"This is it! Our chance, Master!"
[Penta Slash]
Emerging like a phantom from the shadows, Unknown lunged forward with a burst of speed, his form a blur as he closed the distance to the massive Mother Spider.
In a dazzling display of technique, he unleashed five supersonic slashes in rapid succession, each aimed with deadly precision at the creature's leg joints.
The blade's arc cut cleanly through chitin and sinew, severing the legs and causing the Mother Spider to collapse with a thunderous crash. Its colossal body sprawled helplessly, exposing the entrance to its once-secure nest.
[Flying Spear]
Before the Mother Spider could retaliate, Unknown hurled Eclipse, now transformed into a spear, toward the cavern's ceiling. The weapon embedded itself high above.
With a powerful tug, Unknown propelled himself upward, retreating to the safety of the ceiling's shadows. From his elevated vantage point, he watched the chaotic massacre unfold below.
The Earth Dragon was a force of nature. With a single fiery breath, it annihilated nearly all the remaining spiders. The intense heat and flames filled the confined space, leaving no room for escape. Incinerated en masse, the smaller arachnids were reduced to charred remnants.
Meanwhile, the Mother Spider, though crippled, was far from defeated. Its many eyes began to glow with a searing purple light, and destructive beams shot out in rapid succession. These beams obliterated portions of the cavern's dome, sending debris raining down.
However, when the beams struck the Earth Dragon's golden-yellow, cracked hide, they harmlessly reflected, ricocheting off its seemingly impenetrable body.
The Mother Spider's ranged attack was futile against its colossal opponent. Desperate, it focused all its energy on regrowing its severed legs.
Shedding the heavy carapace that weighed it down, the spider's exposed body glistened ominously in the dim light. Freed from its cumbersome armor, it moved with renewed ferocity.
In a final act of defiance, the Mother Spider lunged at the Earth Dragon, sinking its massive fangs into the beast's scaly flank. The Earth Dragon roared in agony, rearing back as molten blood poured from the wound.
It retaliated by thrashing its immense body, attempting to pin the spider against the cavern wall. But the spider, now unburdened by its shed armor, was too quick. It scuttled nimbly up the dome's craggy surface, seeking higher ground.
From its perch, the Mother Spider prepared a devastating counterattack. Its massive mandibles quivered as it gathered power, firing a barrage of concentrated silk bullets.
Each strand, harder and sharper than steel, pierced the Earth Dragon's thick hide, embedding deep into its flesh. The Earth Dragon roared furiously, shaking the entire cavern with its wrath.
Despite its injuries, the Earth Dragon unleashed its molten breath, melting sections of the dome and sending streams of molten rock cascading to the floor. As the titans clashed, their movements became increasingly erratic, forcing them into tighter and more precarious spaces.
Inevitably, the Mother Spider ventured too close to Unknown's position. Vulnerable without its armor, the creature's exposed body presented a perfect target. Unknown's lips curled into a wicked smirk as he prepared to strike.
Transforming Eclipse into a spear once more, he unleashed [Piercing Strike]. The crimson weapon shot through the air like a meteor, striking the spider queen with lethal accuracy. The spear impaled its soft underbelly, tearing through its vulnerable flesh.
Screech ~ screech ~
With a piercing wail, the Mother Spider lost its grip on the ceiling. Tumbling helplessly, its enormous body crashed to the ground like a felled colossus.
The Earth Dragon wasted no time. Seeing its adversary downed, it pounced on the spider queen, its massive jaws tearing into her body with savage ferocity.
"It's time to end this," Unknown declared, his voice echoing through the blood-soaked chamber.
Leaping down from the dome's heights, he summoned Eclipse into its most massive form: a colossal greatsword towering at twice his height and weighing a staggering 500 kilograms. Its dark blade gleamed ominously, the mana coursing through it creating an eerie glow.
As he fell, he channeled every ounce of his remaining strength and mana into the strike. The air around the sword distorted, the sheer force of his descent turning him into a living meteor.
[Meteor Strike]
The moment the blade connected with the ground, an earth-shattering explosion erupted. The combined weight, mana, and kinetic energy generated a devastating shockwave that radiated outward, consuming everything in its path.
BOOM!!!!
The impact obliterated the two titanic creatures caught beneath it. The Earth Dragon's molten body and the Mother Spider's shattered form were torn apart in an instant. Flesh, chitin, and molten gore sprayed across the battlefield, painting the walls of the spider nest in sticky, steaming remains.
The heat from the Earth Dragon's molten blood mixed with the spider's acidic fluids, producing a vile, choking stench that filled the air. The battlefield was now a grotesque scene of destruction, the floor slick with sizzling bodily fluids that hissed and smoked under the lingering heat.
As the dust settled, it became clear: the victor of this battle wasn't either of the monstrous Titans but the lone figure standing amidst their remains.
"Ugh, the recoil's no joke,"
Unknown muttered through gritted teeth, cradling his trembling arms. The sheer force of [Meteor Strike] had nearly torn his muscles apart. His body screamed in protest, his reinforced mana barely holding him together. Any ordinary human would have been reduced to pulp by such an exertion.
