Chapter 12: Firefang’s Fury I
The tunnel narrowed, and heat pressed in from all sides, as if they were walking into a forge that hadn’t cooled in years. Frank trailed two steps behind Tace, the soles of his boots grinding ash into the stone. Each breath felt heavier than the last, the air dry enough to scrape his throat. Orange veins pulsed along the walls—bright, slow, and steady like a heartbeat beneath the stone.
They didn’t talk.
Mik moved ahead silently, checking the path with quick hand signals. Auri shifted her quiver higher on her back and wiped the sweat from her brow. Garna’s steps never faltered, but the greatsword across her shoulders shimmered in the oppressive heat.
Frank opened his system with a flick of his fingers. The interface glowed faintly against the darkness of the tunnel. He navigated to his stat window and tapped through the allocation:
+2 Agility
+3 Perception
+2 Strength
His body felt tighter—more alert. The weight of his sword felt different in his hand.
『Stat Distribution Complete – Combat Rating Increased to 42』
He closed the panel and adjusted his grip on the Mercurial Cut. The blade responded as it had in the last fight—no drag, no delay. He shifted his stance once, then again, testing the new balance. It remained smooth.
As they turned the next corner, deeper lines appeared in the walls—veins glowing red now, not orange. The cracks pulsed faster. The ground crunched softly underfoot, like brittle shell over something that could break open.