Korzath scowled. “We appreciate the thought, but this is our fight.”

  “Then let’s fight together,” I countered. “Honestly, you’d be helping me out. I need someone who knows these caves.”

  Drakorr gave his son an encouraging nod, and after a tense moment, Korzath relented, bowing his head.

  “All right. I’ll take you to it. But it’s not just us. I’ll bring two others, my sisters, Vaklira and Thalviss.”

  The sisters joined us shortly after. Vaklira, the scout, was tall and lithe, her bow unstrung but ready, with daggers strapped across her chest. Thalviss, by contrast, was shorter and more powerfully built, her scarred leather armor and curved sword hinting at her role as a frontliner. Her stance was one of confidence, a fighter who had long accepted battle as part of her existence.

  As we studied the map, Korzath ran a clawed hand over one of the marked tunnels, his expression darkening.

  “We’ve only managed to get a glimpse of the creature,” he said, his voice low but steady. “It’s the size of a small building, with eight legs that let it move across walls and ceilings as easily as the ground. Its hide is thick, nearly impenetrable and it spews a sticky substance that traps its prey.”

  He paused, his jaw tightening. “I was part of the scouting team that first encountered it. There were five of us. We thought we could slip in, gather information, and leave before it noticed us. We were wrong.”

  His claws pressed into the map. “It didn’t just attack. It was waiting. The second we entered its lair, it was on us. Its movements were… unnatural, too fast for something that big. It caught three of us in seconds, wrapping them in its webs before they could even scream.”

  Vaklira placed a steadying hand on her brother’s shoulder as he continued. “Only Vaklira and I made it out. She dragged me out after I got caught in its trap, tearing through the webs before it could finish me off. I owe her my life.”

  His voice faltered, but then he straightened, his resolve hardening. “Since then, the creature has expanded its territory, spawning smaller versions of itself that attack in waves. Every time we push back, it sends more. We’ve managed to hold the line so far, but the casualties keep piling up. It’s only a matter of time before it breaks through.”

  He met my gaze then, eyes burning with determination. “This isn’t just about reclaiming our food source. If we don’t stop it here, it will spread further. It will take everything.”

  A heavy silence followed. The weight of his words settled over us like a storm cloud. Guilt, desperation, and duty warred in his expression.

  I nodded, meeting his gaze. “We’ll stop it. Together.”

  Vaklira squeezed her brother’s shoulder before stepping forward, her tone calm but firm. “I know the tunnels better than anyone. If we’re going to do this, we’ll need to be fast and precise. The longer we’re down there, the more it has the advantage.”

  Thalviss, who had been silent until now, unsheathed her curved sword and rested it on her shoulder. “Fast, precise, and deadly. That’s what we’re good at.”

  Korzath exhaled slowly, some of the tension easing from his posture. “Then let’s move. The sooner we end this, the better.”

  A notification popped up.

  Active Quest: Exterminator

  Kill Weavers (0/100)

  Kill the Weaver Queen (0/1)

  Rewards:

  EXP (based on performance)

  Rare-grade item

  With that, the four of us set out, descending into the dark, knowing full well that the monster and its horde were waiting.

  We moved downstairs through the building. Only the two upper floors of the four story structure were still occupied. Around four hundred Drak’nir lived here, most showing signs of corruption but still clinging to their sanity.

  Despair was etched onto every face. The ones still able to function moved mechanically, clearing debris, cooking over campfires, tending to the wounded. It was survival, not living.

  And yet, amidst the grim tapestry, high pitched laughter stopped me in my tracks.

  A group of Drak’nir children ran through the ruined halls, emaciated and dressed in rags, but smiling. They chased each other, playing as if the world around them wasn’t crumbling.

  Even if we reclaimed their farms and killed the monster, how much time did they have before they succumbed to the corruption? Before hunger and madness claimed them like so many others?

  A hollow feeling settled in my chest. I knew, deep down, that I was helping them not out of altruism but to satisfy my own ego. They must have known it too.

  But survival, clinging to life even in the absence of hope, was not just a human instinct.

  Vaklira, walking beside me, must have noticed the look on my face.

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  “There’s no hope for us, is there?” Her voice was grim, but a sliver of hope betrayed it.

  “I honestly don’t know,” I admitted. “But there’s someone more knowledgeable than me I can ask. I just don’t know if he can help… or if he will.”

  “Why wouldn’t he?”

