Herald of death

Ethan dodges the first attack, his dagger flashing as he slashes the first Skullgor's throat, drawing a splash of blood. The beast falls to its knees, holding its throat, its screams exiting through the wound. Blood pours from between its fingers, dripping to the ground.

The Skullgors howl in rage, their fury undiminished. They pound the ground with their fists, sending tremors through the cavern. Ethan dodges a blow from one of them, driving his dagger into its side and piercing its liver. The beast rolls to the ground, its gaze in the void as it suffers an excruciating pain.

Ethan's dagger cuts through the air, each strike resulting in a dead or agonizing monster. He uses his strength and agility to move faster than they can adapt, weaving through the chaos.

The Skullgors are relentless; their reinforcements pour out of the tunnels. Their roars echo in the cavern, a cacophony of rage. They spot Sylas and rush toward him, opening their hands to grab him.

Russ swells in size, becoming bigger than the Skullgors as he draws from the surrounding Ether. He intercepts the nearest Skullgor mid-stride, clamping its jaws around the creature's throat, his teeth sinking deep into its flesh. Russ shakes his head, tearing out the Skullgor's esophagus, trachea, and tongue. The beast collapses, its blood spraying on Russ's fur.

The Skullgors facing Russ recoil as he growls, approaching slowly like a predator. 'How am I less scary than Russ?' Ethan ponders as he kicks a Skullgor's tibia, breaking its leg.

A second Skullgor lunges at Russ, but he's faster. He leaps onto the creature's chest, knocking it to the ground. His powerful jaws snap shut around the Skullgor's head, crushing its skull. The beat's body goes limp, its limbs twitching in its final moments.

A third, witnessing the fate of its comrades, hesitates and runs off towards Ethan. Russ charges forward; its claws dig deep wounds into the Skullgor's back. Taking advantage of Russ being a few meters away, a Skullgor grabs Sylas by the leg and drags him off into a tunnel.

Russ squeals to warn Ethan, but, having seen the event, he's already rushing after the kidnapper. "Follow," he orders Russ, who runs into the tunnel with him.

Sylas wraps his arm around his head, shielding it from the high-speed impacts against the rocks. Sharp rocks dig into his arms and torso, and he screams with each wound.

Ethan races through the tunnel, guided by Sylas's screams and the heavy footfalls of the Skullgor. The tunnel opens up into a wider cavern, and Ethan spots the Skullgor dragging Sylas towards a large pile of crushed bones. He cast debilitating hex at the creature, forcing it to drop its catch as it falls to the ground.

Sylas rolls to his knees, his bloodied eyes searching for anything to defend himself. He grabs a rock from the ground and hurls it at the monster's skull, cracking it on impact.

Skullgors pour from the tunnels. Soon ten, … twenty of them appeared, forming a ring along the room's edge. They pound on the ground and on their chests, screaming wildly.

Ethan helps Sylas to his feet as Russ circles around them. His eyes scan the ring of Skullgor, planning to pierce their formation to go back to the surface.

"What now?" Sylas asks, blood dripping from his nose.

From behind the pile of crushed bones, an enormous figure emerges. A Skullgor covered in white fur appears at the top, its exoskeleton covering not only its skull but also its shoulders, chest, and back.

The other Skullgors fall silent, their pounding and screams ceasing. The evolved Skullgor roars – a deep, guttural sound that reverberates through the cavern. "Insight," Ethan mutters.

Great Skullgor

Lv.20/20 (Skullgor) Skullgor

Lv.14/20 (Great Skullgor)

Strength: 35 Charisma: 0

Dexterity: 15 Perception: 20

Constitution: 35 Willpower: 17

Intelligence: 7

Talent

Fearless

Abilities

Endurance (F)

Fury (F)

Strengthening (F)

Ethan's heart pounds at the Great Skullgor's roar. His dagger feels minuscule in his hand in comparison to the beast. He scans the pile of crushed bones and scattered debris, searching for a better suited weapon.

Dim crystals embedded in the cavern's walls shine their light on a metallic spear. It juts out of the pile of bones, its long blade emitting a shimmering blue hue.

The Great Skullgor charges forward, his large body moving at an unnerving, unnatural speed. It leaps into the air, contorting to slam them. "Tackle," Ethan orders, simultaneously pointing at the spear. "Sylas, get me that spear."

Russ leaps into the air, his maw closing on its foot and dragging it to the ground. Russ's paws touch the ground, and he charges forward, making the Great Skullgor fall on its face.

Sylas runs past the beast as Ethan slashes at its neck. The dagger skits against the bone plates covering the Great Skullgor's upper body. "Let go," Ethan orders as the beast claws at Russ.

It stands back up, pounding its chest as it draws in Ether from the surrounding air. Its muscles billow with steam as he punches the ground, propelling shrapnels of stone. The spectating Skullgors scream in excitement, climbing on the walls and jumping around.

