The tunnel was too quiet.
Zayden moved slowly, daggers in hand, the faint glow of fungi painting the walls in sickly green light. The deeper he went, the more the walls seemed to breathe. Damp slime clung to the stone, and the smell of rot pressed down on him like a weight.
Kuro shifted on his shoulder, the dragonling's scaled body cold to the touch. The little beast let out a low growl, its red eyes fixed ahead.
Click. Click. Click.
The sound came first, echoing through the passage like tiny knives scratching stone.
Then the shapes appeared. Ants. Not the harmless kind he knew from the old world. These were the size of dogs, their shells glistening like metal under the faint glow.
The system flickered in front of his eyes.
[Ant Worker Lv. 21][Ant Worker Lv. 22][Ant Worker Lv. 23]
Zayden didn't hesitate. He flicked his wrist, shadow gathering at his fingertips.
"Dark Spike."
A sharp spike of darkness shot out, piercing clean through the first worker's head. The beast twitched once and collapsed, ichor spilling across the dirt.
The others screeched, mandibles clacking as they rushed him.
Zayden moved.
His body blurred as he slid past snapping jaws. A dagger flashed, wrapped in black light.
"Umbra Slash."
The blade cut through the second worker's neck. Its head hit the floor with a sick thud, legs twitching.
The third leapt at him. Zayden thrust his palm forward.
"Umbra Blast."
A pulse of condensed darkness exploded outward, throwing the ant back. Its shell cracked against the wall, and it didn't move again.
A faint shimmer floated above the corpses. Small, glowing crystals.
[Power Shard x3]
The shards drifted into the air, waiting. Zayden flicked his wrist, summoning his space ring. The shards slipped into it one by one, disappearing into the pocket dimension.
He didn't even glance at them again. Not yet. Not until it mattered.
More clicks echoed. The tunnel darkened as shapes crawled from the walls and ceiling. Dozens.
[Ant Worker Lv.24]
Kuro hissed, scales bristling. A shadow poured from its tiny body, spreading across the floor like smoke. The workers faltered for a second, but hunger drove them forward.
Zayden pulled in a slow breath. "Umbra Coat."
The darkness wrapped around him, forming armour that pulsed faintly like liquid night. Mandibles scraped against it as the ants lunged, but the shadows absorbed the impact.
He became a blur in the tunnel.
Daggers slashed, shadows burst, beams of black light carved through carapaces. Each kill left more ichor, painting the dirt. Each corpse dropped shards, and each shard disappeared into his ring.
Ten minutes. Fifteen. The ground was littered with twitching ant bodies.
But still, they came.
Zayden's breath grew heavier, though his movements never slowed. He spun, cutting one ant clean in half, only to duck as another slammed into the wall beside him.
Kuro struck, releasing a phantom of pure darkness. The ghostly beast ripped into a worker, tearing it apart before vanishing back into the shadows.
"Good," Zayden muttered. "Keep it up."
And then...
Click. Click. Click.
The sound deepened. He felt it in his chest. The swarm suddenly pulled back, scattering along the walls like frightened rats.
From deeper in the tunnel, something larger appeared.
It crawled slowly into view, each step heavy enough to shake the ground. Its carapace was darker, thicker, and its mandibles glistened like blades. Its eyes burned red in the gloom.
[Ant Warrior Lv. 28]
The warrior let out a screech, the sound rattling against the stone walls.
It charged.
Zayden fired instantly.
"Umbra Beam!"
A sharp ray of black energy shot out, carving into the warrior's chest. The shell cracked, but the beast didn't stop.
It slammed forward, mandibles snapping for his neck.
Zayden twisted, but one mandible grazed his shoulder, tearing flesh. Blood sprayed. He gritted his teeth and countered with a slash, darkness flooding down his blade.
The warrior hissed, jerking back as its foreleg bent wrong under the strike. Still, it didn't fall.
It slammed down again, the ground cracking beneath the weight. Zayden rolled aside, dirt exploding where he had stood.
Kuro hissed, releasing two phantoms this time. The shadowy figures clawed into the warrior's back, distracting it.
Zayden's eyes narrowed. "Now."
