Where am I?
I was about to leave the dungeon. I remember taking steps towards the exit. That's when I heard a voice... It echoed in my mind, freezing me in the place.
Then everything went blank. My vision blurred, and I collapsed into darkness. In that moment, I felt something inside me snap—something breaking that had imprisoned something within me. After that, my body wasn't mine anymore; something was taking control… pushing me deep into the darkness.
I tried to grasp onto something familiar, but the more I reached out, the less I recognized myself. I wasn't sure what was anymore... who was real anymore.
I feel light now. Like a child. My thoughts swirl with curiosity, my feet itching to move, to explore. I feel playful, careless, like nothing here can hurt me. I even smile joyfully as the danger approaches me.
The world isn't as dark as it seems, is it? Maybe this dungeon is just a game, something to enjoy. All I want is to play with the monsters.
But then, in an instant, everything changes. My smile vanishes. I don't feel anything. No excitement, no fear, no warmth, cold and distant. I become emotionless, a weapon with only one target. The Lizard Boss. My only reason to keep going is to kill that creature.
But in all these thoughts, only one goal remained; it is to kill the Lizard Boss and obtain the title. Even though I'm becoming a different person at each second, our minds are thriving for the same goal.
So I let go of my control—the control over my body and my mind—and let the guys in my mind take control over it.
In the first place, I was forced into this, forced to do something I didn't want, so I felt like letting go of my body, and so I did.
The cold, inky darkness coiled around me, tightening its grip with each passing second, and it pulled me... into the abyss.
***
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***
Jadel clenched and released his grip, testing his control over the body.
A slow breath escaped his lips as he adjusted to the sensations, ensuring everything responded as it should.
"He finally sank, huh, good." Jadel muttered under his breath.
"Then let's focus on the tasks."
°So, what are your plans, brother? From what we can assess from his fragmented memories, the weakest monster here is E rank, and the strongest is… ah… C rank… It's not that clear.°
He didn't reply to the voice inside, just simply kept on moving.
°Tell me, if you don't, I will take over the body, humph!° the voice snapped in irritation.
"Direct confrontation will lead to our death; our only option is to strategize a flawless plan. For that, we need 'his' cooperation, but that is not possible… we have to plan ourselves with the things in our arsenal."
°Boo! I don't like it, you plan it.°
"Incompetent," his next step blurred as his body vanished.
He moved silently through the dungeon. The once mana stone walls are now showing the sign of life. Mana plants sprouted from the wall, growing thickly as he moved forward.
He stopped on his tracks, carefully observing the plants. After checking it was not poisonous, he plucked it and chewed, analyzing the properties.
"... Monster cultivated, low mana concentration, and tastes sour... There are hybrid monsters nearby." He muttered to himself.
The place was saturated with the essence of earth and wind, the perfect environment for the hybrid lizards who can cultivate their survival source.
°We are reaching their territory! It will be fun!!°
"Just stay still for now, there is a wind source here. High chance it is coming from the lizards, the Galecrust lizards."
The Galecrust lizards are a unique breed of hybrid lizards, known for their resourcefulness and teamwork. Unlike most creatures, they can harness even the faintest traces of mana to create life energy, allowing them to cultivate plants as their primary food source.
Their ability to manipulate both earth and wind makes them masters of their environment. While they may not be the strongest of lizards, their true strength lies in their tactics. Always in groups, they use the terrain to their advantage, setting up clever ambushes and adapting quickly in battle.
Each Galecrust lizard constantly generates a gentle wind from its body, which acts like an extended sense, alerting them to any movement within a 300-meter radius.
This passive skill makes it nearly impossible to sneak up on them. What they lack in individual power, they more than make up for with their ability to coordinate attacks, creating a formidable force in numbers.
"As I figured, they are Galecrust lizards." He muttered, looking at the monsters.
They are imposing creatures, standing at a length of 11 meters, with their earthy brown scales blending seamlessly into the forest floor.
On their backs, there are small plants and moss growing on their bodies, giving them the appearance of a moving jungle. These plants not only help them camouflage but also feed off the life energy they generate.
Their sharp, green eyes glow faintly, hinting at their attunement to mana, while their sturdy legs are built for both speed and stability.
Their long tails, which can whip through the air with surprising speed, help them control wind currents during battles.
The lizards' passive ability—an invisible network of wind they generated blanketed the area.
