Perfect payback, Ren thought as he widened his stance, grounding himself.
He waited for Oskara and his group to draw closer.
Now's my chance.
He activated the Jade Phoenix Carapace.
A surge of emerald light erupted around him as the transformation took hold. Without hesitation, he layered it with Jade Spirit, keeping the crab possession active.
He felt the backlash before the system warning appeared.
[Jade Phoenix Carapace Activated]
Power flooded his limbs, then his muscles tore. He felt fibers rip beneath his skin like threads snapping one by one. A copper taste filled his mouth.
[WARNING: Transformation Conflict Detected. Crab Possession Beast Memory and Jade Phoenix Carapace are both transformation types.
Thirty seconds to deactivate either Crab Possession or Jade Phoenix Carapace or face critical backlash.]
Ren gritted his teeth as pain exploded through his nerves.
His vision trembled as he endured.
If I hesitate now… I lose.
Oskara stepped within range, and then Ren lunged forward and drove his fist into his chest.
BOOM!
Oskara was blasted backward.
In the same motion, Ren snatched the sack from his grip and bolted down the tunnel without a second glance.
Left turn.
Right turn.
Another bend.
Within seconds, he had taken multiple sharp curves.
"Agh—!"
He couldn't hold it anymore.
He dropped the Jade Phoenix Carapace, keeping only the crab possession active. The pressure lessened, though his body still screamed in protest.
He kept running.
When humans first entered the Pathway, they uncovered many things and rules. One of them was clear—using a Class and a Beast Memory of the same transformation type simultaneously was impossible.
Yet Ren was among the few who could manage to do it, all because of the Merge skill.
Dammit… I'll have to continue like this.
"I can't stop," Ren muttered as he continued pressing forward.
Am I really getting away with this?
Then he felt it.
A tug.
As if someone or something were pulling at his mind.
The Quest.
In the rush of the moment, Ren had almost forgotten about the quest, but just now the tug reminded him. This time, something was different.
The pull was getting stronger.
Wait… I'm running away from it, but I thought I was escaping it. Unless…
No. Don't tell me—
SKREEEEEE—!
A razor-sharp screech tore through the tunnel.
---
Meanwhile…
Oskara groaned as consciousness returned. He pushed himself up from Tasha's arms, fury blazing in his eyes.
"Who was that bastard?! Who hit me?!"
Unfortunately, he did not see who the perpetrator was.
Screech!
The two brown crabs immediately froze. Then their eyes snapped toward the tunnel Ren had escaped from with burning obsession.
Boom!
Immediately, they sped past Oskara's group, heading toward the tunnel Ren had escaped through.
The giant black crab raised its two front pincers into the air and brought them down toward the ground.
Boom!
A sonic wave in a crescent-moon shape spread out, passing through Oskara and his group.
"I think we are in deep trouble," Tasha said.
"What?" Oskara asked.
"It seems it's seriously angered."
Immediately after she finished her words, the crab's carapace started glowing white.
Without hesitating, Oskara shouted, "Retreat!"
SKREEEEEE—!
The now white-carapaced crab screeched, producing a massive sound wave that spread out in every direction, passing through Oskara and his team and through the tunnel walls too.
Immediately, many screeches followed, echoing from different tunnel walls.
---
Back to Ren.
A cold chill shot down Ren's spine.
A soundless white shockwave spread out, racing past him like silent lightning accompanying the screech. Ren's pupils shrank.
What… what was that?
A deep tremor answered him—vibrations pulsing through the cavern floor.
Boom!
A tunnel wall near Ren exploded, the stones shattering into fragments as a giant brown crab charged out, followed by another.
He glanced back.
Behind him, two brown crabs thundered forth, the cavern trembling under their charge.
Shit! If I'm not mistaken, those two are Absolute Beasts.
If Oskara's team couldn't even take on one, then I'm done for.
He took a turn down a small tunnel passage.
Vroom!
Immediately after Ren entered the tunnel, a massive air blade released by one of the giant crabs flashed past where he had been a moment ago.
Who told me to be too greedy and take this curse from that bastard? Ren muttered in anger under his breath.
Well, I need to do something, or else this may be the death of me.
Rumble!
A rumbling sound echoed, coming from the tunnel walls around him.
Turning another corner, he saw it.
A small swarm of seven lethal crabs charging toward him.
He slid to a stop.
"Huff…"
"Puff…"
He breathed in, trying to rest his body a little.
Dammit, Ren said, his body aching everywhere.
I get it now… That shockwave wasn't meant for harm. It was a call. And if I'm not mistaken, more are coming.
