Darkness, again?

Deprived of vision, Aron endeavored to perceive his surroundings. He found himself trapped. A fleshy prison was covering him like a cocoon of some kind.

"Ugh!…the smell…I need to get out of here"

Placing a hand on the fleshy covering, Aron attempted to rip it; however, the cover was sticky and a substance was leaking from it.

Aron, incapable of grasping the flesh with his fingers, opted for an alternative strategy. He positioned a palm on the covering and commanded Python to manifest.

In an instant, the ebony greatsword pierced the fleshy cocoon, carving a long vertical incision. Aron seized the edges and widened the cut, freeing his head.

The first thing Aron did was take a long deep breath as he surveyed the surroundings.

He found himself in a large room, its walls constructed of man-made brown-greenish stones. The room was illuminated by massive purple crystals suspended from the ceiling.

"Damn"

The light exposed over 30 gray flesh cocoons adhered to the four walls.

Crack. Crack.

An unusual sound captured his attention at the room's center. Aron squinted, observing three figures crouched on the ground, engaged in an activity.

Activating his [Dragon sight], Aron scrutinized them closely. Three entities with light-gray skin sat around one of the twisted monsters Aron had previously slain.

Their heads were similar to the former humans who knocked down Aron and the girls. A visage devoid of features–No eyes, ears, or nose–and their lipless mouths were preoccupied with devouring flesh and shattering the bones of the deceased monster.

One of them abruptly ceased its feast, raising its head to sniff the air; how it accomplished this without a nose remained a mystery to Aron.

Nevertheless, the being slowly rotated its head a full 180 degrees, as if lacking bones in its neck, fixing its gaze on Aron.

Aron held his breath, motionless, observing the faceless being peering in his direction. Uncertain whether it could see or hear, so it's best to play it safe for now and refrain from making any sound or movement.

The being continued to stare in Aron's direction, while the others continued their feast.

Seeing no reaction, Aron breathed a sigh of relief, aware that his body was not fully healed, and engaging in combat at this moment was perilous. Unfortunately…

Queiiii!

The being emitted a high-pitched squeal, causing momentary discomfort to Aron's ears. Its companions immediately halted their gruesome meal, turning their eyeless faces in unison to sense Aron's presence.

"Sigh…welp…screw it, bring it on, you bastards."

The first being rose from its crouched position, its head remaining fixed while the body turned slowly, aligning with the head in a disconcerting and bone-chilling manner.

The other two beings, still surrounded by the remains of their macabre feast, slowly stood up in an almost synchronized manner. Their movements were unnaturally fluid, lacking the stiffness associated with human anatomy.

Aron was able to see their forms better now, standing above 2 meters with light-gray skin, a long visible spine running down their backs, a slender bony torso, and elongated limbs with pointy protrusions. Their hands ended in sharp claws, stained with the remnants of their gruesome meal.

Fully aware of the impending threat, Aron urgently sought to liberate himself, as the remainder of his body remained trapped inside the fleshy cocoon.

The creatures, fully aware of Aron's presence, emitted guttural clicks and high-pitched squeals. They moved with an unsettling coordination.

Without warning, the trio lunged forward, and the middle one leaped in the air with surprising agility, closing the distance between them in an instant. Its elongated limbs propelled it forward, and its sharp claws gleamed in the dim light of the chamber.

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Reacting swiftly, with no room to strike or evade, Aron dismissed Python and drew his right hand close to his chest, awaiting the opportune moment.

The faceless creature landed inches away from Aron, attempting to use its sharp claw to strike Aron's head.

Aron's eyes glowed crimson, and his lips curled upward. "Gotcha."

Python erupted from within the cocoon, impaling the faceless creature through its chest, its black blade protruding from the creature's back. The unexpected counterattack caught the creature off guard, and it emitted a high-pitched squeal of agony.

Aron tried to retract Python, but the faceless creature resisted. With a swift and fluid motion, its claws pierced the fleshy cocoon from both sides, penetrating Aron's biceps.

Aron gritted his teeth as pain shot through his arms. The faceless creature, impaled by Python, refused to yield, exerting its monstrous strength to dig deeper into Aron's sides. The two remaining faceless beings seized the opportunity, dashing toward Aron.

Aron, struggling to free himself from the faceless grip, knew that dismissing Python would expose his heart to the creatures' claws. Instead, he attempted to move the blade upward, widening the cocoon cut and simultaneously splitting the creature in half.

However, the arrival of the two other faceless beings added a new layer of complexity to the situation. Caught between the impaled creature and the approaching threats, Aron had to make split-second decisions to survive.

