Meanwhile, not far from Ben's first base in this layer.
Stone exploded outward as a section of the cavern wall cracked open. Four figures stepped through the dust. Three of them towered over the average human.
Their frames were thick with muscle, carved like warriors. Behind them, a hooded figure moved in silence—shorter, but giving out a strong pressure.
Despite their appearance, the trio moved with caution. None dared to step too far ahead. Their attention kept drifting to the hooded man trailing them.
It had been a month since Ben's confrontation with the Lady of the Lake—since then, this group had clawed their way, following a trail carved in blood and stone.
The journey had been hell. The magus didn't offer any help—just stood back, watching like it was a damn performance. Only spoke when he felt like it, asking about the situation on this layer with that smug tone of his.
When a Hellworm attacked them a week ago, it turned into a bloodbath. Luckily, that one was smaller than the beast Ben fought.
If it wasn't, they'd be dead already. It nearly took Draeven's life. He only pulled through thanks to fighting back-to-back with Vek'tal and Tzarek—those two lured the thing in while Draeven kill it with his molten core.
The primordial flame burned it from the inside out, cooking it alive. The magus clapped when it was over, like it was some stage show—then helped himself to slices of cooked Hellworm like it was lunch.
If not for his power, they'd have gutted him a long time ago. But even after all this time, they still hadn't found a single weakness.
Now, moving closer to Ben's territory, exhaustion was carved into their faces.
Vek'tal stretched with a grunt, bones cracking as he looked ahead. "Finally. So where to now?"
"Let's rest first. We've been moving non-stop for a week," Tzarek muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. The three of them had taken turns digging the tunnel all the way here.
"Unless, of course, our esteemed magus objects." He glanced over cautiously.
The magus raised his hand and waved lazily. "Don't mind me. Of course, you may rest."
Relief washed over the trio—until he spoke again.
"We continue in one hour. I sense strange mana coming from that direction."
He pointed northeast. If Ben were here, he'd know—that way led to the Ravager nest.
"Of course, esteemed magus," Tzarek said tightly, swallowing his frustration.
The magus chuckled. "The weak should move according to the will of the strong. But don't let that stop you—if you've got something to say, by all means."
He wasn't clueless. He knew they wanted him dead. He just didn't care. If anything, he was hoping they'd try. Something, anything, to make thing more interesting.
This was his first time venturing this deep—and so far? It was a disappointment.
He'd taken this mission hoping for some challenge. The rumors said the deeper one goes, the stronger the beasts become.
But so far? That Hellworm had been the strongest, and it still far from his standard..
Meanwhile, Draeven stayed silent, eyes locked on the weapon in his hand—his living weapon.
After killing the Hellworm, he'd used his molten core to consume it as base material. He expected it to consume the whole damn beast, but instead, it absorbed something he couldn't even see.
The core than evolved... into a shovel.
'I kill a legendary mythical beast and this is what I get…' That thought had been gnawing at him for days.
"Draeven, you still sulking over that? Just let it go. I'm telling you, that shovel's not normal," Tzarek said with a sigh.
"Easy for you to say, Tzarek," Draeven muttered. He raised the shovel, and with a flick of will, a purplish flame ignited along its edge. The fire gave off no heat. He slammed it into the ground.
The shovel pierced the stone like it was tofu—but that wasn't the point.
"See that? Not a single burn mark. This damn flame's just for show!" he growled.
He raised his other hand, calling forth a fireball. Normally among the Ashborn, fire had to be shaped by mana to take on unique traits. But now, for him It just came out .
A ball of purple flame swirled into existence. He hurled it at the cavern wall.
Smoke billowed out—but once it cleared, not a single scratch was left behind.
"Now all my flames are purple! I didn't get stronger—I got nerfed!" he snapped, voice full of frustration.
The magus, leaning against a nearby wall, let out a chuckle. He'd been curious about the flame at first, as he couldn't feel any mana at all, but after watching Draeven run in circles, he lost interest.
Defective, he figured. Nothing more.
"Calm down, Draeven. Let's eat," Vek'tal said, pulling out a wrapped meal from his storage pouch.
Draeven grumbled under his breath but sat down. As strong as he'd become—with regeneration that could shame most beasts—he still needed food to take the edge off the fatigue.
As they ate, Vek'tal spoke again. "No point obsessing over it, brother. Focus on yourself. The Draeven I know wouldn't whine just 'cause of something . Sure, your flame's weird now—but that shovel's sharper than anything we've used."
"Who knows," Draeven muttered, chewing. "So far, all I've done with it is dig through useless rock. But yeah... it is sharper than the weapon we usually use."
He stabbed a chunk of meat with the shovel's tip just to prove the point. It easily cut it in half.
Vek'tal smirked, chewing slowly. "But now I'm curious... why'd it take the form of a shovel? Doesn't the molten core adapt based on the beast's traits—and the user's own preference?"
"You saying this is my fault?" Draeven shot him a look.
"Chill, Draeven," Tzarek cut in, waving a hand. "Vek'tal just means... what kind of traits did that Hellworm have? Why a shovel, of all things?"
"What else?" Draeven grunted. "Thing probably spent its whole life diggin' through stone. Guess that's what it left behind."
He was about to complain more—but then all three of them froze. They suddenly feel a presence.
Their heads snapped toward the source.
A humanoid beast stood there, half-melded with the shadows, its body wrapped in plates of dark armor. Six eyes locked into them.
If Ben were here, he'd recognize it instantly. The Krell Alpha.