Chaos consumed the area. Lethal-backed crabs surged around Ren and the others, claws slicing and jaws snapping. Screams rang out as corpses began littering the ground—both human and beast alike.
Ren activated his new skill.
Merge.
An emerald glow began emitting from Ren's body as something emerged from within him.
Within seconds, his body was enveloped by the Phoenix Carapace—but the familiar form had changed. Emerald jade veins ran through the golden, feathered plates like living lightning. His vision sharpened, his fingers lengthened and transformed into claws. Then the rigid structure resembling wings on his back softened, feathers stretching and flexing, becoming fully mobile—now truly capable of flight.
A massive crab lunged, its pincer slicing through the air like a guillotine.
Ren slipped past the strike with sharp, fluid movement. His wings flared once, lifting him cleanly off the ground. The claw snapped shut beneath him, missing by inches.
He flapped his wings once, propelling himself toward the crab's retreating back.
Spinning midair, he swung his arm, slashing across the creature's armored thorax. Sparks scattered. The blow barely scratched its shell, and the crab retaliated instantly, hammering him with a pincer.
The impact sent him flying—but his Carapace absorbed the force with ease.
Ren didn't panic. He let the momentum carry him higher, wings opening wide to stabilize his fall.
Another crab struck from the side, a shockwave of force blasting him sideways. Ren snapped his wings tight, cutting through the air, then unfurled them at the last second to brake his descent.
He landed roughly, boots skidding over dust and stone.
His wings folded neatly behind him, settling like living jade feathers as he exhaled—calm and focused, ready for more.
Another beast lunged from the side.
Ren twisted instantly, slipping past its strike by a hair's breadth. Focusing, he activated the only active skill of the Jade Phoenix Carapace
[Jade Spirit Activated]
The jade-like veins beneath the feathered plates lit up, shimmering like living lightning as a pulse of green energy surged through him.
Strength flooded his limbs. His senses expanded. His claws began to glow green.
Ren blinked—and suddenly he could see it. The thin crimson lines glowing across the bodies of the surrounding beasts, as if marking their weaknesses and calling for him to strike.
As if on instincts, without hesitating. In a burst of speed, he dashed toward the nearest crab. His right-hand claws carved through a glowing line on the creature's arm, slicing it cleanly off. At the same moment, he spun and drove his left claw into another bright point on the opposite pincer, severing it in two.
Running past the crab, Ren twisted back toward it. With a powerful flap of his wings, he boosted forward, claws angled ahead, and pierced straight through its skull—killing the beast instantly.
A familiar chime echoed in his ears.
Ding!
[Aberrant Creature Lethal-Backed Crab slain] [Beast Memory Gained] [Consume to Gain Ascension Point]
[Aberrant Lethal-Backed Crab Summon] [Description: A lethal-backed crab as a battle companion]
Ren blinked, stunned.
"A… Beast Memory? So the fifty-fifty chance is real? That's a damn good surprise."
He barely had time to process the notification before a shadow loomed behind him.
BOOM!
Another lethal-backed crab smashed its massive pincer down, shattering the stone where he had stood a split second earlier. Ren blurred sideways, wings snapping open as he sprang into the air.
The beast roared, charging after him with surprising speed for its bulk.
Sweat dripped down Ren's forehead. No time to get distracted.
There.
He dove.
His eyes narrowed, locking onto the red line on another crab.
The creature fired a jet of corrosive liquid from its mandibles. Ren twisted midair, the blast skimming past his ribs. His wings flicked once, killing his momentum, and he dropped straight down onto the crab's back.
Raising his right leg, he stomped on the glowing line across its shell.
Crack!
The creature bucked violently.
Ren raised both hands, claws blazing green, and without hesitation plunged them into the glowing line at the base of the crab's head.
Shhink!
His claws sank deep. The crab shrieked, thrashing wildly, but Ren held on. He dragged his claws sideways, splitting the wound open in one brutal motion. A geyser of steam and green ichor erupted as the beast collapsed beneath him.
Another Ding echoed.
But there was no time to look.
Three more crabs scuttled toward him from different angles, mandibles clacking.
Ren clicked his tongue.
"Persistent bastards…"
The first crab lunged.
Ren shot sideways, dodging the attack. He stomped the ground and flapped his wings, launching himself upward as they beat hard, lifting him higher.
Now airborne, with a clearer view of the battlefield, he saw it.
Far ahead—beyond the chaos and clashing steel—Oskara and his gang slipped down the massive crack in the earth. Quietly. Swiftly.
Ren's eyes narrowed as everything clicked into place.
The missing puzzle piece.
So that's it.
They hadn't dragged everyone here to carry corpses. They hadn't brought them to gain points. They weren't even here to lure beasts for an easy hunt.
No—the reason was far darker.
They needed bait.
A truth every hunter knew echoed through Ren's mind.
Aberrant beasts rarely attacked large groups—they avoided them. Numbers meant danger. That was why castles and shelters remained mostly untouched.
But if a group was outnumbered inside a beast's territory?
The rules flipped instantly.
Beasts no longer saw humans as threats.
Only food.
And Oskara's group had exploited that truth perfectly.
Throw the trash to the wolves. Draw the predators out. Slip in unnoticed.
Ren clenched his jaw.
Why the pit…?
It didn't matter now. What mattered was survival.
Even with Merge and the Jade Phoenix Carapace, he was still too weak. He couldn't make a clean escape.
The pit it is, then.
Looking around, the situation was grim. Parts of the crowd had already been torn apart—bodies crushed, limbs scattered, screams drowned beneath the clattering of armored legs.
If I stay here any longer… I'll be next.
He inhaled sharply, then bellowed, his voice echoing across the chaos.
"LISTEN UP! If we stay here, we're all dead! We can't retreat—the beasts will tear us apart! Our only chance is the PIT!"
Some survivors turned toward him, desperate and trembling.
"Yes—the PIT!" He pointed with his blade. "Oskara and his entire group already went down there. That was their plan all along! If you want to live, MOVE with me!"
A spark of hope lit the eyes of the remaining captives.
"Go! Move! Move!"
Some sprinted. Some stumbled. Some leapt over fallen bodies—everyone pushing toward the pit while fending off attacks from every direction.
Spotting a crab near the pit's edge, Ren folded his wings and dove straight down.
Putch!
His claws plunged into the creature's neck, killing it instantly. In the same motion, he twisted and raised his arm, blocking a pincer striking from the side.
The impact sent a shockwave up his arm, but he twisted with it, using the momentum to launch himself upward.
His wings unfurled behind him.
Fwooom.
With a powerful beat, he shot into the air, wind screaming past him as he angled toward the abyss.
Ren folded his wings and dove straight into the pit's darkness, the roars of beasts fading behind him as he plunged into the unknown.
Behind him, the others followed—running, jumping, and scrambling into the pit.