Slipping into the tunnel, Derick sprinted as fast as he could, desperate to escape the chaos behind him. He wove through branching passages, running until his lungs burned and the echoes of battle faded into silence.
Eventually, the tunnels all began to look the same. Realizing he was lost, he slowed to a stop and dispelled the Beast Soul possession, letting the power fade from his body.
He needed a place to rest.
A few minutes of searching led him to a small cave—occupied by a lone scorpion. It hissed and raised its tail, but Derick didn't hesitate. One swift slash of his blade, and the creature fell still.
The cave would do.
Ding!
[Primeval Creature Slain]
[Rocky Scorpion]
[No Beast Soul Acquired]
[Consume Beast to Gain Primeval Points]
Derick slipped deeper into the cave, dispelling his class and letting the last remnants of power fade. He gathered the firewood he'd brought with him and sparked a small fire. Then he coated the remaining egg with a thick layer of mud and set it on the flames to roast.
As the fire crackled, Derick stared into the glow, replaying everything that had led him here.
Sigh…
"So how am I supposed to get out of here now?" he muttered.
Before he could think further, a new notification chimed.
[Absolute Beast Slain]
[Crab Commander]
[No Beast Soul Acquired]
[Consume Beast to Gain Absolute Points]
"Young soul… rest well," Derick murmured softly.
Soon the egg was cooked. Using a stick, he pulled it from the flames, cracked open the burnt mud shell, and revealed the steaming, milky-white flesh inside.
One bite—and his eyes widened.
"Mhm… this is the best egg I've tasted in both my lives."
He chuckled.
"If only I had some spices."
While eating, Derick began preparing the scorpion meat. He sliced off the stinger, split open the shell, and laid the exposed meat on a heated stone. It sizzled instantly.
Lifting a piece with his dagger, he tasted it and nodded.
"Mhmm… good enough."
After cooking it all, he wrapped the scorpion meat in a piece of nylon he had prepared earlier, tucked it into the satchel, and stored everything inside his bag.
"Hm. I'm full," Derick sighed in satisfaction.
Then he opened his system screen—
—and froze.
Status Screen Updated
---
[Race:] Human
[Status:] Ordinary
[Class:] Copy
[Elements:] None
[Class Description:] Able to copy the Classes of others. Can store up to three Classes.
[Class Flaw:] Can copy only one Summoner, one Transformer, and one Armourer. Copying a new one overwrites the previous.
[Classes Copied:]
– Summoner — Phoenix Carapace
– Transformer — Jade Skin
[Merged Classes:]
Transformation / Hybrid Armour — Jade Phoenix Carapace
[Requirements for Evolution:] Kill and Consume
[Kill and Consume:] Consume beasts to acquire Ascension Permit
---
[Ascension Permit Progress]
Feral Points: 88
Primeval Points: 45
Aberrant Points: 16
Absolute Points: 18
---
[Beast Souls]
Aberrant Grade
— Lethal-Backed Crab (Summon)
— Lethal-Backed Crab (Summon)
— Lethal-Backed Crab (Summon)
— Lethal-Backed Crab (Possession Soul)
— Lethal-Backed Crab (Weapon)
— Lethal-Backed Crab (Weapon)
— Lethal-Backed Crab (Weapon)
— Lethal-Backed Crab (Shield)
— Lethal-Backed Crab (Shield)
…
Absolute Grade
— Crab Warrior (Summon)
— Crab Guard (Armour)
[Lifespan:] 200 Years
{GENESIS RESTRAINED}
[Ordinary Realm]
---
Derick's jaw dropped, forming a perfect "O."
When he'd been fleeing earlier, he had given his Crab Warrior one last desperate command: Kill everything in your path—even if it costs you your life.
And the beast had obeyed. Completely.
Even now, more notification messages continued to flicker in the corner of his vision.
"Hahaha… this is perfect. Everything I went through—it all paid off."
Now that the adrenaline was fading, exhaustion finally crashed into him.
He summoned several Lethal-Backed Crab Beast Souls to stand guard, pulled out a small mattress, laid it on the elevated platform he had noticed earlier…
…and collapsed into sleep.
Derick jolted awake as his crabs stirred, sensing a threat they had detected earlier. The echo of battle rolled through the tunnel—shouts, metal, and chitin clashing—growing closer to his small hideout with every second.
I need to move, he thought.
He unsummoned the crabs, stomped out his fire, and slipped silently toward the noise. Peering around the corner, he froze.
A stunning Chinese girl—barely eighteen—moved alone through the tunnel, her every step sharp, fluid, and impossibly clean. She danced between the scorpion beasts with effortless grace, her blade flashing like silver lightning. Each strike cut through chitin as easily as slicing warm tofu.
Derick watched from the shadows, surprised by how flawlessly she handled the swarm. She didn't need help—if anything, she looked untouchable. Curious, he decided to observe her a little longer.
But before he could blink, a cold edge pressed against his neck.
A chill ran down his spine.
From behind him came a calm, icy voice—female, and dangerously close.
"Don't you know it's rude to peek at a lady?"
A chill crawled down Derick's spine.
He hadn't sensed her at all.
Slowly, very slowly, he raised his hands.
"Easy… I was just watching the fight. You looked like you had things under control."
The blade at his neck pressed closer.
"I didn't ask for an audience," the girl replied, voice icy yet steady. Choose your next words wisely or the next thing that would be sliced would be your head.
Derick gulped
Now "Turn around." she said
Derick obeyed.
Turning around, he was shocked to discover that the lady pointing the blade at him was the same person who had been locked in an intense battle with the scorpions ahead. And the most shocking part was that the other figure was still in an intense battle with the crabs.
Examining her more closely, he discovered that she was even more stunning up close—jet-black hair tied in a loose ponytail, eyes sharp as a hawk's, her expression cold enough to freeze the cavern air. Despite her delicate features, there was nothing fragile about her. Power radiated from her like pressure from a deep ocean trench.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Derick," he said carefully. "Just… trying not to die today."
She stared at him for a long moment, reading every twitch of his face, then finally lowered her blade.
"Then stay out of my way," she said, stepping past him.
"Wait. I don't know the way here. I think I'm lost," Derick said shyly.
"Huh?" she asked, turning to him.
He replied shyly, "I think I'm lost."
"What brought you here?" she asked.
Derick narrated the events that brought him there, leaving out the part where he met Oskara and his team. He also removed anything about the Crab Warrior and the crab horde. Instead, he told her that after falling into the pit, he and the others scattered and ran through different tunnels. He said he survived with the help of a beast soul he acquired while fighting the crab horde above the pit—one that made the crabs confuse him for one of their own.
While Derick went through his story, the lady's expression changed.
"Fine. I can help you to the nearest shelter, but you have to survive this."
"Wha—" Before Derick could finish his sentence, he was cut off by the sound of the ground rumbling.
Gulping, Derick asked, "By the way… what's your name?"
She paused—her brows furrowing.
"You can call me Jet."
"Let's focus on the battle first," she said as the ground trembled.
More scorpion beasts—dozens—skittered out from the surrounding tunnels, their stingers raised and mandibles clicking hungrily.
Jet slid into a stance, her blade glowing faintly.
Derick activated his class, selecting the Jade Skin class, and also activated the Crab Soul Possession beast soul. He didn't have much of a choice, actually. If he were to use the Phoenix Carapace or the Jade Phoenix Carapace, he might face complications in the future. So he wasn't risking it.
They stood back-to-back.
"You can handle this, right?" she asked without looking at him.
Derick smirked. "Only if you don't stab me first."
A cold smile tugged at her lips.
"Then try no to get in my way"
And the swarm surged.