Ignatius's arm, then turned to him. "This… Power, how do you use it?"

  "There are many ways to use the Abyss. Everything capable of wreaking havoc in the world uses it, even that Siren over there does as well. It just depends on what the wielder wishes to manifest, and how much of it they can exert. For example, as a priest of the church of Tegin, I soothe and comfort believers, helping them through hard times. This reflects my usage of the Abyss, as my powers are mainly focused on support. I act as a background force, slowly guiding my allies to victory."

  Ethan listened attentively. "Then what other support abilities are you able to use?"

  Father Ignatius pointed his arm, enveloped with the Abyss, towards Ethan. "It'll be easier if I just show you."

  A dark aura then enveloped Ethan. It seeped into his body, almost as if it were attempting to fuse with him.

  Ethan's body immediately experienced a change. He felt as if he had gained a deeper level of control over his body. He surged with power.

  "I can only help you maintain this state for a few minutes. Think of this as you 'unlocking' your latent potential. Though it's not without risks, if you let the Abyss seep too much into you, without being an Abysswalker, your body won't be able to handle the backlash."

  Ethan nodded and further examined his body. He felt his senses become dramatically sharper. His eyes were able to take in much more information than before, and his scent picked up various aromas. His ears heard more of the battle happening several meters away from him. Agonizing wails and sinister laughs penetrated his ears.

  Upon further inspection, Ethan felt as if he had also awakened a sixth sense. As if he felt a calling to where he felt the Abyss the most.

  Father Ignatius extinguished the dark shadow from his arm.

  "Try to keep the Siren busy and stall for time. In the meantime, I'll be preparing a spell that should have some effect on her. I'll be in a vulnerable state during this period, so I'll be counting on you."

  'I wonder what spell he'll showcase. I should try to get some insight into it once it's unleashed.'

  Ethan clutched his revolver in his left hand and stared at Adredah.

  The situation had taken an unfavorable turn. Countless crewmates lay dead on the floorboard, their blood and intestines a bright red alongside them. The stench of death flooded Ethan's nose.

  A handful of crewmates were scattered around Adredah, but their battle spirits had clearly depleted. They could see no opportunity in which they could defeat this creature.

  'The others seem incapable of being used. If I want any chance of stalling for Father Ignatius, I'll have to do it all myself.'

  Power continuously surged through Ethan's body. As time went on, he found it hard to resist the urge for battle. His attentive gaze pierced Adredah, who had seemed to notice his strange state.

  'In this exciting new world, shouldn't I immerse myself, shed my mediocre past, and enjoy myself?"

  "Adredah! Harbinger of Calamity! You come to our ship and slaughter my fellow companions, in the name of your supposed revenge for your sisters. Sigh, the only consolation I can give you now is to allow you to join your sister in the afterlife."

  She stood still, basked in blood, still with the same eerie, calm smile she had when she first appeared on the ship.

  "Hohh.. You're very arrogant for a mortal," she raised her hand and wiped the dark-red blood from her face. "To be truthful, I am not too upset at the death of my two sisters, Aegarinia and Oranelle. We've spent countless years killing and slaughtering humans as we see fit. Isn't it only natural that eventually the same would be done to us? Should I fall here, to a mere mortal, I can only blame my own weakness."

  At that moment, Adredah's eyes turned a dark grey; they exuded an immense sense of depravity. She bore her eyes into Ethan's.

  Ethan's body involuntarily trembled, yet instead of fear, his face wore a wide grin. His desire to break free from the emotional restraints of his past life surged inside him.

  "Fine! Let us engage in mortal combat!"

  'This life that I had regarded as cruel and unfair has given me a second chance. This time, I'll hold onto the reins myself! Free and unrestrained, why not set my sight on the pinnacle of this world!'

  In this moment, Ethan Fowler had truly become Caspian Lysander.