The view was plain as day. I could see their shadows, huddled up there like a gaggle of suspicious rats. Fiddling about with some contraption. One of them—using those absurd climbing gizmos—scaled the top and hacked away at an upper section of the blasted hole, while two others scrabbled about below like burrowing moles. There was a quick flash of white, a flicker of something settling, and then… what? Nothing. Absolutely bugger all. Whatever was happening inside that little crevice, it was beyond my vision, and frankly, beyond my care. Unless they were cooking up some scheme aimed directly at me, I had no reason to give a fuck.

Besides, who knows how many monstrosities were crawling around down here? It wasn’t like I was the only target. And let’s not forget the droves of delvers, all clambering to slay the said monsters, plunder the dungeon’s treasures, or boost their power by advancing their paths. They all had their lofty ambitions, and none of it was my problem.

I had enough on my plate as it was without worrying about what those nosy sods investigating the Barn and Queen incident were poking at.

And speaking of plates, I had hunting to do! Grinning like a maniac, with my smile stretched so far I could nearly taste my own ears, I dug my claws into the bark of the tree and slithered down with all the grace of a predator. I needed more mana, more cores to devour, and another evolution to achieve—until, at long last, I could reclaim my humanoid form. Then, dear father would get a little visit, and Jord? Oh, he’d receive precisely what was coming to him.

There was no time for loitering about! The moment my claws hit the ground, though, I was once again slapped by the sheer stupid vastness of this forest. It felt like I’d wandered into an entirely different world. Everything around me was glowing: the trees, the leaves, even the ruddy grass and fungi seemed to shimmer with an eerie crystalline light. And those hues—dancing, flickering, far more vibrant in this part of the dungeon.

Fortunately, thanks to my upgraded eyes, the glowing wasn’t the painful nuisance it had been when I’d first started out.

I paused, taking a deep breath, letting it sink in. Ah, yes. I kind of loved it here! The forest felt… alive. Or was it? Well, only one way for a curious dragon like myself to find out.

With a cheeky hop, I bounced over to a nearby bush. Gorgeous thing! I poked it eagerly with my claw, half expecting some reaction, but nothing. Hmm. Sniffed it. Seemed harmless enough, so naturally, I took a nibble. Not bad.

Moving on, my eyes locked onto a patch of faintly glowing fungi scattered about like tiny clusters of shimmering crystals. They looked plump. Almost… edible. Almost. I crouched down, prodded one with a claw. Soft, squishy. The kind of texture that begs to be tasted.

Before I knew it, I’d taken a bite.

Surprisingly delicious! Soft, fibrous, with a spicy little kick. Tangy around the edges, the flavor grew richer as I chewed—warmth spreading through my mouth. A delightful tease to my taste buds, each bite sending a pulse of heat. Satisfying, unexpectedly so.

A wicked idea crossed my mind. With a smirk, I channelled a touch of mana into my fire gland and let loose a quick blast of flame at the fungi. Singed them to a crisp. Whoops. Meant to roast, not char, but what’s done is done. I tore one of the blackened remains open, its soft insides still intact. Took a bite.

Not half bad.

Still, it couldn’t hold a candle to monster flesh. There was something about it—the richness, the raw power it held. My mouth watered at the thought. Soon. Soon, I’d sink my teeth into something truly satisfying.

I took a breath, gritted my teeth, and scaled the tree once more, eyes sweeping the terrain. There it was—the cavern wall, just visible in the distance. Closest one. The edge of the forest. Damn near there. Made sense to stick to the perimeter, keep my back to something solid. Getting caught dead-centre, exposed to all angles? Only an idiot would play that game. I wasn’t here to play stupid games or win stupid prizes.

Tactically, it was the cleverer option—better sightlines, fewer ambush points, and a quicker exit if things went pear-shaped. And let’s be honest, if there were elves lurking about, they’d likely outclass me in every single way. No point in poking that hornet’s nest. Better to slip by unnoticed, stay on track, live to see another day. Sliding down the tree, I set off in silence, my Shadow Blur leaving nothing but a whisper of a flicker in my wake.

Minutes passed. The wall loomed closer, but something didn’t sit right. Not a single monster in sight. It was too quiet, and that never bodes well. Just as my nerves began to prickle—

SHHHHAAAAAA!

The hiss—guttural and sharp—almost had me leaping out of my own skin. Muscles coiled tight, claws dug into the dirt as I froze. It wasn’t right on me, but it was close. And there were more than one. Bloody brilliant.

I stole a glance at the wall in the distance, then towards the source of that infernal racket. My eyes narrowed. After a beat, I veered left, claws hitting the ground with purpose. I wasn’t here to cower and play hide-and-seek—I came to hunt. Time to see what I was up against.

The clearing unfurled before me, and in the middle of it all... coiled, writhing... Scales. White. Massive. Twisted in a knot of grotesque muscle and sheer size. A bloody great snake. No, scratch that—fucking colossal.

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The beast was a mess, its body carved up like a butcher’s prized cut. Blood poured from deep gouges, thick and sluggish, but it still had some fight left. Just barely.

And there, swooping and darting like vultures—no, worse—flying snakes. You’ve got to be kidding me. Ten, maybe more. A pack of them, smaller than the titan they circled but still hefty enough to cause some real damage. Their feathered bodies gleamed in the dim light, wings shimmering as they sliced through the air, each attack leaving the giant more mangled than before.

Hiss. Another strike. The beast recoiled, but it was over. The pack was ruthless, closing in, shredding it bit by bit.

Then it collapsed.

THUD.

