Creation system
Chapter 38: Green ooze

Chapter 38: Green ooze

The heavy stone archway creaked as Mitch and Leya stepped through it, their footsteps echoing in the sudden vastness that opened before them.

They found themselves in what could only be described as an underground forest.

Bioluminescent moss clung to the ceiling thirty feet above, casting an ethereal green-blue glow that danced across ancient stone walls.

The air was thick with humidity and the rich scent of earth and vegetation.

Massive trees, their trunks easily six feet in diameter, stretched toward the glowing canopy, their branches heavy with leaves that rustled despite the absence of any wind.

Ferns unfurled in shadowy corners, and patches of wildflowers added splashes of color to the verdant landscape.

"It’s like a whole ecosystem down here," Leya whispered, her voice filled with wonder as she adjusted her grip on her sword and shield.

Mitch nodded, his eyes already scanning the chamber through his dog familiar’s enhanced senses.

Where the previous chamber had been populated solely by goblins, this chamber teemed with a diverse array of creatures.

His familiar’s senses picked up the soft chittering of horned rabbits as they bounded between the undergrowth, the wet squelching sounds of nature slimes as they moved through the vegetation, and the heavy bears as they lumbered between the trees.

"This is it," Mitch said, his voice low and focused. "The final chamber before the boss. We need to clear out most of these monsters before we can proceed."

The creatures weren’t randomly scattered. They had formed loose territorial clusters throughout the sprawling chamber.

Some groups consisted of a handful of the rabbit-like creatures surrounded by multiple slimes, while others featured the more dangerous combination of massive bears flanked by both slimes and rabbits.

These mixed groups would be the most challenging, as the bears’ raw physical power combined with the slimes’ magical abilities and the rabbits’ speed would create a deadly synergy.

Mitch and Leya approached the nearest cluster cautiously. Six horned rabbits, each about the size of a house cat but with wickedly sharp spiral horns protruding from their foreheads, grazed near a small grove of saplings.

Four nature slimes, their translucent green bodies stood menacingly beside the rabbits.

All of the creatures bore the telltale signs of being mid-tier two monsters, their movements were more coordinated, their magical auras more pronounced, and their overall presence far more intimidating than their lower-tier counterparts.

These slimes were only slightly larger than the one from Mitch’s first dungeon, but they were tier two now. That makes them exponentially more dangerous.

The familiar tingle of magic coursed through his arms as he shaped mana balls, each one crackling with contained energy.

He released the spells in quick succession, sending them arcing through the humid air toward the slimes.

The creatures reacted with surprising intelligence and speed. Thick, gnarled roots burst from the moss-covered ground beside them, forming a natural barrier that intercepted Mitch’s magical projectiles.

The roots were impressively durable, but they couldn’t withstand the concentrated force of Mitch’s enhanced spellwork.

He had 43 mind stats, which made his spells very powerful for his level.

The first mana ball shattered through the wooden defense like a cannonball through paper, though its trajectory was altered by the impact.

Instead of exploding on contact, the spell ricocheted off the destroyed root and struck one of the slimes directly.

The creature’s gelatinous body couldn’t contain the magical energy, it detonated in a spectacular burst of green goo and sparkling mana particles.

The explosion coated the nearby horned rabbits in sticky, slime that made them squeal in fury, their normally pristine white fur now matted with the remains of their former ally.

The rabbits’ reaction was immediate and terrifying. Outside of dungeons, these creatures were merely tier one, fast but manageable.

Here, elevated to mid-tier two status, they moved with supernatural speed and coordination.

They scattered in different directions before converging on Mitch and Leya from multiple angles, their sharp horns glinting in the moss-light as they bounded off trees and rocks to gain momentum for their attacks.

Mitch remained calm.

He activated his mana shield just as the first rabbit reached him, the translucent barrier flickering to life around his body.

The creature’s horn struck the shield with a sound like breaking glass, sending sparks of dissipated energy in all directions.

Two more rabbits struck in quick succession, their combined assault finally shattering the magical protection, but by then Mitch had already begun casting his next spell.

Despite their enhanced speed and aggression, the rabbits retained the physical frailty of their species.

A single well-placed slash from Mitch’s weapon was enough to drop each one, their enhanced tier having improved their agility but not their constitution.

Leya faced a much more challenging situation. Without the omnidirectional protection of a mana shield, she had to rely on her physical skills and equipment.

Her shield work was excellent, she managed to parry and deflect the first few attacks, but the rabbits had learned to coordinate their assaults.

Three of them attacked simultaneously from different angles: one leaping directly at her shield arm, another diving low toward her legs, and the third launching itself at her exposed back.

She managed to skewer the first rabbit on her sword while deflecting the second with her shield, but the third found its mark.

The creature’s horn punched through her back. Blood immediately began to flow, staining her clothes a dark crimson.

She spun with a cry of pain and anger, her sword describing a deadly arc that caught the offending rabbit across its midsection, but the damage was done.

"Leya!" Mitch called out, finishing off the last of his opponents before rushing to her side.

She was breathing heavily, her face pale but determined. "I’m fine," she said through gritted teeth, though the way she favored her left side suggested otherwise. "I need to learn some kind of protection skill."

Mitch placed his hands on her wounds, channeling holy magic. The familiar warmth of restoration magic flowed between them, knitting torn flesh and easing pain.

Within moments, her back was whole again, though phantom pain lingered in her expression.

"Will you even be able to cast mana shield more than a few times?" Mitch asked, concerned. "It costs quite a bit of mana, and your mana pool isn’t as developed as mine."

Leya nodded thoughtfully. "There are defensive skills designed specifically for warrior-type awakeners. I’ve seen them in the skill marketplace back in the city.

They work differently than mana shields, they enhance natural armor or provide damage reduction rather than creating barriers. The problem is the cost." She grimaced. "The good ones are expensive."

As they spoke, Mitch noticed that two of the rabbit corpses were still intact. He activated his skill, focusing on the remains.