"Master, don't you think fighting like this is a bit... cowardly?" Eclipse's voice echoed in his mind, a mixture of sarcasm and amusement lacing her words.
"Can't be helped," Unknown replied, flexing his fingers to shake off the numbness. "I'll still grow stronger."
In this world, growth was determined not just by effort but by a mystical transfer of energy. Whenever a creature perished as a result of someone's actions—direct or indirect—its essence could be absorbed by the perpetrator.
Unknown's approach, calculated and cunning, allowed him to claim the energy from both the Earth Dragon and the Mother Spider. Had the Earth Dragon destroyed the spider nest on its own, the balance of the world wouldn't have granted him any growth.
But by orchestrating the confrontation and delivering the final blow, he ensured his actions played a decisive role.
Mana surged through his body, the raw essence of the two defeated creatures merging with his own. With each passing moment, he felt himself becoming stronger, the lines between human and monster blurring further.
It was the feeling of getting stronger that he was familiar with. But now it was without the annoying voice of that monotonous system.
It wasn't that he didn't know his level, Unknown could still ask Eclipse about it.
"Still, it's a bit unfair to them," Eclipse quipped. "You really made them do all the hard work."
As the dust and debris settle down, Eclipse tease him.
"Unfair?" Unknown chuckled weakly. "The world's not fair. We just play by its rules."
With that, he unsummoned Eclipse, the greatsword returning to its original shape. Limping slightly, Unknown began his search for any spoils left behind by the two formidable beasts—trophies of his cunning and hard-fought victory.
"Umm, Master, wait a moment. I've detected some magical signals in this place," Eclipse interjected, her tone sharp with urgency.
"Oh, the cores of the creatures? Show me where they are so I won't have to search myself," Unknown replied distractedly, absently wiping the grime from his bloodstained armor.
"Not exactly what I mean, but... forget it. Well, It's not that important."
Unknown sighed, his attention shifting back to the grisly task of extracting cores. His blade moved with clinical precision as he carved into the molten remains of the Earth Dragon and the shattered, charred husk of the Mother Spider.
The stench of burnt flesh and ichor filled the cavern, but he worked tirelessly, his hands steady despite the nauseating conditions.
In the midst of his labor, something unusual caught his eye—a faint glimmer buried beneath a thick, protective layer of silk where the Mother Spider had once nested.
He cut away the cocoon-like threads to reveal a crystalline structure that was nearly the size of a boulder. Its surface gleamed, smooth and reflective, with ancient, glowing runes faintly etched into its surface.
"Eclipse, do you recognize this?"
"A kind of magical metal ore?..." she ventured hesitantly, the uncertainty in her voice surprising.
Unknown rubbed his chin, intrigued. "Interesting. Looks like it's worth taking with us."
He stood, resolute. Transforming Eclipse into a colossal hammer, he gripped its handle with both hands and swung it down with all his might.
BAM!
The impact reverberated through the chamber like a thunderclap, but the crystal didn't so much as crack.
"Huh?" He furrowed his brow.
"Unless it's protected by some kind of barrier, there's almost nothing I can't break," he muttered, channeling more mana into Eclipse.
"Let me increase the hardness," he said, hefting the weapon again. The hammer glowed faintly as it grew denser and heavier, its mana-infused surface radiating power.
BAM!
The result was the same. The crystal remained completely intact.
"Ah, right," he muttered under his breath, realization dawning. "This ore withstood the Earth Dragon's fire. Brute force alone won't cut it."
Unsummoning Eclipse, he retrieved his Emperor Cenpidide greatsword from the wall of this place, testing its edge against the ore.
"…Still no effect."
"Master," Eclipse interjected, her tone dripping with exasperation. "If I can't break it, what makes you think a crude weapon like that will?"
"It's not doubt," he said with a smirk. "It's experimentation."
He swung the greatsword again, this time carefully watching the crystal's response.
"Did you notice that?" he said, pointing to a faint shimmer on the crystal's surface. "It heats up with every strike."
"High-level conversion of kinetic energy to thermal energy," Eclipse mused. "Fascinating."
"If that's the case," Unknown said, his eyes narrowing in thought, "then there's got to be a temperature threshold where its structure weakens—or collapses entirely."
With renewed determination, he rummaged through the Earth Dragon's remains, finally pulling free a thick, viscous substance from its internal pouch. The liquid glistened darkly, its pungent, petroleum-like odor filling the air.
"This should do it," he said, inspecting the two liters he'd salvaged.
"You're planning to use all of it?" Eclipse questioned. "Maybe you should save some. It's not like you need this ore for anything, right?"
"Eclipse, you misunderstand. This isn't about owning it—it's about overcoming the challenge," he said, his voice brimming with conviction.
He dug a trench around the crystal, carefully pouring the flammable liquid into the channel. With a flick of his fingers, a spark of mana ignited the substance.
