The aura of death hung heavy in the air — not loud or visible, but suffocating, like a silent grip slowly tightening around my chest.
Ever since we stepped into this underground corridor, the feeling had grown stronger — not just fear, but a sinking certainty.
Each step we took pulled us closer to something inevitable.
Every footstep echoed unnaturally loud in the silence, like we were alerting something… something already listening.
I could feel Diego behind me, his pace slowing, his breath becoming unsteady.
He felt it too.
"This place feels... wrong," he murmured, barely audible.
I nodded, not turning around. I was too focused on the end of the corridor — too focused on the shadows that seemed to shift, even without wind.
Something was here.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then, I saw it.
A movement.
At the far end of the corridor, a large shape moved with slow, deliberate steps.
I didn't hesitate. I grabbed Diego's arm and yanked him behind the nearest pillar.
"Quiet," I whispered, holding a finger to my lips.
He peered out carefully — and froze.
His eyes widened. His breath caught in his throat. His lips parted like he wanted to speak, but no words came.
Only silence.
We stared.
A hulking figure stood at the end of the hallway, emerging from the shadows.
Its body was a grotesque hybrid of insect and humanoid — covered in jagged spines that shimmered under the emergency lights.
Its mouth dripped a glowing liquid that hissed against the floor.
Eyes like burning coals flickered in the dark.
It looked like the flying insects above… but this one was different.
Bigger.
Worse.
"Why did the whisper lead us here?" I thought, my pulse pounding in my ears.
Then, without warning, the screen on my wrist lit up, casting a harsh glow across the pillar.
A message appeared.
And everything changed.
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Hidden Quest -
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Race: Voraxes
The Voraxes are a brutal insectoid race — bitter enemies of the Elves. Their hunger for evolution leads them to devour entire ecosystems.
Difficulty:
Impossible → Hard (Weakened state during dimensional transfer)
A rare chance to strike first.
Mission:
Kill the Voraxes Queen. Without her, the colony will collapse.
Reward:
Unlock Advanced Class Path (based on user's progression).
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I felt the blood drain from my face.
Voraxes.
"Did you see that?" I whispered, eyes still locked on the screen.
Diego didn't answer right away, but I saw the same message flash across his wrist.
He nodded grimly.
"This is insane," he muttered.
"We don't even know what this thing is, let alone how to fight it."
I swallowed hard.
"Is the whisper trying to get us killed?"
Diego didn't answer immediately.
He just stared at the monster — brows furrowed, fists clenched.
Impossible turning into Hard seemed to challenge us, making it seem like something we could still overcome.
But honestly, we knew we weren't ready for something this big.
I turned quickly to Diego, who stood beside me, looking just as shocked as I felt.
"No way we're taking that thing head-on," he said. "We need to fall back. Now."
I nodded, keeping my voice low. "Don't make noise. Don't draw attention. We stay low and get out—"
Then I felt it.
A shift in the air. Movement.
"DOWN!" I shouted, dragging Diego to the ground.
A split second later, the creature lunged.
It moved like a bullet — no warning, no sound.
Wind ripped past us, and a thunderous impact slammed into the pillar we'd just been behind.
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BOOM!!
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Chunks of stone exploded outward. Dust filled the air.
We rolled, coughing, the floor trembling beneath us.
"RUN!" I shouted, trying to pull Diego, who seemed frozen in fear.
But the monster was already moving again.
In a blink, it was on top of us.
"LOOK OUT!"
Its claw slashed down — too fast.
Diego dove, but not fast enough.
Blood sprayed from his arm.
"Shit!" he hissed, holding the gash that now streaked down his bicep.
"We can't outrun it," I said, panic tightening in my throat.
"We have to fight."
Diego's expression tightened, jaw clenched. He gave a quick nod.
We braced ourselves.
The creature lunged again, faster than anything that size should be.
I dodged left. Diego rolled right.
The ground cracked under its weight as it landed — a boom that shook the corridor.
Diego struck back first, launching a solid punch at its neck.
It barely flinched.
Its skin was like steel.
Red eyes burned brighter.
It roared — not in pain, but rage.
I scanned its body.
Then I saw it — the antennas.
I scanned its body.
Then I saw it — the antennas.
Sensitive. Unarmored. Unprotected.
"THE ANTENNA! GO FOR THE ANTENNA!" I shouted.
Diego didn't hesitate. He leaped, grabbing at its neck, aiming for the antenna.
I sprinted in, ducking under its claws.
I reached up, grabbed the base of one antenna — and pulled with everything I had.
The creature shrieked.
A high, piercing scream that rattled my skull.
Its body flailed violently.
Diego was thrown off.
The scream echoed, vibrating through the corridor.
It staggered — but it wasn't done.
A claw shot out, slamming into my shoulder.
Pain exploded through me.
I screamed — loud, raw, furious.
"FUCK—THIS THING!"
Diego saw me get impaled.
He snapped.
With a furious roar, he slammed his shoulder into the creature's side, forcing it off me.
"BACK OFF!"
The claw tore out of my shoulder as the beast flew sideways.
Blood poured down my chest.
Diego stumbled toward me, breathing hard.
"You okay?" he asked, voice shaking.
"I can still handle it..." I gritted my teeth, trying to suppress the pain that was overtaking my body.
I was lying.
Pain seared every nerve. I could barely move.
But the monster… it was retreating.
It turned — and ran.
"What is it doing?" Diego muttered.
I froze.
"It's not running… it's signaling the others."
I grabbed his arm.
"STOP IT! Don't let it call backup!"
But I couldn't let him face it alone.
The monster was nearly out of reach.
Diego lunged — grabbing the second antenna.
He yanked with all his strength, but it held firm.
I reached for its leg, trying to hold it down.
The creature kicked — hard.
I was launched into a wall.
Pain screamed through me. I couldn't breathe.
Diego was thrown too — but he got up.
Bleeding.
Limping.
But still standing.
The creature struck again — pinning him.
Its massive foot crushed him to the ground.
"DIEGO!" I shouted.
He groaned, still clinging to the creature's leg.
"You're not getting away…" he growled.
I had one chance.
I stumbled to my feet — barely.
The beast didn't see me coming.
One last leap.
One last grip.
I grabbed the final antenna — and pulled.
Every muscle screamed.
My body screamed.
But I pulled.
And it tore free.
The creature let out one last, awful shriek.
Black-green liquid sprayed the corridor.
It convulsed, shook, and collapsed.
The ground shook as it hit.
Then — silence.
Total silence.
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I dropped to my knees, panting, shaking.
Diego lay on the ground, coughing, bleeding, but alive.
"Did we…" he wheezed, "did we actually kill it?"
"I think so," I said.
Then I collapsed beside him.
The corridor was still.
But inside me, something had changed.
We had survived.
But we'd only just begun.