If he moved recklessly, they'd sense it immediately and strategize a response.
"One, two, three… seventy six… ninety eight." Jadel's expression remained cold, his mind calculating the situation, forming multiple plans and their pros and cons.
"Even with my abilities, the numbers aren't in my favor, and fatigue would eventually set in."
He crouched down, his fingers brushing the dirt-covered ground. His eyes narrowed as he assessed his surroundings.
The wind was thick here, and he could sense the subtle shifts in the air pressure as the lizards used their skill to monitor every inch of their territory. They were too cautious.
"I can't fight them all at once... but I don't need to."
The key was to disrupt their wind network, make them lose their advantage, and force them into confusion. And to do that, he would need to use their calculative nature against them.
With quick, soundless movements, Jadel climbed to higher ground, positioning himself on a ledge that overlooked a cluster of the hybrid lizards below.
They were scattered, some tunneling into the ground while others perched on rocky outcrops. The constant flow of wind made it impossible for any intruder to pass unnoticed.
But Jadel wasn't interested in passing unnoticed. He wanted them to notice him—at the right moment.
He drew a small orb from his spatial storage, a bomb made out of mana core.
The orb wasn't meant for direct damage; it was designed to release a shockwave that would disturb the air currents around him. He tossed the orb into the wind flow, letting it roll into a narrow crevice where it would remain undetected.
Boom!
A loud explosion followed, and immediately the wind around the area went haywire. The lizards, sensitive to the slightest change, reacted instantly. The ones closest to the disturbance rushed toward it, abandoning their positions to investigate.
'Predictable.'
「Perfect Clone」
As the clone meterialysized in front of him, "Go and die, unleash your innate skill. Cause as much destruction as you can." he commanded.
Nodding, he jumped. The monsters, disoriented by the disrupted wind currents, were slow to react. Before they could regroup, a wave of mana erupted from the clone's body, summoning a massive tidal wave that swept through the lizards
Jadel watched from above as the monsters sank, their cries muffled by the surging water.
He took out dozens of mana bombs, tossing them into the water after activating them.
Tik! Tik! Tik!
Boom! Crackle!
The bombs detonated with a series of cracks and booms, lightning crackling through the water, electrocuting the creatures trapped within.
He activated the perfect copy again. "Use Aqua Compression. Compress the water at one point. Crush everything inside."
He nodded and extended his hand, its body trembling as it exerted more mana. Blood began to seep from its eyes and nose as it struggled under the strain.
The water around them swirled violently, forming a tight sphere. The lizards trapped within were crushed, their bodies reduced to mangled corpses as the water compressed them to oblivion.
Soon the clear water started to change color, it started to stain with green blood.
The clone collapsed, its body disintegrating into mana.
"What a damn weak body; I should have taken over at the time." Mumbling, he looked at the remaining monster, their bodies a mess, skin torn, bones moved from their actual positions.
But their confusion and pained cry soon ended as the mana around them got sucked, and their body started to heal slowly.
He knew the lizards were smart; they could heal themselves and would adapt soon, so he needed to act fast before they completely healed. But he just stood there, calmly analyzing something.
The lizards were engrossed in their healing, torrents of wind swirling around their bodies as they tried to pinpoint the intruder's location and any possible ambushes.
Sensing something in their wind's range, they all turned to one side and saw the intruder. In an instant, they attacked him with a barrage of wind blasts.
But that was bait. Their bodies jolted as Jadel appeared towards them.
Slash! Kacha!
One by one, he cut them down with swift, precise movements—eliminating the closest threats first before they could regroup.
"So that's all what E rank monsters are capable of, huh? Pathetic."
Only a smoke passed through the monster, and next they fell lifelessly, their eyes pierced, necks slashed.
Finally, he finished off all the remaining monsters. His breath was haggard, and his mana was nearly depleted, but he had won without sustaining any serious damage.
He brushed back his damp hair, his gaze fixed on the lifeless corpses scattered around him.
Disappointment lingered at his expressionless face. "Pathetic," he said flatly, his tone showing mild irritation. "I expected more from E-rank monsters."
He scanned the surroundings, noting the ease with which he had dispatched them. "This was a waste of time," he added, his tone impassive.
As he turned away from the carnage, he spoke to the voice within him, "It's disappointing. I anticipated a challenge, but there was none. You can take control now. I'll return if the situation calls for it."
°Yippee!°