Just call me Thor

Shadow Nine said to Shadow Ten, "In half an hour, the passage to the small Abyssal Plane trapping Gregory will open. Take him there. Maxen and Joseph know that Thor will be accompanying you."

"Okay!"

Shadow Nine continued,

"This kid has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Listen to him on the way."

"Alright!"

Even with these instructions, Shadow Nine still felt uneasy.

Shadow Ten was respectful in front of Shadow Nine, but as a powerful Lord-level warrior, he certainly had his own personality.

Shadow Nine had no doubt that Shadow Ten would protect Thor with his life. But expecting Shadow Ten to follow Mike's every command was unrealistic.

After a moment's hesitation, a withered hand extended from the black mist, tossing an emblem into Shadow Ten's shadow.

Mike was slightly surprised when he received the emblem and asked, "What's this?"

The moment Shadow Ten saw the emblem, his pupils contracted, and his eyes filled with shock.

Shadow Nine was actually willing to give this to Thor?!

This emblem indicated a deep bond between Thor and Shadow Nine, far beyond what Shadow Ten had imagined.

Could it be that Shadow Nine was taking on another apprentice?

Seeing Mike's confusion, Shadow Ten explained,

"This is a Shadow Sigil. Seeing this emblem is like seeing Shadow Nine himself."

In simple terms, this was the supreme sigil of [Guardian Shadow]!

Mike raised an eyebrow, feeling like he was being designated as a successor.

Handing the [Shadow Sigil] to Mike not only represented Shadow Nine's trust but also served to restrain Shadow Ten and other members of Guardian Shadow!

Shadow Nine glanced outside, "There's still some time. Did you bring the materials? Give them to this kid."

"I brought them."

Shadow Ten took out two sets of materials, placing them on the ground, allowing his shadow to engulf them.

He had brought two skeletons, both SSS-grade materials.

One was the skeleton of a [Fly Laughing Wolf], and the other was from a [Venomous Shadow Cat].

Both creatures, once matured, possessed Lord-tier combat power, making them extremely difficult to hunt. It had taken Shadow Ten considerable effort.

With the materials in hand, Mike immediately had Nightmare's Breeze consume them.

Equipment: Nightmare's Breeze (Lv.200)

Tier: SSS

Durability: 9.854%

Attributes: Agility +9854, Strength +9854, Constitution +9854

Physical/Magical Defense: 9854

Perks:

[I'm Broken]: Please fix me, I really miss being intact

[I Can Fly]: Ignores all terrain restrictions, allows flight

[Picky Eater]: Consuming too many similar SSS-grade materials gradually weakens their repair effects

[Three Element Mastery]: Choose any three elements, all spell effects +98.54%

[Chaos Shift]: 10% chance to trigger Chaos Shift effect with each spell cast

[Cerberus Phantom]: Summon a Cerberus Phantom (Lv.200) to fight for you. After being defeated, it needs 25 minutes to recover before it can fight again.

[Chaos Claw Tiger Phantom]: Summon a Chaos Claw Tiger Phantom (Lv.200) to fight for you. After being defeated, it needs 25 minutes to recover before it can fight again.

The two SSS-grade materials increased the cloak's durability to nearly 10%, almost doubling its attributes.

Additionally, it gained a somewhat useless perk, [I Can Fly].

Mike summoned Cerberus and the Chaos Claw Tiger, noticing significant changes in both!

Cerberus now had wings on its back, granting it true flight capabilities.

It no longer needed to use its heads as propellers.

The Chaos Claw Tiger's claws gleamed with a cold light, adding poison to its attacks!

Both summons were now close to Chief-tier in strength.

Together, Cerberus and the Chaos Claw Tiger could even challenge a Chief!

After recalling his pets, Mike chatted with Shadow Ten to get to know his companion for this mission.

Shadow Ten said solemnly, "My name is Amari. I come from a rich African heritage."

"Alright, Amari, just call me Thor."

Mike's primary task on this trip was to ensure his own safety while rescuing Professor Gregory.

Neither Professor Gregory, himself, nor anyone else should die!

That was Mike's plan.

"I wonder how Professor Gregory is doing now."

By now, they had been trapped in the small Abyssal Plane for nearly forty-eight hours.

...

In an unnamed small Abyssal Plane.

Formed from fragments of the fourth abyss during its purification, it had successfully trapped Gregory and Shadow Eleven under the fifth demon god's influence.

The place was shrouded in mist, giving it an eerie atmosphere.

By a cliff, an old man held a piece of chalk, writing and drawing on the cliff face, seemingly calculating something.

Professor Gregory's brow was furrowed, his chalk continuously writing line after line of data, muttering to himself.

Not far from him lay a meal, already cold.

Fully engrossed in his work, Professor Gregory had clearly forgotten he was only level 60, even forgetting to eat.

The chalk stopped at a certain point, and Gregory's train of thought broke.

"No, no."

He shook his head repeatedly, then called out without turning,

"Eleven, collect the data again!"

"Alright."

Shadow Eleven's voice responded, and he began running the data as instructed by Professor Gregory.

"Thirty-seventh experiment record."

"1000-meter free fall, no resistance, took 9.8 seconds!"

"Nearby 3000 meters refreshed demon creatures, three at level 550, twelve at level 500...."

"Demon aura concentration: Grade A."

"..."

This had been repeated dozens of times over the past two days.

Trapped in the small Abyssal Plane, with Shadow Eleven's protection, Professor Gregory's life was not in danger.

However, due to his weak strength, moving recklessly could easily be affected by the mist's illusions and other attacks, so he had to stay put and wait for rescue.

During this time, Professor Gregory had Shadow Eleven assist in collecting data, treating it as a way to pass the time.

After collecting all the data, Shadow Eleven added, "Professor Gregory, take a break. The rescue is on its way. I can feel the passage connecting Earth and the Abyssal Plane will open soon."

Gregory ignored him, looking up at the data on the wall.

Line after line of numbers flashed through his mind, countless thoughts racing,

"46 hours ago, a 1000-meter free fall took 10.3 seconds...."

"The frequency of demon creature births has increased, but the upper limit of their strength remains unchanged, with overall quality lower..."

"Demon aura concentration dropped from Grade S to Grade B, then rose to Grade A..."

To Gregory, these data were chaotic!

Each piece of data pointed to a different conclusion, with no clear pattern.

The only thing he could discern: something was wrong!

Very wrong!

Crack—

In his distraction, Gregory applied too much force, breaking the chalk and scraping his knuckles against the cliff, peeling off a layer of skin.

At that moment, he realized something.

"Stay away! Tell them to stay away!"

Gregory, disheveled and unkempt, his eyes blazing, shouted hoarsely, "This isn't a small Abyssal Plane!"

All the data in his mind formed a massive pattern, ultimately revealing the truth.

"This is... an evolving medium-sized Abyssal Plane!"

"This is a trap, a trap designed for Thor!"

Gregory's voice carried a hint of despair, "Once the Abyssal Plane fully evolves, a demon god will be born, and everyone who steps into the trap... will die!"