CHAPTER NINETEEN

HIGHER POWER

Oh, boy! Am I a magnet or what? Somehow she kept attracting too many higher-ranking entities towards herself. It was too abnormal. Or was she just being narcissistic?

Well, that must be it. After all, the mercenary didn't even notice her presence, and that spider even told her to leave in a condescending tone. Yup, it's all in my head.

Should I just leave the dungeon?

It would take her days to navigate through the dark dungeon to find a way out. But that seemed like the wise thing to do. There was no point in risking her life amidst the potential conflict of higher rankers or getting involved in a place full of corruption. It was time to be a smart reptile and prioritise her safety over small gains.

If only those huge dumb lizards had the same foresight, their reign wouldn't have ended ten million years ago.

As Shai pondered, the ground beneath her suddenly shook. Her [Golden Eyes] detected dangerous waves of aura emanating from the disturbance.

Her focus swiftly shifted to her surroundings to find any place to hide.

The cracks in the walls were easy to find, her [Golden Eyes] found one in a safe spot high on the wall. The crevice seemed to have gone deeper into the walls, a perfect spot to hide from unwanted eyes.

However, before Shai could even start climbing, the cause of the disturbance was upon her, their footsteps resounding loudly, making her heart lurch inside her narrow form.

It was those familiar beast-humans, after all. Three of the six individuals she encountered in the wilderness. They were surrounded by a group of menacing spiders. Thankfully, they would be too engrossed in their battle to notice the little snake, climbing the wall in the darkness.

The rough and jagged stone made it easier for her to climb. She shot inside the crack and became completely still. She concealed herself in the darkness, her white form disappearing almost completely.

Nobody would look out at a hiding spot within the high crevices of the wall. The crack was too narrow for big and dangerous creatures. Besides, these lots of humans seemed strong enough that they would leave a pesky snake like her. Not unless she offends them, just being in their way.

Even though Shai was curious about their fight, she didn't let her curiosity get the better of her. Shai wouldn't even try reading their levels with her [Golden Eyes] in case they notice. After all, these beast humans were possibly as strong as the female spider she had a conversation with.

Shai remained completely still, coiling herself in the crevice, her heart slowing down as if a single breath could alert those men.

The clamour of the conflict vibrated her inner ears. Shai kept them open, listening, acting all nonchalant.

"Quit fooling around, Mikel," barked the man called Dock, if Shai's memory served her right. "If you must fuck an insect, at least have the decency to do it out of my sight."

Stupid human, spiders aren't insects, Shai thought from her spot.

The monkey-looking fella was locked in a fierce battle with an unusually aggressive spider, his form groping the spiders almost too intimately, thrusting his dagger. Meanwhile, more spiders pursued him from behind. Though these creatures were considered inferior to humans in terms of energy manipulation, their raw physical strength made up for their shortcomings. However, that clearly wouldn't be enough against these humans... humanoid beasts?

Honestly, Shai had no idea what they were.

The spiders shot sticky webs at Mikel, hindering his movements, but soon he crushed the spider he was clasping with his bare arms. But he wasn't any bit freer.

"Ha ha," The monkey-faced Mikel's laughter sounded forced, strained under the ruthless assault of the spiders. His dagger sliced through the cobwebs that threatened to envelop him from behind and sides. He also had to contend with the spider's razor-sharp leg. Gritting his teeth, the monkey fella pushed through the webs and deflected the spider's attack aimed at his abdomen.

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He evaded the spider's lunge, sidestepping, and tore through its abdomen with a decisive strike.

"If you can spare the time for jesting," he shouted, his body splattered with a mixture of purple blood and brown goo, "why don't you lend me a hand already?"

"Haha," Dock snickered as a pair of vibrant red wings unfurled from his back, propelling him up, as he carried the captive somewhere safe. "Just give me a moment to take care of our dear prince."

Shai watched their confrontation stoically, her eyes staring at the scene unfolding in utter indifference as she touched upon something. Something surreal. Aethereal almost.

