CHAPTER 166: [THE POWER-UP IS...?!]

’An additional task? Is this... the task you told me about? For... another power-up?’

Eli’s thoughts stumbled over themselves, eyes wide, his heart hammering as pain from his danger detection pounded mercilessly against his skull.

Ding.

The chime rang again—so casual, so calm it almost mocked him.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Yes.

Eli blinked, disbelief flashing through his face. ’Okay, then tell me! What’s all this suspense about?!’ he snapped mentally, the irritation barely masking the fear clawing at his chest.

Usually, the system didn’t play games. It just showed him the task—cold, efficient, immediate.

But now, of all times, when the world was literally shaking apart around them, it had decided to go cryptic?

"Eli, we have to find a place to hide," Kairo’s voice cut through his thoughts—steady, commanding. His grip shifted, one arm tightening around Eli’s waist as he adjusted his hold.

Eli’s fingers instinctively clutched at Kairo’s shoulder for balance, the motion automatic. He didn’t trust his voice right now, so he just nodded, eyes still flicking toward the invisible panel hovering before him.

He could feel Kairo’s movements—fast, precise. The others’ footsteps splashing behind them.

Mio shouting something about an escape route. Mel and Zaira’s hurried breathing echoing through the collapsing cavern.

All of them were moving. All of them were afraid.

And yet, Eli couldn’t focus on any of that.

Because right now, the only thing he could do—the only thing that mattered—was wait.

Wait for the system.

Wait for the mission that could decide whether they lived or died.

His nails dug lightly into Kairo’s sleeve as his mind raced.

’Come on. Just tell me what it is already.’

He told himself this was good—that this meant another power-up. The last one had saved him before. This one could save all of them.

’Right? It’s going to help. It has to help.’

But deep down, the dread wouldn’t leave.

Because the system had always been unpredictable.

Helpful one second. Heartless the next.

And as the trembling grew stronger and Kairo barked orders through the echoing tunnel, Eli couldn’t help but feel that awful, gnawing thought in the back of his head—

’You’re not going to let us die, right? You wouldn’t... right?’

He swallowed hard, the silence pressing in again.

The System still hadn’t answered.

Then—

Ding.

The sound cut through the chaos like a knife, clean and sharp, almost cruel in its timing.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

You will get the power-up first before the task.

Eli froze. His blood ran cold.

’What?’

He blinked rapidly, staring at the message, hoping he’d misread it.

’No, no—what does that even mean? A power-up first? Before the task? That’s not how it works... that’s never how it works.’

Was this a trick? A prank? Some kind of twisted test?

Because this didn’t sound like a reward. It sounded like a setup.

’What the hell does that mean...?’ Eli’s pulse quickened, unease crawling up his spine.

Before he could think further, the entire cavern trembled violently, the ground cracking beneath Kairo’s boots.

A deafening rumble filled the air, shaking dust loose from the ceiling.

Eli’s head snapped upward—his breath catching in his throat. "Kairo!"

Kairo’s eyes followed his gaze. Even in the dim light, the jagged cracks spreading across the ceiling were visible—thick, branching fractures racing outward like lightning.

"Shit," Kairo muttered, his jaw tightening.

Mio, Mel, and Zaira stumbled to a stop behind them, the tremors throwing off their balance.

"Where do we go, Captain?" Zaira’s voice was high, trembling. "Everything’s going to fall on us! The cracks—they’re everywhere!"

"I-I can try to use my vines, maybe hold it up! And you, Captain, you can try to cover us with blood but—" Mel’s voice wavered, panicked.

"There’s no guarantee how much is going to fall on us," Eli cut in, finishing his sentence for him. His own voice was shaking, but not from fear—at least, not just fear.

Because something else was happening.

Pain.

Sharp. Violent. Unbearable.

It tore through his head so suddenly that he doubled over, a raw cry ripping from his throat.

"FUCK!" Eli gasped, clutching the side of his skull as his knees buckled.

Kairo was instantly beside him. "Where?" he demanded, his tone clipped, precise—battle-ready.

Eli’s vision blurred. His breath came in short, ragged bursts as his Danger Sense exploded inside his skull like fireworks.

The anger.

The hatred.

The killing intent.

It was everywhere—thick, suffocating—but one source burned brighter than the rest.

He forced his head up, eyes wide with panic.

"A—Above us..." he managed, his voice shaking.

Mio’s head snapped upward, his threads already sparking to life. "Above us?!" he shouted, disbelief cutting through the panic.

And then, with a sound of the stones splitting open—

The ceiling gave way.

The air cracked open.

Everyone froze. Even Kairo—mid-movement, blood aura flickering around him—halted for half a second as the echo rolled through the cavern like the rumble of a god exhaling.

Eli blinked up through the haze, breath caught somewhere between his lungs and his throat.

Dust and shards of rock rained down, hissing into the water below.

"What the hell was that?!" Mio shouted, already snapping his hands forward, threads igniting like silver lightning across his palms.

Before Kairo could answer, the system’s warning flashed in Eli’s vision again.

[IMMINENT IMPACT DETECTED: POWER UP WILL COME IN 120 SECONDS]

’Power up will...come?’

Come?

What did that—

"Everyone close to me!" Kairo barked, his voice sharp enough to cut through the noise. "Mel—do what you said earlier. Now!"

Mel jerked in surprise but didn’t hesitate. His hands slammed against the water’s surface, green veins blazing under his skin.

"On it!"

The water exploded upward as thick vines shot from beneath, tangling around each other to form a living barrier over them. Leaves and thorns bristled, growing faster than wild fire, roots anchoring themselves into broken stone.

