Chapter 97: Alpha Challenge
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Fifty paces in, the corridor narrowed to a crack barely wider than his shoulders. Heat rose from below, carrying coppery scents of blood and ore. He squeezed through and emerged on a high shelf that overhung a vast hollow, a cathedral of broken stalactites and glittering stalagmites. Thousands of dark, leathery shapes clung to the ceiling like tattered drapes.
Maw‑Bats, Kai realised. He had read field reports of the beast. These are three‑star aerial beasts that are hunted by echolocation, jaws capable of crushing steel. Its face was like a scary ghost. A roost this large meant at least one alpha. And where alpha perched, lesser beasts guarded tunnels.
He ducked behind a column and weighed options. Fighting an entire colony would be suicide, but a surgical strike on lone scouts could grant him experience, star core and maybe an alternate route upward. His Predator Instinct suddenly tingled: something was behind him.
A lone Maw‑Bat guard was there. Its wings unfurled, taloned feet gripping the ledge stood sniffing the air. It hadn’t seen him; wind carried his scent away. Kai exhaled once, he made a plan.
Plan:
Quick kill the sentry.
Drag body to alcove for Essence Eater.
Search the side gallery for ascent.
He inched forward five metres... three... The Maw‑Bat pivoted, milky eyes narrowing. Too late. Kai lunged. Spear point punched beneath its chin, up into the brain. The beast quivered and sagged without a shriek. Kai yanked free, caught the corpse before it thumped on the stone, then hauled it behind the column. He can’t make a big sound.
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