Garth put his hard-earned knowledge to work. Every skill he had mastered over the last decade was finally coming into play.

  At that moment, he could only pray that no demon would swoop in and attack.

  That… that would suck.

  A pained, wary smile flickered across his face.

  Shaking off the thought, he steadied his breathing, raised his torch above his head, and got to work.

  The mud he had gathered came in several forms—one had the consistency of snot, another resembled molten rock, and the last smelled suspiciously like dung.

  He mashed them together, kneading them into a thick paste before searching for a larger stone. Once he found one, he used it to smash several silver, prickly stones into fragments.

  A faint green glow pulsed from within the shattered stones.

  Setting the glowing substance aside, Garth turned his attention to the pile of red sand. He gripped a handful of dry, brittle leaves and squeezed with all his strength. And somehow, thick, white liquid seeped from them, dripping onto the sand.

  The moment the liquid touched the sand, the grains began to shift and shuffle as though alive.

  Wasting no time, Garth grabbed the green glowing substance and shoved it into the sand.

  The reaction was immediate. The sand vibrated violently, twitching and convulsing as though resisting containment.

  Moving quickly, Garth positioned the mud beside the trembling mass.

  The sand shot toward the mud, magnetizing to it in an instant, coating the paste completely before the entire mixture liquefied into a dark yellow pool.

  It spread rapidly, slithering across the ground like an expanding tide. It pooled beneath Garth’s feet and continued outward, stretching far behind him.

  Then, at last, it settled.

  Garth let out a deep, shaky breath. I’m still alive.

  Had he hesitated for even a second while adding the mud, the reaction would have turned catastrophic. The sand would have exploded, riddling his body with fatal holes. His reflexes had held, but barely. It had been reckless.

  Still… it worked.

  With a renewed sense of urgency, Garth sprinted from the area. He needed to find the demons’ nest before they found him.

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  He navigated tunnel after tunnel, his senses on high alert. Every step was deliberate, every movement cautious. He couldn't afford to be caught in a demon’s trap—or worse, run into the other raiding party members.

  At last, he found what he was looking for.

  A cave, teeming with long-legged demons.

  The creatures screeched in unison, their elongated limbs scuttling as they surged toward him.

  Garth didn’t hesitate. He turned on his heel and ran.

  The demons pursued, their collective shrieks echoing through the caverns.

  His heart pounded as he pushed his body to its limits. He was fully aware—painfully aware—that this raid was well beyond his level. If even one of these creatures caught him, he was as good as dead.

  The thought made his throat tighten. He swallowed hard and forced his legs to move faster.

  The entrance to the cave—his trap—was just a few feet ahead. The demons, however, were only a few feet behind.

  His breath came in ragged, desperate gasps. His legs burned, barely keeping up. He felt like a starving, sleep-deprived dog being forced to chase down a lively rabbit.

  But the moment he stepped onto the yellow liquid, everything changed.

  The exhaustion, the strain in his muscles—it no longer mattered.

  He forced himself into the center of the liquid, still panting, still drenched in sweat.

  "Dear Calista... I really miss my old body," he muttered, turning just in time to watch the demons swarm in.

  Before they could tear him apart, he lowered his Star Stone torch to the liquid.

  The Star Stone gleamed.

  Then—

  Ignition.

  The fire spread instantly, roaring across the liquid in the blink of an eye. The reaction was violent, the flames burning out in mere seconds before vanishing into thick, curling smoke.

  The demons shrieked, inhaling the fumes.

  One by one, their movements faltered. Their long, clawed fingers reached out for him, but their bodies betrayed them.

  They staggered.

  They collapsed.

  And then—

  They crumbled into dust.

  Only their cores remained.

  A grin spread across Garth’s sweat-slicked face. “Yes!”

  A deep sense of satisfaction welled within him as he surveyed the results of his work.

  One of the greatest secrets discovered in the coming decade was that twenty percent of Voids contained specific items capable of instantly killing—or severely weakening—the demons within.

  He had just proven it.

  The smoke took a few moments to clear. As soon as it did, Garth moved quickly, gathering as many cores as he could.

  He worked frantically, stuffing the precious gems into the bag he had smuggled into the raid.

  SCUFFLE.

  Garth’s head snapped up. His hands froze mid-motion.

  The cave fell deathly silent.

  His breath slowed. His eyes narrowed.

  For several seconds, nothing.

  Cautiously, he resumed gathering.

  He had already collected over a dozen cores, and there were still—

  “AAARRRRGGGGHHH!!!”

  The bloodcurdling screech shattered the silence.

  Garth barely had time to react before something slammed into his face.

  His body launched backward, crashing hard against the ground.

  As he tumbled, several cores flew from his grip, scattering across the cave floor. His torch clattered somewhere beyond his reach.

  Pain seared through his mouth—his lip was split, three teeth were gone, and his cheek had been torn open. Blood poured freely from each wound.

  Gritting his teeth, he forced himself upright.

  Then—he saw it.

  A demon stood before him.

  It was unlike the others.

  Long, tangled hair. Sagging, disfigured breasts. Arms so unnaturally long they dragged along the floor.

  This wasn’t a Six Sun Sparrow.

  It was a Nine.

  Garth’s stomach plummeted.

  The demon lunged.

  He barely dodged in time, sprinting toward the exit. But before he could escape, a long, clawed hand wrapped around his ankle.

  The creature yanked him into the air and flung him like a ragdoll.

  His back collided with the cave wall before he crumpled to the ground. More cores spilled from his bag, scattering across the floor.

  At most, eight remained.

  The demon let out a low, guttural growl.

  Garth, despite the agony wracking his body, scanned the cave.

  He knew exactly what kind of demon this was. He knew exactly what materials in this Void could kill it.

  But he didn’t have the time.

  His eyes locked onto the same mud he had used earlier.

  The demon reached for him.

  Garth lunged, snatching the mud in an instant.

  The demon lifted him effortlessly, hoisting him toward the cavern’s ceiling.

  Garth strained to get a better look at the creature in the dim light.

  No time.

  Now or never.

  He yanked a demon core from his satchel and hurled it into the demon’s eye.

  The creature screeched in pain, releasing him.

  Garth crashed to the floor. Every nerve in his body screamed in protest, threatening to shut down. He refused.

  He stumbled toward his torch.

  The demon recovered, giving chase.

  Garth pushed forward, leaping—

  He missed.

  The torch lay just centimeters away.

  The demon grabbed him.

  It yanked him backward, widening its grotesque mouth.

  Rows of jagged teeth gleamed.

  Desperate, Garth thrust the mud toward the glowing Star Stone.

  BOOM.