Kaelen froze, hand still outstretched towards the fourth Geode Crawler. The small vibrations of the easy prey faded into the background, completely overshadowed by the new signal thrumming through the obsidian floor via his [Vibration Sense (Intermediate)]. Thump… drag… thump… drag… It was slow, yes, but heavy. Really heavy. Like something huge was pulling itself along down the passage ahead.
Fear, cold and familiar, instantly replaced the satisfaction of the hunt. Was it the Chrome Hound somehow masking its signature? No, the vibrations felt too… ponderous, too organic, lacking the sharp precision of the machine. Was it something worse?
He automatically checked his [Chemoreception (Intermediate)]. The air carried the strong, earthy, slightly sour scent of the Crawlers and the mold they ate, but now there was a much stronger version of that scent coming from the direction of the heavy vibrations. Mixed with it was a faint, sharp smell, like crushed minerals or maybe acid?
Okay, probably related to the Crawlers. Maybe the adult version? The 'larva' tag on those wall-worms came back to him. Larvae meant adults. Did Crawlers have… queens? Matriarchs?
He backed away slowly from the small Crawler he'd been about to kill, melting into the deepest shadows against the smooth obsidian wall. His energy reserves were much better now, around 70/150, and his System felt more stable, but he wasn't exactly brimming with confidence. Whatever was coming sounded big.
The heavy thump… drag… grew louder, closer. Kaelen held his breath, peering down the dark passage with his [Avian Vision].
And then it came into view, lumbering around a distant curve. Kaelen's eyes widened. Big was an understatement.
It was a Geode Crawler, alright, but scaled up massively. Easily five or six times larger than the ones he'd been hunting, maybe fifteen feet long and almost filling the width of the passage. Its shell wasn't just dull grey; it was incredibly thick, segmented like ancient armor plating, and parts of it shone with a dull metallic luster, clearly infused with heavy minerals. Deep scars crisscrossed the massive shell, telling tales of past battles. Larger bioluminescent organs pulsed within its body, casting a stronger, eerie blue-green glow that pushed back the shadows. Its mandibles, mostly hidden beneath its front section, looked thick and powerful enough to crush rock.
This wasn't just a big Crawler. This felt like the boss. The Matriarch.
[Target Identified: Geode Crawler Matriarch (Alpha Arthropod)] [Threat Level: Moderate-High (Very Slow, Extreme Armor, Powerful Crushing Mandibles, Potential Acid/Mineral Spray)] [Potential Biomass Yield: 25 Units (Estimated)] [Potential Genetic Data: Mineralized Exoskeleton (High Quality - Required for Skill Manifestation), Enhanced Bioluminescence, Chemo-digestion (Advanced), Acid/Mineral Spray (High Probability)]
Moderate-High threat. Extreme armor. Twenty-five biomass units! And the key genetic data for that [Mineralized Exoskeleton] skill the System had mentioned. Kaelen felt a jolt – part fear, part greedy excitement. That much biomass would fill him up completely, maybe give him enough evolution points for something significant. And that exoskeleton skill… after facing the Weavers and the Hound, better armor sounded really good right now.
But could he take it? It looked like a walking tank. Slow, yes, but incredibly tough. And that potential acid or mineral spray sounded nasty. His [Moderate Toxin Resistance] might not be enough.
He glanced back the way he came. Retreat? Back towards the obsidian chamber? What if the Hound was still somewhere between here and there? Or back towards the fungus people? No, that felt wrong too. The Matriarch blocked the path forward.
He looked at the Matriarch lumbering slowly towards the mold patch where the smaller Crawlers were still feeding, oblivious. It seemed focused on the food source. Maybe… maybe he could take it. Use his speed, his slime, target weak points. The reward was huge. And honestly, fighting seemed like the only real option to move forward.
Decision made. Heart pounding, Kaelen gripped the sharp obsidian shard he'd been using as a weapon. Okay, big girl. Let's dance.
He waited until the Matriarch reached the mold patch and lowered its front section to begin feeding, its massive mandibles making horrible grinding sounds against the floor. Now!
He darted out from the shadows, activating [Adhesive Slime Generation (+)]. He didn't aim for the main shell – useless. He targeted its thick, stubby legs, splashing several large globs onto the joints where they met the body.
The Matriarch reacted slowly, pausing its feeding with a low hiss. It tried to lift a leg, which came away with a sticky, stretching strand of slime. It seemed more annoyed than hurt, shaking its leg awkwardly. The slime slowed it down a little, but its sheer size and strength meant it wasn't trapped like the Intruder had been.
Okay, slime wasn't enough to stop it. He tried pulsing his [Glow] skill. The Matriarch didn't react at all, its presumed poor eyesight unfazed by the flash. Worth a try.
