The moment Isaac stepped forward, the Crawleroids reacted. Their glowing eyes locked onto him, sensing the challenge.
Aiah felt a chill run down her spine.
The dark smoke curling from Isaac's eyes hadn't faded. If anything, it looks thicker now.
He didn't move.
Didn't even grip his axe tighter.
He just stood there, letting the monsters circle him.
"Why isn't he attacking?" the woman beside Aiah whispered, voice shaking.
Ben exhaled. "He's waiting."
A tense silence settled over the forest.
Then…
They lunged.
All eight at once.
Isaac's lips barely moved. "Too slow."
When the monsters were just an inch away, he activated his skill.
[Skill Activated: Reaper's Spiral]
He spun, his axe slicing through the air in a deadly arc.
First Spin. The blade sliced through the closest Crawleroid's front legs, making it collapse forward. Before it could react, the returning motion of the axe sliced clean through its neck, severing its head completely.
Second Spin. The axe slashed across another's face, splitting its mandibles apart.
Third Spin. The force sent blood flying as two Crawleroids in range had their torsos torn open.
Fourth Spin. The next two monsters tried to leap away, but the axe curved mid-spin, cutting through their bodies.
Fifth Spin. The last two within reach leaped at Isaac together… only to be bisected mid-air. Their halves hit the ground separately.
The spinning stopped.
Isaac stood at the center as eight lifeless Crawleroids collapsed around him.
The ground was wet with blood. Severed limbs twitched, their bodies still reacting even in death.
The notification flashed in his vision.
[Reaper's Spiral: 65% Mastery]
The higher the mastery, the more spins and power the skill can unleash.
Aiah blinked. It was over in seconds.
But one remained. Standing far from Isaac, its body trembled.
Isaac threw his axe.
The monster reacted fast, dodging at the last second.
For a moment, it seemed safe.
It turned, and started to flee.
Then…
[Skill Unlocked: Reaper's Boomerang]
The axe curved back.
This time, it moved twice as fast.
The monster barely had time to screech before the axe sank into its skull.
[Reaper's Boomerang: 7% Mastery]
Isaac stepped forward, pulled his axe free, and shifted his gaze toward the trees ahead, the direction the last Crawleroid had desperately tried to flee.
Putol let out a low whistle. "Damn…"
Nai shook his head, still in shock. "He's right. This won't take long."
Aiah's eyes lingered on Isaac. 'He's getting stronger. Faster. Every fight… '
She wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
Beside her, the woman's face had gone pale. Her jaw nearly dropped. Isaac wasn't even out of breath.
Her voice came out unsteady. "What… what is he?"
As they approached, Aiah frowned. "What are you looking at?"
"That last one didn't just run randomly, it was heading somewhere. Probably its nest or others of its kind. We go that way."
Before moving, he whispered, "Swarm Devour."
[Activate Swarm Devour? Y/N]
"Yes."
Without looking back, he stepped forward, the others following close behind. Behind them, the approaching swarm eagerly descended upon the corpse.
As they walked through the trees, the woman's breathing grew uneven. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke. "Mira. My name is Mira.
"Why are you guys here? Don't you know this forest is dangerous?" Putol asked.
"We were trying to cross the border into Carreon. We thought we could escape Bulcan, but the soldiers chased us. We had no choice but to run into the forest." Her voice wavered.
"Some of us were wounded. They wouldn't have been able to escape alone."
Aiah stayed quiet, but hearing it directly made her chest tighten. If her father were alive, Bulcan wouldn't be like this. He should have been king. None of this would have happened.
A system notification flashed in Isaac's vision.
[Swarm Devour Effect… 100% Absorption.]
[Swarm Authority Level: 30% Points.]
Isaac's steps slowed. He took a breath, letting the information settle. 'That's more than I expected.'
Then, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the ground. A faint trail of crushed grass and broken branches led deeper into the forest, the same direction the last Crawleroid had tried to flee.
Without a word, he crouched and raised his hand, signaling the others to stop.
Nai and Putol froze. Ben tightened his grip on his bow, watching him carefully. Mira swallowed hard, still pale from what she had just witnessed.
"There's more ahead," Isaac murmured. His voice was low but firm. "Stay quiet."
The group followed his lead, stepping cautiously.
The forest was eerily silent, except for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. The deeper they went, the more signs they found, drag marks in the dirt, torn fabric caught on branches, and footprints that weren't human.
Ben picked up a piece of cloth. "These are from the missing people."
Isaac was right.
Then he held up his hand again.
Everyone stopped.
The smell hit them first, a foul, rotten stench. Then came the sound. A faint clicking, growing louder by the second. Isaac pushed aside a thick bush and peered ahead.
Down below, the land opened into a massive ravine.
Hundreds of Crawleroids marched in organized lines, moving toward a large cave entrance. They are carrying human bodies and strange cocoon-like sacs.
Mira covered her mouth, trembling. "No… no way…"
Nai and Putol exchanged worried glances. Aiah felt her pulse quicken. These weren't just a few scattered monsters. This was a nest.
Putol exhaled sharply. "We're dead if we go down there."
Isaac didn't flinch. He studied the scene with sharp eyes, his grip tightening around his axe. Unlike the others, he wasn't afraid.
If anything, he felt something else. Something different.
Excitement.
The thrill of testing his strength against overwhelming odds made his blood rush. The urge to jump in, to carve through the monsters, was strong.
But then Aiah spoke. "We can't just charge in. We need to gather more information first."
Nai nodded. "Jumping in blindly is suicide."
Despite her fear, Mira clenched her fists. "But we have to save them."
Isaac took a deep breath, forcing himself to step back. His excitement could wait. He gave a short nod.
"Then we watch first. See how they move. Find a way in."
As they observed, a deep, guttural screech echoed from the cave.
The Crawleroids froze for a second. Then, as if answering a call, they moved faster, disappearing into the darkness.
Isaac watched closely.
The moment the last Crawleroid vanished into the cave, the forest fell into an eerie silence. No more clicking. No movement. Just the faint echo of the screech still lingering in the air.
Aiah swallowed hard. "What… was that?"
Isaac's eyes were locked on the cave's entrance, calculating. "Something inside had issued a command. Something powerful enough to control hundreds of monsters at once."
Nai exhaled sharply. "This is bad. If they're organized enough to follow orders, charging in is suicide."
Mira, still trembling, clenched her fists. "But we can't leave those people."
Isaac's fingers tightened around his axe handle. He could feel it… a strong presence inside the cave.
'Tiny?' he called in his thoughts.
No answer.
'Tiny?' he tried again.
Still nothing.
He reached up, running his fingers through his hair, searching for any sign of the small insect. But there was nothing.
Then it hit him… the Reaper's Spiral. The speed of his spin must have thrown Tiny off. He could be anywhere now.
Isaac sighed. He had hoped to use Tiny to scout ahead.
But there was no time to wait.
"We move in," he said. "Slow. Quiet." Then he looked at Aiah. "No lights."
The group crept forward, slipping between rocks and dead trees.
The entrance to the cave was wider than expected, large enough for the Crawleroids to march in and out in groups.
As they stepped inside, the smell got worse. Mira struggled not to gag. Aiah covered her nose. Isaac, however, remained unaffected, his body had already adapted to worse.
Further in, glowing sacks hung from the ceiling, pulsating faintly. Some of them twitched.
Putol shuddered. "I hate this. I hate this so much."
Isaac barely heard him. His eyes stayed fixed ahead. At the far end of the cavern, beyond the cluster of cocoons, a huge shadow moved.
And then, it spoke.
"You are not welcome here."