Another scream echoed from the rear flank. Ever since Kai and the Red Scale leader had taken the front of the group, the underground creatures—realizing the two were tough nuts to crack—had started avoiding them, focusing their attacks on the weaker mercenaries behind.
The Red Scale leader was no mere Senior Squire. Her red scale armor held a secret: it was forged from the hide of a rare, powerful magical beast, etched with faint elemental auras that hinted at alchemical refinement. With this armor for protection and her aggressive, wide-swinging combat style, Kai realized this fierce woman could hold her own against an Arch-Knight.
"Red Scale" was her alias, not her real name. Mercenary knights like her—who lived by the sword—often adopted such monikers. Names like "Raging Bear" or "Iron Fist" were common; "Red Scale," with its subtle edge, suited a female knight. It likely referenced both her armor and her mercenary group's name.
After the scream faded, a mercenary quickly reported: another man dead. This time, the attackers were black bats clinging to the cave ceiling. Each bat had the strength of a corrupted creature, and when they swarmed—darkening the air—even a Mid-tier Squire would be overwhelmed. Casualties were inevitable.
Red Scale finally halted her advance. She turned to Kai, not far away, and said, "We've lost five men already. We can't keep going—we need to rest." Her tone was softer than when she'd argued with Count Krupp in the tent—a sign she'd begun to respect Kai. His rescue of her two men, followed by a demonstration of his Giant Fire Wall spell, had sealed it.
Compared to the knights' one-on-one duels, a mage's area-of-effect attacks were true instruments of slaughter. Seven or eight underground humanoids, too slow to flee, had been incinerated in Kai's fire wall—far more efficient than anything the mercenaries could manage.
Kai's expression remained calm, unaffected by her request. He waited until Red Scale's patience was frayed before finally speaking: "According to Gigson's data, this underground vein isn't large. That means the number of humanoid tribes here must be limited. Sustaining attacks at this intensity is already their max. Not all humanoids can harm your mercenaries—most are weaker than a teenage human. Their height alone limits their strength." He glanced at her as he spoke.
"You seem pretty familiar with underground humanoids," Red Scale said, arching her thick eyebrows.
"The wizarding world has countless humanoid species. I just know a few of them," Kai replied. "Hurry up. I think we're close to our target. The fact that their attacks here are far fiercer than in the other mercenary groups' areas means we're heading the right way." With that, he continued deeper into the cave.
"If we're on the right path, why not call in the other two mercenary groups? And the Gigson soldiers who've been sitting idle outside!" Red Scale pressed, hurrying to keep up.
She was sharper than she looked. To lead a mercenary group as a female knight, brute strength alone wasn't enough—she needed wits too. After a moment's thought, Kai nodded. "Fine."
With an Archapprentice from the tower's approval, Red Scale wasted no time sending a mercenary to fetch the other groups and the Gigson soldiers.
When they reunited with Count Krupp, the noble's face was grim. Though a Count, he was a far cry from Kai's father, Count Grant. Krupp had bullied his way to Senior Squire rank by gorging on rare herbs and magical beast flesh—but he was no match for a battle-hardened warrior like Red Scale. At least he had two capable Senior Squires under him, plus Gigson's military equipment. In terms of numbers and firepower, his soldiers should have been the main force in this underground expedition.
"Master Kai, our contracts with the mercenaries state they're responsible for this mission…" Krupp began, sidling up to Kai once they were underground.
Kai had no patience for his complaints. Cutting him off coldly, he said, "My task is to investigate and document this beast's mutation. Do you want me to include your 'performance' in my mission report?"
Krupp fell silent. Azure Source Tower was an unstoppable force to nobles like him. Obstructing the tower's mission—or earning a bad reputation there—would end his career in Gigson's nobility. Chastened, he slunk off to order his personal guards to lead the soldiers.
Two young Red Scale mercenaries, noticing the exchange, dared to give Kai a thumbs-up. Red Scale didn't seize the chance to mock Krupp; she stood at a distance, her gaze fixed on Kai.
Soon after, the leaders of the other two mercenary groups approached to report. While their groups had faced fewer and weaker attacks than Red Scale's, they'd brought along many ordinary laborers with no battle qi. Unlike Red Scale's men, they hadn't had Kai's help to counter the humanoids' poison. Their combined losses had already topped thirty.
Glancing at the two burly leaders, Kai said, "We haven't even faced the Arch-tier beast yet, and we still don't know why these humanoids are attacking us. We're almost at the target. If you don't want your groups wiped out, stay alert."
