Chapter 608 Abbysal Screecher
Bones.
Human bones.
Hundreds of them.
No...
Thousands.
Entire skeletons had become embedded inside the walls as though the cave itself had swallowed them over countless years. Some skulls remained perfectly intact, their empty eye sockets staring endlessly into the tunnel. Rib cages protruded between crystal formations while countless arm and leg bones intertwined with the glowing minerals like twisted roots beneath the earth.
The crystals illuminated everything with an eerie blue light.
Every skull seemed alive beneath it.
Every empty eye socket appeared to follow whoever walked past.
Tatiana instinctively moved closer to Liam.
Even Mary quietly swallowed.
The atmosphere had changed completely.
This place no longer felt like an ordinary cave.
It felt so eerie.
Like somewhere people were never meant to discover.
Cold air drifted silently through the tunnel, carrying a faint smell of damp stone mixed with something older.
Something that had long since become part of the cave itself.
Liam slowly looked around.
His eyes moved from one skeleton to another before a small chuckle escaped him.
"...Interesting."
Tatiana looked at him.
"Interesting?"
He nodded.
"If someone wanted visitors to turn around..."
He continued walking deeper into the tunnel.
"...this would certainly do the trick."
The others followed.
The deeper they ventured, the more bones appeared within the walls.
Some skeletons still wore fragments of rusted armor.
Others clutched broken weapons that had long since fused with the surrounding crystal.
Every few steps another skull emerged from the stone.
Watching.
Waiting.
Almost welcoming them.
Liam’s smile slowly faded.
Not because he was afraid.
Because his passive abilities had become increasingly active.
His Sense continuously sent subtle warnings through his mind.
There were fluctuations.
Tiny ones.
Almost impossible to notice.
They surrounded them from every direction.
Combat Prediction remained unusually alert.
His instincts refused to relax.
Whatever lived inside this cave...
Already knew they were here.
He slowed his pace.
"Tatiana."
She immediately looked toward him.
"Mary."
The witch also turned.
"Stay close."
Neither of them questioned him.
Liam kept his eyes ahead.
"We’re being watched."
Mary’s expression immediately became serious.
"I noticed."
She quietly nodded.
"I can’t pinpoint exactly where..."
"But there’s definitely something here."
She closed her eyes for a brief moment while continuing to walk.
A few seconds later they reopened.
Her voice carried a hint of excitement.
"We’re close."
Liam looked at her.
"Our things."
She nodded confidently.
"I can feel the talismans much more clearly now."
She pointed deeper into the darkness.
"They’re somewhere ahead."
"Very close."
At almost the exact moment those words left her mouth...
The cave trembled.
It wasn’t violent.
Just enough for tiny pieces of dust to drift from the ceiling.
Liam’s expression instantly changed.
"So it knows we’re here."
Then...
It came.
A shrill cry erupted from somewhere deep within the darkness.
"SKRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
The sound didn’t resemble any animal Liam had ever heard.
It wasn’t a roar.
It wasn’t a scream.
It was something far worse.
A piercing, unnatural shriek that seemed to slice straight through the air itself.
"Ahhh!"
Tatiana immediately cried out as both hands flew to her ears.
Mary dropped to one knee, her face twisting in agony.
Liam reacted almost instinctively.
His own hands clamped over his ears.
It didn’t help.
The sound bypassed them completely.
It drilled directly into his head.
Straight into his brain.
Pain exploded behind his eyes.
His vision blurred.
Every nerve inside his body screamed.
Warm liquid slowly trickled down the side of his face.
Blood.
His ears were bleeding.
Beside him, Tatiana had fallen to one knee.
Mary was in no better condition.
The shriek continued relentlessly.
It felt endless.
Like invisible needles were repeatedly stabbing into their minds.
Liam gritted his teeth so hard he thought they might crack.
His entire body wanted to remain crouched.
To endure.
To survive the attack.
Then...
Aether Sense screamed.
Something was moving.
Fast.
Toward Tatiana.
His eyes snapped open despite the unbearable pain.
Within the darkness beyond the crystal light...
Something long and black shot silently toward her.
A tentacle.
It moved so quickly that under normal circumstances it would’ve already reached her.
Liam didn’t hesitate.
He ripped one hand away from his ear.
The pain instantly became several times worse.
Fresh blood streamed down the side of his neck.
His vision shook violently.
He ignored all of it.
Dragon Step.
His body exploded forward.
He threw himself directly between Tatiana and the incoming attack.
His hand shot outward.
