The massive cavern was silent save for the dripping organic moisture and the buzzing of the last few remnants of the Scuttle Bug swarm. I was acutely aware of my accrued resources: 1 AP and 3 SP. But the deeper we went, the more dangerous our position became, especially with the Lunar Cry countdown looming.
"Hold here." I glanced at the complex matrix of the tunnel system on his HUD. "We're four successful encounters deep into Gamma-7. If we get wiped here, the runback is too costly. Now is the time."
I signaled the instruction for the ultimate safety net.
"Generate Save Crystal."
In an instant, a burst of complex pink light erupted from the compact eye of my Brood Mother Palm, concentrating into a single point on the cavern floor. The light solidified into a crystalline octahedron, radiating a soft, steady pink glow as it floated in the air. It was the Save Crystal, the digital anchor to reality.
"Crystal anchor established," Herja confirmed, her voice ringing with finality. "Our current location is now saved, Ash. Remember the rule: if we generate another one, this one shatters."
I felt a wave of relief. We were secured. Now, it was time to finish the cultivation session. I needed three more unique essences to fully unlock the Brood Mother Palm. "Guide us to the next unique signature, Herja. I need something entirely different," I ordered. Herja immediately provided the data. "I'm detecting a faint signature ahead." We moved into a smaller tunnel where the air felt strangely thin and the light warped. Standing coiled in the center was the Sphinxara—a beautiful, but unsettling, fusion of a winged feline, its head crowned by an ornate, ancient Egyptian helm.
"Battle encounter!"
Target Name Sphinxara: Can mute damage of incoming attacks with HP-Based shield. "This is a shield beast," I analyzed. "Mothman's speed and Marla's sheer volume of fire might not be enough if its shield is high enough." But the rarity of this beast made me covet it all the more and it's rare HP based Shield ability. I had to have it.
The Blender Team was built for offense, but shields countered raw damage. I needed a way to break the shield or bypass it entirely to secure the essence without wasting precious Orgone.
"Mothman, Marla!" I commanded, "We stick to the sequence. Koba, be ready with a Shell Shock."
"Battle Start!"
We engauged the beautiful winged feline Sphinxara! She was swift! I watched her turn meter bar fill rapidly in my HUD! But Mothman with his speed affinty was still faster! I heard the austrlain brouge accent as he shouted "Heavenly wheel shift! Sphinxaras turn meter reduced by 15% while our parties turn meters recieved the quickening effect of Mothmans speed boost. Mothman than activated his defense cutting skill 'Tarnishing aura' applying a 15% defense down buff on Sphinxara. She hissed and pawed at Mothman.
Marla was next, she fired a highly conservative, low-power Serpent Flash. Allowing me the chance to sample the Sphinxaras essence. The green Orgone beams hit the Sphinxara's shield. The shield absorbed 90% of the damage and was drastically reduced. I could see the gray bar covering the Sphinxaras HP bar decerease by over two-thirds, the real Hp bar glowed crimson in the segments that was uncovered. This confirmed the massive defensive power of an Hp-shield type genome beast.
My accelerated turn came. I had to get the shield down all the way before I attemtpted to ensalve it's orgone. A Plasma tail Volley shoudl do nicely1 I pointed with my plasma tail canon and let a volley fly to destroy the remaining sheild! My plasma volley thanks to my high accuracy cleanly impacted the weakened shield. The remaining gray bar shattered instantly. The Sphinxara's shield was completely destroyed, leaving its crimson-glowing core HP bar fully exposed. The Sphinxara roared in a mix of pain and frustration.
The beast was vulnerable, However I couldn't risk the Sphinxara refreshing its shield or executing a crippling debuff. "Koba, Stun now! Finish the lock-down!" I commanded, quickly pulling back to allow my tank to engage. Koba, utilizing his Shell shock skill, slammed his armored shoulder into the exposed Sphinxara. The heavy physical strike hit home, delivering the debilitating Stun debuff. The Sphinxara's turn was skipped!
