Myles didn’t hesitate anymore. His black sword cut through the wounded monster’s chest again, this time he exerted more strength so the blade was cleaving deep enough to silence its screech forever.
The body collapsed then twitching before going still.
The next two lunged at him, their claws slashing in frenzied hunger.
Myles stepped forward instead of retreating. His movements become sharper now that he understood their toughness.
He parried one claw with the flat of his blade, then pivoted low. In the next second the crimson glow flashing as he carved across its abdomen.
The monster staggered back and shrieked as always, but Myles pressed without mercy. He sent one thrust straight into its chest, driving the sword deep until the glow in its horn flickered out.
The last creature shrieked and rushed.
Myles pulled his blade free, moved, and slashed upward in one smooth arc.
The horned head split apart and the body collapsed to the fleshy floor with a wet thud.
Moments later, all three of the mutated humans lay lifeless, their mutated body sprawled on the ground.
A notification flickered in front of his eyes.
[+30 EXP]
Nothing else for this time. No item drops or other loot. Only EXP. But the numbers were larger than before what he got outside of this place.
Myles breathed out, scanning the tunnel ahead but saw no more movement. No more monsters.
The mist remained still for now.
He turned back immediately and moved quickly toward the others.
When he reached them, their tense faces eased slightly.
He lowered his blade and spoke evenly. "These monsters are tougher than the ones outside so make sure you hit them harder and be careful to dodge. Pay more attention to them."
They nodded in unison, absorbing the warning with apprehensive expression. Some of them even showed worried faces.
Myles added, his tone more deliberate, "But the EXP we gain here... it’s doubled. So I guess it’s good news."
Those words rippled through the group. Their tired expressions shifted a little, their eyes brightening. He was right, at least if the enemy were stronger they would give more EXP.
Glances were exchanged and their shoulders were straightened. And a spark of energy returned.
More EXP meant faster leveling, so faster growth.
Outside, they had only scraped together 10 to 15 EXP per kill. 15 was rare, almost lucky. But here, every single one of these monsters could give them 20 to 30 instead. Twice as much.
Myles caught the change in their expressions. There was no longer just fear, no longer only desperation. They were adapting step by step.
But actually they were not just surviving, they were thriving. Hungering for strength.
"Good," he thought. "That’s the right attitude to have in this world."
But then Nadine frowned, pointing toward the corpses.
"Wait. Look at that."
They all turned. From the monsters’ foreheads the jagged horns that had glowed so sickly green were now detaching.
They slid free with soft cracks and dropped onto the fleshy ground with dull thuds.
Myles stepped closer, crouched, and picked one up.
A notification appeared before his eyes.
[Soul Fragment – Rank F]
[Can be used in the Soul Forge Altar]
Myles froze, frown deepening as his eyes narrowed on the message.
The red glow of his blade pulsed faintly as if reflecting the sharp glint in his questioning gaze.
Myles thought to himself, "What is this Soul Forge Altar?"
But he quickly realized there would be no answer here, no matter how hard he tried to figure it out.
What he knew for certain was simple. The horns, these Soul Fragments, were valuable.
He turned his gaze toward the others. And speaking in a calm but firm voice. "These horns are valuable. After every kill make sure to collect them."
One after another, the survivors voiced their understanding. None of them questioned it.
They touched the three fragments from the fallen corpses and saw the notifications for themselves.
The jagged pieces pulsed faintly in their hands before turning inert as if waiting for something only the Altar could awaken.
With their optimism higher and their formation tighter, they pushed deeper into the grotesque tunnel.
The deeper they went, the thicker the air became.
The fleshy walls trembled with each step and the sickly green veins beat like arteries guiding them forward.
The further they walked, the more creatures appeared.
One after another, the warped humans with horns emerged from the fleshy wounds.
This time not just three, but in scattered groups that added up to nearly twenty.
The battles were grueling.
Some survivors struggled, their arms shaking as they swung makeshift weapons harder than usual, their breaths ragged with anxiety and struggle.
But under Myles’s lead, they moved as a unit.
Each time one of them seemed to falter, Victor or Nadine was there to cover them.
Each time the monsters swarmed too many around them, Myles’s black blade cut through with ruthless efficiency.
Blood splattered. Screeches echoed. But slowly and surely, the monsters died.
Twenty bodies lay broken and still across the fleshy ground. From each one the horns cracked free, clattering down like eerie trophies for them.
By the end, every survivor’s hands clutched fragments that glowed faintly before dimming.
Exhausted but still able to continue, the group pressed on.
Then Myles, who was always at the front, suddenly stopped. His eyes narrowed at the sight before him.
There, set into the fleshy wall looking like it didn’t belong there, stood a door.
It was a simple door. Its frame and handle were shaped like ordinary metal. But its surface was pure black, darker than shadow, and from its edges seeped tendrils of black smoke-like energy that curled outward into the air.
It looked normal in the shape of a door but the aura it gave off was anything but normal.
All of them who saw that were certain that this was not an ordinary door. It was an entrance to something else entirely. Something unknown and probably dangerous.