After the battle, the forest felt relieved as the sound of Caxaer’s victorious roar faded away.
The proud Crimson Lion now lay on the forest floor, burnt and defeated.
Caxaer stood tall, like a guardian, with its shadowy shape flickering as its energy faded, much like a dying fire.
In the dark world, it came from, Caxaer felt a digital signal acknowledging its victory over the powerful beast.
[: Your shadow soldier has managed to kill a monster, Crimson Lion :]
Daniel smiled in satisfaction as he received the notification.
The digital signal of victory blended with the sounds of the forest, creating a short-lived symphony of success.
With excitement, Daniel looked ahead, thinking about the hours of hunting ahead, during which his shadows would search for more prey to add to their growing group.
Despite Caxaer’s victory, it still felt a strong desire to fulfil its duty and hunger for more.
Caxaer blended perfectly with the shifting shadows and moved forward with determination.
It was eager to respond to the promise of more offerings.
In another part of the forest, a wild group of Apets caused chaos with their noisy cries and heavy steps.
These creatures were known for their fierce hunting skills and represented the untamed ferocity of shadows.
Amid the chaos, a subtle change began to happen.
The Apets, who used to be a strong group, now had the influence of shadows on them.
Their existence had changed, making them more like the shadow world, giving them new powers that didn’t fit with the natural world.
They were quick and ruthless, and they easily killed the regular Apets.
As he Apets were on a mission to find prey for their master, and they had a cunning plan in mind.
They knew just the right creatures that could distract their master.
So, they went to a place filled with many different kinds of insects.
Among these insects, they were looking for a specific one called Blitz.
These bugs had a unique trick up their sleeves – they harnessed a chaotic power called ‘corruption’.
While most monsters utilized their chaotic abilities to enhance their skills or attributes, these insect critters had a knack for causing ‘corruption’.
This nasty condition was worse than just a simple poison.
It gnawed at the very core of a victim’s being, and the only cure lay in the hands of Holy Attribute healers or similar rare abilities.
Dealing with these insect monsters posed a daunting challenge unless you had a healer with Holy Attributes nearby.
For the unprepared, an encounter with these bugs could be a one-way ticket to oblivion.
To understand the gravity of the corruption effect, imagine it as a vicious disease that laughs at resistance.
Even the hardest of individuals might find themselves defenseless, as chaos devours everything in its path.
Defying this abnormality required one of three methods
First, a healer with Holy Attributes could counteract the corruption.
Second, severing the corrupted body part might halt its progress.
Lastly, having robust stats provided some defence, like a shield against a relentless onslaught.
Corruption was akin to a relentless fire, consuming cells like fuel to spark its unsettling effects.
Its impact could endure, fueled by the body’s cells that it devoured.
However, corruption came in various flavours.
In this case, the Blitz insects specialized in corrupting minds.
They released a misty haze that, when inhaled, worked its dark magic within seconds.
Unlike some of their kin, the Blitz didn’t need direct contact to spread their sinister influence.
Of course, mightier insect monsters existed, but the Apets adhered to their master’s directive, to gather monsters that were within their limits.
Hence, their pursuit continued.
Upon finding their prey, the Blitz, the Apets stopped in their tracks as they sensed close to 50 Blitz, and they believed they were surrounded.
Suddenly, a heavy mist-coloured green began spreading around the Apets as the Blitz hiding were waiting to see their demise.
However, instead of their expectations, the Apets began jumping around and hunting down the Blitz that was flying above them.
The Blitz has a similar appearance to a Bee, but bigger and similar to the size of a domestic cat.
But what’s mesmerizing about them is the green and white stripes of their body which is weird yet somehow appealing to one’s eye.
Although Blitz is a group not to be messed with, they were honestly easy to hunt at least for some veterans.
For most insect monsters, their terrifying trait only lies in their corruption and nothing else.
In other words, their defence and raw attacks are 5 times weaker than the usefulness of their corruption.
Maybe corruption is a way to make up for their lack of survival.
Nevertheless, one thing that made them troublesome was their senses. Their keen senses allowed them to witness every action by half, and that’s why they could easily evade attacks.
As soon as the Apets noticed their hidden spots, they began jumping everywhere, hoping to catch them. But the Blitz was avoided.
However, relying on their fellow shadows, some of the Apets executed their ability and teleported to the exact place as the previous Apet, and by bending their legs over their previous fellow they managed to jump higher and faster thanks to the additional force.
By doing this, even some of the Blitz wouldn’t expect this to happen since everything happened too fast, and in the end, all of the 50 Blitz were hunted down with their bodies oozing with colourless blood.
It was a bit gruesome as the Apets used their raw teeth to bite them, sending them to their early deaths before continuing for more hunts.