RUMBLE.
A deep tremor rattled through the ground.
Max's eyes snapped open. His vision swam—blurry figures loomed over him, their voices distant, muffled. His body felt sluggish, his head pounding like a hammer against stone.
'What… happened?'
Then—a spark.
A memory surfaced.
The food. The bitter taste.
'We were poisoned.'
Pain shot through his skull. His muscles tensed.
In an instant, he was on his feet.
Old man mark whipped his head toward Max, his expression twisting.
"Shit, he's awake."
Max's gaze turned sharp, sweeping the dimly lit chamber. The walls were rough, damp, stretching into darkness. This wasn't the inn.
His fists clenched. "Why did you poison the food?" His voice was low, steady. Dangerous. "And where the hell am I?"
Another tremor. Loose stones crumbled from above, scattering across the floor.
The old man met his gaze, his features unreadable. Then, a slow exhale.
"Oh? Poison?" His voice carried an unsettling calm. "I wouldn't know anything about that. We would never do such a thing."
Max's fingers twitched at his sides. 'Liar.'
His gaze flicked around the room—assessing, calculating. No sign of his brothers. No sign of his blade.
His jaw tightened. "Where are they?"
The old man tilted his head. "Ah, right. About that."
A pause. Then—
"The sandworms attacked the settlement. Your brothers fought to protect it. They brought you here so you could assist once you woke up."
Max didn't move.
Didn't blink.
The air between them thickened.
Another tremor. This one deeper. The chamber walls groaned under the pressure.
Max's voice dropped, cold and sharp.
"You expect me to believe that?"
The old man's thin smile never wavered.
"Dunehaven is in danger."
BOOM.
The ground shuddered violently. Dust rained from the ceiling.
Max's pulse quickened.
The old man's tone was even, but the tension beneath his words was impossible to miss. "Your brothers need you."
Max exhaled sharply, stepping toward the jagged edge of the pit. A void stretched beneath him, endless, swallowing the faint light from above.
He stared into the abyss. "How long have they been down there?"
A shrug. "Hard to say. Ten minutes? Maybe thirty?"
Max didn't flinch. "If they've lasted that long, they're fine."
The old man stiffened. "What? How can you be so sure? Just how strong are they?"
Max crossed his arms. "The hot-headed one? He's a Master-stage fire user."
A ripple of movement spread through the crowd. Low murmurs filled the cavern, hushed voices thick with unease.
The old man's breath hitched. "Fire user?" His eyes sharpened, realization dawning. "Wait… you don't mean—are you related to Flame?"
Max sighed. "Yeah."
The whispers grew louder. The weight of the name settled over them like a storm cloud.
Max's gaze flicked back to the pit. He had no time for their fear.
"We need to get back to the surface," he said, turning to the old man. "Do you have a communicator?"
The old man let out a slow sigh, shaking his head. "Even if I did, it wouldn't matter. Ours is broken."
Max's smirk didn't fade. "Then let me fix it."
The old man scoffed. "You? What do you think you are, some kind of tech genius?"
Max rolled his shoulders, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
"I was the number one student at World Tech Academy."
The old man's breath hitched.
His eyes flickered with doubt, scanning Max as if trying to see through him. Was he bluffing?
The World Tech Academy wasn't just some school—it was a place where only the best minds in the world thrived. Their inventions shaped civilizations, their technology pushing the limits of what was possible. Even their simplest devices were beyond common understanding.
And this kid claimed to be one of them?
Another tremor.
RUMBLE.
The cavern groaned under the strain, dust and loose stone crumbling from the ceiling.
Max barely flinched. His gaze locked onto the pit once more.
"If that thing is anything like the worms outside," he muttered, "Kael should handle it easily."
A beat of silence.
The old man exhaled, his voice lowering. "It's not."
Max's brow furrowed.
"The ones outside were Tier 4," the old man continued, his expression darkening. "The one down there…" He hesitated. "…is Tier 6."
Max's chest tightened.
'A Tier 6?'
His pulse kicked up.
Without thinking, he stepped forward, his boots skidding against the edge of the pit. His breath came sharp, thoughts racing.
Kael and Ash were strong—but this?
"What the hell are they thinking?" he muttered.
They should know—they can't take that thing down alone.
————
On Varagos, the human half of the world was once peaceful. Civilization thrived alongside creatures, coexisting in a fragile balance. But everything changed when portal gates—mysterious rifts appearing without warning—began to tear through reality. From these gates, monstrous entities poured out, each one stronger than the last.
For reasons still unknown, these creatures possessed strength equivalent to Veinflow stages.
With seven known stages of Veinflow, humanity categorized these threats into seven tiers:
Tier 1 creatures matched an Initiated stage user.
