Lower Manhattan Tech Precinct, first floor.

Walfred and Bauer climbed through a broken window and entered the building.

The inside was an absolute wreck.

Icicles dangled from the ceiling in every direction, the hallways had turned into sheets of ice, and the stench of vampire bat droppings blanketing the floor was overwhelming.

"Watch yourself. There could be stragglers."

"I know."

Walfred gripped his ice axe tight.

Ready to swing at a moment’s notice.

They made their way up the stairs, combing through every section of each floor with a fine-toothed comb. Fortunately, there were no vampire bat stragglers to be found.

Then, just as they were reaching the fifth floor.

"Hold it."

Bauer raised a hand to stop him.

His expression had turned slightly tense.

"There’s something up ahead."

At those words, Walfred pulled a flashlight from his backpack and shone it forward. A moment later, what came into view was a grotesque, insect-like creature that defied easy description.

Slightly larger than a bicycle, the things resembled insect pupae and hung from the ceiling, dangling lazily.

"Tch, so that’s why..."

Bauer clicked his tongue quietly.

He seemed to know what those bugs were, so Walfred casually tossed out a question.

"You know what those are?"

"Yeah. Shadow Bugs."

F-rank monster, Shadow Bug.

They had virtually no combat ability, but they made up for it with a special power.

"Those things can hide inside their own shadows, erasing every trace of their presence to stay completely concealed."

"Sounds like a tricky ability, but is that all they’ve got?"

No combat power, just the ability to hide? That would make them even weaker than Snow Wolves. In response to Walfred’s skepticism, Bauer shook his head.

"Like I said, Shadow Bugs have zero combat ability, so they can’t catch prey on their own. That’s why they tend to form symbiotic relationships with other monsters."

"Symbiotic? How?"

"They normally receive food from another monster, and in return, when that monster is vulnerable, they pull it into their shadow to hide it."

"What?"

Walfred’s eyes went wide.

The moment he heard that explanation, a lingering question he’d never been able to answer suddenly clicked into place.

"Wait! So you’re telling me the reason the vampire bats were nowhere to be seen during the day..."

"Was probably because of these things."

The moment the mystery of how the vampire bats had hidden their presence during the day was finally solved, a sharp glint flashed in Bauer’s eyes.

"Time to wipe them all out."

If they left these things alone, they might form a symbiosis with yet another monster. Bauer wrapped his fists in jagged sand and stone fragments.

And then.

CRUNCH!

In a single strike, he splattered every Shadow Bug clinging to the ceiling. Caught completely off guard, the Shadow Bugs scattered in a blind panic.

But they didn’t get far.

Walfred had joined the fight.

"Ice Needle."

Dozens of ice needles pierced through the Shadow Bugs’ bodies. Since the creatures had almost no combat ability, the fight was over quickly.

After the one-sided slaughter was finished.

The two of them headed up to the sixth floor, where the gate was.

And shortly after.

"What the..."

They came face to face with something unexpected.

A Shadow Bug clinging to the wall. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

But this one was nothing like the Shadow Bugs they’d been dealing with; its sheer size alone set it apart. Even at a glance, its body looked more than ten times larger.

"...Definitely looks like an Elite Monster."

"I was thinking the same thing."

A higher species of Shadow Bug.

That was Walfred’s assessment, and he immediately shifted into battle stance. After exchanging a look with Bauer, they launched into a relentless assault.

CRACK! CRUNCH!

Elite Monster or not, maybe it was because it was the higher species of a monster with no combat ability?

The creature took the beating without fighting back even once, and when it finally reached its limit, it swelled up like a balloon and burst.

SPLAT! Splatter!

Blood and chunks of flesh scattered in every direction.

Pitch-black pieces of innards, dark as charcoal briquettes, plastered themselves across the walls, ceiling, and floor. A moment later, a message announcing their victory appeared.

-----

[Extermination successful.]

[Elite: Abyss Worm]

[Rank]: F

[Reward]: 1,000 coins

-----

Late at night, close to midnight.

Walfred and Bauer had successfully reclaimed Lower Manhattan Tech Precinct from the monsters.