Kael shot through the narrow tunnel like an arrow released from its bow. The transformation had pushed every part of his body beyond what he thought possible. His legs moved with explosive speed, his senses stretched through the darkness ahead, and every heartbeat sounded as clear as a drum.
Behind him, the Crystal Devourer let out another earth-shaking screech.
The tunnel shook violently.
A second later, an enormous crystal-covered leg punched through the ceiling where Kael had been standing moments earlier. Razor-sharp claws tore through solid rock as though it were soft clay.
"So it's that strong..."
Kael didn't dare slow down.
The tunnel twisted sharply to the left before widening into a series of natural caverns connected by narrow stone bridges suspended over an underground river. The water below glowed with a faint blue light, illuminating the ceiling with rippling reflections.
He leaped across the first bridge.
The moment his feet touched the other side, the Crystal Devourer crashed into the cavern behind him.
Its massive body barely fit inside the passage.
Crystal spikes scraped against the walls, sending showers of stone raining onto the bridges below.
Kael glanced back.
The creature's six crimson eyes remained locked onto him.
It wasn't simply hunting.
It was determined to kill him.
A notification appeared.
Void Insight
Analysis Complete
Target possesses heightened territorial instincts.
Host has absorbed the essence of an Alpha-class Void Beast.
Target identifies Host as a rival predator.
"So it's not just hungry."
"It sees me as competition."
That explained why it refused to abandon the chase.
The bridge beneath Kael suddenly cracked.
He looked down just as one of the Devourer's legs smashed through the supporting pillars below.
The entire stone bridge collapsed.
Kael pushed off with every ounce of strength he had.
For a terrifying instant, he was suspended over the glowing river.
Then his hands caught the edge of the opposite platform.
His fingers slipped.
Stone crumbled beneath his grip.
With a burst of effort, he pulled himself onto solid ground just as the remains of the bridge plunged into the water below.
The Crystal Devourer stopped at the edge of the gap.
Its enormous body couldn't jump the distance.
Kael smiled faintly.
"That should buy me—"
The creature opened its mouth.
Deep within its throat, black light began gathering.
Kael's smile disappeared.
"Oh..."
A beam of condensed dark energy erupted across the cavern.
It obliterated the remaining bridge in an instant and continued straight toward him.
Kael threw himself behind a massive boulder.
The beam slammed into the rock.
The explosion shattered it into hundreds of fragments that blasted across the cavern like arrows.
Several sharp shards sliced across Kael's arms and face.
He rolled behind another pillar.
"So much for buying time."
The Devourer began climbing across the cavern wall instead, its crystal-covered legs embedding themselves effortlessly into the stone.
It was circling around.
Trying to corner him.
Kael quickly activated Void Insight.
Blue lines spread throughout the cavern.
His eyes searched desperately for anything useful.
Then he noticed it.
The ceiling above the Devourer was covered with enormous crystal formations. Some were larger than houses, hanging precariously from narrow rock supports.
An idea formed.
Risky.
But possible.
He sprinted toward the far end of the cavern.
The monster followed immediately.
Its heavy body shook the walls with every step.
Kael reached a narrow ledge directly beneath the largest crystal formation.
He stopped.
Turned.
And waited.
The Devourer charged.
Thirty meters.
Twenty.
Ten.
Five.
At the last possible moment, Kael jumped aside.
The monster slammed into the cavern wall.
At the exact point where the enormous crystal formation was anchored.
A loud crack echoed overhead.
The Devourer looked up.
Thousands of tons of glowing crystal broke free.
They rained down like a collapsing mountain.
The beast shrieked as the first crystal pierced its back.
Then another.
Then dozens more.
The entire cavern shook violently.
Kael shielded his face as crystal shards scattered everywhere.
When the dust finally settled, the Crystal Devourer lay partially buried beneath the collapsed formation.
Several of its legs had been crushed.
Dark blood flowed across the cavern floor.
But...
It wasn't dead.
The monster roared with rage and began forcing itself free.
Kael stared in disbelief.
"You're kidding..."
The System responded immediately.
Warning
Target vitality exceeds current Host's combat capability.
Recommendation: Retreat.
"I was already doing that."
Without another glance, Kael ran deeper into the tunnel network.
The Devourer's furious roars echoed behind him, but they gradually became quieter.
Then...
They stopped.
Kael slowed his pace.
His breathing remained steady despite the long sprint.
The evolution had dramatically increased his endurance.
Still, he didn't relax.
A predator like that wouldn't simply give up.
After nearly twenty minutes of running, the tunnel finally opened into a vast underground chamber unlike anything he had seen before.
Countless luminous plants covered the walls, filling the cavern with a gentle emerald glow.
A clear underground lake stretched across the center, its surface perfectly still.
Strange white trees with crystal leaves surrounded the water, their branches shimmering softly in the light.
The air here felt...
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Kael approached the lake cautiously.
He knelt beside the water and washed the blood from his face.
His reflection stared back at him.
He looked almost the same.
The same black hair.
The same dark eyes.
Yet something had changed.
A faint silver ring now surrounded his irises, barely visible beneath the light.
"Another effect of the evolution?"
Before the System could answer, the surface of the lake rippled.
Not from the wind.
Something beneath the water was moving.
Kael immediately stood.
The peaceful atmosphere vanished.
A single elegant figure slowly rose from the center of the lake.
She appeared to be a young woman dressed in flowing robes woven from silver light. Her long white hair drifted behind her without being touched by the water, and her luminous blue eyes rested calmly on Kael.
She didn't seem human.
She didn't seem like a monster either.
She simply stood upon the surface of the lake as if the water were solid ground.
Kael instinctively took a step back.
"Who are you?"
The woman studied him in silence.
Her gaze lingered on his eyes.
Then on his chest.
Finally, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"So..."
Her voice was soft, yet it echoed throughout the entire cavern.
"The System has finally found its new master."