His words sent a chill through the two men. They exchanged a look, then nodded respectfully. "Understood."
With the two mercenary groups and Gigson's soldiers added, Kai now commanded over five hundred people—the largest force he'd ever led. Besides Squires and laborers, there were two Mid-tier Magic Apprentices, who served as Gigson's military mages.
As the group's size swelled, attacks became far less frequent. Kai suspected the underground creatures had realized small skirmishes wouldn't hurt them—and were now gathering their strength for a final stand. He welcomed this; he was eager to wipe out these annoying humanoids once and for all. Having lived in Menzoberranzan for years, he'd never had any sympathy for these cunning, greedy beings—even if some were innocent elders or children.
After another two and a half days of traveling through the mines, a vast, square-shaped underground chamber opened up before them.
"This isn't one of our miners' digs—it must be the work of these sneaky humanoids!" Krupp fumed. "Dammit! There were never this many underground creatures in the Salt Cinder Basin. Where are they all coming from?"
In the corners of the chamber, piles of biological remains and bones littered the ground—some from underground magical beasts, but most from ordinary subterranean creatures like humanoids. The sheer quantity made the newcomers shudder. But Kai, Red Scale, the other mercenary leaders, and Gigson's elite soldiers remained calm.
A 痛苦的,angry roar echoed from the center of the chamber. Kai and the others steeled themselves and pressed forward. Gigson's large military magic devices were rolled to the front—several anti-magic crossbows and black powder cannons, their main weapons against the Arch-tier target.
When they reached the chamber's center, they froze. Before them stood a bizarre beast: half-lion, half-spider. Its upper body was that of a lion, while its lower half was replaced by a massive spider's abdomen. It was eight or nine meters long—bigger than the saltwater crocodiles Kai had encountered years ago.
The creature was clearly in agony. A bright red line ran where its lion's body met the spider's abdomen, reeking of blood. Thick, stinking fluid oozed from its midsection as it thrashed and roared. Its huge, sharp spider legs gouged deep furrows in the ground.
"What the hell is that?" Red Scale cursed.
The other mercenary leaders looked equally confused. They'd traveled far and wide, seeing most major magical beasts in neighboring kingdoms—but never anything like this. Even Kai was puzzled. From the tower's basic magical beast archives, the upper half resembled an underground-dwelling Black Mane Demon Lion—but where had the spider abdomen come from?
Before anyone could process this, sharp, urgent whistles rang out from all directions.
"Whoosh!" A swarm of black bats poured in from every corner of the chamber. Each was at least a corrupted creature; small as they were, they could drain a capable Squire dry in seconds if unchecked. These bats were likely tamed by the humanoids—much like the young Qing'e Feather Beasts Kai had once sold to a humanoid tribe for a high price.
At the bats' arrival, Red Scale and the others shouted orders, forming a defensive line. Kai ignored the low-tier beasts, casting a Mid-tier Detection Spell. Hundreds of white dots—hiding humanoids—appeared in the darkness around them.
He chanted a quick incantation. In the blink of an eye, a dozen large fireballs materialized around him. The presence of fire made the charging bats hesitate. Red Scale and the other Senior Squires ordered their men to fire flaming arrows or swing spears to fend off the attack.
Amid the chaos of darkness and flame, small underground humanoids crept in from all sides. Kai's fireballs struck first, becoming the opening salvo in their destruction. Following his lead, the mercenaries and Gigson soldiers turned their attacks on the vile creatures.
"Boom!" The cannons roared, echoing through the chamber. Two black powder cannons had been loaded and fired. The mass slaughter of humanoids and bats showcased the power of magic and elements—and a stark reminder of who ruled the wizarding world.
Compared to battle qi-wielding knights and mages with their diverse abilities, humanoids had little to offer besides high fertility and resilience to harsh environments. Taming magical beasts was a skill, but these bats were barely a threat.
As the humanoids fell in droves, another urgent whistle sounded. Kai slowed his casting for a moment, using his sharp mental power to trace the sound. Finally, he spotted a humanoid on a rock near the lion-spider beast's rear, holding a cyan short staff. This one was different—Kai could sense faint elemental fluctuations around it.
He began gathering light elemental energy for a Mid-tier Scorching Ray. In the dark, a blinding beam shot forth. The whistle cut off instantly. A third of the humanoid's body was blown away—but to everyone's shock, it wasn't dead. It dragged itself toward the enraged lion-spider beast… which snapped it up in one bite.
