CHAPTER 63: 1008 VILE CORES

With a powerful downstroke of his wings.

WHOOSH!!

Corvin launched them into the air. The rush of wind tore at Jack’s hair and clothes as they soared through the dungeon’s cavernous passages.

Stalactites blurred past them like stone spears, and the echo of their flight bounced off the walls in a continuous rumble.

As they approached a slime cluster, Jack could hear them before he could see them. A wet, squelching symphony.

SQUELCH!

SPLORCH!

BLURP!

It sounded like hundreds of gelatinous bodies sliding over stone. The sound was nauseating, like listening to someone chew with their mouth open, but amplified a thousandfold.

’Alright, switch me back to Lightning Mage,’ Jack commanded, feeling the familiar surge of power as his class changed.

[Class Changed: Lightning Mage Rank 8]

The change was immediate and intoxicating. Lightning coursed through Jack’s veins like liquid electricity, making every nerve ending sing with power.

They crested a ridge and suddenly the slime chamber spread out below them in all its disgusting glory.

The chamber was enormous, easily the size of a cathedral and it was completely filled with slimes. Green slimes, blue slimes, red slimes, some as small as melons and others as large as carriages. They moved in a constant, writhing mass that made Jack’s stomach churn.

"BLURRRRRP!"

"SQUELCH!"

"SPLOOOOORCH!"

The cacophony of slime sounds echoed off the chamber walls, creating a wet symphony of revulsion.

And there, towering above the smaller slimes, were two massive shapes that could only be the slime hordes.

Hundreds of individual slimes fused into building-sized monstrosities. Their translucent bodies pulsed with sickly light, and each movement sent waves of smaller slimes scattering away from their bulk.

"GLOOOOOOOOORB!"

One of the slime hordes let out a sound like a drowning whale mixed with a deflating balloon.

Jack pointed down at the seething mass of monsters. "There’s your target, Corvin. Show me this Shadow Strike ability of yours."

Corvin’s response was to fold his wings and enter a steep dive, but this was no ordinary descent. As they plummeted toward the slime chamber, Jack watched in amazement as shadows began to curl around the raven’s form like living smoke.

The darkness didn’t just cover Corvin, it seemed to merge with him, turning his already black feathers into something that absorbed light itself.

The transformation was accompanied by a sound like whispered death as reality itself seemed to bend around the diving raven.

WHISPP!!!

What happened next defied comprehension. Corvin became less bird-like and more like a force of nature, a shadow-wrapped projectile that moved faster than Jack’s senses could fully track. The world blurred into streaks of color and motion as they struck the slime horde at what had to be over a hundred miles per hour.

"BOOOOOOOOOM!"

The impact was like a thunderclap made manifest. The first slime horde exploded in a shower of green goo that painted the chamber walls. But Corvin didn’t stop there, he couldn’t stop. The Shadow Strike carried them through the entire chamber in a straight line of absolute destruction.

"SPLAT!"

"SPLORCH!"

"POP!"

Slimes burst like overripe fruit as Corvin’s shadow-wreathed form tore through their ranks. Small ones simply disintegrated on contact. Medium ones exploded in showers of acidic gel. Even the larger ones couldn’t withstand the devastating momentum of the attack.

Jack held on for dear life as they carved a path of carnage through the seething mass. The smell was indescribable. It was like rotting fish mixed with vinegar and decay.

They struck the second slime horde dead center, and this one didn’t just explode. It virtually disintegrated. The massive creature let out one final cry.

"GLOOOOOOOOORB!"

Before its form lost cohesion entirely, collapsing into a tidal wave of green sludge that swept across the chamber floor.

Corvin’s momentum finally began to slow as they reached the far end of the chamber, shadows peeling away from his form like shed skin. He spread his wings to brake their flight, talons scraping against stone as they landed with surprising grace considering the devastating display they’d just witnessed.

Jack slid off Corvin’s back on unsteady legs, his entire body vibrating with residual adrenaline. The chamber around them was unrecognizable. What had been a writhing mass of hundreds of slimes was now just puddles of acidic goo and the lingering stench of destruction.

The notification chimes came like a cascade of victory bells.

[DING! DING! DING! DING!]

[642 Vile Slimes Defeated!]]

[2 Slime Hordes Defeated!]

[Reward: 192,500 EXP.]

[Reward: 642 Vile cores.]

[Level Up!]

[Lightning Mage Rank 8 → Rank 9]

[Current Experience: (139,550/250,000)]

The rush of leveling up hit Jack like a tidal wave of pure energy. Lightning crackled around his body in brilliant purple arcs, his muscles and bones singing with increased power.

Every cell in his body hummed in response.

"YESSSS!" Jack’s triumphant shout echoed through the devastated chamber, his voice carrying the crackling undertone of barely contained lightning.

But as the euphoria of advancement faded, Jack noticed something troubling. ’Wait... Corvin didn’t get any experience? How is that possible?’

[Bound creatures do not gain experience through combat. They must consume monster cores to evolve.]

Jack frowned, turning to look at his magnificent companion. ’That seems unfair. You did all the work there.’

[Evolution for bound creatures follows different rules than advancement for awakened beings. A Terror-rank creature like Corvin requires specific core consumption to reach the next rank.]

’How many cores are we talking about?’

