Moonlight shone over the ridges while Aaron and the girls sat by the fire. After making her contract, Kyela sent her spirit back to the spirit realm because her mana capacity of sixty only let her summon Liora for about a minute. They waited another thirty minutes for Kyela's mana to recover. Then Aaron stood up and said, "We should get started. We'll hunt for a few hours, then come back here and sleep in shifts."
The girls nodded, picked up the mana lamp, and started searching the ridges for caves where Venomweave Skulkers might hide. After walking a few hundred meters along the base, they saw a cave opening about ten meters above them on the rocky slope. They climbed carefully, with Aaron leading, Kyela close behind, and Tyra at the back.
After a few minutes, they reached the cave entrance. It was about eight feet wide and twelve feet high, with jagged stone walls inside. As the hunt was about to start, Aaron's face grew serious. He said, "Kyela, hold the mana lamp and stay close. No matter what happens, don't step outside the light's range."
The girls nodded in agreement. Both were nervous since this was their first real mission, and it was the hardest one allowed for their rank.
They entered the cave, and after a few meters, the lack of moonlight made everything pitch black. Without the mana lamp, Aaron wouldn't have known where to go. A strong acidic smell filled the air.
The girls had grown up in the slums, where sewage smells were normal, but this was much worse. They covered their noses to block the foul odor. Even Aaron found it overwhelming. Still, he could tell from the sharp smell that a beast was nearby.
As they went deeper, the smell got even worse. Small patches of web stuck to the cave ceiling, and some stones were charred. Aaron guessed this was from a beast's venom. Everyone stayed alert, weapons ready for anything.
Aaron spoke in a low voice, "If a fight breaks out, you two stay back. I'll engage the beast, and only when I tell you to, should you move in to attack." Then he turned to Kyela and added, "You might not have any attack skills, but you can use your knife. I'll weaken the beast so you can land the final blow."
They were about seventy meters deep in the cave. The path was uneven, sometimes narrowing so only one person could pass at a time, and sometimes turning sharply. They kept moving, searching for the beast. Up ahead, Aaron saw eight red dots staring at him. He stopped right away and took a defensive stance, not attacking, so the beast wouldn't notice the girls.
When Aaron came to a halt, the girls stopped too. Following his instructions, they stepped back until Aaron stood right at the edge of the mana lamp's light. The glowing eyes in the darkness stayed locked on Aaron.
Neither he nor the beast moved—a single wrong step could be dangerous, since Aaron couldn't see the creature's body or the cave around it. Carefully, he used Abyssal Insight, focusing on the eyes to make the beast's stats appear before him.
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Name: Venomweave Skulkers
Tier: Fragment ★★
Level: 20
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Health Points: 820 / 820
Mana Capacity: 250 / 250
Attack Power: 158
Affinity: Venom
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Skills
Silk Snare
Launches a web in a wide spread, restricting the target's movement.
Venom Spit
Spits a glob of toxic fluid from its fangs, dealing increased damage by 25% with burn effect.
Fang Pierce
Lunges forward, striking with both venomous fangs, dealing 40% increased damage. After the attack, the target suffers a deadly poison, losing 30 health points per second for 5 seconds.
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Aaron didn't know how big the creature was or what it really looked like. The beast manual only gave basic information and listed possible loot. With eight glowing eyes, it could be anything. As he checked the stats, he saw its health points were low, but its attack power was high.
The manual also warned that Skulkers were extremely agile. Aaron realized he would need to fight carefully, using simple attacks to create an opening for the girls to land the finishing blow.
Moving carefully so he wouldn't be noticed, Aaron pulled another mana lamp from his inventory. It was the backup he had bought for emergencies. He channeled his mana, powered it up, and threw the lamp toward the beast in one quick motion.
As the lamp flew through the air, it flared up, casting a sudden light that spread across the area. The Skulker let out a sharp screech, startled by the brightness, and instantly used Silk Snare, firing a web from its back. The sticky gray web shot through the darkness, striking the lamp and pinning it to the cave floor, dimming the light.
That quick burst of light let Aaron see the beast and its lair clearly. The cavern's ceiling was broad and high, rising nearly fifteen feet. Thick webs blocked the way forward. The Skulker sprawled above, its body as big as a bear and covered in dark, chitinous armor with faint green veins pulsing underneath.
Eight spindly legs, each coated in coarse black hair and tipped with sharp points, clung to the web. Its face was small compared to its massive body, but two enormous fangs curved inward, dripping green venom without pause.
The Skulker moved to the highest part of the ceiling, where the dim lamp light couldn't reach. Only the red glow of its eyes showed where it was, perched nearly fifteen feet above. Aaron thought about climbing the jagged stones along the cave walls, but thick webs covered every handhold.
Even the slightest touch would alert the beast to his location. The Skulker remained motionless, its eyes locked on Aaron, waiting for him to make the first move.
After a few tense seconds of a stare-down, Aaron grinned. "So you want to play cat and mouse? You're about to get neutered." With a flick, he activated Shadow Stealth and vanished. The Skulker freaked, launching a glob of green venom at Aaron's last spot—Venom Spit.
