Chapter 95: Chapter 90:The Stone City Beneath the Peaks (Part 2)
The darkness moved.
Not like a beast stepping into the light.
Not like something charging with raw aggression.
No—
This thing *slid* through the shadows.
Soundless.
Heavy.
Watching.
John’s pupils narrowed into thin slits.
"...It’s aware of us."
Lythriel shifted her stance, spear angled forward.
"Good."
Her grin didn’t quite reach her eyes this time.
"I hate fighting things that *aren’t*."
Sylvara raised her staff, soft green light gathering at its tip.
"Stay close."
Aerion drew his blade slowly.
The faint glow of mana ran along its edge like liquid silver.
"Form up."
The rangers behind them tightened their positions, bows raised, arrows already drawn.
The tunnel was wide—but not wide enough for comfort.
Stone walls pressed in from both sides, rough and ancient.
Above them, the ceiling disappeared into shadow.
John exhaled slowly.
Dark mist curled from his nostrils.
"Come out."
For a moment—
Nothing.
Then—
*SCRAAAAAAAAAPE.*
The sound echoed like claws dragging across stone.
Loud.
Deliberate.
A warning.
Lythriel muttered,
"...Yeah, I don’t like that at all."
The ground trembled.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
And then—
It emerged.
---
## The Tunnel Horror
The creature stepped into the dim torchlight.
Massive.
Easily as large as John’s torso in height alone.
Its body resembled a grotesque fusion of stone and flesh, armored plates layered over sinewy muscle that pulsed faintly beneath cracks in its hide.
Six limbs.
Each tipped with jagged claws that looked capable of tearing through steel.
Its head was the worst part.
Elongated.
Split by a vertical maw filled with uneven, grinding teeth.
No eyes.
Only faint glowing lines across its skull that pulsed like veins of molten ore.
Sylvara whispered, barely audible—
"...What is that..."
The system responded immediately.
**[Analysis Initiated]**
```
Species: Unknown Subterranean Apex
Estimated Tier: 9+
Threat Level: High
Special Traits:
• Adaptive Armor
• Mana Absorption
• Regenerative Core
Recommendation:
Extreme caution advised
```
John’s expression sharpened.
"Tier 9... plus?"
Lythriel exhaled slowly.
"...We always find the worst thing in every area, don’t we?"
Aerion’s voice remained steady.
"This is beyond normal classification."
The creature moved again.
One step.
Then another.
The sound of its claws scraping stone echoed like nails on bone.
Then—
It attacked.
---
## First Clash
The creature lunged forward with terrifying speed.
Too fast for something that large.
"MOVE!" Aerion shouted.
The group scattered instantly.
The beast’s claws slammed into the ground—
*BOOOOOOM.*
Stone shattered.
The impact cracked the tunnel floor and sent fragments flying in all directions.
One of the rangers barely dodged, rolling across the ground as debris slammed into the wall behind him.
John reacted instantly.
"Abyssal Claw!"
Dark energy wrapped around his talons as he lunged.
SLASH!
His claws struck the creature’s side—
And sparks exploded.
The armor held.
Partially.
The blow pushed the creature back, carving shallow cracks across its plating.
But not enough.
The beast responded immediately.
Its head snapped toward John—
Then its maw opened.
A pulse of distorted mana erupted outward.
*BOOM.*
The shockwave hit John directly.
He skidded backward, claws digging into stone to stop his momentum.
"...Mana blast," he muttered.
Lythriel dashed in.
"Then let’s break it before it uses that again!"
She leaped high, spear glowing brightly.
"Piercing Fang!"
CLANG!
The spear struck the creature’s neck—
And bounced.
Lythriel’s eyes widened.
"...You’ve got to be kidding me."
The creature twisted unnaturally fast.
A claw slammed toward her—
She barely blocked.
*CRASH.*
The force sent her flying into the tunnel wall.
Stone cracked behind her.
Sylvara raised her staff immediately.
"Barrier!"
A green shield formed just as debris collapsed.
Lythriel dropped to one knee, coughing.
"...Okay."
She grinned despite it.
"Now I’m annoyed."
---
## Adaptive Monster
Aerion moved next.
Fast.
Precise.
His blade flashed toward a joint in the creature’s limb.
SLASH—
The strike connected.
This time—
Blood.
Dark.
Thick.
The creature recoiled slightly.
"Joint weaknesses!" Aerion called.
"Target mobility!"
The rangers fired.
Arrows streaked through the air.
THUNK—THUNK—THUNK.
Several struck the same weakened joint.
The creature staggered—
Then—
The cracks in its armor began to glow.
The damaged area slowly sealed.
Lythriel stared.
"...It’s healing."
John growled.
"Not just healing."
The system chimed.
**[Adaptive Regeneration Detected]**
"It’s learning," John finished.
That changed everything.
---
## Coordinated Assault
John inhaled deeply.
Dark energy gathered.
But instead of releasing a wide blast—
He compressed it.
