CHAPTER 171: WORTH HITTING

The coupling door slammed shut behind them with a rattle of metal. Wind roared through the narrow gap between cars, howling in Lucen’s ears as he steadied himself on the grated floor. The freight car loomed ahead, its rusted panels groaning under the strain of something crawling along its roof.

From here, Lucen could see it properly: the bulging dents moving steadily forward, each one accompanied by the sharp screech of claws digging into steel. Whatever was up there was big enough to shift the train’s balance.

Varik tilted his head back, watching the roof bow under another clawed step. "It’s heading for the engine."

Lucen smirked faintly, mana already simmering beneath his skin. "Guess we’d better stop it before it pulls the brakes for us."

The bowman stumbled out behind them, pale-faced and gripping his weapon like a lifeline. "What the hell is that thing?"

Lucen didn’t bother answering.

Another shriek tore through the night as the roof finally gave way. Steel peeled back like a sardine tin as the monster forced its way down into the freight car. Shards of metal rained down, clattering against the tracks.

Lucen caught a glimpse of it through the jagged opening: a centipede-like horror, armored in dark chitin, dozens of hooked limbs rippling along its sides. Its head was too large, too jagged, too wrong, a cluster of mandibles grinding together as strings of black saliva hung between them.

The smell hit a second later. Acrid. Metallic. Rotting blood mixed with burning oil.

The staff-wielder gagged audibly. The tall swordsman cursed.

Lucen’s lips pulled into a grin. ’Perfect. Finally, something worth hitting.’

The beast slammed its body against the freight car walls, denting them outward with a deafening boom. Sparks rained as its claws scraped along the steel floor.

Varik stepped forward first, calm as if he were walking into a market square. He planted one boot on the freight car’s threshold, hand settling on the hilt of his blade.

"Stay out here," he said, not turning back.

The bowman bristled. "Like hell we’re staying out—"

Lucen cut him off. "You’re staying out here." His tone was sharper, edged with that smug tilt that made the squad freeze. "You go in, you’re dead weight."

The swordswoman’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t argue.

Varik’s hand twitched. That was his signal.

Lucen moved. He vaulted the gap first, boots hitting the freight car floor with a heavy clang. Wind blasted through the torn roof, carrying the smell of the creature with it.

The centipede’s head snapped toward him immediately, mandibles clacking in a bone-deep rhythm.

Lucen spread his hands, mana snapping bright around his fingers. "Come on then."

The beast lunged, its entire body surging forward like a train within a train. Its mandibles slammed shut where he’d been a heartbeat before, sparks exploding as they scraped the floor. Lucen slid sideways, boots grinding metal, and lashed out with a compressed blast that detonated against the creature’s side.

The explosion rocked the car. Shards of chitin scattered like shattered glass, black ichor hissing as it hit the floor.

The centipede shrieked, its many legs thrashing against the steel walls.

Varik stepped in then, his blade already drawn. He didn’t waste movement, just one clean swing that carved through the air and sheared off two of the creature’s hooked limbs in a spray of ichor.

The beast bucked violently, the entire freight car groaning under the impact. Lucen stumbled, caught himself on a broken rail, and laughed under his breath.

’God, this thing’s ugly. And it actually thinks it can win.’

The creature twisted its body, sweeping its tail across the length of the car. Steel screamed as it smashed through crates and slammed into the wall where Varik had been standing. But Varik was no longer there.

He’d already vaulted onto the centipede’s back, blade buried in its chitin. He drove the weapon down until sparks hissed from the friction, then ripped it free in a single brutal motion.

The beast shrieked again, slamming itself against the wall to shake him loose.

Lucen raised a hand, mana condensing into a sphere that pulsed hot and white. "Hey. Over here."

The ball of mana shot forward and detonated just beneath the centipede’s head. The blast flung its mandibles upward, snapping several of them clean off. Black ichor sprayed across the car in hot streams.

The squad outside the door yelled in alarm, ducking as some of it spattered through the gap.

Lucen wiped a streak from his cheek with the back of his glove. ’Messy. But effective.’

The centipede twisted, rearing up until its head nearly touched the torn ceiling. It brought its front half crashing down toward Lucen like a falling tree.

