The caverns were strange. They weren't completely shrouded in darkness. Daion was surprised to notice small, viscous lumps clinging to the walls—veined with faintly glowing red lines that dimly illuminated the chamber. According to Loryn, those growths were accumulations of corrupt energy that, over time, crystallized into those luminous veins.
The air felt heavy, oppressive, as if they were breathing molten steel instead of oxygen. Even with his gauntlets on, Daion could feel the corrupt energy seeping through his skin and spreading into his bones. He wished he had a hood like Loryn's to shield himself better. Aelith, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected; she walked ahead without the slightest sign of discomfort.
For the first few meters, they encountered only a few scattered Devourers. Daion dispatched them easily, and Aelith immediately consumed the remains to feed herself. Loryn, for his part, refrained from joining in.
"My weapon's too powerful, and it makes too much noise. If we attract something nasty, we'll have bigger problems," he said—or at least, that's what he claimed. Daion had to bite back a curse.
They pressed forward a few more minutes until the tunnel opened into a wider space. The chamber had the shape of a vast half-sphere several meters tall. It wasn't natural—the walls showed clear signs of having been carved or molded by intelligent hands.
Three tunnels branched out ahead. Loryn studied them closely, searching for any clue as to which might be safest. Daion, meanwhile, approached the walls and ran his hand along the surface. The stone was rough, brittle—and burned slightly to the touch.
When he looked up, he noticed faint bluish markings on the upper part of the wall: interconnected lines and squared symbols.
"A map," Daion said.
Loryn turned and approached him.
"Interesting… leaving a map right at the entrance is either very brave or very stupid," he muttered, studying and memorizing every detail.
"Which do you think it is?" asked Aelith, tearing apart a Devourer's carcass with her teeth.
"Depends on what kind of Corrupts we're dealing with," Loryn replied, lowering his gaze to the drawing. "That circular area at the end of the tunnels must be the main chamber. I've got it memorized."
"There's no way you memorized that so fast," Daion complained.
Loryn gave him a look that mixed arrogance and amusement before continuing forward.
Daion followed—but then the temperature dropped sharply. Frost spread over the walls, and their breath turned to pale mist, clouding their vision. At that moment, Daion understood whether they were brave… or just idiots.
He drew his sword in an instant. From the darkness, a shadow shot toward him, slashing his shoulder before embedding itself in the wall. When he looked, he saw the weapon that had struck him: a spear—made of ice.
Loryn's eyes widened; he cursed silently and immediately raised his rifle, just as three figures emerged from the gloom. They all had white fur, similar to the Behemoth's, though smaller, with almost human faces and long, pointed ears. They wore jagged ice plates as makeshift armor. Behind them lumbered a massive polar bear with saber-like fangs and glowing blue patterns running across its body.
"Ice Corrupts," Loryn muttered.
Daion tensed. From what he'd heard, they belonged to one of the most intelligent Corrupt strains. They weren't especially strong, but they compensated with cunning and coordination.
The three humanoids smirked arrogantly. One wielded a massive double axe—broad-shouldered and brutish. The second, carrying a sword, was smaller, with surprisingly refined features. The third, unarmed, snapped his fingers and formed another ice spear identical to the first. It was clear he was their leader—his calm, regal bearing said as much.
Disarming them won't help. Guess we've walked right into a trap, Daion thought, drawing his sword. The Corrupts sneered at the sight of the chipped blade dragging across the floor. Daion narrowed his eyes. That's right. Get cocky.
Loryn raised his rifle and fired. The Corrupts barely managed to dodge in time—their smirks vanished. Loryn clicked his tongue. The bullet froze midair, then reversed course, slamming toward the axe-wielder. He tried to block it, but his icy weapon shattered on impact. The bullet hit his shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground with a muffled roar.
The other two turned in surprise—just the opening Daion and Aelith needed. They charged.
Smart, but arrogant. If we take them out in one strike, we can save energy, Daion thought as Aelith lunged at the spear user.
Daion attacked the swordsman from behind. The enemy spun around, lifting his icy blade, but Daion didn't hesitate—he wrapped his sword in Omega energy and swung with all his strength. The corrupted blade shattered instantly. The foe's eyes widened in genuine terror at the sight of death—something that startled Daion, but not enough to stop him. His sword cut clean through, slicing the enemy in two.
Aelith, for her part, readied her claws. She was sure that with just a bit of her transformation, it would be enough to pierce through the enemy. However, when the Corrupt turned and looked her straight in the eyes, something inside her faltered. Only for a second… but it was enough.
The Corrupt reacted with murderous instinct. Aelith slashed, but too late—the enemy's spear pierced her side with surgical precision.
Loryn flinched at the sight. Daion, still panting beside the swordsman's corpse, felt a cold knot of fear tighten in his chest.
Aelith felt a stabbing pain tear through her, an unbearable cold freezing her organs from within. The Corrupt twisted the spear, trying to rip her open completely, but Aelith grabbed hold of it with all her strength, gritting her teeth to keep from screaming as she held it in place.
