Aldric allowed his eyes to adjust to the surroundings. He exhaled slowly as an intoxicating wave of mana surged through every pore of his body, drawing a quiet, contented sigh from his chest.
He studied the cavern they had entered. They stood on a narrow pathway formed from a dense weave of colossal roots.
Some were as thick as ancient tree trunks, while others were as thin as whipcord, yet all of them were slick with perpetual moisture.
The walls and ceiling were no different. A chaotic and suffocating tapestry of roots twisted and coiled in every direction, interlocking so tightly that not a single speck of dirt was visible between them.
There was no sunlight here, yet the Tunnel was not dark. Bioluminescent moss clung to the undersides of the larger roots, glowing with a sickly jade light that cast long, trembling shadows across the passage.
Water dripped constantly from unseen heights, the steady plip-plip-plip echoing through the narrow, winding space and sounding far louder than it should have.
The place felt claustrophobic, yet strangely vast, as if they were microscopic creatures trapped inside the vascular system of a dying god.
Aldric steadied himself and recalled the briefing materials about the Bastions he had studied so meticulously. The structure and geography of this tunnel pointed unmistakably toward a single destination.
"The Verdant Planet," he murmured.
The world of endless, predatory forests. It seemed fitting that the path leading to it would resemble the inside of a living thing.
A persistent tapping rapped against his chest. He glanced down to see Eira poking her head out from his shirt collar, her crimson eyes wide as she took in the alien environment around them.
The glow of the moss reflected in her irises, turning their deep red hue into unsettling pools of orange fire.
"Alright," Aldric whispered, lifting a hand to scratch the soft feathers beneath her beak. "I will let you out. But if you do not follow my orders, I will lock you back in."
Eira nodded earnestly. She could be serious when it mattered. This place was dangerous, and reckless actions could hurt her human.
He unzipped his jacket just enough for her to hop free. Eira landed without a sound on a thick root that formed a natural step along the pathway.
The moment her talons touched the alien surface, her demeanor changed.
The playful glint in her eyes sharpened into a focused, predatory intensity. She lowered her head, her sleek obsidian form standing out starkly against the overwhelming green of the root world.
Guide Ravens possessed an innate ability to find paths. They excelled at sensing danger and guiding humans through the safest passages available. That was why the System designated them as official Guides for tunnel runners.
"You know the plan, Eira," Aldric said, his voice low and steady in the oppressive silence. "Find them. Lead us to the first hurdle. Nothing too big. We need to test the waters."
Eira tilted her head as she processed the command. In her mind, the concept felt strange. Why seek out things that carried the scent of danger?
But the bond she shared with this human was absolute. Even without a formal System contract, she had been trained to obey his orders.
Though, more often than not, she chose paths that were far from convenient.
With a soft kraa that barely rose above a whisper, she hopped forward. Flying between the roots was exhausting.
If she lost focus for even a moment, the hanging tendrils could easily snare her wings.
Her smaller size allowed her to slip through narrow gaps between the roots with ease. Behind her, Aldric raised his hand and summoned his status screen.
Name: Aldric
Talent: Dimensional Sovereign (Divine)
Evolution: Mortal
Traits: Spatial Fracture
Rank: Initiate
Level: 1 (0%)
Skills: None
RN: 1
HP: 70
STR: 8 || DEF: 6 || AGI: 9 || VIT: 7
For an ordinary human, the base stats for all attributes were five. Aldric was already ahead of many in that regard.
He glanced at his Radial Number: RN. Every mortal skill was formed by combining an element and an expression.
For a fundamental element to function, it required half an RN. With his current RN capacity, he could activate a mortal skill two times.
Until level nine, each level gained increased RN by a single point. That amounted to a total of merely eighteen skill activations.
Monsters were blessed with enormous health and defense. At lower levels, skills using only fundamental elements lacked the capability to deal high damage to them.
This was why it was strongly advised to level up under the guidance of hunters above level ten.
Aldric did not have this problem. His trait possessed an unusually high damage potential.
After some time, Eira paused and hopped onto his shoulder. Water droplets clung to her obsidian feathers, seeping down from the roots above. She complained with sharp caws as she shook the moisture from her body.
"How many times have I told you to shake the water away from me?" Aldric muttered, shaking his head as he followed the direction Eira indicated with her wingtip.
Below the root network, a silhouette crouched over the remains of a dead creature, gnawing greedily at rotting flesh.
A Rot-tooth Rat.
The creature was the size of a large hound, its bloated body sagging unnaturally as patches of fur had fallen away to expose gray, decaying skin beneath.
Its teeth were jagged and blackened, each one stained with filth and rot. Thick veins pulsed along its body, carrying toxic fluids infused with the biological element of decay.
A single bite from it was venomous, capable of spreading rot through flesh within moments.
This would be his first target.
"You wait here," Aldric ordered softly as he raised his hand.
Space behind the monster cracked open.
The Rot-tooth Rat spun around just in time to witness his arrival.
The creature shrieked and rushed forward, only to collide directly with the spatial fracture.
Shriek.
Accompanied by a piercing cry, its body was severed cleanly in half before collapsing lifelessly onto the roots below.
Aldric smiled as warm energy surged through him. Experience flooded his body, and the intoxicating sensation of progression followed.
[You have killed a Level 2 Rot-tooth Rat.]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up.]
[Level 1 → Level 2]
Eira cawed in excitement as she watched his contented expression. She did not understand why her favorite human was happy, but she felt excited simply because he was happy. Aldric pulled her into his chest, holding her close.
"It dropped no skills…"
Ordinary monsters dropping skills was extremely rare. However, if the monster was a Line or Triangle class, then the chance of obtaining a skill was not impossible.
Even so, he did not dare to face such creatures unless he evolved his talent to at least the Awakened stage and unlocked another trait.
"Eira, let's search for more of the rats."
Eira beat her wings and lifted into the air as they continued their hunt.