The flames roared to life, an inferno of concentrated heat that bathed the chamber in an orange glow. The air grew stifling, waves of heat distorting the space around the crystal.
"So that's how the Earth Dragon's fire worked," Unknown said, watching the flames intently. "It sprayed this stuff as a mist and ignited it."
Hours passed, the fire relentless in its consumption of the liquid. Despite his impatience, Unknown waited, noting how the glow of the runes on the crystal grew fainter as the temperature climbed higher.
"Master, it's still burning," Eclipse noted.
"I'm not going to waste all this effort by waiting for it to stop on its own," he retorted, summoning Eclipse once more.
The weapon morphed into a massive, three-meter-long blade, its edges glowing with the power of channeled mana.
Taking a deep breath, Unknown activated his most powerful techniques in rapid succession.
[Limit Break]
[Aura]
[Penta Slash]
The first swing cleaved the superheated crystal in two, sending a shockwave through the cavern. A blur of strikes followed, reducing the weakened ore to fragments.
He stood back, panting slightly, his smirk triumphant. "See? Nothing's unbreakable if you hit it hard enough."
"Master," Eclipse said dryly, "your definition of 'hard enough' is borderline absurd."
Chuckling, Unknown gathered the crystal fragments, confident they would prove invaluable for crafting or trading in the future.
"Yeah."
"By the way, do you ever feel your own 'feel'?" Unknown asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
"My own 'feel'? You mean if I feel anything when I'm in my sword form, right?" Eclipse responded, her tone a mix of confusion and clarity.
"Exactly," Unknown replied, his gaze drifting toward the burning aftermath of this fight.
"No, I don't feel anything," Eclipse said. "It's just that my mana sensory is more sensitive in that state, allowing me to perceive mana flows much more effectively."
"That makes sense," Unknown muttered, nodding as he relaxed a little. He dismissed the summoned blade and began looking around the desolate battlefield.
While the flames burned around him, he needed to find a relatively clean spot to rest, one free from the stench of blood and burning carcasses.
"Are you worried?" Eclipse's voice held a trace of playful suspicion.
"Worried? No. What's there to worry about?" Unknown answered, but his voice lacked the usual certainty.
"Hehe, sometimes my master can be so adorable," Eclipse teased.
"Don't overthink it. It's just curiosity," he retorted, trying to mask the slight discomfort creeping into his mind.
"Oh? I thought you were worried about me. That's disappointing. You're such a meanie~!" Eclipse teased again, her tone light but carrying a playful edge.
"Tch..." Unknown clicked his tongue in annoyance. He was about to retort, but then realized that if he kept engaging in this teasing game, his usually dignified image in Eclipse's eyes might slowly crumble. He shook his head, deciding it wasn't worth it.
"Wait, Master, something's approaching!" Eclipse's tone shifted suddenly, urgency creeping into her voice.
"What?" Unknown's eyes narrowed as he quickly activated his mana perception. The range of his spell extended for about 250 meters, just slightly beyond the area he was in. It was enough for him to sense the incoming mana signatures.
"Five mana signals... One of them is almost as strong as you," Eclipse reported after a brief pause, her voice calm but sharp.
"...Alright, let's stay calm," Unknown said, his voice low and steady. His senses heightened as he scanned the surroundings, trying to stay hidden and out of sight.
"Master, what should we do? They're getting closer." Eclipse's voice trembled slightly with apprehension.
"Let me think a bit." He sliced apart the belly of the Earth Dragon and jumped into it.
By now, his mana reserve is very low, he is also exhausted from the earlier fight. A direct confrontation is not an option.
'It must be that group. How did they track me here?' Unknown thought, but then a more pressing thought crossed his mind. 'No, they didn't track me. I led them here myself.'
He took a deep breath, the realization sinking in that his earlier recklessness might now be coming back to haunt him.
The group of powerful individuals closing in was no coincidence—they must have been drawn to the aftermath of the battle, which he had, perhaps unwittingly, created by using his most powerful abilities.
Inside the grotesque, stinking belly of the Earth Dragon, Unknown pressed his back against the fleshy walls, trying to suppress his breathing.
The heat from the flames outside was slowly being replaced by the thick, suffocating odor of the decomposing dragon carcass. The smell was unbearable, but he couldn't afford to make a sound.
"I can feel their footsteps," Eclipse said quietly, sensing the approaching group. "Master, they're getting closer. What should we do?"
"How many skill points do I have?"
"You gain three levels from the kills and is now level 67. So it would be 7 points." Eclipse run the number and answer to him.
Unknown remained motionless, calculating his options as the mana signatures continued to grow stronger. The danger was real, but with his mana reserves low and his energy depleted from the battle, retreat seemed impossible.
He could only remain still, hidden as best as he could, hoping they wouldn't notice him in his compromised position. Every second counts now.
So, with a decisive resolve, he decided what he wanted to do with his skill point.
"Eclipse, grant me the ability to replenish mana by consuming monsters."