The Graveback Hydra's roar rolled across the cavern like a collapse of mountains.
Spores burst upward from the Veined Wilds' glowing fungi, drifting apart as the shockwave blasted through them. Essence veins along the stone pulsed brighter for a moment, reacting to the creature's presence—or warning me.
Three heads.
Three sets of gnashing bone-plates.
Three maws dripping black bile that hissed when it touched stone.
A Floor 2 apex predator.
It wasn't testing me.
It was here to kill something that didn't belong on its floor.
Me.
Fine.
I stepped forward.
My claws extended by reflex, shadow blades forming without sound. Blink thrummed quietly beneath my skin, eager. Echo Sense pulsed in rhythmic waves, mapping the Hydra's movements before they happened.
The Hydra's center head lunged first.
Fast.
The ground cracked as it surged forward, jaws opening wide. A river of black bile poured from its throat.
I Blinked straight upward—
a clean shift, shadows gathering below me as the Hydra's attack missed by inches.
It snapped at the afterimage I left behind, crushing it between bone-plated jaws. The illusion scattered like dust.
I landed lightly on the Hydra's back.
Its scales were cold stone.
Harder than Boneclaw hide.
Nothing like the creatures above.
Perfect.
My claws slashed downward—
Umbra Blades humming—
cutting deep grooves across the Hydra's spine.
The beast shrieked with all three heads, twisting violently.
I Blinked off its back—
—and reappeared behind the left head.
My claws shot forward.
The Hydra's left head twisted faster than I anticipated, bone plates scraping sparks as its massive jaw snapped toward my arm. Echo Sense warned me: vibration surge, left side, vertical compression.
I dropped instantly.
The jaws clamped shut above my head.
It tried again—
—but I Blinked sideways, letting its own momentum slam the head into the cavern wall.
Stone shattered.
The Hydra thrashed wildly as the impact echoed through its entire body.
Good.
It was strong, fast, resilient.
But it was still a beast.
I was becoming something more.
The center head roared again, bile gathering in its throat. Silver energy crackled across its teeth.
I Blinked forward, aiming for the neck—
—but the right head intercepted mid-blink trajectory, slamming its skull into my chest like a battering ram.
Impact crackled across my frameshade chest.
Bone Plate Integration absorbed most of the hit, but it still sent me airborne.
I twisted, tail catching the ground first, and slid backward across the cavern floor.
My ribs ached.
Not broken.
Just annoyed.
The Hydra advanced.
Its three heads swayed in eerie coordination, moving like a single mind split into three bodies. The center head lowered to launch another bile stream.
Not again.
Blink flared—
I darted left—
—but the Hydra predicted this one.
The right head swung from above, jaws closing around the space I would have occupied mid-step.
I landed behind a stalagmite, dust scattering.
The Hydra was learning.
Better than expected.
It wasn't just reacting—
it was studying me.
Maybe that was why the apex creature allowed it to survive this long.
The Hydra stomped forward, its claws carving furrows in the glowing veins beneath the stone. Essence rippled, scattering light under its weight.
I stepped out from behind the stalagmite, claws extended.
It roared again, three heads harmonizing into a bone-shaking bellow.
Good.
I didn't want an easy kill.
I wanted the essence locked inside its massive frame.
The left head lunged—
The right head feinted—
The center head spat bile—
All three attacks converged on me.
Perfect.
I Blinked behind the center head, claws cutting upward—
—and the right head swung low, its jaw grazing my shoulder before I shifted again.
Pain flared briefly.
Shadow parted.
Re-knit.
Then—
The Hydra's massive tail swept across the cavern.
I sensed the vibration too late.
It slammed into me like a falling pillar.
I skidded across the cavern floor, carving a long line in the dust.
The Hydra thundered forward, all three heads lowering for a synchronized bite.
I rose immediately.
Not afraid.
Not tired.
Just focused.
Blink ignited.
Three consecutive shifts—
one forward, one upward, one downward into the Hydra's blind spot—
leaving afterimages shimmering across the cavern.
The Hydra snapped at all three illusions.
A mistake.
I landed beneath its left head, claws sinking deep into its jawline. Bone crunched, cracking like brittle stone.
It screamed.
The right head swung toward me—
but Echo Sense warned me half a second earlier.
I ducked.
The right head tore into its left sibling's throat.
Flesh ripped.
Blood gushed.
The Hydra convulsed, confused, enraged.
I darted along its flank, claws carving a long line through its underbelly.
A deep one.
Black blood poured onto the floor.
The Hydra staggered backward, all three heads screeching in discord.
I didn't stop.
Blink.
Slash.
Blink.
Carve.
I tore deeper into its side, shadow claws slicing through ribs and sinew. The Hydra lost balance, collapsing onto one knee.
Its remaining two heads lashed at me wildly.
I Blinked directly onto its wounded flank.
Night Rend pulsed in my claws.
Shadow concentrated.
Edges sharpened.
The world around me dimmed.
I struck.
One clean arc.
One perfect cut.
The Hydra's left head fell.
The entire body spasmed.
Essence bled into the air.
The center head screamed in raw fury.
It swung upward, jaws opening wide enough to swallow me whole.
I Blinked inside its guard—
straight beneath its skull—
and, with both claws extended,
I slit its throat.
Black blood gushed like a fountain.
The Hydra convulsed, collapsing, smashing the ground with enough force to shake the cavern.
Its last surviving head twisted desperately, staring at me with bone-glass eyes.
Fear.
Not instinct.
Real fear.
Good.
My claws cut once more.
Silence.
The Hydra's corpse slumped onto the cavern floor, its tails twitching in dying pulses.
Essence erupted.
A flood.
Warm.
Dense.
Heavy with power.
I inhaled deeply.
Devour ignited like a storm.
Black and silver threads curled into my form, wrapping around muscle and shadow, reinforcing everything they touched.
The cavern lights dimmed as the Hydra's essence rippled outward, absorbed fully.
[Devour Successful]
[Large Essence Acquired]
[Predation Level: 6.1 → 6.9]
[New Abilities Unlocked:]
• Hydra Regeneration (Low) → Faster minor regeneration
• Triple Focus Reflex → Brief periods of heightened multi-directional awareness
• Essence Endurance Boost → Longer sustained combat
[Shadow Stability: High]
My body pulsed with raw power.
Not enough for Tier 3 yet—
but close.
A tremor rolled through the Veined Wilds.
Not from the fight.
From below.
A deep, resonant hum that vibrated the essence veins in the stone.
The apex creature had felt the kill.
This time, its whisper was no longer distant.
"…closer…"
The cavern darkened.
The shadows around me deepened.
"…prove it…"
The air grew heavy.
"…descend…"
The veins beneath the floor pulsed violently, forming a path deeper into the labyrinth.
Floor 3 awaited.
The Gloomforge.
The realm of forges, shadows, and sentient creatures.
And I was ready.
I stepped over the Hydra's dissolving corpse, claws retracting.
Floor 1 had been survival.
Floor 2 had been domination.
Floor 3 would be evolution.
I walked toward the pulsing veins.
And the darkness welcomed me.
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