  “I haven’t known him long, just a few days, really but I understand that he sees this as a natural process.”

  She stopped walking. “So our lives, our entire species, deserve to die?” Her voice was laced with anger. Korzath and Thalviss, walking ahead, had clearly tuned in.

  “I don’t think he sees it that way,” I said carefully. “To him, it’s like a natural disaster. Tragic, but inevitable. But I promise you this, if there’s a way to save you, I’ll do my best to find it.”

  It was more a promise to myself than to her.

  That seemed to placate her a little.

  The lower levels bore the scars of battle, bloodstains, shattered weapons, burned furniture. At the entrance, Korzath spoke briefly with the Drak’nir guards before we moved out.

  Vaklira took the lead, guiding us expertly through the ruins. We climbed down collapsed buildings, crossed broken stairways, and leapt from shattered bridges. Even with my enhanced body, the Drak’nir kept pace with ease, moving like they belonged to this place.

  At the edge of town, we reached the rear gateway, a smaller but no less intricate counterpart to the front, adorned with the same intertwined dragons guarding their underground home.

  Vaklira whispered, “Wait here. There are usually a few scouts up ahead, but I haven’t been here in a while.”

  Thalviss and Korzath nodded, but something in my gut told me we shouldn’t split up.

  “I don’t doubt your skills,” I said. “But corrupted monsters tend to get stronger over time. I should go with you.”

  Vaklira bristled at the suggestion, but Thalviss cut in before she could argue.

  “The outsider has a point. You barely escaped last time. We should play this as safely as we can.”

  Korzath hesitated, then nodded. “He’s right.” He turned to me, his voice softer. “Please… try and keep her safe.”

  Vaklira shot him a glare. “I have been keeping myself safe for years.”

  Korzath chuckled. “I know, but it’s my job as your big brother to worry.”

  Her expression softened, and she squeezed his arm. “Let’s go. Follow my lead.”

  As we moved through the tunnel, the ground was damp, the air thick with the scent of decay. Clusters of bioluminescent mushrooms cast eerie green glows across the walls, their faint light revealing the twisting path ahead.

  I walked beside Vaklira, my senses heightened. Something felt off. Too quiet. Too still.

  “Do you see something?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

  I knelt and picked up a small pebble. “Not sure.”

  I flicked it forward.

  The moment it clattered against the stone floor, a sharp chittering filled the air. Three shapes emerged from the darkness, spindly, shifting, silent. They moved with unsettling grace, their knife like legs clicking against the stone, their glossy black exoskeletons absorbing the dim light.

  Scout Weavers (Level 78)

  These spiders were cultivated by the Drak’nir. Their silk is prized, and their exoskeleton is used in all kinds of crafts.

  One clung to the ceiling, moving upside down as if gravity were a mere suggestion. Another skittered along the wall, while the third remained on the ground, its eight eyes gleaming with cold intelligence.

  Vaklira moved first, her bow a blur as she loosed an arrow, she wasn’t as accurate or as fast as Bel but her movements spoke of years of consistent training.

  The arrow struck the nearest spider’s carapace and bounced off with a sharp clink. She fired again. Another deflection.

  “I can’t find a weak point!” she hissed, stepping back.

  “Fall back,” I ordered. “I’ll slow them down!”

  She didn’t hesitate, already moving. But the spiders weren’t giving us the luxury of retreat.

  The one on the ceiling lunged first. Its movements were impossibly fast, one moment it clung to the rock, the next it was airborne, its fangs aimed at my throat. I threw up a hand, manifesting a barrier mid air. The spider slammed into it, sending a web of cracks through the energy shield, but it bought me the moment I needed.

  I gripped my spear , and drove my spear straight through its skull.

  The impact sent a jolt up my arm as thick, black ichor gushed from the wound. The spider twitched violently, its legs curling inward as it crashed to the floor.

  Before I could recover, the second one struck.

  A thick strand of web shot from its spinnerets, catching my arm and pinning it to the ceiling. I twisted, but it was already lunging.

  Damn.

  I barely brought my legs up in time to meet the attack. The spider’s blade like front legs stabbed into my thighs, pain exploding through me. My scream echoed through the tunnel, but I gritted my teeth and fought through it.

  I didn’t have time to be gentle.

  Gritting my teeth, I manifested spikes, dozens of them, jutting from my body. Some slid harmlessly across the creature’s armored shell, but a few found the gaps between its plates. The spider let out a shrill, ear piercing screech as I twisted the spikes deeper, forcing them through its flesh.