The beast humans dealt with the horde of corrupted spiders with reckless ease. Despite their sloppy performance, their high levels led them to have the upper hand against these spiders, who knew next to nothing about energy manipulation.

Still, though the spiders weren't a serious threat to these seasoned mercenaries, they were more than mere inconveniences. In horde they came, surrounding the two beastmen and the captive. If only they fought in unity, they would have made it a lot harder for the beastmen. But alas! the madness had already consumed part of their intelligence, rendering all possible chances at strategy impossible.

In vain, the spiders fought, their numbers plummeting at each moment.

The impasse was broken by Dock when he unfurled his exquisite feathered wings. After leaving the unconscious captive in a relatively secure location, he joined the battle with unrestrained fervour, killing spiders left and right, his glaive moving in a flurry of lethal strikes.

Together, the birdman Dock and the monkey fella fought their way through the spiders' ranks, simply overwhelming them with their superior abilities.

***

"You're getting dull with each passing day, Mikel," Dock said as the fight drew to a close. His deft palms began extracting the cores from the spiders' heads with cold efficiency, as he cast a glance at his breathless companion. "It's about time you restrain your unhealthy indulgences. I don't see you improving much in your path, otherwise."

"I disagree," the monkey man, Mikel, said. "My friend Dock, you forgot, unhealthy indulgences is my path."

Dock winced. "I suppose our captive will testify to that."

Mikel chose not to reply to Dock, but instead turned his attention to the captive with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

The captive, youthful and in his late teens, appeared worn and weathered, his once handsome features marred by battle scars and fatigue. Soon, he awoke and found himself in the sheer terror of his situation.

Mikel's face which was a cross between a monkey and a human twisted into a sick grin. That seemed to wake something within the captive, as he shoved aside the overwhelming terror and met Mikel's gaze, a flicker of defiance gleaming in his eyes.

Their brief interaction did not escape Dock's attention, even as he remained engrossed in extracting the cores. "Ah, it seems I missed some unsavoury conduct of yours," he remarked, raising his feathered head, a look of annoyance flashed on his face. "Mikel, has your sick fetish got the better of you again?"

"Give me a break... It's nothing important," Mikel chuckled, although his expression quickly shifted to one of mortification.

"Nothing important, you say?" Dock rasped, his tone level, almost cold. "I bet you couldn't resist whipping that noble ass after the Boss got out of sight."

Mikel was a sick bastard, as much as he was ugly. His behaviour sickened even Dock, who clearly wasn't the best of men and had seen and done his fair share of sick things.

"I'll tell you this once, Mikel," Dock said in a measured tone, locking eyes with the other beastman. "That boy is not your plaything. The Boss expects him unharmed, without any cuts or bruises, if it can be helped. He's to be—"

"I know," Mikel interrupted, irritated. "You don't need to lecture me on how I go about my business. The boy is stronger than you know, I was just making it easier for Boss to handle him."

Dock doubted Mikel's intentions. Mikel derived sick pleasure from demeaning others, particularly pure humans, those of higher birth or standing. The sadistic old bastard revelled in breaking their spirit. The stronger their will, the more intense his infatuation grew with them.

He shifted his attention to the captive, still bound by spirit suppression shackles. The captive stared dead at them. Well, especially at Mikel. Hate and murder sipping out, all too clearly.

"Don't fret," Mikel said with a cold glimmer in his eyes. "By the time I'm done with him, he'll be more docile than a tavern wench."

***

Shai observed the entire exchange, her stoicism breaking as she tried to gauge just how despicable this Mikel person was.

However, that didn't mean Shai was planning to help the boy. She had no death wish, nor would she risk her life for someone who might view her as nothing more than a monster.

The time spent in eternity has made me wise, Shai mused as they left, leaving behind the corpses of dozens of higher-ranked spiders. Jackpot.

Although they had extracted the essence cores from these corpses, the fortune would still be substantial, probably more than anything she had earned before. Despite her fortune, she remained in her hiding spot until she was certain it was safe to come out.

[Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Stealth (E).]

Huh? It didn't cost Insight?