Like a pack of feral dogs, they swarmed. No hesitation, no mercy—just a frenzy of teeth and scales, tearing into flesh like it was their last meal. Hisses echoed, almost jubilant, like a sick celebration.

Only then did I notice... its eyes. Still moving. Still alive. The massive snake wasn’t dead, but the hunters didn’t care. They dug in anyway, feasting, pulling chunks from its still-breathing form.

Fucking hell.

A grotesque sight. It made my stomach churn and my claws itch at the same time. This dungeon was pure madness. I wasn’t about to stick around for dessert. I activated stealth, my form blurring as I slipped back, carefully retreating. No way in hell was I interested in being a dragon-flavored side dish. Not today, not ever.

But… instead of fear, something else washed over me. A wave of ecstasy. Weird. Almost wrong. Where did it come from? The scene wasn’t a proper hunt—the prey wasn’t dead—but the raw savagery, the brutality of it, stirred something deep within me.

I shook it off. Focus.

I moved toward the wall again, this time making it. Finally. Hah, maybe I was being a little overconfident. Just a little. But I was a master at escaping. If I saw a fight I couldn’t win, I’d leg it without a second thought.

That snake... ungodly massive. How much morphogen was that thing worth? Definitely stage five, maybe even higher. Yet the moment it revealed itself, death rained down on it from above. I couldn’t help but let my mind race, running simulations. What would I do to avoid such a fate?

Every scenario seemed worse than the next.

Eep. Time to stop thinking.

Those flying serpents—ruthless pack hunters, efficient as hell. A challenge? Sure. One I liked my odds against? Not a chance. A duel? Hah, not likely. They didn’t seem like the sort to honor a one-on-one.

I steeled myself. I had to find something I could actually beat. The monsters here were stronger, but I couldn’t back down now. I had to hunt. I had to grow.

Stealth still engaged, I hugged the wall, eyes sharp, claws ready. Always on the lookout for something I could take down. Or anything else that might catch my interest.

Moving cautiously amongst the dense, glowing foliage, the trees looming overhead, I almost felt like I was on the surface. The rock ceiling above was so distant, obscured by the shifting hues, that it might as well not exist from here. The more I took in this strange forest, the more it messed with my head. How could any of this survive without sunlight?

A whisper from my memories, fragmented from a long-forgotten dream, tugged at my mind. Photosynthesis—plants needed light to produce energy. But these trees, they thrived here without a sun. It didn’t make sense. I sharpened the thought, focused. Perhaps these hues emitted a form of energy, substituting for sunlight. Energy transfer—like a bioluminescent adaptation, compensating for the absence of direct solar radiation. But that would require... huh? Perhaps trees were absorbing ambient energy from the hues, converting it into something usable for survival. Possible. But still, it didn’t fully explain the complexity of this ecosystem. Were these hues some form of radiation? Some underground source? Or maybe something even stranger than my wildest guesswork.

Whatever the devil these hues were, they had their grubby fingerprints all over this dungeon. Every peculiar happening, every oddity could be traced right back to them.

Flora monsters probably skulked around here too. Maybe even some tasty mushroom monstrosities. I wiped my mouth—damn it, drooling again.

I stopped, letting the airflow settle. It was different here from the tunnels—less cramped, more fluid. I focused on it. The airflow told stories, just like before, only this time the trees and obstacles whispered secrets about hidden creatures. Subtle shifts in the air, tiny hints of movement—clues that something lurked just out of sight. It was working, but not as sharp as I’d like. Another skill point, a few levels, and I’d have it honed to perfection. Ugh, progress is slow.

And then, I felt it—a faint shift ahead. Something had nudged the air in that direction. Not natural, not like the wind. Maybe another beastie scrap. Only one way to find out. I crouched low, using the dense brush for cover, and began creeping towards the source. Kept myself tight to the wall, making a wide arc—no need to put my neck out, just yet.

In a hellhole like this, information was worth its weight in gold—nay, diamonds. Charging headlong into the unknown? Well, that’s the kind of nonsense fit only for an idiot. With my upgraded eyes scanning the forest and ears pricked for the faintest murmur, I crept closer to the earlier disturbance, inch by painful inch.

[Shadow Blur (II) has reached level 2]

Wait, what?! I stopped dead in my tracks, head snapping round, every nerve on high alert. Had I just dodged a predator? My stealth leveled up that fast? Clearly, I was onto something. I kept still, checked the airflow again—keen to make sure I wasn’t about to get ambushed.

Nothing around. Not even that disturbance I felt earlier. None. Vanished like a whisper on the wind. Perhaps it was indeed a scuffle I’d sensed, some fleeting skirmish deep in the woods. There was still a mountain of mystery around how the airflow worked here, and how my skill tied into it. But for now, no immediate threat. Not that it meant I could afford to relax.

Still crouched, senses razor-sharp, I pressed forward. Then, I saw it.

A hulking beast of a thing—vaguely familiar, like those creepers, only larger and uglier. Two extra tentacle-like limbs dangled from its bulk, and it looked every bit as tough as it was hideous. But seriously, why the hell were there so many of these abominations lurking about?!?

Truth be told, these creepers still gave me the shivers. I’ll never forget that first encounter—me and Stephan hiding, watching one of the less evolved versions of this freak gulp down a whole spider colony. I was bricking it. And then it chased me. I bloody hate these wretched things.

But this one? This one was in a bad way.

Seriously wounded. One arm limp, another tentacle shredded, hanging by a thread. Black ichor dripping like some foul ooze from its torn-up body. Its exoskeleton? Looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it.

I stared at the creature for a moment, a thought creeping into my head. I knew it was more evolved—stage 4, no doubt.

But… could I take it down?