Tier 2 equaled an Novice stage user.
Tier 3 rivaled an Adept stage user.
Tier 4 stood on par with a Expert stage user.
Tier 5 reached the might of a Master stage user.
Tier 6 was the true nightmare—it held power equal to a Grandmaster stage user.
Tier 7 … was beyond comprehension, a force equal to an Ascendant stage warrior.
A Tier 6 sandworm.
Max's blood ran cold.
A Master-stage warrior stood no chance against it.
For Kael to even attempt this fight… was suicide.
RUMBLE.
The cavern groaned, dust spilling from the ceiling in thin streams.
Max clenched his fists. Dammit.
'kael was strong, but not that strong. Even a Master-stage fire user shouldn't be able to take down a creature of equal tier. And Ash—what the hell was he thinking? Did he forget the warning?'
The old man didn't answer. His gaze flickered away, unreadable.
Then—
A voice echoed from deeper within the underground chamber.
"I got the Nightveil Drought."
The old man stiffened. His breath hitched. His face twisted in panic.
"Shit."
Max froze. His mind snapped into motion, piecing everything together.
Then—his expression darkened.
"…It all makes sense now."
The old man raised his hands. "It's not what you think—"
Max's gaze cut through him like a blade. Sharp. Unyielding. Furious.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Silence.
Max's voice was low, steady—dangerous.
"You were planning to feed us to that thing."
The tension in the room cracked like ice.
Max's gaze swept over the other people from the settlement, his mind slotting the final pieces together.
The sandworms never attacked this settlement.
Not because of some defense. Not because of luck.
Because of the monster down there.
His stomach twisted. The way they looked at us when we arrived. Like dead men walking. The way they avoided us.
They knew.
They all knew.
He turned back to the old man, his voice cutting through the silence.
"But worst of all…"
A slow step forward.
"…Now I understand."
Max's breath remained steady, but his fingers trembled. The woman from earlier. The way she held her child. Like her life depended on it.
His chest tightened.
"I've seen fewer kids here than in any other settlement." His voice was barely above a whisper. Cold. Sharp. Final.
"You've been feeding children to that thing."
Gasps. A sharp intake of breath. A ripple of horror spread through the room.
One man staggered back. Another clenched their jaw, looking away.
Max didn't blink. Didn't look away.
"You were going to use me to put it back to sleep, weren't you?"
His voice burned with fury.
"And you sent my brothers down there to die."
A broad-shouldered man stepped forward, scoffing. "See, old man? I told you we should have added more than just a drop to their food. Look at the mess it caused."
Another man spun toward him, face twisted in rage.
"Are you insane?! Too much would have killed them outright! They're not as strong as the worm!"
The room erupted into chaos.
The old man stood in silence for a long moment. His shoulders sagged, his gaze heavy with exhaustion.
Then, he exhaled. "Then what do you expect me to do?"
His voice was hoarse, filled with a bitterness that had long settled in his bones. "It's my responsibility to protect this settlement. That creature has kept us alive for years. I don't know what I was thinking…" His fists clenched. "But even with you here, if we don't feed it, we're dead before help arrives."
A broad-shouldered man stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Enough talk. Let me handle this, old man. He doesn't look that strong."
Max's frown deepened. Without his suit, he was at a severe disadvantage. Hand-to-hand combat had never been his strength, and he knew it. But that didn't mean he would back down.
RUMBLE!
The cavern trembled violently, dust and loose stone cascading from above.
The broad-shouldered man slammed his hands onto the ground. The earth heaved, forcing Max into the air.
But Max reacted instantly.
FWOOOSH!
A sudden blast of fire erupted from his palm, propelling him midair and launching him to the side. He twisted his body, landing in a low slide, boots skidding against the rocky floor.
Then, without hesitation—
Max thrust his hand forward.
WHOOSH!
A serpentine whip of fire coiled and lashed out, striking multiple opponents at once. Flames danced like a living beast, arcing through the air and slamming into the people from the settlement.
THUD!
One by one, they collapsed, groaning in pain. The heat was intense, but controlled—Max wasn't aiming to kill. Just incapacitate.
He straightened, his eyes sharp. "I don't have time for this."
Max scanned the cavern, muscles coiled, breaths steady.
The old man was gone.
His gaze flicked from shadow to shadow, searching. The air felt heavier now, thick with tension.
Then—
A whisper behind him.
"I'm sorry… but it's for the settlement."
Max's pulse spiked.
Too late.
SHNK!
The old man's stone dagger drove forward, aimed straight for Max's back—
CRACK!
The blade shattered. Fragments crumbled to dust before they could even pierce flesh.
The old man's breath caught. "Wha—?"
WHAM!
