Blood trickled down Mikhailis's temple, pooling at the edge of his cracked glasses before dripping onto the cavern floor. He wiped it away with a trembling hand, his breathing heavy, uneven. His fingers tightened around the halberd, its dark energy pulsing faintly, a reminder of the borrowed strength he wielded. Before him, the Crystalgloom Serpent coiled in the mist, its crystalline body shimmering ominously in the dim light.
How the hell do you kill something that refuses to die?
He grimaced, shifting his weight to steady himself. The serpent's glowing eyes bore into him, unrelenting and full of malice. It wasn't just a monster—it was a predator, patient and calculating. Each time he struck, it seemed to adapt, its movements sharper, more deliberate. Every shallow breath Mikhailis took echoed in the cavern, drowned out only by the occasional hiss of the beast.
