After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Extra 1.1

In the morning, sunlight spread across the earth as the temperature slowly rose.

The continent was peaceful everywhere, with unprecedented tranquility. That night, everyone seemed to have been hypnotized, sleeping exceptionally soundly with unprecedented sleep quality. When everyone woke up, they felt refreshed and clear-headed, as if their intelligence had even increased.

In the hallway of the Continental Human Alliance, several seventeen or eighteen-year-old youths were discussing.

“That was really a good night’s sleep. Was it the same for you?”

“Yes. I feel this definitely wasn’t a normal occurrence.”

Speaking thus, the curly-haired youth pounded his fist into his palm and exclaimed in shock, “Could it be… the God of Sleep was born?”

Others gave him a side-eye. Did every phenomenon need to have a god?

“Haha, you’re overthinking it.”

They hurried to the Alliance cafeteria for breakfast. Suddenly, a group of people rushed past them, walking briskly as if something major had happened.

They nearly got knocked over and turned to look at the hurrying group, their faces showing shock.

The curly-haired youth said curiously, “Isn’t that the Special Fast Response Elite Team? Why are they so anxious? There’s no monster invasion, yet they’ve forgotten the rule about no running in the hallways.”

Someone beside him stroked their chin and said, “Something that could make them nervous must not be a small matter.”

They all froze simultaneously. The curly-haired youth pondered. “From the direction they’re running… could it be the Assembly Hall?!”

They looked at each other, suddenly realizing something, and immediately followed the Special Fast Response Team’s pace.

There were several thousand others doing the same thing!

They had received new notices from the Alliance higher-ups and were overjoyed, wanting to know the situation immediately!

However, though the Assembly Hall was large, it couldn’t accommodate thousands of people.

Floors one through eight of the hall were packed with people, all eight entrances were completely blocked, and people of all ranks inside the hall were squeezed together, chest to back, stepping on each other.

Those in charge of maintaining order didn’t say anything, as they were also extremely eager about this Alliance announcement and had no mind to maintain order.

The curly-haired youth barely squeezed into the hall, then was lifted like a chicken by the crowd to the very front. Several young people near his ear were discussing.

“Did you feel it? Like there was a feeling of enlightenment from above, inspiration just exploded out.”

“Ah, you too? When I woke up this morning, I suddenly solved a problem I’d been researching for decades.”

The curly-haired youth was shocked, discovering that besides a good night’s sleep, last night had such benefits for some people!

Looking left and right, he found the surrounding crowd discussing enthusiastically, their faces full of joy.

Not only did scholars have breakthroughs in their thinking, but warriors also had various breakthroughs.

Someone had successfully broken through from level 89 to level 90 after waking up! Such a major power threshold – they had broken through after just one sleep. In normal times, this would definitely make continental headline news, but today their experience seemed ordinary!

Even more extraordinarily, some had broken through 10 levels in one night, which shocked everyone present when mentioned.

How could there be such an outrageous breakthrough just from sleeping? Had this person mastered some secret technique of breakthrough during dreams?

The curly-haired youth was eager to know, but trapped in the crowd, he couldn’t find that person who had broken through.

Someone noticed his anxiety and teased. “It’s useless to ask that person, they don’t know why either.”

The curly-haired youth was stunned, “Then what’s going on?”

The middle-aged person smiled. “You’ll know when you see.”

This phenomenon could only make them think of one thing, but they had no evidence and didn’t know if it was true, until they heard the Alliance broadcast saying there was a major announcement, which was why they rushed here.

Present were both young and old, even those over two hundred years old came to the scene.

They craned their necks to look at Norman Til on stage, their hearts dwelling on one “answer.”

The curly-haired youth noticed their gazes and wisely didn’t ask more questions, also looking toward the youth on stage.

Norman Til smiled calmly, and without beating around the bush, after getting final confirmation from Wang Chang’er’s side, immediately announced to everyone, “Everyone, I have good news to announce, humanity’s upward restriction has been lifted.”

Before his words finished, the whole venue fell silent, everyone’s eyes widened, cold sweat streaming down their faces, as if they all doubted their ears.

The curly-haired youth couldn’t help but confirm. “Your Excellency Norman Til, you just said the upward restriction… what happened?”

Norman Til looked at him and smiled. “It’s been lifted. From now on, we humans can finally develop freely, unrestrained by any force.”

As soon as these words fell, the whole venue erupted.

“It’s done! We’re free!”

These words were the hope of countless humans. They had been oppressed for ten thousand years, and now they finally gained liberation!

Voices surged, countless young people shouted excitedly, while some people were moved to tears, their bodies trembling. Another portion still couldn’t believe it, standing dumbfounded in place.

“You… punch me?”

“No need, Vice Chair, it’s true! Our big breakthrough last night was actually because the upward restriction was lifted.”

They went from dumbfounded to excited, “Finally… humanity has finally been liberated!”

From now on, they would no longer need to struggle with restrictions, wracking their brains while making no progress. The epochal day had finally arrived!

They hugged each other regardless of propriety, their jubilant celebration causing the entire Assembly Hall to shake.

