The moment they stepped onto the second floor, the atmosphere changed.
The crystal light dimmed—not from lack of illumination, but obstruction.
Thick strands of webbing clung to the walls and ceiling, layered in heavy curtains that caught and refracted the crystal glow into sickly hues. Bulbous hives pulsed faintly within the web clusters, their surfaces translucent enough to reveal movement inside.
Something was breathing in the walls.
Jax slowed his pace.
This floor wasn't built for ambushes.
It was built to overwhelm.
"Insects," Nyxian muttered, nose wrinkling. "Lots of them."
Jax nodded. "Which means traps."
He didn't hesitate.
"We burn it. Now. While we control the engagement."
Bunny grinned, hammer rolling once in her hands. "Music to my ears."
"Llandra," Jax said. "Flame arrows. Bunny—tornado. Strip the walls."
They didn't ask questions.
Starpiercer sang.
The first flame arrow punched into a hive—and the entire wall erupted.
Wasp-like creatures burst from the nest in a furious cloud, only to be swallowed instantly by dragon fire. Their bodies disintegrated mid-flight, falling as ash before they could even orient themselves.
Bunny followed immediately.
She leapt, spun once in midair, and brought her hammer down in a controlled arc.
A Fire Tornado tore through the cavern.
Webbing ignited like dry paper.
Hidden nests ruptured in waves as the inferno ripped across the ceiling and walls, exposing swarms of spider-like creatures that never even touched the ground before they burned.
The cave screamed.
And then—
Silence.
Charred remains rained down.
Jax stepped forward, eyes glowing faintly as his perception skill swept the space.
"Good call," he murmured.
The walls were riddled with holes—narrow tunnels meant to release reinforcements mid-fight. They'd been packed with creatures waiting for a signal that never came.
"Other teams probably rush through," Zee said quietly. "They'd trigger everything at once."
Jax nodded. "And get buried."
He raised his hand.
"Extract."
Shadows peeled themselves from scorched corpses—larger insect forms only, the ones that still held structural integrity.
"Send them to work," Jax ordered. "Harvest crystals. One escort down to the first floor—bring the rest up."
The shadow insects obeyed instantly, disappearing down tunnels and passageways.
They pressed deeper.
Twice, Jax halted them with a raised fist.
"Trap ahead."
Each time, he directed precision strikes—fire into hollow walls, magic detonations into narrow fissures. Each time, more insects died without ever entering the battlefield.
Nothing slipped past them.
At the far end of the floor, the cavern opened into a vast chamber.
And there—
She waited.
A massive locust-like creature crouched near the center, crystalline limbs anchored into the stone. Her body pulsed with mana, and her abdomen glowed faintly, swollen with potential reinforcements.
Around her, surprisingly few guards.
She clicked her mandibles—confused.
Waiting.
Jax's System flared.
CRYSTAL LOCUST QUEEN
Rank: B
• Spawns mana-consuming locust swarms
• High magic resistance
• Sonic scream causes paralysis and disorientation
"So," Jax said calmly, "you're the nest."
The creature screamed.
The sound was weaponized—sonic force rippling outward, threatening to lock muscles and scramble senses.
Zee reacted instantly.
Barrier magic flared, dampening the worst of the effect.
The Queen convulsed—and released her swarm.
Billions of tiny insects poured from her body like living sand, each no larger than an ant, surging forward in a tidal wave meant to drown everything.
The Vixens moved without hesitation.
Zee incinerated swaths of the swarm with focused bursts of magic.
Bunny charged right—not at the insects, but the Queen—forcing the massive creature to shift left to avoid her hammer.
And that was the opening.
Jax vanished.
One heartbeat he was beside the group.
The next—
He dropped from above like a falling blade.
Peacemaker came down in a single, brutal arc.
The Queen's head separated from her body instantly.
The swarm collapsed mid-motion.
Jax landed smoothly, already pulling the corpse into his inventory before it could decay or burn.
"Light it up," he ordered.
Hell answered.
Dragon flame erupted from every direction—Starpiercer's arrows, Lilith's Kiss lashing arcs of fire, Sanctaris unleashing controlled infernos.
The remaining swarm ceased to exist.
Jax surveyed the devastation.
Then—
He released the Queen.
Shadow extraction surged.
A massive, perfect shadow form rose from the corpse, preserved in pristine condition.
The System chimed.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO NAME YOUR B-RANK CRYSTAL LOCUST?
Jax didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
He thought for half a second.
"Lucy."
The shadow locust bowed its head slightly.
Satisfied, Jax sent the remaining viable shadows to harvest crystals.
The chamber grew quiet.
A massive door at the far end of the room ground open.
FLOOR CLEARED
Jax checked the timer.
Forty-five minutes.
He exhaled slowly.
"…At this rate," he said, stepping toward the stairs, "we're going to rewrite the record."
The cave offered no protest.
But deeper still—
Something was paying attention.