Well, I've got just the thing for this.
Planting his leg firmly on the ground, he charged, running straight toward the approaching swarm. Amid his stride, he summoned a Beast Memory.
Ding!
[Aberrant Frenzy Bee Boots]
Details: Grants the user a second step per boot. Can be used only three times.
Immediately, yellow boots with black stripes materialized on his feet. They resembled football shoes.
Charging forward, Ren jumped and landed on top of a crab. He brought his fist down, smashing onto the crab.
A nearby crab swung its pincer, but Ren was already gone.
He jumped off the crab and stepped on the air, propelling himself upward.
Immediately after he landed, he sprinted deep into the tunnel.
Deeper inside, the tunnel opened into a large open space. That's when he heard it.
Up ahead—movement.
Lots of it.
CRRSH! CRRSH! CRRSH!
Dozens of smaller side tunnels burst open as a swarm of lethal-backed crabs poured out. A tide of chitin and snapping mandibles flooded into the corridor.
Ren's breath caught.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
It wasn't just a few crabs anymore. It was an entire brood.
The swarm rushed in from the front.
I think it's not too late to turn back now…
Huh…?
Boom! The tunnel behind him exploded, and then two giant brown crabs stepped out, sealing the tunnel behind him.
Ren gritted his teeth and muttered,
"No more running."
He tore open the satchel, grabbed one of the eggs, and smashed it against the floor.
DING!
[Absolute Creature: Crab Warrior Slain]
[Beast Memory Gained]
[Consume to Gain Ascension Point]
Ren pulled up the new Beast Memory's information.
[Crab Warrior; Summon]
[Description: Summon a warrior of the lethal crabs]
[Cycle: 0/3]
Ren's eyes widened.
A sharp, confident grin spread across his face.
The heavens don't want me dead yet.
Immediately, he summoned the Beast Memory. Amid swirling sparks, a small red crab appeared.
Screech!
The two brown crabs screeched in anger, and together all the crabs charged at him.
"Huh…"
What's this…?
But before he could finish his thoughts, the crab ballooned, now standing the same height as the brown crabs.
By now, the swarm had closed in, the two giant crabs flanking him like living walls. Boxed in completely, he remained calm.
But beneath the calmness, he was quietly analyzing his surroundings.
The Spark of Genesis, huh? But where?
By now, the pull was very strong, almost giving him a headache.
Ren gave the Crab Warrior a command. "Protect me."
A red energy field materialized around him, and then the Crab Warrior lunged forward into the swarm.
Slash! Swing! Bang! Screech!
The sounds of battle faded as Ren took a deep breath, closing his eyes and concentrating.
The notifications stopped, and then the pull grew stronger. This had only happened a few times, and when—
I see.
"Kill it!" Ren shouted, immediately opening his eyes and pointing in a direction.
There stood one of the giant brown crabs, clacking its mandibles.
The Crab Warrior stirred, a red aura enveloping it.
The cavern shook the moment it did.
A deep, chest-rattling KRUMMM thundered through the stone, and then it stepped toward where Ren was pointing with a slow, deliberate step.
THOOM.
THOOM.
THOOM.
Each step made the smaller crabs recoil instinctively.
Then the red aura surrounding it burst forth. A crushing pressure washed over the swarm like an invisible tidal wave. The smaller crabs froze mid-charge, their pincers trembling.
The crab Ren was pointing at paused. Its instincts screamed, telling it to run.
For the first time in its life, it hesitated, its mind struggling between instinct and order.
"Go," Ren shouted again.
The Crab Warrior screeched and lunged straight at the giant crab Ren was pointing at. The cavern detonated with the impact.
BOOOOM!
It swung its pincer, channeling all the remaining red aura in its body into a single slash.
A red slash flew out and split it in two, killing it on the spot.
Screech!
The second giant brown crab screeched and swung its pincer at the Crab Warrior.
Bang! The Crab Warrior was hit and sent sliding back a full meter.
Flick. Flick. Flicker.
The red energy field surrounding Ren started flickering.
The Crab Warrior screeched and raised its two front claws upward. Immediately, red lights began gathering from every corpse on the battlefield, heading toward its open mandibles.
Crunch!
It bit down and swallowed.
Back at Ren's side.
Immediately after the brown crab was slain, a notification screen appeared.
Ding!
[Absolute Creature: Worker Crab Slain]
[No Beast Memory Gained]
[Consume to Gain Ascension Point]
Ding!
[Quest Updated: Locate the Spark: ✓
Seize the Spark: Pending]
Ren's eyes narrowed.
Just as I thought.