Norman Til on stage calmly watched them, his inner joy speaking for itself.

A few minutes ago, when he received the news from Wang Chang’er’s side, his excitement was no less than theirs. He also hadn’t expected that when they said they would solve it, they would immediately have the “Creator God” lift the upward restriction.

At this time, an elderly person walked out from the excited crowd, his hands trembling, raised his eyes to look directly at the person on stage, and respectfully asked. “Your Excellency Norman Til, may I ask how this came about?”

Norman Til paused, his gaze changing, as he slowly looked toward the elderly person in the crowd.

The elder’s voice wasn’t loud, but carried special power, as if speaking simultaneously in everyone’s ears.

Those present gradually came to their senses after their excitement, their expressions becoming serious.

Yes, the elder’s question was right – something this big couldn’t have just fallen from the sky, there must be a reason.

Norman Til pondered for a moment, then said solemnly. “This matter is a long story, we need to start from long ago.”

The hall became quiet, everyone’s expressions solemn, as if facing a crucial historical event.

Even hot-blooded youths like the curly-haired one couldn’t help but calm down.

The elder looked at Norman Til and said gravely. “Please take your time.”

The elder’s gaze was piercing. His demeanor was dignified, and only a few could recognize him – an old predecessor who had devoted over two hundred years to the Alliance, now retired and working in the Historical Culture Bureau, responsible for compiling the history of the Gods Era.

Norman Til’s gaze was complex as he said, “Actually, I should have told you earlier, but due to the influence of cognitive manipulation, it wasn’t convenient to speak then.”

He was organizing the sequence of events and character relationships in his mind, but still unsure whether these things could be told, so he had to trouble Wang Chang’er.

At that time, Wang Chang’er was playing chess with the Garfield cat. A beam of sunlight shone on the Garfield cat’s head, making his fur golden and glittering, looking very cute.

Wang Chang’er looked at the Garfield cat and asked, “Is it okay?”

The Garfield cat blinked, stretched out his short cat paw, used his rook to capture Wang Chang’er’s knight, and giggled. “It’s okay.”

Wang Chang’er nodded with a smile and relayed this to Norman Til.

Norman Til only felt reassured after receiving permission. His gaze swept across the people in the hall as he took a deep breath, his heart seemingly beating violently.

“Everything started with the hero summoning. Back then, Hero Xiu Si…”

He wasn’t a wandering poet or historian, so his telling inevitably had some gaps, but he proceeded to narrate roughly in chronological order.

As soon as he spoke, everyone revealed shocked expressions.

Someone couldn’t help but ask. “Hero Xiu Si? Who is he?”

At least half of those present didn’t know this name.

Because this hero’s presence was too faint – they only knew what the other six heroes were called, but didn’t know who this one was or what achievements he had.

Hearing this, the elder explained. “Back then, Hero Xiu Si was summoned to our world as a hero with the Creator profession. He teamed up with other heroes to adventure together, but his leveling speed was too slow, his strength wasn’t great, and he unfortunately met with disaster during an Abyss exploration, falling into the Abyss and disappearing since then. History considers him to have perished long ago.”

Everyone suddenly understood.

Norman Til glanced at the elder and continued. “That’s right, Hero Xiu Si, the least mentioned hero in history classes. Records about him only contain two events – his summoning and falling into the Abyss. However, he is actually the most important figure in our over eight thousand years of human history.”

Everyone below the stage was shocked.

For a long time, Hero Xiu Si had been like a transparent person among the heroes, with no noteworthy achievements or any special qualities worth mentioning. When talking about heroes with top achievements, they most often mentioned Wang Chang’er, Ye Qingyi, and Luo Jie. However, they never imagined that the one with the lowest presence was actually the one with the strongest historical achievements?

Norman Til looked at their expressions of disbelief and instructed the Seven Great Elves beside him. “It’s up to you now.”

The Seven Great Elves immediately revealed their forms, like performing magic, creating a stage above the platform.

Then, characters and scenes appeared on the stage. The character appeared as a youth, and the scene was the vast and dark cave unique to the abyss.

Norman Til looked at the stage and first stated the conclusion, “Hero Xiu Si’s other identity was the Lord of the Abyss, that is, the master of the twenty plus Abyss Lords.”

As soon as these words fell, the whole venue was shocked. The curly-haired youth’s mouth nearly formed an O shape.

These… these two identities could actually be put together?!

The elder’s gaze changed, his pupils trembling.

Then, the shadow play on stage began. Under the magic control of the Seven Great Elves, the characters gradually began to move, walking through the scenes.

Norman Til explained while narrating, “Hero Xiu Si fell into the Abyss and struggled to survive, using his profession skills to create one abyss being after another. They were weak at that time, but later became the Abyss Lords who commanded respect throughout the universe.”

“Hero Xiu Si survived in the Abyss for exactly three years, but was ultimately harmed by the Evil of the Universe under the Creator God’s plot, and personally killed by the Creator God.”