It takes a step forward but stops, looking at the foot Russ bit. It swelled, reddening with each passing second. It lunges at Russ, who jumps back to avoid the attack. Ethan slashes the creature's forearm, but it backhands him, hurling him into the air.

The impact sends Ethan flying so fast that blood leaves his brain, as if he were in a rocket. For an instant, his sight darkens, but he spins into the air to place his legs towards his landing point. He kicks a spectating Skullgor in the face, shattering its skull and brain.

Russ jaws close around the Great Skullgor's wrist, dragging it to the ground with a massive crash. The beast thrashes, trying to regain its footing. It rolls onto its back, throwing Russ off into the air.

Russ lands near Ethan, quick to his feet. Ethan gathers Ether in his palm, summoning a jet of fire that engulfs the beast. It thrashes against the stream, shielding its face.

"I got it!" Sylas yells, holding the spear above his head. The Great Skullgor sees him and roars, ignoring the fire to rush at Sylas. Sylas falls to the ground, terror etched on his face, holding the spear towards the beast.

Ethan bursts forward, barely catching up with the Great Skullgor. The beast leaps into the air, ready to crush Sylas under its fists. Drawing for his lifeforce, Ethan overtakes the enemy, reaching Sylas and grabbing the spear.

With a thrust, Ethan drives the shimmering spear into the Great Skullgor's lower abdomen, where its exoskeleton ends. The beast roars in agony, its body convulsing as it tries to dislodge the weapon. Ethan twists the spear and pushes with all his might, throwing the beast into the pile of remains.

Bones, armor, weapons, clothes, and rotten bits of flesh fly everywhere, rattling on the cavern's ground. The Great Skullgor tries to stand, but his legs refuse to move; he claws at the ground, dragging himself towards Ethan and Sylas. 'I damaged his spine,' Ethan realizes.

"Adding the Melee Weapon (Spear) skill. Based on your previous experience a level of 11 has been applied," the voice announces.

Ethan lets go of the spear, which Sylas is still grasping. He gathers flames in his palm as he approaches the struggling creature. The spectating Skullgors fall silent, breaking the ring they formed to get away from Ethan. The fire he unleashes covers the Great Skullgor, hiding its form under the blinding red light it produces.

The beast's roars turn into agonizing screams as the flames consume its fur and flesh. Its thrashing slows, each movement weaker than the last. The smell of burning meat fills the cavern, mingling with the acrid stench of smoke. A minute passes before the fire finally eats away the Great Skullgor's remaining strength, reducing him to a smoldering corpse.

Ethan stands over the charred remains, his chest heaving with exhaustion as black veins grow along his neck. The remaining Skullgors retreat into the tunnels.

"Russ leveled up, Russ leveled up, Russ leveled up," the voice announces.

'How is Russ already level thirteen?' Ethan thinks. 'It feels like we aren't growing at the same pace.'

A window appears before both Sylas and Ethan. Sylas stares into the void with an expression of terror, sweat pearling on his face.

Skullgor nest (D)

Return stone

Ability book: Endurance (F)

Ability book: Strengthening (F)

Ether crystal (x5)

Great Skullgor's bone plate (x5)

Gold coin (x10)

The pile of loot appears between Ethan and Sylas. Ethan passes it, kneeling to Sylas's level. "Sylas," he says softly, trying to meet his eyes. "It's over. He's dead."

Sylas doesn't respond; his eyes are wide and unfocused, staring into the void. "Sylas, look at me," Ethan insists, his voice firm. He shakes Sylas's shoulder, trying to break him out of the fear. "You're safe now. I'm sorry I failed to protect you, but it's over now."

Russ pads over as he shrinks down, his head nudging Sylas's leg. "You don't get it," Sylas says. "I'm done for. I was level sixteen, and it said it eight times. Soon, I'll disappear into the Realm of Ascension."

They stay silent and immobile for a long time. Sylas's window shows extra rewards, gifted for his first conquest of a D rank dungeon.

--- Extra rewards ---

Characteristic point (x3)

Harmony shard of bestiality

A Skullgor emerges from one of the tunnels, bowing its head and approaching slowly. Ethan walks up to it, shielding Sylas. The beast stops and places a greenish piece of ore on the ground, recoiling in a submissive bow.

Ethan grabs it, thinking, 'Identification.'

Wyrdium ore

A dense metal ore with an unparalleled ability to conduct and amplify unnatural Ethers.

This piece of wyrdium ore holds dense Ether, improving its hardness, flexibility, thermal tolerance, and magic resistance.

Sylas pries the piece from Ethan's hand, his fear replaced by curiosity. He uses Identification, opening a window of his own written in Eldorian. He gasps at the sight of the description. "Do you have any idea how much this is worth? What you can do with it?" Sylas asks.

"I'm sure you won't refrain from telling me," Ethan says, stashing the loot into his haversack. He hands Sylas the two ability books and the yellow, polished crystalline shard. "You can tell me while we go down the tunnel he came from to see if we can find you more. And you should learn those two abilities; it will help you."