In the cavern Kael was also wondering about the other big threat and that was of course Salvador. He had no clue what his intentions were and even why he decided to help, it was all a big mystery. And who was that guy? I thought the only gold rank in the city was the lord. maybe, Salvador was only silver rank but got his power bolstered by the sacrifice? That was a possibility.
Well no point pondering on that for too long I now have to worry about whatever monsters may be down here and most of all finding a way out.
Kael pressed on, his mind still swirling with questions, but he forced himself to stay focused. He could feel the oppressive atmosphere of the cavern closing in around him, the air thick with the scent of earth and dampness. There was no telling what kind of creatures could be lurking here, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Every shadow seemed to move, every flicker of light from his sword felt like it might reveal something lurking just out of sight. Kael remained vigilant, scanning the dark spaces around him, his senses heightened.
Kael felt movement behind him, quickly spinning with [Flame blade] summoned he managed to cut the head off a rather large bat just before it manged to bear its fangs into him, that was close, Kael inspected the body of the bat noticing that it had some sort of bubbling corruption growing on it like so vile growth. Kael instinctively took a step back away from the bubbling corruption using some innate danger sense.
The cavern stretched on ahead, and Kael knew he couldn't afford to linger. If there were creatures down here like that bat, then it was only a matter of time before something even worse showed itself. As he cautiously advanced, the atmosphere seemed to grow thicker, the air heavier. The feeling of being watched was almost overwhelming. The shadows between the rock formations were deep, and the faintest sounds in the distance made Kael’s senses flare.
Kael decided to keep moving, his footsteps silent against the stone floor. The soft echo of his footsteps felt unnaturally loud in the oppressive silence. He glanced behind him, half-expecting something to be lurking just beyond the edge of his vision. He couldn’t afford to become complacent.
The tunnel wound and twisted, and it wasn’t long before Kael realized the path was becoming more treacherous. The ground was slippery, and he had to constantly watch his step to avoid slipping. The further he went, the more the air seemed to thicken with a sense of dread, as if the cavern itself was alive and watching his every move.
As he continued forward, the faint glow from his sword illuminated strange symbols carved into the walls. They seemed to pulse with an eerie light, but whenever Kael tried to focus on them, they seemed to shift in his peripheral vision, almost as if they were alive. His unease grew, but there was no turning back now.
Focus, Kael. Stay sharp.
He pressed on, trying to ignore the unsettling atmosphere. He couldn’t afford to let his fear take control, not in a place like this. But the feeling of something following him, of something just out of sight, wouldn’t leave. It was a feeling he couldn’t shake, no matter how many times he glanced over his shoulder.
A sound from ahead broke his concentration—a low, guttural growl that echoed through the tunnel. Kael froze, every muscle tensing as his mind raced. The growl came again, louder this time, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps.
Great. More monsters. Just what I need.
Kael's grip tightened on his [Flame Blade], ready for whatever came next. The shadows ahead seemed to shift, and then, just as he was about to move, a figure stepped out from the darkness. A hulking creature, its body covered in scales, stepped into view. Its eyes glowed a fierce yellow, and its sharp claws scraped against the stone floor as it advanced toward Kael.
It was a beast—something Kael had only seen in stories. A grotesque amalgamation of an ogre and a reptilian creature, its bulk filling the narrow tunnel, blocking any escape. Its mouth opened, revealing rows of jagged teeth as it let out a deafening roar, causing the walls to tremble.
Kael took a deep breath, his heart racing, but he didn’t hesitate. He was ready. He had to be.
With a swift motion, he swung his sword, the flames leaping along its length as he slashed at the creature’s chest. The beast roared in pain, but its thick scales barely seemed to register the hit. Kael didn’t let that discourage him. He had to find a weak spot, something to exploit.
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The creature lunged, its claws aiming for Kael’s throat, but he was already moving, ducking under its massive arms and thrusting his blade forward. This time, it found purchase—deep into the creature’s side, where the scales were thinner.
The creature howled in fury, swiping at Kael with wild abandon. Kael danced back, narrowly avoiding the claw strike. He was fast, but he knew he couldn’t keep this up for long. The beast was powerful, and the tunnel left him no room to maneuver. He needed to finish this, and quickly.