Fortunately.

"KAAAHH!"

From nowhere came a beautiful black bird descending from the air at extraordinary speed.

The bird was fearless and using the momentum, he slammed directly into one of the faceless beings, its sharp beak striking the creature's head with precision. The impact was powerful, resulting in the explosion of its head like a rotten fruit against the wall.

"RAUM!" Aron exclaimed in happiness at the sight of the black raven coming to the rescue.

"Brother! Found you"

Aron, momentarily surprised by this unexpected intervention, took advantage of the distraction. He pulled Python forcefully, causing the impaled creature to lose balance, instantly dismissing the greatsword. Gritting his teeth, Aron forced his right arm to burst out of the cut, grabbing the faceless creature by the neck.

Though the biceps were torn and bleeding, Aron's sole focus remained on the creature. Eyes burning crimson, the dragon activated his newest skill.

[Skill activated: Greed]

He didn't need to read the system description to understand the skill's capabilities; Aron knew it instinctively.

An intense surge of power coursed through him, his dark-red mana forming a dragon's head around his arm. The dragon-shaped manifestation roared, ethereal jaws wide open, swallowing the faceless creature whole.

[You have Consumed: Unknown Creature]

[150XP + 1 core]

A surge of dark-red mana coursed through his arm. The absorbed life force and memories of the consumed creature flooded Aron's consciousness, and before Aron could get overwhelmed by the number of the creature's memories, the system intervened.

[Master, I'll transfer every memory and piece of information from this creature to the Shadow Library.]

Aron felt a spark of pain in his head, but with the system handling the transfer, the pain dissipated swiftly.

'Ugh!...Good'

He then shifted his attention to the last faceless creature.

"!!!" The creature quivered in fear; its eyeless visage displayed a mix of terror and desperation as the dragon's crimson eyes locked onto it. The creature wasted no time turning around running for its life.

"No, you won't."

Aron directed his right hand towards the fleeing creature; the dragon-shaped mana soared through the air with a sinister grace. Its dark-red form twisted and turned like a shadowy serpent, homing in on the fleeing faceless creature.

The creature, sensing the impending doom, increased its pace in a desperate attempt to escape the pursuing darkness. However, the dragon serpent, guided by Aron's will, closed in with relentless determination.

Leaping in the air, the creature spouted an escape in a square hole in the wall, jumping headfirst inside; the faceless creature realized his mistake. Its body is barely able to fit in the hole.

Regardless, awareness dawned too late as the ethereal dragon's jaws snapped shut on its legs.

QEUIII!!!

The creature's agonized scream echoed in the chamber as the ethereal dragon chewed on its limbs, dragging it back into the room.

Aron, fueled by the power of the newly activated skill [Greed] controlled the dragon-shaped manifestation with ruthless determination.

The creature's attempt at escape was futile; Aron slammed him left and right all over the room and with each slam, the ethereal dragon consumed more of the creature.

Claws scraped on the floor, flesh torn from shattered bones, and agonizing screams echoed in a cascade of blood, creating a chilling symphony of despair as the faceless being met its demise in the belly of the beast.

"Haaa!...tasty" and Aron savored every moment.

[You have Consumed: Faceless Horror]

[150XP + 1 core]

Aron chuckled darkly, comparing the horrible last moments of the creature and his 'Horror' name.

Raum felt a shiver down his spine. "Brrrr!...What a gruesome way to die."

Fully emerging from the fleshy cocoon. Aron wasted no time using Python; he slashed open the other ones.

Inside were more of those twisted monsters, however, what set them apart was their ongoing transformation into The Faceless Horror.

"They are not here" Aron cursed internally, unable to locate Pethra and Freya within any of the remaining cocoons.

Raum perched on his shoulder. "Aron, I found the dungeon core."

"Good…and the girls?"

Raum shook his head. "That demon took them through another portal…Kaah! I recall him mentioning an old man and a ritual."

Aron widened his eyes, recalling the poison. He had suspicions about the source, now confirmed by Raum's words.

"Elder Darion….T-That old shity bag of bones….I'll incinerate him alive."

Rage erupted within him like an unbridled inferno. Aron raised his hand into the air.

Combining his [Fire Legacy] with [Greed] a dark flame enveloped his palm. The flames danced with an eerie darkness, fueled by the vengeful rage coursing through Aron. In an instant, the flames engulfed the room, consuming everything in their path.

Facing the exit, Aron commanded.

"Lead the way."