He lunged. His Sword plunged into the ant's throat. Darkness surged, shredding the wound from inside.
The warrior convulsed, ichor spraying like a fountain. It crashed to the ground, shaking the tunnel as it twitched its last.
[Power Shards x3]
The shards hovered faintly above the corpse. Zayden waved a hand, and they slipped neatly into his space ring with the rest.
The tunnel went silent again. His breathing was steady, though blood dripped from his shoulder.
He exhaled slowly, wiping his blade clean on the dirt. "Stronger than the workers. Much stronger. And this is only the first warrior…"
Kuro coiled tighter around his arm, scales pulsing faintly. Its red eyes glowed brighter, as if warning him.
Zayden froze.
The clicking sound returned. Louder. Sharper. He looked up, and his eyes narrowed.
From deeper inside, the ground trembled. The walls seemed to pulse as countless legs scraped against stone.
More were coming. Many more.
The tunnel ahead flickered with red eyes.
Zayden gripped his sword tighter.
And the swarm poured in.
Dozens of ant workers scuttled over the bodies of their fallen kin, mandibles clicking like grinding steel. Behind them, heavier shapes loomed. Warriors. Their armoured bodies scraped against the walls as they forced their way forward, red eyes glowing in the dim tunnel.
Zayden didn't move. Not yet. His sword hummed faintly with the darkness coating them, shadows curling around his arms like restless serpents. Kuro hissed from his shoulder, releasing a faint pulse of phantom energy that slithered across the floor.
The ants charged.
Zayden struck first.
"Umbra Beam."
A lance of black light tore through the front line. Three workers dropped instantly, their heads smoking from the impact. But the warriors behind them didn't even flinch.
The first warrior lunged, its massive mandibles snapping down toward his chest. Zayden twisted, sliding past its strike and burying his dagger into its side. Black energy burst outward, blowing a chunk of shell away. Ichor sprayed, but the warrior didn't stop.
The second slammed into him from the side. The impact rattled his ribs and forced him against the wall. Mandibles clashed against his Umbra Coat, sparks of shadow scattering where armour met blade.
He gritted his teeth, shadows pulsing thicker around his body. "Not enough."
With a burst of strength, he shoved himself free. His dagger lashed out, slicing across the joint of the warrior's leg. The limb snapped with a sharp crack, and the beast stumbled, screeching as ichor poured from the wound.
The workers swarmed in, dozens of them piling over each other to reach him. Their bodies blocked his movement, snapping mandibles, forcing him into a narrow circle.
Zayden's eyes narrowed.
"Umbra Blast."
A pulse of darkness exploded outward. Workers flew in all directions, their shells cracking as they hit the walls. Some didn't rise again.
But the two warriors did.
Both charged together, massive bodies pounding against the stone. Zayden leapt upward, feet pushing off the wall as he flipped over them. The moment he landed, he slashed down, his sword cleaving deep into one warrior's neck.
The beast screamed, thrashing violently. Its tail smashed into the dirt, kicking up clouds of dust.
The second warrior spun, its mandibles clamping down for his arm.
Kuro reacted first. The dragonling's body flared with shadow, and a phantom erupted from its mouth. The black, spectral beast slammed into the warrior's face, forcing it back with a roar.
"Good boy," Zayden muttered, stabbing down again. His blade pierced the first warrior's head. The light in its eyes dimmed instantly.
It collapsed.
[Power Shards x3 acquired.]
The shards rose faintly from the corpse. A flick of his wrist sent them into his ring. No pause. No hesitation. The second warrior was already charging again.
Zayden dashed forward to meet it. His body blurred, shadows wrapping him tighter as he poured energy into his movements.
"Umbra Slash!"
He sliced twice across its chest in quick succession, leaving deep X-shaped gouges. The warrior staggered, ichor spilling freely. Zayden spun, driving a spike of darkness into the wound.
The warrior convulsed, legs trembling. With one final screech, it fell, twitching until it stilled.
[Power Shards x3 acquired.]
The message blinked faintly before fading. Zayden's breathing deepened. The energy flowing through him felt heavier now, each skill pulling more from his reserves.