Kairo moved at the same time—blood flaring from his palm. Crimson liquid spiraled outward, solidifying into a curved dome of living blood over the vines.

It pulsed faintly, protective and alive, thick enough to deflect a collapsing ceiling if it came to that.

"Stay under me!" Kairo commanded. "Now!"

Mio pulled Zaira in; Eli stumbled forward, pressing close as Mel’s vines creaked under the weight of falling debris.

But then—

Eli froze.

Something... shifted.

A sound. Wet. Slow. Heavy.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as his Danger Sense screamed—sharp and distinct.

He didn’t even realize he’d whispered until he heard his own voice.

"...That won’t be necessary."

Kairo’s head snapped toward him. "What?"

Eli’s eyes were still locked on the ceiling. His voice trembled.

"It’s here."

Kairo stiffened. "It?"

He didn’t have time to finish the word.

Because the ceiling erupted.

A deafening BOOM tore through the cavern.

The explosion wasn’t fire or magic—it was impact. Something enormous crashed through layers of stone like paper, sending shards and water in every direction.

The vines groaned. Kairo’s shield flared bright red, absorbing the rain of debris as a massive figure slammed into the cavern floor—just a few feet away.

The shockwave hit them like a wall. Eli’s knees nearly buckled; Mel shouted in pain as the vines strained to hold.

For a moment, none of them spoke. The air was dust and static.

Then, through the settling mist—

They saw it.

Lying in the shallow water was a snake.

Not a monster. Not a mountain-sized beast.

A snake—only a few meters long, slick black scales glistening with ink and blood.

Eli blinked. Once. Twice.

Mio stared, lowering his arms slightly. "...That’s it?"

Even Zaira’s voice cracked when she spoke. "That’s the SS-Class boss?"

Kairo didn’t answer. His eyes narrowed—too sharp, too cautious.

"Move back," he said flatly.

"What? Why?" Mel asked, his vines still coiled protectively around them. "It’s small! Captain, that’s not—"

The serpent’s body trembled—then expanded.

At first, Eli thought it was just shifting, shaking off the fall. But then the air around them began to bend, warping as mana surged outward in visible waves.

The creature’s scales rippled like molten obsidian, every movement splitting the water beneath it.

It was growing.

"I said, move!" Kairo barked again, his voice cutting through the panic.

He adjusted his hold on Eli and sprinted, his boots slamming into the shallow water.

The others followed instantly—Mio pulling Zaira, Mel forcing his legs through the sludge.

The cavern shook. The serpent’s body lengthened, twisting through the shattered ceiling like a living shadow. Every second, it doubled in size—ten meters, twenty, fifty—its tail coiling around the distant rock pillars like chains.

Eli clung to Kairo’s shoulder, the world a blur of motion and sound.

His danger sense wasn’t flaring—no death warning, no incoming attack—just an eerie, waiting stillness.

Zaira screamed, voice cracking, "Why is it getting bigger?!"

Mel was panting, half in disbelief, half in terror. "It’s—it’s filling the cave! It’s not even chasing us...it’s just..."

"Captain!" Mio shouted over the echoing thunder of shifting stone. "What are we supposed to do?!"

"Keep running forward!" Kairo commanded without hesitation, his voice steady, clipped, focused.

Eli turned his head, eyes wide, watching as the serpent continued to grow—its scales glinting like oil, its eyes flickering open again, twin blue lights that burned through the dust.

The hissing from before was gone, replaced by a low, bone-deep growl that made the air hum.

He glanced to his side—and then saw it.

A small blue timer, glowing faintly in the corner of his vision.

[Power-Up in 00:50]

His heart stuttered.

’Fifty seconds.’

"Eli," Kairo called, breath sharp as they turned another corner. The passage trembled around them, water splashing violently with every stride. "What’s the plan? What do we do?"

Eli didn’t answer right away. The system’s timer pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, mocking him.

’Fifty seconds isn’t long...’ he thought, biting the inside of his cheek. ’But we just have to survive until then.’

"Wait," he said finally, his voice steady despite the chaos.

Kairo’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue. He just nodded once and kept running.

Forty seconds.

The serpent’s shadow stretched across the cavern, its massive body pushing against the rock walls until the stone cracked. The noise was unbearable—like thunder rolling underwater.

Thirty seconds.

Zaira tripped, catching herself on Mio’s arm. Mel shouted something incoherent, pulling his vines free from falling debris.

Twenty seconds.

The hissing grew louder now, evolving into a distorted screech that shook the water itself. Eli’s danger sense flickered faintly—not pain, not yet, but pressure. Something coming.

Ten seconds.

"Eli—!" Mio called, panic sharp in his voice. "It’s still growing!"

"Five," Eli said quietly.

"What?"

He didn’t look back. "Four."

"Eli?!"

"Three."

The serpent lifted its head, its jaw stretching open, rows of fangs glistening as its tongue flicked out, tasting the air.

"Two."

The growl that followed wasn’t a sound—it was an earthquake.

Kairo stopped running. The others stumbled to a halt beside him, chests heaving. The light from the serpent’s eyes burned through the darkness, swallowing everything.

"One."

Eli’s pupils constricted as the final second vanished.

[Power-Up Initiated]

The air split with a pulse—bright, white, blinding.

Everyone flinched. Mio shielded his eyes. Zaira screamed. Mel stumbled back, vines thrashing instinctively around him.

And then—

It appeared.

Right in front of them.

"Is that..."

’No fucking way...’

"A GATE?!"