“The Creator God used the Evil of the Universe, who had an old grudge against Him, to twice place people in deadly situations. Hero Xiu Si’s fall into the Abyss was also caused by the Creator God.”

Many people present didn’t know what the Evil of the Universe was, much less that the Evil of the Universe was actually the human sage at that time. They listened in bewilderment and couldn’t help but ask questions, but were stopped by the elder raising his hand.

Norman Til continued. “Although Hero Xiu Si was killed, he didn’t die. With the help of the omniscient and omnipotent Agares, he returned to the continent three months ago, first appearing in the Aust Empire, resolving the Aust Empire’s national crisis, saving countless innocent civilians from danger. Later, he also resolved the Great Empire of Hammurabi crisis, having the Abyss Lord Beelzebub resolve the evil dragon Federi – this was key to us taking down the Divine Kingdom of Destruction.”

As he spoke, the Seven Great Elves performed. The stage changed rapidly, each scene stirring people’s hearts.

Present were people from both the Aust Empire and the Great Empire of Hammurabi.

They were all stunned after hearing this. The curly-haired youth was from the Aust Empire and knew the situation best. A month ago, the Aust Empire’s national crisis was mysteriously resolved, and though not much time had passed, now the truth was revealed – the savior was actually Hero Xiu Si!

How could they not be excited?

Before Norman Til could continue, someone immediately realized.

“And the crisis of chaos descending – my god, all the crises we’ve encountered lately were resolved by him, right!”

Norman Til nodded. “That’s right, all the national and world crises in recent times.”

Everyone was shocked and felt they had been blind.

“Stranded in the Abyss for three years, listening to the voices of fallen gods, creating one god-level being after another – never mind how he did it, his spirit was truly incredible.”

Someone couldn’t help but say, “I’ve been to the Abyss before, could only stand three days before I couldn’t take it anymore. That place is absolutely not fit for human habitation. For him to stay in the Abyss for three years and maintain mental normalcy, truly a divine being!”

“And he stayed in the Abyss of eight thousand years ago! Different from the current Abyss, the current Abyss is much better managed under the Abyss Lords.”

The curly-haired youth couldn’t help but remind them.

Norman Til went on to reveal more details, each bringing new shocks.

“No wonder the Abyss Lords would help humans, it turns out they are Hero Xiu Si’s children!”

“Yes, They grew up under Hero Xiu Si’s care, developing themselves based on his humanity, which is why They are friendly to humans. Everything makes sense now.”

“Then when he appeared at the Alliance again…”

Speaking of this, everyone looked at each other, their hearts suddenly accelerating. Because Hero Xiu Si had come to the Alliance as the Lord of the Abyss, with several Abyss Lords following behind!

“No wonder the Lord of the Abyss would care about what happened to the other heroes. At the time we guessed they were friends, but now thinking about it… they were more than just friends.”

Hero Xiu Si woke up to find all his friends gone – his mood can be imagined. It was already extremely merciful that he didn’t let the Abyss Lords punish them, yet they remained completely unaware.

The elder summarized. “It was Hero Xiu Si who established the Humans Era. We have survived until today under his will. Without Hero Xiu Si, there would be no humanity today.”

He spoke without exaggeration. The Humans Era was given up by the Abyss Lords, and even now, their military strength still relied on the Abyss Lords. And why did the Abyss Lords help them? Because of the Lord of the Abyss!

It was no exaggeration to say that humans could exist until today all thanks to Hero Xiu Si!

The curly-haired youth lowered his head and said with a complex expression. “But for so many years, we didn’t know the true history, ignored his existence, and overlooked his achievements.”

Someone beside him said, “And that’s not all. Back then, humans even targeted and suppressed him because his profession was useless, yet he was still willing to help us without holding grudges!”

At this point, everyone felt extremely guilty, truly wanting to travel back in time and give their ancestors a hard slap. How foolish they were!

Simon stood in the center of the crowd and sighed after listening. “For these eight thousand plus years, we have received nothing but help from the heroes, yet have nothing to repay them with.”

Hearing this, the curly-haired youth suddenly became indignant. “When Hero Luo Jie was in danger, we even stood by and did nothing!”

The situation with Hero Luo Jie was somewhat complicated at that time, but if they had been willing to try their best, how could they have let “Hero Luo Jie’s death” happen?

The otherworld heroes helped them, established countless achievements, yet some of them were ungrateful, even hoping the heroes would leave soon so their local people’s era could arrive.

How ridiculous!

“…Fortunately Hero Luo Jie is fine.”

“Yes, Hero Luo Jie himself is safe and sound. When we met him in the Elven Kingdom, he even greeted us, saying he was very sorry for concealing the news that he was still alive.”

The young people looked at each other, all seeing the complex expressions in each other’s eyes.

What virtue or ability did they have to deserve being protected by such good people until today?

A group of young people couldn’t help but look toward Norman Til, with the curly-haired youth asking, “Your Excellency Norman Til, can we meet the heroes?”

Norman Til looked at them and asked, “What do you want to do? If it’s just to express gratitude, there’s no need. They’re retired now and don’t like crowds.”

“We…”

They choked up.