Muffin eyes swept across the opposite bank, and a faint glow of blue flower at the corner caught his attention. It was emitting a soft glow, almost making it untraceable by water reflection. Then, a blue spider skittered over it.
''Hey! Snowball. I think we just found a blue spider. Let's cross this water and spray this." Alexia didn't respond.
''Hey! Are you listening to me_" He again called her, tugging her pants. Catching her serious look, he glanced down the pool.
Going down he got impressed,'' The underwater pool is nice. But the deeper his gaze sank, uneasiness crept over him. ''If somebody falls down there, I don't think they would ever come up," Muffin remarks abruptly as the darkness beneath this tunnel-like pool seemed endless, swallowing him. He felt nauseous and sat on the ground only to feel a fragment of a green gem pressed against his butt.
Ding!
[New Feature Unlocked: Gem Store]
[Deposit 1 gram of emerald → Gain access to unlimited Emerald Gem]
Gem Store? Alexia quickly turned her head to the panel as soon she heard gem store from his mouth. Muffin selected the pickaxe option to mine the gem, and in an instant, it appeared in his hand. Alexia goes near the panel and bends down, her cold lips curved faintly not in awe, but with deal. ''Impressive, I didn't expect to have an infinite emerald by chance."
''Gold digger'' Muffin scoffed and gave her a side eye, smirking.
'' I don't think you need a pickaxe for 1 gram of emerald, Muffin.'' She pried a larger emerald rock from the ground, analyzing with her hand once before placing it into the system's glowing grid. Feeling embarrassed, he let the pickaxe fall. The vibration made a fragment wobble and drop into the depths, and goes deeper into the dark zone.
[Processing…]
[Emerald Registered. Currency Conversion Available.]
Alexia was zoned in the system, unaware of what was coming next. Below from the dark water, something stirred. Then suddenly, a swarm began to surge upward, with an incoming dark figure.
[Craft Jewellery]
[Collar Necklace] [Choker Necklace]
[Pendant Necklace] [Bib Necklace]
[...]
Muffin's tail lashed with excitement. "Quick, quick! Click the choker one! We're going to be rich!"
Behind them, the water rippled, repelled more than silence and a grotesque figure emerged. It's slimy, hairless body with unnatural muscle, and nearly blind eyes under pallid flesh. Its head twitched, while its dripped saliva through its gaped mouth.
Alexia's system panel flickered, and Muffin saw a slimy, hairless humanoid standing right behind Alexia. As he turned back, totally horrified by the sight, his eyes widened and body trembled. A cold tremor gripped his spine as a swarm of creatures was hovering at the water, preying on them, and suddenly one creature appeared in front his face.
In a heartbeat, the pickaxe bashed down the creature's head and swung to another one behind her with full force straight into its eye with her fast reflexes. The creature right infront of him fell with a heavy thud. A wet, sickening poped, the creature screamed, staggering back in pain. A horrifying screech rang out from the injured creature, echoing through the whole chamber.
As the noise stopped, it fell into complete silence like a silence before a storm. The lurking creature instantly sprang and rushed towards them, water lapping at their feet.
The system flared again in front of Muffin in violent red alerts.
[TASK SUSPENDED]
[Unusual Event Detected]
[Mission: Kill the leader]
[Alert: Humanoid Maneating Specimen Outbreak]
[Status: Time Frozen]
[Danger Level: EXTREME]
Suddenly, the opening gets shut violently by a giant rock by a creature from the other side, trapping them inside. ''I think we're gonna die," Muffin muttered nervously, voice trembling, his dummy fish clutched tight, eyes wide with terror. ''No one's gonna die, '' Alexia leapt in front of the terrified muffin to protect. "Stay right behind me," she says, gripping her pickaxe as the creature charges.
-------
Alexia pivoted sharply, swinging the pickaxe in a wide, brutal arc as they were getting surrounded from both sides. The sound of metal striking sinew and bone reverberated through the entire cave. Each strike was precise, forceful, and lethal as if she had used it countless times. Monsters slaughtered, claws scraping against stone, water splashing violently as their bodies collided in a chaotic mess.
Their speed was fast—darting, slithering, lunging from every shadow. Alexia swung harder, more aggressively, each strike cutting through the advancing horde, and fought them with her every move of her attack. Her movements were deadly, and so even Muffin got goosebumps as he didn't expect her to be this dangerous. Muffin scrambled behind her, the only safe place in the chaos. He clutched both the dummy fish and the bug spray, eyes wide with fear as he peered between her swings.
The continuous incomings didn't give them space to retreat, as the horde was growing exponentially, monstrous figures rising from the depths. Some larger, faster, and more grotesque than the first wave. The sound of claws scraping stone and wet, slithering movement filled the cavern like a living nightmare, and then, the huge figure rose from the very depths, emerging from among the fallen.
Alexia's eyes scanned the swarm, calculating as she saw a huge, deadly figure approaching. Others started to back off slightly, letting their leader take center stage in the hunt. Alexia saw a hole left in the block made by a pickaxe while hitting them before, enough to escape. Her voice cut through the chaos, calm but commanding:
"Muffin… go."
Muffin dashed immediately, hearing her command and eyes fixed on her coming. Before she could escape, the leader appeared out of nowhere, snatching her mid-step with its massive, sinewy arms. Muffin got frozen, and others backed off, seeing their leader hunt. Alexia, struggling, looks at Muffin's terrified face.
"Run, Muffin!" she yelled, with little air left, and hacked the pickaxe right to the leader's head. Muffin bolted, and the others tried to break down the door.
Then, the other side creatures wake up to the noise and chase after him. He starts dodging, deadly gnashing and flopping limbs, adrenaline pushing him forward as many creatures started to gather toward him. He narrowly slipped between raging jaws and claws.
''Don't look back'' Alexia's voice echoed from behind as he was running with the pack chasing after him. Alexia was in a weary state as the blood ran through her injured shoulder, and the monstrous leaders suddenly came eye to eye and caught her off guard. He abruptly throws her violently with brute strength to the other empty side of the cavern. She smashed against the serrated cave wall with dreadful impact, the impact jolting pain through her skull as blood dripped down. Her pickaxe slipped from her limp hand, and she landed with a chilling thud.
Every second felt like an eternity as they got separated, with the threat of death looming over them.
Ding!
[Suspended task reactivated]