GRAB!
His fingers wrapped tightly around the thick, slimy tentacle only inches before it could coil around Tatiana’s throat.
The impact nearly ripped his shoulder from its socket.
Whatever was attached to the other end possessed terrifying strength.
The creature immediately pulled.
Liam’s boots scraped violently across the stone floor as it tried dragging him into the absolute darkness beyond the reach of the glowing crystals.
Stone cracked beneath his feet.
His body leaned forward under the immense force.
But...
He didn’t move another inch.
His legs locked firmly against the cave floor.
The muscles throughout his body tensed.
His grip tightened around the writhing tentacle.
Then, through the darkness ahead...
Liam slowly smiled.
"So..."
His voice was low despite the lingering pain splitting his head apart.
"...there you are."
Liam’s fingers tightened around the thick, writhing tentacle until the creature on the other end could no longer pull him any farther. The force behind it was tremendous, enough to carve long grooves into the stone beneath his boots, but it wasn’t enough. His feet remained planted firmly against the cave floor as every muscle in his body locked into place. The creature tugged once more with desperate strength, only to discover that the man standing at the other end might as well have been a mountain.
A grin slowly spread across Liam’s face.
"Come over here."
With a sharp pull of his arm, he yanked the tentacle toward himself.
The force was so overwhelming that whatever lurked within the darkness completely lost its footing.
The cave echoed with another horrifying cry.
"SKRRRREEEEEEEEEEECH!!"
Unlike the previous attack that had pierced directly into their minds, this one carried something else.
Surprise.
Panic.
It sounded less like a weapon now and more like a frightened animal realizing it had grabbed hold of the wrong prey.
The creature was violently dragged out of the darkness.
Its body slid across the uneven cave floor before finally entering the blue glow cast by the surrounding crystals.
For the first time...
They saw it.
Tatiana instinctively frowned.
"...What is that thing?"
It stood roughly the height of an adult human, but that was where every resemblance ended.
Its lower body consisted of eight long, black tentacles that spread across the cave floor like the legs of a monstrous spider. Thick slime coated each one, leaving glistening trails wherever they moved. Instead of suckers, the tentacles were lined with countless tiny hooked barbs that scraped against the stone as they writhed restlessly.
Its upper body was disturbingly humanoid.
Broad shoulders.
Two unnaturally long arms ending in hands tipped with curved claws.
Its skin was pale grey, stretched tightly over a thin frame that looked almost skeletal. Veins pulsed beneath the translucent flesh, carrying a dark violet fluid instead of blood.
Where a human face should have been...
There was only a twisted mockery.
Its mouth split vertically from forehead to neck, opening into four fleshy petals lined with hundreds of needle-like teeth. No nose.
No lips.
Just layer after layer of jagged teeth disappearing endlessly into darkness.
Above the grotesque mouth sat six cloudy white eyes arranged in two uneven rows.
None of them blinked.
Each one remained fixed on Liam with unmistakable fear.
The creature released another uneasy screech, several of its tentacles instinctively curling beneath its body as though preparing to flee.
Before anyone spoke...
Ding!
══════════════════════════════════════
Target Identified
Race: Abyssal Screecher
Tier: Mid Spawn
Strengths:
* Devastating sonic attacks capable of directly assaulting the nervous system.
* Exceptional stealth within darkness.
* High agility while traversing cave systems.
* Long-range tentacle attacks.
* Excellent perception through vibration and sound.
Weaknesses:
* Extremely fragile skull.
* Weak physical durability.
* Vulnerable while charging sonic attacks.
* Poor resistance against overwhelming physical force.
* Tentacles lose coordination if severe cranial trauma is sustained.
══════════════════════════════════════
Liam clicked his tongue.
"So you’re only a Mid Spawn Tier."
The monster clearly didn’t appreciate being looked down upon.
Its six eyes narrowed simultaneously.
The vertical mouth slowly opened wider.
The flesh around its throat began vibrating.
The air itself started trembling.
It was preparing another sonic attack.
Tatiana’s expression changed immediately.
"Liam!"
He wasn’t even looking at the creature anymore.
Instead, he sighed as though he had already grown tired of it.
"...Fuck off."
His arm suddenly jerked backward.
The monster was dragged even closer before it could finish gathering the energy inside its throat.
Its eyes widened.
Then...
Liam threw a punch.
There was no complicated technique.
No flashy movement.
No hesitation.
Just a single fist travelling forward with terrifying speed.
The creature barely saw it.
BOOOM!!
Its head exploded.