The Corrupt struggled for a few seconds, slowly overpowering her. The wound deepened, bit by bit. But Loryn reacted fast—he fired again, this time without applying inertia. The Corrupt jumped back just in time, the spear shattering mid-struggle.
Aelith collapsed forward, the broken shard still embedded in her side.
"What a shame for us," said the Corrupt with a crooked smile as Loryn hurried to Aelith and handed her a healing orb. "A high-level Summoned and a demi-human of Archdemon rank—a traitor to her own blood. The logical choice would be to retreat…" He walked toward the massive polar bear, still motionless. The beast's glowing marks flared brighter, deepening to an icy blue. "…but you killed one of ours."
Daion glanced at the fallen swordsman. The hollow stare of the corpse met his own. He knew that feeling well—the weight of taking a life. But there was something different about these enemies… maybe because of how human they seemed.
The Corrupt leader frowned and placed a hand on the polar bear's head. His eyes glowed, and the beast roared, turning toward Loryn. He barely had time to raise his rifle before a surge of frozen mist erupted from the bear's body, engulfing him. When the fog cleared, a sharp pain burned through his arm—his rifle and forearm were completely frozen solid.
"Thin armor, long-range weapon… I'd say you're not a close-combat fighter. Without your rifle, you're just another ordinary man, aren't you?" said the Corrupt, forming another ice spear in his hand.
"Hey, aren't you forgetting someone?" Daion growled, shaking off the last of his dizziness as he stepped away from the swordsman's corpse.
The Corrupt smiled calmly.
"Of course not."
Daion raised an eyebrow, confused—until a chill ran down his spine. He turned just in time to block a heavy downward strike from the other Corrupt. The impact sent shards of ice flying as the axe embedded itself in the ground.
Daion felt his arms go numb—not from the strength of the blow, but from the cold radiating through the enemy's weapon. He tightened his grip, forcing his frozen fingers to obey, and let out a slow, focused breath.
Loryn pushed himself up, gritting his teeth.
Damn it… with the barrel frozen, firing might make it explode, he thought as the Corrupt locked onto him. He glanced at Aelith—she met his eyes. She was still alert, though the ice sealing her wound spread slowly through her body. We're not done yet. Daion's possibly the best close-range fighter I've ever seen. His only limit is Omega energy. I just need… to buy him time.
The Corrupt lunged high into the air and brought his spear down in a powerful swing. Loryn raised his free arm—the one not frozen—and blocked with his gauntlet. The clash rang through the cavern like thunder. The Corrupt smirked, surprised, but Loryn held his ground.
Daion took the chance to focus entirely on his opponent.
"My name is Gor," the Corrupt said proudly, pounding his chest. "Soldier of the Ice Dragon."
Daion's eyes widened at the name.
"I'm Daion, summoned by an idiot god," he replied with the same defiant tone. He was sure Loryn had just given him a glare for playing along. "And today, I'll kill you."
The Corrupt grinned and swung his axe in a wide horizontal arc. Daion leapt, dodging with speed, and kicked him square in the face, staggering the larger foe. Despite being more than twice his size, Daion's stat boosts were finally paying off. The Corrupt fell backward, and Daion took the opening to drive his sword down.
But the enemy recovered fast, kicking upward and sending Daion flying, only to follow with a hammering blow that slammed him into the icy ground. The air burst from Daion's lungs. The Corrupt raised his axe to finish him—but Daion rolled aside just before the blade struck.
"Stay still, runt," the Corrupt growled, hefting the weapon again.
"Sorry—I'm kind of hyperactive," Daion shot back with a grin.
The Corrupt rose to attack again, but Daion moved faster, slicing the weapon's handle clean in two. Then he slashed across the enemy's side, cutting through his skin. The Corrupt caught the sword with one hand—blue blood dripping to the floor.
The leader glanced over, briefly concerned. Loryn seized the chance—he struck the Corrupt's gut, forcing him to bend slightly. It wasn't much, but enough for Loryn to grab a rock from the ground and infuse it with energy. The Corrupt looked up, confused. Loryn smirked and threw it with all his strength.
The stone shot forward like a bullet. The Corrupt barely turned his head in time—but the rock still tore off his ear, leaving him stunned.
"Idiot… did you really think I could only manipulate bullets?" Loryn said with a proud grin. "Anything that touches me is affected by my energy."
The Corrupt frowned and lowered his spear. Daion heard the sound of blood splattering on the ground and smiled
"Alright then—your turn to be split in half," he said, forcing his sword forward to pierce him.
The Corrupt clenched his teeth and stared straight into his eyes. Daion flinched as frost began spreading from the enemy's grip, crawling across the blade. He immediately let go, narrowly avoiding the freezing surge. The Corrupt smirked and tossed the sword aside.
"Lucky you," he muttered, pressing his wounded side and sealing it with a layer of ice. "I can only create three ice axes a day… so now it'll be just…" —Daion crossed his arms just as a powerful punch struck him, unleashing a blast of icy wind— "…fists."
