Chapter 25

Diya had read about the creatures. They populated parts of the second floor where Climbers rarely ventured, only emerging to devour a troglodyte or smaller monsters. When it charged at them, Diya knew the stories of them being fiercely territorial were true.

Yukiho yelled in Japanese, and they all ran. The beast’s size made it as big as the tunnel, making getting around it impossible. It wouldn’t need to fight them to win but could very well crush the group under its massive weight. Diya peeked over his shoulder, and much to his horror, the creature's giant foreclaws were leaving gouges in the hard rock as it chased. A single swing of them would likely cut him and the party in half.

“This isn’t going to work!” He yelled, and the mole roared behind them moments later. “We can’t outrun it.”

Yukiho and Mei were already several dozen feet ahead of the other three. The former had a couple of upgrades already and possibly years of practice with it. The tempering had enhanced her body further, too. Mei didn't get adequate time to get her soul and its developments, but beast types focused on augmentation. Given her summons, she probably couldn't transform, but she had enough speed to outrun the party. Diya was sure that if not Koki lagging at the back of the pack, they would’ve left Diya and Hina behind and fled.

They’d have to fight the monster to survive, but he did not know how they’d taken on something so massive. Once-upgraded souls meant little when dealing with thick hide and monstrous size. Diya guessed Yukiho specialised in hit-and-run tactics, which required open spaces. Mei's choice of weapon made her a ranged fighter, too.

The female Ito pair didn’t stop running when Koki tripped on a rock. The mole roared again, getting closer with every passing moment. When Diya ran back for Koki, Hina followed. She dropped her pickaxe to help him, and it clanged on the ground loudly. The mole roared once again.

Is sound its primary sense?

Instead of helping Koki up onto his feet, he picked up the pickaxe and bashed the head’s metal side into the wall. It made an ugly metallic clang, and the mole reacted in the same way as before, slowing.

“It hates sound!” He exclaimed. “Try to be as loud as possible.”

Koki didn’t reply but nodded to him. He picked up the rock that had tripped him and bashed it on the wall. The mole screeched, stopping its advance six feet from the party.

Hina yelled nonsense words at the creature, raising her pitch. The mole fell silent and whimpered. The fox soul's wisps flickered, plunging them in and out of darkness. Diya guessed its brightness was tied to the soul or the wielder's mental state. When they turned tail and tried to continue running, the mole followed them again, forcing the trio to get loud once more. It continued to follow them but at a much slower rate.

Japanese words echoed down the corridor. Koki grabbed Diya and pulled him down onto his knees. Moments later, an arrow sped over his head and struck the mole’s giant nose. The beast screeched, swiping at its face. Chills ran down Diya’s spine as he got an up-close look at the creature’s claws; they were as big as his torso.

“Over here!” Yukiho called, waving them forwards. It was then Diya realised that they had made it to a cavern. He ran, pulling Koki behind him. All the while, Diya banged the pickaxe against the cave’s wall. Yukiho yelled in Japanese again.

“Hai!” Koki replied. He grabbed Diya and pushed him up against the wall. Another arrow flew past them. This time, pale-blue-almost-white wisps surrounded it.

Diya didn’t dare look at the beast when the mole roared again and resumed running. His heart pounded in his chest. The mole had stopped caring about the banging from the sound of it. It had sped up its charge, and they were seconds from getting shredded. Up ahead, he saw Mei. Her eyes glowed yellow like her fox soul’s, and her biceps bulged underneath the yukata. Most curious of all were the blue wisps floating around the fox. The light stuck to the heads when she dipped her arrows in them.

As soon as the trio cleared the cavern’s mouth, Mei fired another arrow, and they all dove away from the tunnel's entrance towards the side walls. A heartbeat later, the giant mole sped past them, screeching. Diya couldn’t help but wonder how the beast’s sensitive ears put up with its sounds. Yukiho’s cape came to life. One end wrapped around Hina when she leapt, carrying both of them onto a higher platform.

“If you want the chance of claiming a monster card, you’ll have to fight it,” she yelled.

Diya swore under his breath and turned on the beast. Blood poured from its face, and a sour stink filled the cavern. A pair of beady eyes blinked at the trio. Records claimed the creatures were nearly blind. He hoped they were correct.

Koki drew his katana and charged at the mole. As he moved, an ethereal silver sheen consumed the blade. Diya spotted an eye-ball sized Core sitting in the pommel's heart. The Ito clan had sent him to the tower with an empowered sword. No wonder Yukiho trusted the pair to fight first interval monsters without her help. Koki ran past the beast as it turned around to face Mei. The tip of his blade grazed its leathery side, cutting through it like butter.