It was now Mothman's turn again.
Mothman seized the moment, wheeling in the Xun'dral unit and launching three precision crescent strikes with his sonic elbow blades. This was not a kill shot, but a guaranteed damage burst to suppress the Stunned target. The attacks lit up my vision with critical yellow damage numbers, pushing the Sphinxara's core HP down to a sliver.
The beast was now Stunned, Debuffed, and on the brink of death. Marlas turn was next in the rapidly cycling turn order. However I issued Marla a beast command 'Defend' Marla flared her wings and struck a defense stance, essentialy skipping her turn and allowing me to take the kill.
I closed the distance immediately, raising the Dahkra Rod. The Siphon hit Stunned the creature cleanly, ripping its unique orgone signature from its body.
Essence Secured!
Brood Mother Palm Cultivation: 8/10
Dahkra Rod Essence 4/6 collected.
I confirmed my current point resources: AP: 1 SP: 4
"Eight out of ten!" I cheered. "Koba, Your Stuns are pure gold! Herja, guide us to the last two."
Herja immediately shifted the navigational data, guiding me to a new biome chamber. We moved into a tunnel that glowed with a soft, ethereal light, smelling faintly of clean ozone—a sharp contrast to the fetid darkness of Gamma-7. "Ash, new signature detected. Highly specialized, defensive type," Herja announced. "Classified: Sylphira. It appears to be a cleansing fairy, an Orgone sink focused on neutralizing environmental hazards and debuffs."
Standing ahead was the Sylphira fairy—a beautiful, tiny figure, with large, delicate insectoid wings. It radiated a pure, vibrant white energy, slowly neutralizing the last lingering poison spores in the air.
"Battle Encounter!"
"Target Name: Sylphira. Cleansing Affinity. Can dispel all debuffs instantly. High Orgone pool. Invaluable Purification Essence.
I felt an immediate, powerful covetousness. An essence that could instantly strip debuffs—was the ultimate utility tool. A debuff cleans skill was an absolute counter to enemy tactics. "Everyone, stand down," I commanded, raising a hand. Mothman, Marla, and Koba immediately halted. "This one is mine. One on one."
"This creature is a cleanser so it shoudlent offer to much of a fight." I thought to myself, besides this would be a good test. Siphoning it would be tricky, as it would instinctively fight back against the drain, but its lack of overt offense made it perfect for a solo cultivation run.
"Battle Start!"
The Sylphira went first. With a sudden flare of iridescent light, she fired off a volley of prismatic rays. The beams weren't designed for brute force but for psychic penetration, striking me with focused light and energy. The rays hit. I took damage and immediately felt the effect of a debuff: 'Scrambled Senses' which reduced my accuracy and agility by 10% for 1 turn. My low resistance of 95 was not enough to fully negate the psychic attack.
My turn arrived. I was reeling from the Sylphira's prismatic rays, my senses scrambled, and my stats temporarily penalized. I was debuffed, slower, and my aim was worse. I couldn't risk an attack or weak siphon, as it could miss, wasting a crucial turn. I had to neutralize her speed advantage and her ability to hit me with subsequent debuffs, and I had the perfect solution: the Brood Mother Palm.
I quickly realized the strategic loophole. My direct attacks required Agility and Accuracy, which were currently suppressed. But summoning required only Orgone and Intent—skills unaffected by the Sylphira's attack.
I summoned four Abysmal Lurkers! I would use them to exploit the Sylphira's energy by draining her stamina. I waved my Brood Mother Palm in the air, feeding wisps of my psychic intent into it. The compound eye shimmered, and four massive, fungal Abysmal Lurkers materialized instantly in the small tunnel!