Kael’s mind raced, trying to think of his next move. He needed to exploit the creature’s blind spots—its slow reactions and its vulnerability when it attacked. Every swing of his sword seemed to get slower, the fatigue of the fight catching up with him.
It seemed that the scaled ogre monster had noticed this as well, making use of Kael’s sudden fatigue it lunged forward with a scary amount of speed for its size and landed a blow right at Kael’s abdomen, causing him to fly backward flying large pillar of sone that was sticking out the floor, Kael picked himself up from the floor still hunched over, but he had to react quick because the ogre was already coming with a follow up blow that was ready to put Kael into the ground for good.
the creature’s clawed hand came crashing down toward him, its sheer force causing the air around it to snap. The pain in his abdomen flared as he struggled to his feet, his vision blurry from the impact, but he knew he had no time to waste.
With his breath coming in ragged gasps, Kael used every ounce of his strength to roll to the side, narrowly dodging the ogre’s follow-up blow. The ground cracked beneath the creature’s massive hand, sending jagged rocks flying in all directions. Kael’s heart raced as he scrambled to his feet, eyes darting around for an escape.
No time for that. I need to end this.
The ogre growled, its yellow eyes locking onto him with predatory hunger. It didn’t give Kael a chance to recover; it was already charging again, its feet pounding the ground with each step. But Kael wasn’t about to give in.
He gritted his teeth and held his ground, summoning the full fury of his [Flame Blade]. The sword blazed brighter, its crimson flames licking at the air, crackling like an inferno. Kael wasn’t just fighting for survival anymore. He was fighting to get out of this hellhole—and he wasn’t going to let this monster stop him.
The ogre roared as it closed the distance, its claws outstretched, ready to tear Kael apart. Kael waited until the last possible moment, then sprang into action. With a burst of speed, he darted toward the creature’s massive arm, using the momentum to twist under its attack.
In one fluid motion, Kael brought his sword up, aiming for the weak spot where the creature’s neck met its shoulders. The blade connected with the ogre’s flesh, and the flames of the [Flame Blade] surged, cutting through the thick scales as though they were paper. The creature howled in agony, its body recoiling from the pain, but Kael wasn’t finished.
With another powerful thrust, he drove the sword deeper, aiming for its heart. The ogre let out one final roar of rage before collapsing, its massive body slamming to the ground with a deafening crash that sent shockwaves through the cavern.
Kael stood over the fallen beast, his chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. His muscles burned, and his vision swam with exhaustion. Blood dripped from his sword, and the smell of scorched flesh filled the air.
That... that was too close. Kael felt the usual essence enter his chest however this time it overwhelmed him a little it felt about twice as much as he usually received. Was that ogre silver rank? That would explain why that fight was so hard.
Kael managed to collect 4 large fangs from the body and after so long not being able to use his power he felt a longing for it and after a glimmer of light a pendent with a fang hanging from it was left.
[ogre fang pendent]
[equipment]
[silver]
[increases the strength of the wearer]
The description was rather simple but that is all it needed to be as soon as he put the pendent around his neck, he felt an increase in strength close to when he consumed the rhino marrow and it felt invigorating.
Not stopping for too long Kael carried on through cavern. If that ogre was silver rank and its one of the first of the creatures, I’ve seen then that makes me wonder what the rank of this caverns overlord is, could it be something beyond gold?
It really got Kael on edge and of course he couldn’t forget about Salvador. Kael carried on making his way over towards the edge of the cavern aiming to try his chances with the tunnels for a way out of here.
While walking Kael decided to ponder about how this new world works, he only knew little bits that he had heard around the market as well as what little he had inherited from this body itself. from what he knew you simply had to consume essence from defeated monsters to saturate something within, what that was he was still unsure of, then you’d eventually rank up after full saturation has been reached however he heard there was also another process involved in reaching the gold rank which he had no clue about, as well as that he also had no clue what even came after gold he assumed it wasn’t the last rung on the ladder, however that wasn’t for Kael to worry about currently, he needed to experiment with his fusion ability and escape from this cave.
A few of the bronze tier bats had attacked him on his journey however none of them were a match for his new might, often taking only a minimum of one attack to kill. He could feel that he was a little over a quarter of the way to the silver rank and he knew he would have plenty of opportunities to get closer to that mark while in the cavern.