A far more ferocious roar shook the chamber. After devouring the humanoid, the already massive lion-spider grew even larger. Thin red lines burst across its body, filling the air with a thick, metallic stench of blood.
"Caw! It's evolving!" Xiao Qi, circling above, warned Kai.
Kai's expression turned grave. "This isn't a normal magical beast evolution. The tower's courses covered magical beast evolution in detail. Could it be related to the humanoid it just ate?" he wondered.
"Fire the crossbows! Fire!""Cannons, now!" Shouts of command rang out beside him.
Count Krupp, likely seeing such a horrific underground beast for the first time, frantically ordered the military weapons to fire. The mutated beast hadn't fully evolved yet—it was still stuck at the Arch-tier. Worse, it had lost all sense of reason, unlike Xiao Qi, who possessed human-like judgment.
Three anti-magic crossbow bolts struck true, piercing the lion-spider's legs and midsection, leaving gaping wounds. Cannonballs exploded nearby—less powerful than Kai's makeshift magic cannon, but strong enough to match a typical Advanced Spell.
"We can't let it finish evolving!" Kai shouted. "Right now, it's just a mindless Arch-tier beast. Let's move!"
As a caster with roots in dark magic, Kai didn't hide behind safety like most mages. Close-quarters combat, to maximize his magic output, was his signature style. Risk? He'd long stopped fearing it.
His charge, combined with Xiao Qi's cries, galvanized the knights. The mercenaries hired by Gigson were no cowards, and the duchy's soldiers were elites. The enraged Arch-tier beast was powerful—but not powerful enough to break their resolve.
Anti-magic bolts and cannonballs were limited. To make matters worse, the lion-spider began spewing black flames from its mouth, destroying two incoming crossbow bolts. In the end, the battle would be decided by hand-to-hand combat.
Though Kai charged first, Red Scale reached the beast before him. The fierce woman swung her greatsword with one hand, targeting the lion-spider's injured legs. A red blur, dotted with faint fire elemental sparks, danced around the creature.
The clash of metal and sparks filled the chamber. The lion-spider's hide was incredibly tough—luckily, the anti-magic bolts had already torn through its outer layer, or it would have been nearly unbeatable.
Soon, the two other mercenary leaders (both Senior Squires) and Krupp's two Senior Squires joined the fray. Adding Kai—casting spells from the edge of the fight—and Xiao Qi, firing wind blades from above, the odds became seven against one.
Trapped and under constant attack, the lion-spider seemed to accelerate its mutation. New wounds appeared on its body every moment, but it refused to fall.
"So this is the difference between a creature on the cusp of Level 1 and those below?" Kai marveled, watching as a pool of blood formed beneath the beast. It still wouldn't die.
"We can't keep this up! It's beyond us—fall back!" one mercenary leader yelled.
Fighting an Arch-tier beast in a war of attrition was suicidal, even with seven against one. Most agreed—except Red Scale. She'd slipped into a battle trance, her ferocity and strength outmatching the male knights. Her resolve kept the others from fleeing immediately; none wanted to be outdone by a woman.
"Hold on a little longer. Let me try this spell!" Kai said.
He began chanting the unique incantation for Sun Eye. Xiao Qi ceased its attacks, flying back to Kai's side to guard him. The violent elemental turbulence in the air stunned the veteran knights. Even Red Scale, mid-swing, glanced at Kai in awe. This tower mage was far stronger than they'd imagined.
When the incantation ended, six golden orbs—like eyes—appeared around Kai. He pointed at the enraged lion-spider. A flood of golden light swallowed the creature, illuminating the entire underground chamber like daylight.
After the battle, the ground was littered with corpses and fragments—a testament to its brutality. Most were underground humanoids, but some were human knights and pieces of the lion-spider.
Hit directly by Kai's Sun Eye, the lion-spider—its head two-thirds destroyed—had exploded violently upon death. The blast had killed one Senior Squire standing too close, and the corrosive flesh shrapnel had injured many ordinary mercenaries and soldiers in a second wave of damage.
Kai realized the explosion wasn't intentional—the beast hadn't detonated its magic core on purpose. Instead, its brain destroyed, the chaotic elemental energy in its body had spiraled out of control. The blast centered on the junction of its lion and spider halves, confirming his theory.
As soon as the battle ended, Kai rushed to the lion-spider's remains, searching for clues. A strange black stone caught his eye. It seemed to have once been a statue, but the lion-spider's stomach acid had melted its features. From its outline, Kai could just make out a humanoid shape—with a spider's abdomen for a lower body.