Underground Bloodhole

As Amaris stood there, her newly evolved abilities coursing through her veins, Zaleck's expression shifted. A glimmer of curiosity danced in her eyes, replacing the previous disdain. She couldn't deny the power that Amaris had just gained by absorbing the soul ring.

"You...you actually did it," Zaleck muttered, her voice tinged with a mix of surprise and begrudging admiration. "I didn't expect you to survive, let alone evolve your soul possession. I've never heard of someone swallowing a demon's soul ring and essence."

Amaris ignored Zaleck's words, her focus now on the immense power surging within her. She could feel the energy pulsating through her body, empowering her every move. The transformation into Pink Widow seemed more potent than ever, and she couldn't wait to test her newfound abilities.

With a determined look in her eyes, Amaris turned her attention to the surroundings. The defeated mammoth spider lay motionless on the ground, its limbs severed and its head destroyed. She had triumphed over the formidable creature, thanks to her newly enhanced skills.

But Amaris knew that this was just the beginning. There were more challenges to face, more enemies to conquer. And with her evolved abilities, she was ready to take on whatever came her way.

Zaleck, though still reeling from her failed plan, couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement. This human, against all odds, had defied her expectations and grown stronger. Perhaps there was more to Amaris than she had initially thought.

'Maybe I should get on this human's good side. She might have a chance of becoming that…' Zaleck contemplated silently. Despite her initial disdain for Amaris, the human display of strength and soul swallowing had piqued Zaleck's interest.

'Well, she doesn't even know that I tried to do something to her, anyway.' Zaleck chuckled inwardly.

"Hey human." Zaleck called out to Amaris.

Amaris stopped in her tracks and replied, "What?"

"You don't seem to know anything about the ranking system, yeah?" Zaleck asked.

Amaris nodded her head, and Zaleck explained, "Alright, let me explain. The rankings are based on the level of your soul. Humans start at level 1 to 10, which we call them Soul Novice. Depending on the level determines their talents."

Zaleck went on, "The next is rank 11 to 20, where you are at currently. We call that Soul Apprentice. Once you reach the 10th level of your current rank, which for you would be 20, you'd have to merge with a soul ring. But as you already know, not all demons drop soul rings."

Zaleck then went into details of the next rank, which is 21 to 30, Soul adept. There isn't much of a change but power, and you only gain new abilities from soul rings. 

"Human, I recommend we take our time. You weren't given any timestamp when they wanted this Underground Bloodhole to be clean." Zaleck advised.

Amaris nodded her head and said, "Good idea."

Zaleck wasn't lying. She wasn't given any timestamp for the Underground Bloodhole to be clean. This should allow her to learn a few more helpful things along the way.

"Zaleck, you talk about these ranks and stuff, but how does one increase their ranks?" Amaris asked. 

Zaleck coughed, and her body heated up. Amaris noticed her embarrassed and couldn't help but frown.

Zaleck coughed again and said, "We demons normally increase it by feeding off of our enemies, but for you, it seems like the way for you to increase rank is by swallowing soul rings."

Amaris was shocked and scratched her head. Zaleck explained more, and Amaris learned demons increase their rank by feeding off their enemies. Normally humans would increase their ranks by killing a demon and meditating on top of it to absorb some of its leaking soul power, but that would be useless for her as she could just swallow the soul ring if one drops it, given her even more strength and abilities.

"Though human, you shouldn't go around absorbing every soul ring." Zaleck advised Amaris.

Amaris tilted her head and asked, "Why?"

Zaleck sighed and explained, "Soul rings store a demon's essence, attributes, and skills. Some skills may conflict with another. You may also get the light attribute, which will weaken your dark attribute, and you won't even be able to access the light attribute until the dark attribute is obliterated. Doing this would change your essence completely, and it's like starting over."

Amaris gulped and promised Zaleck, "I won't absorb random soul rings then."

Zaleck mentally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Anyway human, Underground Bloodhole should be closed. Let's head there now."

Amaris silently nodded, her eyes scanning the cracked brown dirt beneath her worn boots. She gingerly manoeuvred her way up the corroded metal walls, skilfully evading the watchful demon patrols that prowled the area. The relentless sun cast a blinding white glow, illuminating the desolation that stretched as far as her weary eyes could see.

Finally reaching her destination, she came face to face with a towering cell tower, its once proud structure now leaning precariously at a perilous 60-degree angle. Undeterred, Amaris steadied her footsteps as she ascended the rickety tower, the cold metal biting into her palms with each cautious grip. At the summit, a cave entrance greeted her, beckoning her forward.

Known as the Underground Bloodhole, the vast cave system sprawled beneath her, its depths shrouded in an eerie silence. The air was heavy with the stench of decay and sulphur, mingling with the unmistakable musk of malevolence. Countless creatures lurked within, their presence palpable, their menace tangible.

Yet, as Amaris stood atop the cell tower, her mind was overcome with a sense of bewilderment.

"Why the hell is there a cell tower in this world?" Amaris questioned Zaleck.

Zaleck rolled her eyes upon hearing this. "Blame you human! Sometimes a random fucking object comes flying through space cracks. It lands here, and we demons just use it as furniture and equipment. This cell tower was most likely from your fucking world! Also, didn't I mention that this is a parallel world?" Zaleck cursed Amaris.

Amaris turned red hearing her curse and averted her gaze, not wanting to anger the demon anymore. Amaris looked at the Underground Bloodhole and gulped, her heart racing. She knew this would be a challenging task, but she was determined to succeed.

With a deep breath, Amaris entered the Underground Bloodhole, ready to take on whatever comes her way.