Adam’s hand shot out, dark energy gathering in his palm as he summoned a Shadow Lance aimed directly at the worm’s exposed underside where the chitin was thinnest. The spear struck true and the creature convulsed, its shriek rising to a deafening pitch before Lilith’s threads yanked tighter, forcing its maw shut and cutting off the sound entirely.

Ignis took full advantage of the opening, leaping higher and diving back down with both fists blazing as she slammed into the same cracked ring again and again until the chitin shattered completely. Thick, black ichor sprayed from the wound, sizzling where it touched the barren ground, but the worm wasn’t dead yet. Its tail lashed out blindly, catching Ignis across the ribs and sending her tumbling across the cracked earth.

Adam didn’t hesitate. He sprinted forward, vaulted onto the worm’s thrashing body, and dug his claws deep into the soft flesh between the chitinous rings to anchor himself. The creature bucked wildly, trying to shake him off, but he held on and kept moving toward its head. Isolde’s blood lashed out from behind him, wrapping around one of the worm’s eye stalks and yanking it down hard. The creature’s momentum faltered, its head slamming against the ground, and Adam used that moment to drive his fist directly into one of its smaller eyes.

[Abyssal Pierce].

Void energy exploded from the impact, tearing through the creature’s skull and boring deep into its primitive brain. The worm’s whole body went rigid for a heartbeat and then it collapsed, its massive form crashing onto the cracked stone with a ground-shaking thud.

[Abyssal Devourer Worm Defeated!]

[+150 EXP | +200 EP]

[EXP: 305/760 -> 455/760]

[Evolution Points: 6197 -> 6397]

Adam straightened, breathing hard, black ichor dripping from his claws. He looked at the dead worm, then at Ignis, who was already pushing herself up from where she’d landed, bruised but grinning.

"See?" Ignis said, flames flickering back to life around her fists. "As soon as I say something’s boring, the universe provides."

Lilith’s threads retracted, coiling back around her fingers as she surveyed the corpse with calm satisfaction. "A decent hunt. Its core might be salvageable."

Isolde stood apart, her blood still swirling around her hands, though she let it settle when it became clear the worm wasn’t getting back up. Her pale eyes lingered on the creature’s body, her expression thoughtful.

"Worms like this don’t usually surface without reason," she said quietly. "Something must have disturbed it."

Adam wiped his claws on the creature’s hide, then turned to scan the horizon. The grey sky pressed down on them as oppressively as ever, but something felt different now, like the silence had grown heavier.

"Then we keep moving," he said. "Whatever disturbed it might be what we’re looking for."

Ignis bounced on her heels, already bored with the corpse. "Can we at least take the core first? I want to see what it looks like!"

Lilith drifted toward the worm’s head, threads extending to probe the cracked chitin. "Give me a moment. This one’s larger than the others we’ve faced, the core should be deep."

Adam straightened, shaking the last of the black ichor from his claws as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Oh right, don’t you have a new artifact, Lilith?"

Lilith paused mid-reach toward the worm’s cracked chitin, then straightened with an elegant flourish. She raised her hand, fingers curling slightly as if grasping something invisible, and the air before her shimmered.

A dark ripple spread outward from her palm, and from that ripple, Soulreaver emerged—blade first, its black surface drinking the pale grey light as it slid into her waiting grip like a serpent returning to its master’s hand.

She turned the sword slowly, letting the others admire the way darkness clung to its edge, before holding it up for everyone to see. "This sword is exceptional," she said, her voice carrying genuine appreciation. "It cuts through flesh like nothing I’ve ever used, one strike and it just sinks right in. I love it."

Adam’s expression flattened. "I really didn’t need that brutal of a review."

Ignis bounced forward, flames flickering with curiosity. "Let me see, let me see!" Lilith handed her the blade with a small, amused smile, and Ignis took it carefully, turning it over in her hands. Her eyes widened. "Whoa, it’s so cold, and really light too." She swung it once, testing the balance, then pouted. "I want one."

"You wouldn’t suit a sword, Ignis," Lilith said, tilting her head. "I much prefer watching you punch things. It’s beautiful."

Ignis’s pout vanished, replaced by a wide, delighted grin. "Really? Then I don’t need a sword!"

Isolde, who had been watching the exchange with an impassive expression, turned to Adam. "What about the daggers you took from the assassins? Where are they now?"

Adam shrugged, completely unbothered. "Oh, those? I threw them away."

Isolde blinked, her composure cracking. "Eh..?"

Adam shrugged again, completely unbothered by Isolde’s reaction. "The daggers just didn’t feel right in my hands, so I tossed them."

Isolde drew a long, slow breath, held it, then let it out in a sharp huff. "Those were valuable artifacts. We could have sold them for a good price. And you just threw them away?"

Lilith, who had already retrieved the worm’s core and was wiping it clean with the edge of her sleeve, glanced up with a serene smile. "To be fair, the situation was chaotic at the time, so Adam probably wasn’t thinking clearly. Besides, he rarely uses weapons anyway."

Adam tilted his head, considering. "Hmm, but if I found a really good dagger, I might actually use it now, I’ve already got the skill for it, and it’d be a waste to just let it sit there."

Lilith stepped forward and pressed the worm’s core into his palm. It was roughly the size of his fist, brown like dry earth, and gave off a faint, acrid scent that reminded him of poison. Adam didn’t hesitate, he brought it to his lips and swallowed it in one go.

[Abyssal Devourer Worm Core Consumed.]

[Skill Fragment Acquired: Burrow (1.0/1.0) – Allows the user to move through soil, sand, and similar loose terrain at reduced speed. The user cannot be detected by surface-based sensory skills while burrowed, but movement generates noticeable vibrations.]

Adam blinked at the notification, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Burrow. That could be useful."