CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER : 26 : COLOR BARS!

The moment Aiden stepped forward, a shimmering blue screen blinked to life in front of him.

[DUNGEON LEVEL: 1

MISSION: ELIMINATE ALL COBARAS SPIDERS

PROGRESS: 0/10

NOTE: ENEMY DIFFICULTY IS INDICATED BY COLOR TAG ABOVE THE ENEMY.

Green: Weaker than player.

Yellow: Equal to player.

Red: Stronger than player.]

Aiden’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at the skittering horde crawling toward them from both ends of the tunnel. The spiders—vile, multi-eyed creatures with long, jagged legs—were massive, easily the size of adult hounds, their black carapaces gleaming under the flickering subway lights.

Above their heads, glowing green bars hovered, shimmering like neon signs of death.

"Looks like we’re dealing with weaker ones," Aiden muttered.

Luna stood beside him, already crouched low with her claws extended. Her ears twitched, her sapphire eyes glowing with anticipation. "Tch, this is going to be easy, Master," she said with a wolfish grin. "But I still wanna cut them all up for scaring Ivy."

Aiden smirked. "There’s ten of them. I’ll take five. You take the other five?"

Luna’s lips curled into a dangerous smile. "Whatever you say, Master. Just don’t finish before me."

They darted in opposite directions without hesitation, each charging into their half of the approaching swarm.

The first spider lunged at Aiden with its mandibles clacking, but he ducked low, spun, and with a single upward slash, sliced the creature from jaw to skull. The body split violently, showering the walls with thick purple ichor. The monster shrieked—a horrible screech that echoed endlessly—before collapsing in twitching halves.

[1/10]

"Sloppy," Aiden said to himself, flicking blood off his blade.

Another came barreling at him, limbs scratching wildly at the tiled floor. Aiden sidestepped and stabbed upward into its soft underbelly. The spider convulsed as he ripped the dagger outward, pulling intestines in a long, dripping coil.

[2/10]

Two more charged at once.

Aiden narrowed his eyes. "Come on, then."

He darted forward, grabbed one spider by its spindly leg and used its body as a bludgeon, smashing it into the second with a wet crunch. Both collapsed into a twisted mess of cracked chitin and twitching legs.

[4/10]

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Meanwhile...

Lysandra was standing firm against the wall, her hands held out as a shimmering barrier shielded her and Ivy. The young goblin girl clung tightly to the princess’s leg, watching the battlefield with wide eyes.

"They’re amazing..." Ivy whispered, trembling.

Lysandra nodded, her expression serious despite the blush creeping up her face from watching Aiden fight so fiercely. "He’s... unlike anyone I’ve ever met."

Ivy looked up at her. "You like Onii-chan too, don’t you?"

The princess nearly choked. "W-W-What are you saying?! I-I just admire his strength!"

"You were blushing," Ivy pointed out with a tiny smile.

"I-I’m not blushing! I-I was just—Ugh!" Lysandra turned away in flustered frustration. "You’re just like Luna! Teasing me all the time..."

"I think you’d be cute together," Ivy mumbled with a smile.

Lysandra’s face turned redder than spider guts.

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The last one on his end lunged. Aiden ducked low and swept his leg across its knees, knocking it over. Before it could recover, he stomped on its head with a wet crack.

[5/10]

Luna leapt into the air, claws glowing with energy, a feral growl ripping from her throat. She landed directly on the back of a spider and sank her claws through its armored shell like knives through butter.

"Don’t you dare hurt my family!" she shrieked, digging deeper and tearing it in half. Viscera splattered across her thighs and chest.

[6/10]

Another spider tried to flank her, but she turned midair, her tail acting like a counterbalance as she twisted and raked her claws across its face, severing three of its eyes. It screamed, stumbling back before Luna pounced, plunging her claws straight into its mouth and tearing out its brain.

[7/10]

The third one leapt from above, aiming for her exposed back—but Luna grinned. "Amateur."

She caught it midair, slammed it into the floor, and began to rip each of its legs off one by one.

"Scared Ivy, did you?" Rip. "Made her cry?" Rip. "You deserve worse."

[8/10]

The last two tried to rush her together.

Luna howled.

She went full beast-mode, her claws extending longer, eyes blazing with fury. She dashed through them in a blur, and as she passed, the spiders suddenly stopped—before both halves of their bodies slid apart in gory symmetry.

[10/10]

A silence fell over the station—broken only by the dripping of spider blood and the sound of Luna’s panting breaths.

Aiden returned to the center of the subway, his boots leaving bloody footprints behind him.

Luna met him halfway, her cheeks flushed, chest heaving. Blood clung to her arms and face, but her expression was radiant. "Tch... took you long enough, Master."

He chuckled. "You’re really scary when someone threatens the people you love."

"Damn right," she growled, then grabbed his collar, pulling him into a brief kiss—one filled with fire and pride. "I told you I’d protect Ivy."

Aiden grinned and looked over his shoulder.

Aiden flicked the last bits of gore off his blade.

"Alright. Cleared," he muttered.

Just then, the system blinked again.

[MISSION CLEARED.

Bonus: Efficient Elimination

Reward: +2 Bond Points (Luna)]

Luna’s eyes sparkled. "Ooooh~! Does this mean I get a prize, Master?"

Aiden turned toward her with a smirk. "You’re already covered in blood and spider brains. Is that your idea of foreplay now?"

She smacked his arm playfully. "Stop teasing!"

He leaned in, voice low. "You were really hot back there though..."

Luna blushed furiously, mumbling something under her breath. "...Maybe just a little."

Aiden turned toward Lysandra and Ivy.

"You two okay?"

Lysandra nodded, trying to compose herself, though her heart was still racing. "No injuries. Thanks to you two."

Ivy ran up and hugged Aiden tightly, her voice small but strong. "Onii-chan... you were so cool."

He ruffled her hair with a gentle smile. "Told you I’d protect you, didn’t I?"

Luna came up beside them and pulled Ivy into a side hug. "Next time, no running through portals without asking."

"I promise..." Ivy said softly.

Aiden looked up the long tunnel.

"This floor is left to clear. And something tells me... they won’t all be this easy."

Luna cracked her knuckles. "Then let’s keep going. I wanna see what kind of twisted beasts this dungeon has."

Aiden nodded.

"Let’s move."

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END OF Chapter 26: COLOR BARS!

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A/N: Dear readers, please write a review.

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