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The roar of the flames had died down to a low crackle, and the world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for what would come next.

Suddenly, a soft chime echoed in his ears, and a notification appeared before his eyes, the glowing text hovering in mid-air.

| Ding!

| You have completed your mission of exterminating Eldritch Fleshers.

| You have reached the Ninth Stage of the Second Cycle as an Eldren Warrior. |

A slow smile spread across Lyerin\'s face. He had known, deep down, that those eldritch fleshers would perish in the explosion.

The sheer force of the blast, coupled with the carefully placed traps, had been more than enough to obliterate them.

The eldritch horses, however, were a different matter.

They wouldn\'t succumb so easily.

He had made sure of that.

Lyerin closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the feeling of triumph that surged through him. The Ninth Stage of the Second Cycle—it was a significant achievement, a testament to his strength and cunning. But as the initial rush of satisfaction ebbed, a wave of weariness washed over him.

His smile faltered, and a deep sigh escaped his lips. "It was harder than I thought," he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the distant crackling of flames.

He hadn\'t just thrown those creatures into the fray without a plan. It had taken hours—three painstaking hours—to carefully sift the eldritch horses around the writhing mass of eldritch fleshers, identifying the weakest among them without drawing attention to himself.

Lyerin shuddered at the memory.

The eldritch horses were relentless, their hunger insatiable.

Each one was a grotesque horror, but among them were varying degrees of strength and resilience.

"It\'s not easy to go unnoticed," he murmured, his tone serious as he recalled the intensity of the task. "Not easy at all. Every movement had to be precise, every attack swift and quiet. One wrong move, and the stronger ones would have noticed… would have swarmed. I had to conserve my Eldren Mana, make sure it didn\'t get depleted too quickly. If it had, I would\'ve been vulnerable, exposed.

It wasn\'t just a battle; it was a test of endurance, of patience."

His fists clenched at his sides, the memory of the strain on his body and mind still fresh. The effort had been immense, more so than he had anticipated. "Three hours," he repeated, almost as if he couldn\'t quite believe it himself. "Three hours of hunting, of picking them off one by one, all while keeping the others from noticing. It was like dancing on the edge of a blade.

Any slip, any hesitation, and it could have all been over."

Lyerin shook his head, his expression hardening as he pushed the memories aside. He couldn\'t afford to dwell on the past, not when there was still so much left to do.

As if in response to his resolve, another notification appeared before him.

| Ding!

| Would you like to level up to the Tenth Stage Eldren Warrior? |

For a moment, Lyerin hesitated.

The temptation was strong, the idea of gaining even more power, more strength, was intoxicating. But then he shook his head, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"That damned Victor would take to Borgias Family," he muttered, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "He\'d think I was cheating if I leveled up too fast. No… it\'s better if I don\'t rush it. Better if I take my time, let him think he still has the upper hand."

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the notification, watching as the glowing text faded into nothingness.

There was no need to rush. He would reach the Tenth Stage soon enough, on his own terms, not because of some automated system.

Lyerin turned his attention back to the three captives he had left in their metal prison.

They were still there, huddled together, their eyes wide with fear as they watched him approach. He could see the desperation in their eyes, the silent plea for mercy that they dared not voice.

"Time to go back," he said quietly, almost as if he were speaking to himself rather than to them.

With a flick of his wrist, the black chains made of goo holding the prison aloft unraveled, and the cage descended slowly to the ground. He grabbed the bars and began to drag the prison back to where their companions were.

The captives inside the cage squirmed, their fear palpable, but Lyerin ignored them.

They were just tools to him, bait for the next part of his plan. He didn\'t want them to die—at least, not yet.

They needed to last long enough to serve their purpose.

Once he reached their original location, Lyerin set the cage down and opened it just enough to push them out.

Their bodies were weak, trembling from exhaustion and fear.

They collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.

Lyerin watched them for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a casual flick of his hand, he tossed them some food—just enough to keep them alive for a little while longer. "Eat," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "You\'ll need your strength."

The captives looked at the food with a mixture of relief and suspicion, but hunger won out in the end.

They reached for the morsels, devouring them with frantic desperation.

Lyerin\'s gaze drifted upward, toward the distant horizon where the abandoned sanctuary lay. A small smile curved his lips, one that didn\'t reach his eyes. "I wonder how the girls are," he mused aloud, his tone laced with a dark amusement. "I can only imagine how terrified they are right now… Haha!"

He chuckled softly to himself, the sound low and almost sinister. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away, his figure disappearing into the shadows with a swift, graceful motion.

---

Back at the tribe, fear was a living, breathing entity, wrapping itself around the girls like a suffocating shroud.

The room was dark, illuminated only by the faint glow of a single flickering candle. The girls—Corora, Cornelia, Maria, Elena, Sophia, Lydia, Fiona, Emily, and Natalie—were huddled together in the center of the room, their faces pale and eyes wide with terror.

The sound of something—or someone—ramming against the door had been going on for what felt like hours. Every crash, every thud, sent waves of panic through the group. Whatever was out there, it was strong, and it was relentless. The door, thick and sturdy as it was, had begun to splinter under the force of the blows.

"We need to do something!" Fiona whispered urgently, her voice shaking. "We can\'t just sit here and wait for that thing to break through!"

"What can we do?" Maria replied, her voice barely a whisper. "We don\'t even know what it is… Lyerin said we\'d be safe here, but…"

Emily, her face pale, turned to Sophia, who had been silent throughout the ordeal. "Sophia, are you sure what Lyerin told us was enough? Are you sure we won\'t be hurt?"

Sophia hesitated, her eyes flicking between the door and her friends. "I… I don\'t know," she admitted, her voice trembling. "He said… he said we\'d be safe here as long as we followed his instructions. But…"

"But what if he was wrong?" Lydia interrupted, her voice rising in panic. "What if whatever\'s out there is stronger than he thought? What if it breaks through?"

"Don\'t say that!" Corora snapped, her voice trembling. "Lyerin wouldn\'t leave us here if we weren\'t safe! He… he has a plan, right? He always has a plan!"

"But what if this time he doesn\'t?" Cornelia asked, her voice tinged with fear. "What if something went wrong? What if… what if he\'s not coming back?"

Natalie, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, her voice calm despite the fear in her eyes. "We have to trust him," she said quietly. "We have to believe that he knows what he\'s doing. Panicking won\'t help us. We need to stay calm and follow his instructions."

The girls fell silent, their fear simmering just beneath the surface.

They knew Natalie was right, but that didn\'t make the situation any less terrifying.

The sound of the ramming grew louder, more insistent, and they could see the door beginning to buckle under the pressure.

Sophia took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "Lyerin said we should stay together, stay quiet, and not draw attention to ourselves. He said that whatever\'s out there is drawn to noise, to fear. We just… we just have to hold on a little longer. He\'ll come back. I know he will."

"But what if—" Maria began, but she was cut off by a sudden, loud crash.

Kabam!