Zach wanted to examine this system, that skill of his. But he needed to secure his safety before anything. He didn't waste a second. The last thing he wanted was to stick around and find out what else was waiting for him in this cavern. He needed to get out—fast.
He had to get out of this cave. If another beast like that spider was lurking around, he didn't want to find out. The thought of more surprises made his blood run cold, but the adrenaline that surged through him only made his mind sharper.
The cavern floor was rough under his boots, each step heavier than the last. He kept his movements quick but calculated, moving toward the narrow exit up ahead. The deeper into the cave he went, the more he wanted to escape. The walls pressed in, and the air was thick with moisture and tension.
His eyes darted toward the exit, and that's when he stopped.
A cluster of cat-sized bats hung suspended in the entrance, their eyes glowing an eerie amber. They were motionless, yet something in their posture suggested they were waiting. Watching. Waiting for something to come closer.
Zach's stomach dropped. There was no way in hell he was going anywhere near them.
_Not today, bats._
He took a half-step back, grunting under his breath. How was he supposed to handle this? The skill he had unlocked seemed promising, but he wasn't sure if it could take on a bunch of flying pests.
He glanced at the glowing description again: _Chemical Mixture: Conjure chemical mixtures based on the ingredients absorbed._
Absorb ingredients? He thought about it for a second. His study in physics hadn't exactly covered practical alchemy, but he'd spent hours discussing chemistry with friends who majored in it. Sure, they didn't make explosive mixtures in their dorm rooms, but they'd talked about how certain elements reacted under pressure. He knew enough to put two and two together.
He needed something that would give him an edge.
Zach turned back to the spider's corpse, his brain ticking like a clock. _Absorb parts of the creature..._ He knelt beside the lifeless body, his fingers twitching with anticipation. He'd done it before, but this time, he needed more than just the blood.
The skill flared to life within him, and he reached out, his palm hovering just above the spider's bulbous abdomen. A strange sensation rippled through his fingertips as the power kicked in. The air around him seemed to thrum, vibrating as the skill adapted to the unfamiliar request.
[You don't have enough skill energy to absorb more than 5 pounds.]
Zach grimaced. He hadn't expected this. The spider, despite its small size, was dense—heavy. He hadn't thought about the weight.
He reached for one of the spider's thick legs. As his fingers brushed the appendage, a strong tug pulled at him—his body reluctant to take in more than the skill could handle. The sensation was strange, almost like his skin was absorbing the leg itself, pulling it in inch by inch.
Zach could feel the weight of the leg trying to pull back, as if fighting the process. He had to break it down.
With a grunt, he twisted the leg, breaking off a chunk. The piece slithered into his skin, and he shuddered as his body adjusted to the influx of mass.
His head swam. A wave of dizziness hit him, but he shook it off. No time to waste.
He knew what he had to do.
Zach backed up, his eyes fixed on the entrance. The bats were still watching. If he wasn't careful, they'd swarm and tear him apart before he could even react.
He took a deep breath and started to concentrate. _Hydrogen and oxygen... gas mixture..._
A moment of clarity hit him like a lightning bolt. He knew exactly what he needed to do. The elements in the spider's blood were the key. He started pulling them together in his mind, weaving the chemical reaction that would give him his advantage.
He closed his eyes, visualizing the perfect balance. Hydrogen and oxygen mixed in the right proportions...
He grinned.
If he released the gas now, it would be useless—swept away or diluted by the cold breeze streaming in from outside.
He needed them away from the exit.
"This is going to be insane," he muttered, gripping a sharp-edged rock in his hand.
He hurled it toward the far side of the cave with a sharp grunt. The clatter echoed, and several bats stirred, their wings flicking against one another. Not enough. He grabbed another rock, then another, launching them deeper into the cave until a louder screech rose from the shadows.
A flurry of wings followed, the bats swarming from the exit toward him, chasing the source of the disturbance. Zach's heart raced as he sprinted further into the cave, his feet crunching over loose gravel. The swarm followed, a black tide of teeth and claws, their frenzied cries filling the space.
"Alright, that's it!" Zach skidded to a stop, turning to face the advancing mass. He released the mixture, the gas hissing as it spread into the air around him. The bats, now fully agitated, surged closer, their glowing eyes catching the faint light.
Zach waited just long enough, letting them gather closer. Then he grabbed another rock and struck it against the crystal-like rock on the wall. A sharp _clink_ sparked a burst of fire, and the gas ignited in a roaring blaze.
The bats screamed as the flames erupted, surging through the swarm in a wave of destruction. Zach threw himself flat against the ground, the heat rushing over him as the fire raged, lighting the cave like a furnace.
Zach's eyes widened in shock, but there was no time to react. The fire whipped around him, the heat searing his skin.
He quickly focused on the broken down spider leg materials in him. He had only break down the blood to get the hydrogen and oxygen.
With a thought, he broke down the proteins and fats from the spider leg, converting them into carbon dioxide. It wasn't perfect, but it worked. The CO2 enveloped his body, shielding him from the worst of the flames.
Pain lanced through his muscles as exhaustion hit him like a freight train. The chemical reaction took more out of him than he expected, and the burning sensation made him feel like his very skin was being scorched.
But he pushed through. He had to.
The bats were already falling from the air, their bodies igniting mid-flight, turning into charred corpses as they plummeted to the ground in a cascade of ash.
He stumbled toward the exit, the fire roaring behind him as the last of the bats were consumed. The cavern walls seemed to pulse with heat, but he didn't care to look back.
Finally, he broke free into the open. He run for as far as his legs could take him until he could no longer.
The fresh air hit his lungs, cool and crisp. He gasped, feeling a strange sense of relief wash over him.
For a moment, he just stood there, staring.
The ground was covered in lush, green vegetation that glowed faintly. Towering trees with spiraling, translucent trunks loomed in the distance, their branches shimmering with leaves that looked like fragments of stained glass.
The battle was over. He was alive.
He looked back at the cavern entrance, where the smoke from the fire still billowed into the sky. The bats were gone, their shrieks no longer haunting the cave.
Zach let out a laugh, breathless. "What the hell was that?" he muttered to himself, still processing everything that had just happened. It all felt like some kind of insane dream. First, a giant spider, giant bats, then... explosive chemistry, and now he was standing outside in a world that shouldn't even exist.
But, damn, he had done it. He had survived.
Zach laughed again, a mix of disbelief and exhilaration. This world was insane, but he had the power to make it his own.
He wiped his brow, looking down at his hands. It was trembling, but he couldn't tell if it was out of fear... or excitement.