The summoned creatures required no Agility or Accuracy on my part, only the sufficient Orgone needed to cast. The Lurkers immediately shuffled toward the fairy, their spore sacks swelling. I unleashed the Lurkers! I didn't aim for damage, but disruption.My Lurkers used their Spore Attack an Area-of-effect ability! The Lurkers released a wave of noxious spores. The Sylphira was hit by the stamina down debuff! She now focused her energy not on me, but on neutralizing the new threat of the advancing lurkers!
The sylphira used her turn to quickly cast her cleanse debuff skill on herself, removing the down stamina debuff, but to my unfortunate surprise this technique granted her an extra turn! upon which she fired another volley of prismatic rays into the approaching lurkers! The attack did some damage to my lurkers but they held solid, boxing her in.
It was my action and I quickly summonend a snapping polyander plant to entangle the Sylphira Fairy in it's long sticky plant tendrils! The Snapping Polyander plant tendrils found their target! The Snapping Polyander's mastery was complete as its tendrils used their "Wrap" skill, locking the Sylphira in a rigid, helpless stun. Seizing the crucial opening, I wasted no time; the moment the fairy was immobilized, he un-summoned his flanking lurkers, clearing a direct line of attack. With a decisive, practiced motion, he brought his Dahkra Rod to bear, snapping it against the stunned creature to instantly siphon and capture its unique orgone signature. The battle's end was swift and brutal: I unleashed a powerful, inverted wave of the creature's own stolen orgone back at its source, overloading and downing the Sylphira fairy.
With that final punishing surge, the conflict was concluded. I was victorious, claiming the Sylphira's valuable essences as my spoils.
Brood Mother Palm Cultivation: 9/10
Dahkra Rod Essence 5/6 collected.
AP:1
SP:5
"We are one step away," I declared, feeling the powerful pull of the completed signatures in my Rod and Palm. "Herja, guide us. Find the single most unique signature left in this complex—something completely different from the toxic, speed, HP-Shield, and cleanser types we've just captured." Herja's voice was a low hum in my bone canal. "Affirmative, Ash. The structural analysis of this stratum, designated Gamma-7, indicates one final, high-value signature. It's an evolutionary outlier. Proceeding through this next, deeper tunnel will lead you to it." We followed Herja's guidance, the ozone-scented passage gradually widening. The ethereal light of the previous chamber gave way to a profound, unsettling darkness. The walls here were not merely rock, but an obsidian-like material that seemed to drink in all ambient light. The air itself grew heavy, thick with an almost palpable sense of dread.
The tunnel opened into a vast, cavernous chamber. Two colossal, glowing Orgone Crystals pulsed high in the ceiling, casting long, fractured shadows that danced with an unnatural life. In the center of this oppressive space, drawing power from the very essence of the environment, was our final target. It was a being of iron muscle and sinew the Umbral Scythe Dragon. It stood up on it's hine legs, an immense, bipedal draconic form, its reptilian scales undulating in rattle that vibrated my sternum. Its head was broad and thick, it had two malevolent, glowing purple eyes that burned with cold intensity. Instead of forelimbs, wickedly long, curved blades replaced its arms, gleaming faintly even in the pervasive gloom. A massive, spiked tail twitched slowly behind it, radiating a silent, lethal promise. It seemed to feed on the very light and sound of the room, drawing power from the embedded Battle essence crystals and the oppressive silence itself.
"Battle Encounter!" Herja's voice, usually so steady, held a tremor of awe and warning. "Target Name: Umbral Scythe Dragon. Environmentally Charged. This is the one, Ash. The apex predator of gamma cavern 9."
This final clash would be the ultimate test. I immediately recognize the Umbral Scythe dragon was not merely a monster, but a true boss-class organism, a Shadow Dragon boasting a massive 55,000 HP with two Orgone Crystals pulsing menacingly overhead, I zoomed in on them and discovered they fueled the beast with a +15% Attack and +20% Defense area buff.
"No holding back," I hissed, activating the Blender Team sequence.
"Battle Start!"