Focused.
"Abyssal Lance."
A thin beam shot forward.
It struck the weakened joint—
*CRACK.*
This time, the armor shattered.
The beam pierced deeper.
The creature roared—a grinding, metallic scream.
"Again!" Aerion commanded.
Lythriel moved instantly.
She dashed along the wall, using it as leverage to launch herself upward.
"Sky Piercer!"
She drove her spear into the same opening.
THUD.
The spear sank deep.
The creature lashed out violently.
Its body twisted—
A tail-like limb slammed into the ground.
*BOOM.*
Shockwaves rippled through the tunnel.
The ceiling cracked.
Small rocks began falling.
Sylvara raised her staff.
"Stabilize!"
Vines and mana reinforced the surrounding stone, preventing a collapse.
Controlled destruction.
Barely.
---
## Close Combat Chaos
The creature turned its attention fully to John.
Perhaps recognizing the greatest threat.
It charged.
Fast.
John met it head-on.
Their collision shook the entire tunnel.
CRAAAAASH.
Claws clashed.
Armor scraped.
Power surged.
The creature’s strength was immense.
Nearly equal.
John’s claws dug into its armor, pushing it back—
But it pushed forward just as hard.
Their struggle tore grooves into the stone floor.
Lythriel circled.
Looking for another opening.
Aerion darted in and out, striking joints whenever possible.
Sylvara maintained support, healing minor injuries instantly.
The rangers continued firing, keeping pressure on weak points.
But the creature was adapting.
Faster.
Stronger.
Each attack became less effective.
John’s eyes narrowed.
"...We need to end this quickly."
---
## The Core
The system flashed again.
**[Weakness Identified]**
```
Core Location Detected
Chest region (internal)
High mana concentration
```
John smirked.
"There."
Lythriel followed his gaze.
"...Through all that armor?"
"Yes."
She grinned.
"Good."
---
## Final Assault
John spread his wings slightly, pushing the creature back.
"On my signal."
Aerion nodded.
Sylvara prepared a large spell.
Lythriel spun her spear.
"Make it good."
John inhaled deeply.
Dark energy gathered—not just in his chest—
But across his entire body.
His aura expanded.
Pressure filled the tunnel.
Even the creature hesitated.
"Now!"
Sylvara slammed her staff down.
"Root Lock!"
Massive mana vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around all six of the creature’s limbs.
It roared, struggling violently.
The stone cracked beneath the strain.
Aerion moved.
A blur of silver.
He struck every weakened joint in rapid succession.
SLASH—SLASH—SLASH.
Armor split.
Mobility reduced.
Lythriel leaped.
Higher than before.
Mana condensed into a single point at her spear tip.
"SKY PIERCER—FULL STRIKE!"
She drove downward—
At the same moment—
John released everything.
"Abyssal... Lance!"
A massive compressed beam shot forward.
Not wide.
Not explosive.
Pure penetration.
The beam and spear struck simultaneously.
CRAAAAAAAAACK.
The chest armor shattered.
The beam pierced through.
Straight into the core.
For a moment—
Everything froze.
Then—
The creature convulsed.
A deep, hollow sound echoed from within it.
And the glow inside its body flickered—
Then died.
The massive form collapsed.
The tunnel trembled once more—
Then fell silent.
---
## Aftermath
Dust drifted slowly through the air.
The only sound was heavy breathing.
Lythriel pulled her spear free and dropped to the ground.
"...Okay."
She exhaled.
"That one... was worth it."
Aerion wiped his blade clean.
"...Agreed."
Sylvara leaned slightly on her staff.
"That was dangerous."
John chuckled.
"Good."
The system chimed.
**[Battle Completed]**
```
Subterranean Apex Defeated
Tier: 9+
EXP Gained: 52,000
Progress Toward Tier 10: 70%
Bonus Reward:
Skill Upgrade Available
```
John blinked.
"...Seventy percent."
Lythriel looked at him.
"That smile again."
"Yes."
"You’re getting scary."
"I already am."
She smirked.
"Fair point."
---
## Return to the City
When they returned to the dwarven city...
The reaction was immediate.
Word had spread.
The creature that haunted their tunnels—
Dead.
Thargrum stood waiting at the hall entrance.
When he saw John...
He didn’t speak immediately.
He simply nodded once.
Deep.
Respectful.
"...You have proven it."
Lythriel whispered,
"...That’s dwarf approval."
Aerion added quietly,
"Rare."
Thargrum stepped forward.
"...You are not the dragons of old."
John met his gaze.
"No."
The elder turned.
"...Then you are welcome in Kar’Dum."
The massive hall doors opened once more.
This time—
Not for a test.
But for an ally.
And as John stepped inside...
The path forward changed.
Not just toward the south.
But toward something greater.
Toward evolution.
Toward Tier 10.
Toward something beyond even dragons.
The journey... had only just begun.
---
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200 ps = 2 Extra Chapter
1 Golden ticket = 3 Extra Chapter