  It thrashed, trying to escape. I didn’t let it.

  With one final burst of energy, I manifested a jagged wire, wrapping it around the spider’s throat and pulling with everything I had. The chitin cracked. The creature spasmed. Then it went still.

  I gasped, my wounds screaming at me, but there was no time to rest.

  The third spider had set its sights on Vaklira. She was moving, fast and precise, but the creature was relentless, closing in with every step. Her arrows had no effect, and her quiver was nearly empty.

  I pushed off the wall and manifested a hammer, a brutal, two handed weapon with a long handle and a weighted head.

  No finesse. Just raw force.

  I charged.

  I really wanted to do a cool jumping attack but I knew that physics didn’t really work that way.

  The spider turned toward me just as I hurled a small energy sphere at its feet. As soon as it landed, I manifested wires, thin, nearly invisible strands that sprang out like a web, entangling its legs.

  It screeched, struggling, but I was already in motion.

  I swung the hammer with all my strength, aiming for the joints. The first strike shattered one of its legs. The second caved in a section of its exoskeleton.

  It let out a distorted, high pitched sound, twitching as it struggled to move.

  “Vaklira! Now!”

  She approached cautiously, her last arrow nocked

  “Fucking kill it”

  “I think that you should, I don’t know why you don’t have access to the system to be honest but I’ve been told that killing corrupted creatures stalls the corruption “

  She nodded appreciatively “ yeah we kind of suspected it might but our warriors don’t live long enough for us to be certain “

  Then She drew her dagger, stepped forward, and drove the blade straight into the spider’s eye, twisting as she pushed

  The dagger didn’t penetrate deeply at first

  “ these bastards are way tougher than before “

  She leaned with her whole body and after a sickening crunching noise the creature convulsed once. Then it stopped moving.

  Vaklira exhaled heavily, wiping the ichor from her blade before turning to me. “You’re bleeding.”

  I glanced down at the deep punctures in my legs. The pain was already dulling as my regeneration kicked in, knitting flesh back together.

  I grinned. “I’ve had worse.”

  She scowled at my casual tone but didn’t argue. Instead, she crouched down and started collecting her arrows while I attempted to loot the bodies.

  As expected, the spiders began to vanish, their remains dissolving into dark mist. I managed to snag another common crystal before the last one faded.

  Vaklira rolled one between her fingers. “Pretty. What does it do?”

  “I think it’s a type of currency, but this one’s trash.”

  She pocketed her recovered arrows and gave me a long look. “You fought well.”

  “So did you.”

  A pause. Then she nodded. “We should keep moving.”

  “You sure?” I asked, still leaning against the wall. “Shouldn’t we wait for the others?.”

  She raised an eyebrow, then glanced at my rapidly healing wounds, her lips pressing into a thin line. “How is that even fair?”

  I smirked.

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine. If you can keep going, so can I.”

  We continued forward, me in the lead. Vaklira walked close behind, pointing out pitfalls and potential ambush spots as we cleared the way.

  The tunnel grew narrower, and soon cobwebs started appearing in thick layers. I had to manifest a machete just to carve a path through them.

  We encountered two more groups of Weavers on the way. This time, we had a system, I used myself as a bait, used a shield to tank the hits then I trap them with wires, then let Vaklira dispatch them. Efficiency over style.

  Finally, we reached the end of the tunnel.

  Vaklira tapped my shoulder. “Let’s wait for the others. Beyond this point, we’ll face the Guardian Weavers. We can’t take them alone.”

  I nodded, leaning against the rock as I checked my status.

  Name: Alex

  Titles: Ascendant (???)

  Level: 65 (21860/22110)

  Attributes:

  Astral Body: 45 +6

  Astral Mind: 84 +4

  Astral Spirit: 49 +6

  Skills:

  Levitation (Common) – Level 28

  Manifestation (Common) – Level 43

  Astral Sight (Common) – Level 24 +4

  Inspection (Common) – Level 23

  Astral Echo (Unique) – Level 8

  Looting (Uncommon) – Level 5

  Active Quest: Exterminator

  Kill Weavers (10/100)

  Kill the Weavers’ Queen (0/1)

  Rewards:

  EXP (based on performance)

  Rare-grade item

  A few minutes later, the others arrived.

  We readied our weapons, steeled our nerves, and stepped into the next chamber.