Mothman initiated the assault, his blur of motion manifesting as the Heavenly Wheel Shift. The effect ripple across the cavern, instantly cutting the Dragon's turn meter and granting the party the crucial Quickening boost. Seizing his empowered extra turn, Mothman's sonic blades flashed, applying the debilitating Tarnishing Aura and landing the 15% Defense Down debuff on the colossal Dragon's armored hide!
Next, Marla unleashed her highest-power attack, the Serpent Flash. The focused blast of twenty-four seething green orgone beams struck the Dragon! I saw a high critical yellow damage number flash in my HUD 15,000! I followed up, firing a desperate, tightly packed Plasma Tail Volley Burst into the Umbral Scythe Dragon! Red damage numbers appeared 9,678!
Finally, Koba, a charging fortress, slammed into the Dragon with a powerful, 'shell-shock' tackle. White damage numbers appeared '2500.'
In our opening salvo we dealt a mind blowing 27,822 in damage! over half of the umbral scythe dragons HP was wiped out! However the dragon's unique nature made it immune to my planned Stun! The Umbral Scythe Dragon made a swift, and horrifying retaliation! It coiled its massive frame and struck with a whip-crack Tail Swipe, targeting the fastest threat: Mothman!
The blow was absolute, a perfect expression of its +20% attack power! yellow damage numbers lit up my HUD "AHHHHHHGAGGRH!" I watched Mothman cry out it agony as the Tail Swipe easily hit for a mind bogglingly 25,000 damage! I screamed in terror, "MothMan!" But what happened next was unexpected. Instead of being turned into a smear of blood and gore Mothman exploded into a pink pixilated cloud of digital cubes.
Just then Herjas voice vibrated in my inner ear bone, "Asset Mothman saved. Awaiting respawn phase." I suddenly remembered the save crystal that i had Herja deploy at the start of Gamma zone 7! The lose of Mothman would have been catastrophic, but a blinding flash of pink digital cubes enveloped the spot where Mothman fell. The anchor held; the Save Crystal consumed the loss, leaving Mothman and the unit 'Saved' but temporarily removed from the field.
Marla—unfazed by the brutal counter—rose high into the air, utilizing her unparalleled agility to launch a furious three-hit Claw Attack against the Dragon's exposed flank. White damge numbers appeared in my HUD '3500'. Bringing the dragons new HP count to 24,322. The rapid, focused damage helped push the beast back, Marla's Serpent Flash was on cooldown for two agonizingly long turns.
It was my turn, and I quickly sent wisps of psychic intent into the brood mother palm, quickly summoning my new creature the 'Sphinxara!' With her HP-Sheild ability I could buy more rounds. The Compound eye in my hand shimmered as rays of light projected from it summoning the Sphinxara! The Sphinxara had a massive life pool, and it generated an HP shield for the caster and itself at 45% of its total health pool. I now had a shield worth 41,250 in damage.
Koba attacked again with a melee attack dealing 1400 in white damage. Reducing the dragons HP to 22,922 The Dragons Turn meter was full, it turned its cold purple eyes on Marla and it quickly threw out a dragon swipe followed by a dark breath attack! A torrent of black dragon fire incinerated Marla. Yellow damage numbers lit up my HUD as Marla screamed and exploded into a cloud of pink digital cubes.
"Asset Marla saved. Awaiting respawn phase."
It was now my turn again and I summoned a wave of kinetic scuttle bugs ten total. Koba melee attacked again for a trifle '1200'damage. He was not very effective against this creature type. The Dragon Roared! With a swipe of its claws and a tail crack Koba was obliterated in a cloud of Pink digital cubes.
The dragons HP now stood at 21,722. And it was now just me...and it.
I waved my Rod and sent all ten kinetic scuttle bugs charging into the Umbral Scythe Dragon, the bugs started chirping as their orgone flashed red! Each scuttle bug detonated with a thunderous boom dealing 1000 damage that ignored defense! This brought the dragons HP down to a paltry 11,722 "Yes! I thought to myself I got this in the bag!"