Max's elbow snapped backward. A brutal strike to the chest. The old man's body lifted off the ground, slamming into the rocky floor, skidding to a stop.
Max didn't even turn. His jaw clenched. A dull, lingering ache burned across his back.
Endless Agony had triggered.
Pain surged through his nerves, but the damage was null. He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to push through it.
Then—
Something shifted.
The old man's body sank into the rock.
Max's eyes narrowed. What the hell?
Before he could react, the ground rippled. The old man rose again.
Not a scratch on him.
Dusting himself off, he leaned on his cane, his expression unreadable.
"You're an interesting one." His voice was calm, but his eyes held something else. "A scholar's mind, but a warrior's body."
His grip on the cane tightened.
"I don't like to fight."
RUMBLE.
The cavern trembled. Cracks splintered across the walls.
"But it's either you… or the children in this settlement."
Max's fists clenched. There had to be another way.
Even if he sacrificed himself, it wouldn't stop this. The moment that thing woke up again, they'd just find another victim.
Then—
BOOM!!
The cavern shook violently.
Stone rained from above. Dust filled the air.
The old man's head snapped toward the pit—his face twisting in disbelief.
His voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper.
"…Are they still alive down there?"
The cavern trembled with a steady rhythm.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Heat seeped from the hole, washing over the room in waves.
Max grinned. "So, they actually pulled it off."
The old man's face twisted in confusion.
Then—
WHOOSH!
A streak of fire erupted from the pit, a blur moving faster than the eye could track.
Max turned just in time to see them.
Kael—his clothes tattered, his skin covered in soot—held Ash in his grip. He hovered for barely a second before crashing down beside Max, landing hard.
His chest heaved. Sweat dripped from his brow.
"I'm... out… of energy..." Kael panted, barely able to speak. "Give… me… a sec… to—"
THUD.
His body slumped, unconscious.
Ash chuckled, stretching out his limbs. "Now I see why you rushed us out of there." He gave Kael a pat on the shoulder. "Rest up. You did great."
Then he turned to Max. "I'm glad they didn't throw you in. Guess my warning worked?"
Max's expression darkened. "Not exactly."
Ash's smile faded.
"Really now?"
Then—he vanished.
A blur of motion.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of the old man.
The old man flinched.
A voice echoed in Ash's mind:
[Vein Energy: 25%]
He gritted his teeth. Not much left.
Still—it was enough.
His voice dropped to a dangerous calm.
"Now... explain the bones."
The old man's lips pressed into a thin line. His fingers twitched, betraying his unease. Around him, the others stood frozen, their eyes averted.
Max's voice cut through the silence. "What about the monster? Is it dead?"
RUMBLE.
A deep tremor answered for him. The ground shuddered, sending loose pebbles skittering across the floor.
Ash ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "Kael blasted half its body away. The other half is still squirming down there. It's probably just a matter of time before it dies on its own."
Another tremor. Stronger.
Max's gaze darkened. "I don't think that's going to be enough."
Ash's frown deepened. "Why?"
Max turned toward the pit. "That thing is a Tier 6."
Ash stiffened.
Max continued, his voice grim. "And worms regenerate." He pointed at the chasm. "A normal one can regrow missing parts, but a Tier 6? It'll heal even faster."
Ash's jaw tightened. "So… it's not over yet."
"No." Max's fingers curled into a fist. "But you bought us time. Enough to figure out a plan before it fully regenerates."
RUMBLE.
A deep groan echoed through the cavern. Dust trickled from the ceiling, swirling in the dim torchlight.
Max turned back to the old man. "We have to work together to end this nightmare."
The elder's face was pale, his breath unsteady.
Max exhaled sharply. "Besides… if that thing dies, the other sandworms will attack this place."
The old man exhaled, rubbing his temples. "I know. That's why we needed to keep it alive." His voice was weary. "Without it, the others will come. And there are more than just a few out there."
Max crossed his arms. "Then you should've told us from the start instead of drugging us and throwing my brothers into the pit." His tone was sharp, but controlled.
The old man's gaze flickered toward Kael's unconscious form. "And yet, you still managed to wound it."
RUMBLE.
The ground trembled again. This time, a faint, wet squelching noise rose from the pit.
Ash's eyes narrowed. "It's already healing."
Max turned to the old man. "We don't have much time. That thing needs to stay weak."
The old man hesitated. "We have the Nightveil drought. If we can coat your weapons in them, it might slow the regeneration."
Max glanced at Ash, who rolled his shoulders. "Better than nothing."
Max nodded. "Then let's move."
The old man turned to the others. "Prepare the Nightveil drought. We don't have long."
Max exhaled, his mind racing. "And someone get me to that communicator. If this thing is coming back stronger…" His eyes burned with resolve. "We're going to need backup."