The trees were thick with unnatural silence. Even the birds knew to stay away from the moss-covered path leading into the sewer-breach beneath the ruined outer district.
The mission sounded simple enough:
Quest: Shadow Fang Nest (Threat: C-Class Rising)Objective: Exterminate the beasts spreading from the old sewer pitEstimated Hostiles: 15–20Reported Threat: Multiple Fangbeasts – unknown variant
Eron adjusted his gauntlet as the last light faded from the treetops.
Neha ignited a small controlled flame in her palm, her eyes alert.
Beside them, the slime bounced forward eagerly. The blade hound, recently summoned, stood silently—its metal limbs tensing like springs.
[Party Status]Eron – Level 5Neha – Level 3Slime – Level 4Blade Hound – Level 1
Eron tapped the back of his blade. "Let's clear anything that moves. Two level-ups before sunrise."
Neha smirked. "Planning our EXP farm now?"
"Planning survival."
They hadn't made it 500 meters before the brush rattled.
Three Forest Crawlers leapt from the tree shadows—wolf-sized beasts with chitinous shells and split jaws dripping venom.
[Threat Rank: D+]
Eron stepped forward.
"Slime. Hound. Go."
The slime launched like a bullet, body stretching to tackle one crawler into a boulder. The blade hound flanked left, its forelegs slicing a clean line into another crawler's underbelly.
Neha's flame surged around the third, burning through its shell.
[Crawler 1 Defeated – EXP +40][Crawler 2 Defeated – EXP +35][Crawler 3 Defeated – EXP +40]
[Slime Leveled Up ➤ Lv. 5]New Ability: Adaptive Pulse – Alters mass to deflect physical damage
[Blade Hound ➤ Lv. 2]Trait Unlocked: Pack Tracker – Gains speed and crit bonus when fighting with another summon
Eron grinned. "We're just getting started."
The pit reeked of rot and mana decay.
Descending into the old sewer tunnel was like walking into a lung choked by magic and moss. Glyphs on the wall pulsed faintly with corrupted essence.
The Fangbeasts emerged from the shadows—lanky quadrupeds with glowing eyes and serrated jaw ridges. But these weren't low-tier anymore. One was at least mid-tier, its aura pressing against their skin.
[Identified: Greater Shadowfang – Rank C+]Skills: Shadowstep, Leech Bite, Pack CommandStatus: Highly aggressive, mana-enhanced
"Slime," Eron called, "target the small ones. Neha—control the perimeter. I'll take the alpha."
The ground exploded as the Shadowfang pounced forward.
Eron met it head-on.
[Tactical Flow Activated]– Spell: Arcane Shockwave– Blade: Echo Cleave– Movement: Spatial Slip
→ Combo Executed: Phantom Drive
The Shadowfang reeled as mana tore into its ribs and blade arcs knocked it aside—but it recovered fast, faster than expected.
Meanwhile, Neha was holding back three lesser Fangbeasts with Infernal Bloom, her breathing rapid, coat singed at the edges.
The slime deflected a fang with Adaptive Pulse, then struck back with a body slam that flattened another beast.
The blade hound, now glowing red-hot, struck the last with a Pincer Crush, its steel jaws closing with brutal precision.
But the alpha returned—leaping at Eron from behind.
Not fast enough...
Neha's shout echoed, but—
The slime launched itself.
Right into the alpha's face.
BOOM!
[Slime triggered Emergency Burst Defense]
Survived with 6 HPGreater Shadowfang stunned!
Eron activated one final combo.
[Spell Orchestra: Arcane Anchor + Razor Wind + Bind Glyph]→ Lockdown Success
Requiem Edge: Echo Cleave – Full Power
The blade sliced the Shadowfang's neck clean through.
Its body slumped.
[Quest Completed – Shadow Fang Nest Cleared]
EXP Gained: +380Bonus for Critical Combo Execution: +100
[Eron ➤ Lv. 6 ➤ Lv. 7][Neha ➤ Lv. 3 ➤ Lv. 5][Blade Hound ➤ Lv. 2 ➤ Lv. 4][Slime ➤ Lv. 5 ➤ Lv. 6]
[Stat Allocation Unlocked] – Level 7Choose One:▸ All Stats +2▸ One Stat +4
Eron selected:
All Stats +2
STR: 13AGI: 15VIT: 12INT: 27WIS: 20CHA: 17Mana Capacity: 64 ➤ 72Mana Regen: 4/sec
His system pulsed again.
[New Evolution Token Earned – Tactical Combo Execution (Mid-Rank)]
Covered in grime and victory, the party returned to the Adventurer's Guild.
The receptionist blinked at the bloodied, smoky group.
"You cleared it… in one night?"
Eron dropped a fanged skull on the desk. "We'll take our reward."
He didn't smile.
But the slime did—while wearing a soggy leaf like a helmet.