Lucen braced, sword flashing into his hand in one smooth draw. Mana surged through the blade, glowing faintly against the dark. He slashed upward.

Steel met chitin with a ringing crack. The impact jolted his arm to the shoulder, but the blade cut deep enough to send another spray of ichor raining down.

The centipede reeled back, screaming.

And then Varik struck.

He dropped from its back to the floor, both hands gripping his sword. His swing wasn’t fast, it didn’t need to be. It was clean. Precise. Absolute.

The blade tore straight through the creature’s body, severing a massive chunk of its midsection. The freight car shook under the force, walls denting outward as the beast spasmed.

Lucen steadied himself against the wall, watching the way Varik moved. Efficient. Unshakable. ’This is why he’s in the top ten. Makes the rest of us look like we’re playing at it.’

The centipede wasn’t dead yet. It thrashed violently, tail lashing through what was left of the crates. One smashed against Lucen’s shoulder, sending him staggering back. Pain flared, sharp and hot.

He grit his teeth. ’Alright. Enough playing nice.’

He shoved mana into the blade until it hummed in his grip. His chest burned with it, veins prickling under his skin.

Varik glanced at him once, a flicker of a nod. Permission.

Lucen stepped forward, swung, and released the surge.

The blast ripped from the sword in a crescent of white-hot energy that carved through the centipede’s remaining front limbs and split its head nearly in two. The shriek it let out was deafening, rattling the very frame of the car.

Then it collapsed, twitching, ichor spilling across the floor in smoking rivers.

[Dungeon-Class Beast Defeated]

[XP Gained: +11,200]

The text flickered briefly across Lucen’s vision before fading.

He exhaled, lowering the sword. His gloves were slick with ichor, his coat spattered with it. The freight car stank of burning rot and blood.

Varik wiped his blade against the beast’s carapace and sheathed it, expression unchanged. "Sloppy."

Lucen smirked faintly. "Still breathing, aren’t I?"

The bowman’s voice called from the coupling. "Is... is it dead?"

Lucen kicked the centipede’s twitching tail. "Mostly."

Varik walked to the torn opening in the roof, scanning the night. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp. "That wasn’t the only one."

Lucen tilted his head. "Oh, good. I was worried the night would get boring."

The freight car groaned under them as the train roared on through the dark, the scent of blood hanging heavy in the cold air.

And in the silence that followed, every member of the squad outside stared in wide-eyed silence, because they’d just seen a mage who was supposed to be average fight like something far, far more dangerous.

—

The train finally screeched as brakes locked down, sparks spitting off the rails in bright orange arcs. The freight car rattled violently one last time before settling into a shuddering crawl. The dead centipede lay sprawled in the middle of the car, ichor pooling thick around its twitching limbs.

Lucen leaned against the wall, arms crossed, chest still burning faintly from the surge he’d released. His coat clung damp to him where ichor had sprayed, stiffening already.

’Smells like someone boiled a sewer.’

He exhaled slowly, pulling back the hood of his jacket. The night air pouring in through the torn roof was frigid, clean. Better than the stench inside.

The others weren’t handling it well. The bowman was pale, sweat dripping from his forehead as he tried not to look at the corpse. The tall swordswoman’s hand shook slightly as she cleaned her blade on a rag. The staff-wielder kept glancing between Lucen and Varik like he couldn’t decide who terrified him more.

"Stay back from the body," Varik said flatly. He crouched near the severed midsection of the beast, eyes scanning the fractured carapace like he was cataloging it. His voice cut through the lingering chaos like a blade, calm and absolute.

The bowman swallowed hard. "Y-yeah. Not going near that thing."

Lucen snorted faintly. "Smartest thing you’ve said all night."

Before anyone could respond, the shrill wail of police sirens reached them. Red and blue light flickered outside the cracked windows as vehicles pulled up alongside the stopped train. Shouts carried over the wind.

Lucen pushed off the wall, peering through the jagged tear in the roof. Flashlights danced along the gravel, officers already fanning out with weapons drawn.

’Great. Now we get to explain this mess to pencil-pushers.’