Instead of firing her bow again, Mei charged at the mole. Her arms and shoulders deflated. As she ran, her yukata danced, exposing her legs. Diya glimpsed her inflated calves. Instead of transforming her whole body, the fox soul’s augmentation enhanced targeted parts of her physique. She too, ran past the creature, slapping a light blue wisp into its face. Frost spread from the point of contact, covering the mole’s nose. Diya couldn't fathom her keywords. Her soul appeared to break the rules of traditional beast types—at least in the first couple of intervals.

The monster charged in the direction it was facing, coming straight at Diya. He didn’t have the former’s enhancements or the latter’s element of surprise, but he fought massive beasts before and tried his best not to panic. First, he got his breathing under control. Then he ran at the angered monster. When six feet away from one another, the mole reared onto its hind legs, rising to full height, and swiped at Diya.

If Diya stopped or tried to dodge, he knew the giant claws would shred him into ribbons. So he ran into the creature’s reach, gripped his axe with both hands and swung the long flat-edged head into its belly. Then, as the roaring mole tried to crush Diya under its body, he spun on his heel, moving to the left. He used the centrifugal force from the move and swung the axe into the mole’s flesh once again. It bit into its side, drawing blood.

Hina cheered from above, but he knew better than to look away from the monster. Mei and Koki were on it again. Mei leapt onto the mole’s back, and her fox followed. She pulled a neighbouring wisp into the dagger in her hand. Her arms and shoulders swelled up again, and she swung the blade towards the monster’s back. It bucked like a bull, almost throwing her off. Mei fell on her front, the augmentation disappearing. Diya guessed she needed constant focus to maintain it.

Not willing to give the opportunity up, Diya summoned the fountain pen into his left hand and called on the newest spell slotted in the journal: Frozen Ink Lance. Much to his surprise, a spear didn't grow out of the pen's nib. Instead, the barrel expanded to form a long shaft and the ink pouring from the top shaped itself into a jagged spearhead, similar to the Queen Ice Spider's leg. A chilling aura radiated from the weapon, cooling his flushed face. Instead of relying on his strength, Diya thrust the weapon's butt into the ground and leapt out of the way. The thrashing mole fell on the spear, impaling itself.

The mole roared as the entire spear disappeared into its thick belly. It didn't bother rising and spun using its four limbs to scrape at the around it. Diya moved with the rotation, swinging his axe at the beast's sides, but failed to penetrate the hide. He called the fountain pen back to his hand and summoned the spear again. The inky head shattered after a couple of failed thrusts.

“Its sides are too thick!” Diya yelled. “We need to expose its belly.”

Koki’s weapon didn’t have the same limitations as Diya's. He slashed his katana into the mole’s hind leg and bit through skin and flesh. His blade stopped on contacting bone, and he spun away as the beast thrashed. Diya hopped a step back, too, as their giant opponent whined, scrambling away from them. It angled its body so the injured limb was against the wall.

Mei failed to hold on to the monster and fell off it onto the ground. The mole jumped at the opportunity, raising its left foreleg and swiping at her. Diya dashed in and swung the axe with all his might. He put his hips and shoulders into the attack, hitting the paw as it came down. The axe struck flesh, then claw and rebounded. Diya found himself off-balance and staggered backwards before falling to his knees. Mei managed to roll away from the mole just in time.

Diya released his right-handed grip on his axe, letting the weapon hang from his wrist by its loop, and grabbed at the mole’s face. He managed to get hold of an arrow planted in its snout. When the projectile didn't come free, he used it for support, rising to his feet. He stayed close to the mole's giant head as claws swiped at him.

The mole let out a half-yip, half-whine and threw its head up, trying to escape Diya. Its giant maw snapped at him, too. Rage and fear had likely clouded the monster's judgement, making all attempts futile. Diya kept hold of the arrow until it came free of the beast. The hide around the wound had lost its sheen and flexibility. Instead, it appeared dried and cracked—almost frozen. The blood that seeped from it moved slowly like crimson, half-melted snow.

Koki dashed past Diya and thrust his katana into the mole’s exposed neck. He pulled it out while dragging the blade along the hide and leapt away. His knees bent awkwardly as he moved, appearing far more flexible than normal. Diya scrambled back just in time to avoid the shower of mole blood that followed. The creature fell, pawing at its neck. It rolled from side to side, screeching and whining.

Diya waited for an opportune moment; his axe raised above his head. As soon as he found a safe window, he stepped into the beast and swung his weapon down into the beast’s throat. The axe head struck not far above the weeping wound. The mole fell still as another font of blood flowed from its body. Its beady eyes blinked at Diya before closing forever.