[For Corvin to advance from Terror to Dread rank, he must consume 1,000 Terror-rank cores. However, lower-ranked cores can substitute at a conversion rate of 10:1 per rank difference. Vile cores would require 10,000. Wretch cores would require 100,000. Pest cores would require 1,000,000.]

Jack let out a low whistle that echoed strangely in the empty chamber. ’Ten thousand Vile cores just to get him to the next rank? That’s... that’s going to take a while.’

Corvin let out a soft "Crawk" that somehow managed to sound patient and understanding.

’Don’t worry, partner,’ Jack said, reaching up to stroke the raven’s neck. ’We’ll get you those cores. All of them. I promise.’

Jack checked his status, noting that he was tantalizingly close to maxing out his class. ’I need about 110,000 more experience to hit the level cap. How many more slimes do you think that is?’

A quick mental calculation told him he needed roughly 366 more Vile-rank kills to max out his current rank. Fortunately, this dungeon seemed to have plenty of slimes to go around.

"Alright, Corvin. Let’s find another cluster and finish this ranking up properly."

They took to the air again, Corvin’s powerful wings carrying them through the twisting passages of the labyrinth. Jack consulted his map as they flew, noting several smaller clusters of red dots scattered throughout the nearby areas. Perfect for what he needed.

The next hour was a blur of slaughter. Jack would identify a cluster of slimes, Corvin would position them just right, and then they would unleash devastating strikes that left nothing but puddles and core fragments in their wake.

"Thunder Stomp!" Jack’s voice boomed as he leaped from Corvin’s back, his feet crackling with electrical energy. When he landed among a group of two dozen slimes, the resulting shockwave was spectacular.

"BOOM!"

"CRACK!"

"SIZZLE!"

Lightning erupted from the point of impact, spreading through the ground in a web of electrical death. Slimes popped like balloons filled with glowing gel.

"SQUEEEEEE!"

It was cut short by the overwhelming power of Jack’s attack.

"Lightning’s Embrace!" Jack channeled electricity through his spear, the weapon’s tip blazing like a captive star. He swept it in a wide arc, cutting through slimes like they were made of wet paper.

CRACKLE!

ZAP!

HISS!

Between Jack’s magical devastation and Corvin’s continued Shadow Strikes, they carved through slime population after slime population. Each victory brought a cascade of experience notifications and the satisfying clink of cores hitting stone.

[DING! DING! DING!]

[366 Additional Vile Slimes Defeated!]

[Reward: 109,800 EXP.]

[Reward: 366 Vile Cores Obtained.]

[Current Experience: (249,350/250,000)]

[Total Vile Cores: 1,008]

Jack wiped slime residue from his face, grinning despite the disgusting coating that covered most of his armor. ’Almost there. I just need about 650 more experiences to hit the cap.’

’A thousand Vile cores,’ Jack thought, looking at his accumulated loot. ’That’s a decent start toward getting Corvin evolved, but we’ll need a lot more.’

He consulted his map again, noting the four pulsing purple dots that indicated field boss locations. These would be significantly more dangerous than slimes, but they would also provide much more experience and likely higher-ranked cores.

"Time to test ourselves against something with a bit more bite," Jack mused, studying the nearest purple dot. It was located in what appeared to be a large circular chamber about two miles northwest of their current position.

Corvin must have sensed his intentions because the raven lowered himself, wings spread for easy mounting. Jack climbed aboard, settling into the familiar position between his companion’s powerful shoulders.

"Let’s go see what kind of field boss awaits us."

They took flight once more, soaring through the labyrinth’s passages with deadly purpose. The air rushing past them carried the scents of moss, stone, and the lingering ozone smell of Jack’s lightning magic. As they flew, Jack couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of anticipation.

’Whatever’s waiting for us in that chamber, it’s going to be strong,’ he thought, unconsciously checking his weapon and armor.

The passages gradually widened as they approached their destination, the architecture becoming more grand and ominous. Ancient carvings covered the walls.

And then Jack began to hear it.

"CRASH!"

"BOOM!"

"RUMBLE!"

The sounds echoed through the stone corridors like the heartbeat of some massive beast. Each impact sent vibrations through the dungeon that Jack could feel in his bones, even while riding on Corvin’s back.

"ROOOOOOOAAAARRRRR!"

The roar that followed was unlike anything Jack had ever heard. It wasn’t the melodic fury of a dragon or the wild howl of a wolf. It reverberated through the dungeon with such force that loose rocks began falling from the ceiling.

"CLATTER! CRASH! PING!"

As they drew closer to the chamber, the sounds intensified. Each impact seemed to shake the very foundations of the dungeon. Dust rained down from above, and Jack could swear he felt the stone walls flexing slightly with each thunderous blow.

"BOOM!"

"CRASH!"

"SMASH!"

"ROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!"

The roars were getting louder, more frequent, filled with a rage that made Jack’s blood run cold. Whatever was in that chamber was massive, powerful, and absolutely furious about something.

"CRASH! BOOM!"

Another impact, this one so powerful that a crack appeared in the wall beside them. Small stones tumbled to the chamber floor below with sharp pings and clatters.

"ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!"

The roar was deafening now, so close that Jack could feel it in his chest. His eardrums ached from the sheer volume, and Corvin’s feathers ruffled in distress.