Luis eyed the girl cautiously as she and her dragon approached through the clearing. She walked like a predator, unbothered by the carnage around them.
He whispered, "Zyx, I thought I was the only Host in this cave."
Zyx floated beside him, hands behind his back like a smug librarian. "Apparently not. Surprise! This death trap's got more guests than a cursed Airbnb."
The girl raised her hand, flames briefly flickering around her fingers. Her dragon snarled beside her.
"Prepare to die, Hunter," she said calmly.
Luis raised both hands, backing a step. "Whoa, hey, how about we don't start with murder? Maybe talk first?"
She paused. A moment passed. Then she lowered her hand slightly. "Hmph. Let me guess—first time in a Cave of the Forgotten?"
Luis blinked. "Yes… this isn't yours?"
"My third."
Luis let out a breath. "So, what, you're just sightseeing now?"
The girl ignored the sarcasm. "This place works on one rule: Hunter and Hunted. When you enter, you're assigned one or the other. The only way out is for the hunter to kill the hunted."
Luis frowned. "And how do you know I'm the hunter?"
She pointed to the corner of his tab. "There. Bottom right. See the icon?"
Luis checked. Sure enough, a red sigil pulsed softly next to his status bar.
[Role: Hunter]
Luis groaned. "So the only way I can leave… is by killing someone?"
The girl nodded. "Or you can defeat the cave boss. But considering this zone is probably Silver Class or higher, it's likely a Golden-tier monstrosity. Good luck with that."
She pointed up at a towering floating island above them, cloaked in dark clouds. "That's where the boss is. Probably something with too many eyes and teeth."
Luis raised a brow. "What if we teamed up to kill it?"
She rolled her eyes. "And die together? Sounds romantic. But I prefer surviving."
Zyx leaned close to Luis's ear. "I like her. She's got 'stab first, hug never' energy."
Luis narrowed his eyes. "Can't we just agree to not kill each other—"
"No." She snapped her fingers.
Her dragon reared up and slammed into the ground, unleashing a wave of flames and shockwaves. The earth cracked.
Luis dove aside. "Why the HELL does she have a dragon?!"
Zyx laughed mid-air. "Some gods have the Egg of Dominion skill. They hatch monsters from eggs and raise them like murderous Pokémon. Totally balanced."
Luis rolled, dodging a fireball that turned a tree to ash. "That's so UNFAIR!"
"You should've chosen a better god!" Zyx yelled. "Like one with daycare options!"
The battle escalated fast. Luis darted through trees, launching Mind Construct turrets that pelted the dragon with force bullets. The girl—still unnamed—rained down fire spells, pillars of flame chasing Luis.
Luis countered with Misfortune's Touch, dropping her defense and causing her to slip while casting. Her fireball misfired and exploded on her dragon's wing.
She grunted, now slightly singed. "Okay. That was new."
Zyx smirked. "Never underestimate cosmic spite!"
Luis closed the distance, swinging his Spiderfang Hammer at her. The impact splattered venom from the weapon's fangs across her defenses, and despite the conjured wall of fire blocking most of the force, the poison sank through the air itself—burning into her with each second. [Spider Bite – Poison Damage: 20/s – Stackable up to 5x]—the venom crawled like wildfire, punishing her for every breath she took after contact.
They circled. Breathing hard. Then—
A thunderous roar.
The trees behind them exploded.
Something massive slithered through the shattered forest. Scales the size of shields, six muscled limbs ending in claws, and a lion's jaw brimming with fangs.
[GREAT FANGED BAKUNAWA – SILVER CLASS – LEVEL 12]
Zyx whispered, "Okay. I'm officially uncomfortable."
The girl raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Okay. Good luck with that one." She climbed onto Pyrion's back.
"Let the monster kill you so I can go home," she said as she and her dragon lifted into the sky, circling high above the battlefield.
Luis was left alone.
The Bakunawa lunged. Luis rolled just in time, the monster's breath scorching the ground behind him.
He activated Fortress's Heart, casting the buff just before dodging again. Luis couldn't take a single hit—it would mean death. He kept moving.
Speed. Evasion. Precision.
He struck with the Spiderfang Hammer, retreating before the monster could retaliate. Poison stacked.
[Spider Bite – 2 Stacks... 3... 5 Stacks]
Each hit slowed the Bakunawa slightly. Its movements grew sluggish.
Luis summoned his Mind Construct: Machine Gun once—he couldn't afford the cooldown again. It distracted the beast for mere seconds, enough for Luis to keep stacking poison.
Zyx yelled, "Keep moving! One hit and you're paste!"
Luis circled the beast relentlessly. Slashes grazed his shoulder—close, but not fatal.
Finally, the Bakunawa sagged, eyes dimming. It hissed, poison flooding its bloodstream.
Luis didn't hesitate. With a final leap, he raised his hammer and drove it into the creature's skull. A wet crunch echoed through the forest.
The beast collapsed, dissolving into mist.
LEVEL UP!
Luis has reached Level 6.
+10,000 Soul Essence Gained
New Ability Unlocked: Infinite Construct
—Allows creation of physical objects via imagination. Soul Essence cost varies based on complexity.
Current Soul Essence: 36,000
From above, the girl hovered on her dragon, watching with sharp interest. She crossed her arms, her voice drifting down with a mix of annoyance and admiration.
"Impressive," she said. "Most of the Hosts I encounter in this cave are helpless dead meat. But you're not. You're actually pretty good."
Luis didn't even have time to feel flattered.
She added, "But sadly… you still have to die."
Luis gritted his teeth. He wasn't ready for another fight. Not after that.
Mind Construct: Flashbomb.
A new device materialized in his hand, glowing with unstable white light. He lobbed it skyward.
BOOM!
A blinding flash exploded midair. The dragon shrieked, wings flailing. Girl and beast spiraled out of control into the trees beyond.
Zyx shouted gleefully, "Okay! Let's go somewhere far from this crazy woman!"
Luis nodded quickly. "That's a good idea!"
Luis didn't hesitate. He ran into the woods, deeper into the floating island's wild unknown—heart pounding, soul burning, but alive.