The venom missed, splattering on the floor with a sizzle that said, 'This could be your face.' Tyra, bow drawn, stood ready beside Kyela. The fight was on, and both girls waited for Aaron's signal. Thanks to the mana lamp—still burning, though pinned by web—there was just enough dim light for them to see the beast's attacks hitting the ground.
Meanwhile, the beast used Venom Spit, Aaron had already moved. He'd circled around beneath the Skulker, standing just a few steps behind it—directly below it. There was no way in hell he could leap fifteen feet into the air, but his daggers didn't have the same problem. With a devilish grin, Aaron hurled a dagger to the far side, aiming for the spot behind the beast's eyes—right where it had launched its last webs.
The dagger struck true, sinking deep into the beast. The Skulker screeched in pain and crashed to the ground, losing a third of its health in one moment. Aaron grinned in the shadows and muttered, "Bullseye—or should I say, Bullshole?" Still hidden, he didn't give it a chance to recover.
He darted in and slashed it again with his dagger, drawing another hoarse screech from the creature. The Skulker lashed out with Fang Pierce, its fangs snapping through empty air and spraying venom—too slow to catch Aaron, who was already gone.
Now the beast's health had dropped below 300. Just one more good hit would do it, and with Aaron's dagger's effect decreasing its HP at 8.2 per second, this was the perfect moment for Kyela to take a shot at glory.
Aaron didn't waste time. He moved quickly and threw his dagger straight at the Skulker's eyes. The blade sliced through two of its eight peepers, making the monster thrash and shriek as venom sprayed everywhere.
Aaron spoke loudly so the girls could hear him clearly. "Kyela, it's your turn! Come here and be ready to finish this when I give the word!" He added, "Tyra, watch out for the venom on the ground. If it touches you, it'll burn and poison you."
Both girls moved at the same time, Tyra making sure Kyela stayed far from the patches of venom on the ground. As they got closer, they could see the beast—huge, twitching, and convulsing in pain. Aaron's dagger had done its work; the Skulker's health was now below 30 and dropping fast. The beast would be dead in seconds. Kyela took their positions, ready to strike.
Kyela held the knife, her hands trembling even though the Skulker was on its last breath. Aaron called out, "Kyela, now! Attack it with your knife!" For a moment, she was frozen by fear, but Tyra gave her a quick shake and said, "We have to be strong if we want to help Aaron."
That was all Kyela needed. Even though Aaron had bought them as slaves, he respected them and gave them a chance to become strong. If she hesitated now, it would waste all her sister's and Aaron's efforts. With new resolve, Kyela raised the knife and plunged it into the beast's abdomen. The Skulker let out a final cry and fell still, lifeless at last.
Kyela stood frozen beside the beast's lifeless body, tears streaming down her face. Tyra stepped close and wrapped her arms around her, offering comfort. Kyela broke down, sobbing as she whispered, "I... I did it, sister." Tyra gently replied, "Yes, you did."
Aaron walked over to the carcass with only a few seconds left before his stealth faded. Without hesitation, he pulled his dagger from the beast and wiped the blood off on the hairy legs of the Skulker.
Then he walked over to the girls, who were waiting quietly for him. He still saw tears glistening in Kyela's eyes. Aaron stepped closer, rested his hand gently on her head, and said softly, "You did great." As he spoke, his stealth faded, and he became visible again. Kyela wiped her tears and nodded.
Once everything was finished and Kyela's emotions had settled, Aaron turned to her and asked, "How much did you level up?" A small smile appeared on Kyela's face as she replied, "I went straight to level 8! This beast must have been much stronger than the Tricktail Tyra killed." Tyra's jaw dropped—she couldn't believe Kyela got eight levels from a single kill.
Aaron nodded. "Yeah, that was a Level 20 Skulker. I want to get both of you to at least level 10 before I start leveling myself." The girls had guessed it was a higher-level monster, but hearing that Aaron, at just level 13, had finished it in under a minute left them stunned.
Aaron checked the team mission timer—there were just over twelve hours left. "We should hurry," he said. "Let's collect the beast's parts and move on to our next target. We won't go deeper into this cave; we'll find another one for the next hunt."
Both girls nodded. They weren't tired—Aaron had done all the fighting, and after all that action and blood, sleep was the last thing on their minds. Aaron moved to the beast's body. There wasn't much loot from the Skulker; only the fangs, heart, and webs were worth anything. "You two, gather some webs while I get the rest," he told them.
The girls nodded and began gathering webs along the cave walls. In about five minutes, Aaron finished collecting the loot. The girls brought over the webs they'd gathered, and Aaron stored everything in his inventory. He also picked up the mana lamp he'd thrown earlier—it wasn't damaged and could still be used.
Once they finished, Aaron said, "Let's get going. We should be able to hunt at least five or six more Skulkers before we rest." The girls nodded, their nerves fading now that they'd seen how easily Aaron could handle the monsters.