However, the Umbral Scythe Dragon didn't even flinch. A faint violet aura surrounded it, and a deep, resonant voice echoed not from its maw, but from within my very mind.
"Trifle damage, little one. Your 'explosions' are but a tickle to a creature of my scale," the voice boomed, chilling me to the bone.
The dragon's massive head lowered, its deep violet eyes, now glowing with malevolent intelligence, fixed directly upon me. It raised one colossal, scythe arm and slammed it down where the last of the scuttle bugs had detonated. The earth trembled, and a wave of pure Umbral energy radiated outward. I threw myself backward, but the shockwave still slammed into me. The ground where I stood seconds before dissolved into a swirling void of purple-black smoke.
The Dragon didn't press the attack, instead, it tilted its head, a gesture of almost bored curiosity. "You are different from the brute before you," it mused telepathically. "Let's see if you can truly handle the weight of the cosmos." It inhaled deeply, and the air around it grew cold, thick with the scent of ozone and ancient dust. The light in the cavern seemed to dim as if the dragon was stealing the very illumination. A single, dark star began to coalesce in the space between its gaping jaws. This wasn't fire, or ice, or lightning—it was a condensed mass of gravity.
The Umbral Scythe Dragon unleashed the attack. The coalesced dark matter of the Umbral Star shot from its mouth—not with a roar, but with a horrifying, silent rush. It impacted the center of my HP shield buff generated by Sphinxara. The light of the shield flared violently. The air shrieked as opposing energies fought. The Umbral Star wasn't just dealing damage; it was trying to unmake the shield, pulling it into oblivion. My knuckles turned white gripping the Rod, and I felt the drain as the umbral star siphoned my energy to maintain its integrity. A second later, the assault stopped. The Umbral Star vanished, consumed by the immense power of the HP barrier. My shield flickered, stabilized, and then shrunk back to a wearable glow around me. The Sphinxara HP shield Remained with me at 10,000 points.
The Dragon seemed momentarily shocked, its glowing eyes narrowed in genuine surprise. It was a lapse in concentration—all I needed. "Not today, you overgrown lizard!" I roared, waving my Brood Mother Palm through the air. This time, I didn't summon them in a line. I conjured ten more kinetic scuttle bugs, all materializing directly above the dragon's massive head, their red-flashing Orgone cores humming like a swarm of angry hornets.
"Detonate!"
With a chain of rapid, deafening booms, the ten scuttle bugs slammed into the Dragon's skull, the explosions focusing on the unprotected dorsal plating. Each explosion, as before, dealt 1000 damage that ignored the dragon's formidable defense. The Umbral Scythe Dragon bellowed—a sound that was less a roar and more a screech of true pain, its head momentarily staggering from the kinetic shock.
Scuttle Bug Damage: 10×1000=10,000 damage.
Dragon's HP: 11,722−10,000=−1,722 HP.
The dragon launched a claw swipe! but I managed to somersault over it with my high agility stat! It was my turn again and this was my chance to seize the final essence needed for this cultivation session! I darted in with my Dahkra Rod snapping it to the Dragons wide broad maw. I felt an instant clash as the dragon threatened to resist momentarily. But its resistance was less than my accuracy and I slowly felt it will subside as I wrestled it for control of its orgone. In its weakened state I managed to seize control and send out a punishing wave of its own dark umbral energy for 5500 hundred damage!
The Dragon's eyes suddenly lost their intelligent focus, glazing over. The violet aura surrounding it sputtered and died. Its massive body swayed, its neck collapsing slowly, bringing its razor-sharp maw down toward the cavern floor.
Herjas voice chimed in.
"Brood Mother Palm Cultivation: 10/10 Brood Mother Path unlocked.
Dahkra Rod Essence 6/6 collected. Dahkra Rod is now Tier 2.
[EXP Bar: 1245/1500
AP:1
SP:6