It turned its massive head section slowly towards Kaelen, sensing him now. He saw its mandibles open slightly – huge, grinding plates of chitin and mineral. He quickly dodged back as it lunged forward with surprising speed for its size, its mandibles snapping shut where he'd just been with a sound like rocks smashing together. Whoa. Okay, slow overall, but fast attacks. Good to know.
He circled around it, using his [Vibration Sense] to feel its movements, predict its slow turns. He needed a weak spot. He jabbed his obsidian shard at a leg joint he'd slimed. CLANG! The shard bounced off the thick, mineralized shell with barely a scratch. Damn. This thing's armor was way tougher than the Crawler Queen's.
The Matriarch hissed again and turned, lowering its head. Kaelen tensed, ready to dodge the mandibles, but instead, a spray of gritty, brownish liquid shot from somewhere near its mouth!
[Warning! Mineral Shard Spray Detected! Minor Corrosive Properties!]
Kaelen threw himself sideways, the spray hitting the obsidian wall behind him with a sharp patter and a faint sizzling sound. His [Moderate Toxin Resistance] tingled as some of the mist washed over him, but it didn't burn badly. Okay, so it had a ranged attack. Add that to the list.
This was tough. He was faster, yes, but hitting it felt like punching a brick wall. He needed to find a chink in the armor. He kept circling, dodging mandible snaps and bursts of mineral spray, occasionally managing to slap more slime onto its legs or face area, trying to annoy and distract it. His energy was slowly draining again with the constant movement and slime usage.
He remembered how he killed the Queen – cracking the shell. Maybe this one had old scars? Weak points? He used his [Avian Vision] to scan its massive shell as he dodged. Yes! On its left side, near the back, was a large, older-looking scar, a place where the shell looked thinner, less mineralized. Maybe damage from a previous fight?
That was his target.
He needed an opening. He coated the floor in front of the Matriarch with a large patch of slime as it turned towards him again. As expected, its front legs slipped slightly as it tried to advance. It hissed in annoyance, momentarily off balance.
Kaelen didn't hesitate. He sprinted towards its left flank, ignoring the mineral spray it shot blindly in his general direction. He reached the scarred section. He raised his obsidian shard high, pouring his energy, his focus, his desperation into this one strike. He aimed for the center of the old scar.
CRACK!
This time, the sound was different. Not a clang, but a definite crack. The shard bit into the shell, sinking an inch deep! Dark, thick ichor immediately started oozing from the wound.
The Matriarch let out a loud, pained hiss, a sound much sharper than before. It thrashed, trying to turn its massive body to reach him, its legs slipping in the slime.
Kaelen yanked his shard free and stabbed again, widening the crack. More ichor flowed out. The creature's movements became slower, weaker. Its internal blue light flickered erratically.
He stabbed again and again, ignoring the splattering ichor, focusing only on the widening wound. Finally, with a low groan, the Matriarch's massive body slumped, its legs giving out. The internal light faded completely. It was still.
Kaelen stood there, breathing heavily, covered in sweat and foul-smelling goo, his muscles aching. He had done it. He had actually killed the giant rock-spider-thing. Triumph surged through him, hot and fierce.
"Consume," he gasped, placing his hand on the cracked, cooling shell.
The influx was huge. A massive wave of energy and biomass flooded his System, far more than the Queen or the smaller Crawlers combined.
[Biomass Consumed: +28 Units]
[Energy Reserves: 130/150. Status: Optimal.]
[Biomass Reserves: Full (15/15). Excess Biomass converting to Evolution Points: +16.8 EP. Total EP: 24.0]
[System Diagnostics Update: Core functions stabilizing. Integrity: 85%. Core Instability reduced.]
[High Quality Genetic Data Analyzed: Mineralized Exoskeleton!]
[Skill Acquired: Mineralized Exoskeleton (Tier 1 - Passive) - Host's Chitin Reinforcement integrates consumed mineral deposits, significantly increasing physical defense and durability. Appearance may subtly change.]
[Skill Improved: Bioluminescence (Trace -> Minor - Active) - Can emit a stronger, more focused internal light.]
He felt it immediately. A deep, powerful change. His skin, already tough from the chitin reinforcement, seemed to harden further, taking on an almost imperceptible stony texture, especially across his back, shoulders, and forearms. It didn't feel heavier, just… denser. More solid. Like wearing built-in armor. [Mineralized Exoskeleton (Tier 1)]. Yes!
He felt strong again. Energy near full, biomass full, System more stable, and a fantastic new defensive skill. He took a moment, leaning against the tunnel wall, just breathing, letting the feeling of power settle in. He had faced the danger, fought hard, and won a major upgrade.
The path forward, past the Matriarch's massive corpse, was clear now. He still didn't know where these ancient passages led, but he felt much better equipped to face whatever came next. Stronger. Harder to kill. He pushed himself off the wall, his newly hardened knuckles rapping slightly against the obsidian. Time to move on.