Daion gritted his teeth and steadied his stance as the Corrupt pulled his fist back. Then the enemy lunged, unleashing a storm of blows. Daion dodged and parried most of them, though a few landed on his ribs.
He's faster, but… He stepped forward, deflected a punch, and countered with a hook to the gut that made the Corrupt grunt in pain. In strength, we're evenly matched, he thought just before taking a punch straight to the face. His head snapped back and his vision blurred as a thin trail of blood slid from his nose. And in endurance… I can manage.
Meanwhile, Loryn was doing everything he could not to die with each thrust. He blocked the attacks with his gauntlet, cursing under his breath.
Damn it, why did I prioritize speed over defense? he thought between gasps. Now all I can do is block… if he hits the core, I'm dead.
He caught another strike with his gauntlet, but the Corrupt twisted his spear skillfully—the blade swept down and sliced his leg open, leaving a freezing wound.
"You can defend, but you need to attack to win. And I won't let you grab another rock," the Corrupt said, advancing.
Loryn clenched his jaw, unsure whether to unleash his Omega energy. Something deep inside held him back, though he didn't know why.
Daion, on his end, was still trading blows with the brute, slowly losing ground.
Guess this is the perfect time to test that idea, he thought, then threw a low kick that struck the enemy's knee, forcing him down onto one leg. The Corrupt growled in pain—right before Daion landed a punch square on his face.
Daion grinned, but his expression shifted when he pressed his gloved hand to the Corrupt's neck and focused. The brute froze in confusion… then gasped in pain as his strength began to drain away.
He reacted instantly, striking Daion's arm to break free. Still, the Invoked smiled—he could already feel his opponent's power waning.
"What was that?" the Corrupt demanded, panting.
Daion raised his head, a confident smile on his lips.
"It's death, hitting you," he replied—and immediately regretted how cheesy it sounded. "Most people assume these gloves can only drain energy from the dead because they never tried it on the living. But it wouldn't make sense for a tool designed to steal energy to fail in combat. It's harder, but…" —he took stance again, ready to charge— "…thanks for helping me confirm my theory."
The Corrupt gritted his teeth, but Daion was already moving. He dashed forward and slid under a devastating punch that shattered the ice floor. Passing beneath his foe, he pressed his hand against the Corrupt's back. Gor grunted, trying to turn around, but his movements were already sluggish. That's when Daion struck—aiming directly at the base of his spine.
The sound was dull, like wood splintering. Gor let out a guttural scream, collapsing to his knees as his body trembled violently. He tried to rise, but his legs no longer responded.
"Damn you… what kind of Invoked are you…?" he managed to choke out, voice cracking with pain.
"A hit in the right spot's worth more than a hundred random ones," Daion replied, wiping the blood from his nose. He pressed his hand against Gor's back again, draining the corrupted energy leaking from him. "Now stay still, like a good beast."
The Corrupt ignored the pain and swung with all his strength, but Daion caught the blow with one arm—still smiling. He only drained energy for a few seconds, yet it was enough. He had surpassed his physical disadvantage.
Then it was his turn. Daion struck Gor's arm, knocking down his guard, and moved with the effortless rhythm of a seasoned fighter. A punch to the gut. Another to the chest. A knee to the ribs. And finally, an uppercut that shattered his jaw. Each hit was clean, precise, and crackled with sparks of energy between them.
The Corrupt staggered back, growling in pain. Daion gave him no chance to recover—a punch to the face, another to the ribs, and when the giant tried to counter, Daion dodged and drove his hand into his abdomen.
A burst of blue light engulfed them.
Gor fell to his knees, eyes wide, as his energy escaped his body like smoke scattered by the wind.
Daion approached, ready to finish him. Gor could barely stay upright; his body had gone numb—defeated by a mere human. He clenched his teeth, furious and humiliated.
"Humans are too arrogant… they don't even expect…" he managed to say. The Corrupt leader turned sharply, as if to warn him to stop. "A trick…" he whispered.
From Gor's hand, a flash of blue light flared—an ice axe materialized instantly. He swung it at Daion in desperation.
But the Invoked didn't even flinch. Arm extended, he simply waited.
Gor screamed as his weapon shattered into a thousand shards—split apart by Daion's sword, which had returned to his hand as if summoned by will alone. Daion gripped it firmly and, with a swift motion, sliced off his arm.
The Corrupt howled, staring in horror as his severed limb hit the ground, leaving a trail of glowing blue blood.
"And don't forget one more thing," Daion said, his expression dark enough to chill everyone around him. "Humans are treacherous too. Remember that… in the next life."
"W… wait, please—" Gor tried to beg.
Daion crouched, raised his sword… and in a single motion, cut off his head.
Loryn smiled at the result. Aelith, still wounded, lifted her gaze as much as she could to see Daion—panting heavily, watching the Corrupt's blood spread across the ice until it reached his feet.
A knot twisted in her stomach, but she shook her head and turned toward the enemy leader. He stepped back, now trapped between the two Invoked. Instead of fleeing, he smiled calmly.
"What fascinating Invoked you are…" he murmured.
End of Chapter 34.