Mutant awakening: My evolution knows no bounds

Chapter 168 The cave

Silas advanced forward, his cold, piercing gaze locked onto Ozivox, who knelt in the snow, panting heavily, his trembling body barely holding itself upright. The once formidable mutant now seemed utterly defeated, his strength drained and his aura diminished. Silas raised a hand, his expression void of empathy or hesitation.

At his silent command, two shadowy creatures emerged from the darkness, their movements smooth yet terrifyingly precise.

Without a word, the creatures appeared behind Ozivox, grabbing him with their clawed hands. They lifted him effortlessly off the icy ground, dragging his weakened form closer to Silas. The snow beneath their feet crunched loudly as Ozivox's limp body was forced forward. The creatures shoved him onto his knees directly in front of Silas, whose boots remained firmly planted in the snow, a dark figure of authority and power.

Silas stopped, his presence towering over Ozivox. The frigid air around them seemed to grow even colder under his gaze.

"Are you finished?" Silas asked, his voice sharp and emotionless, cutting through the stillness like a blade. His eyes burned with intensity, never wavering from Ozivox's defeated figure.

Ozivox struggled to lift his head, his breathing ragged. Despite his condition, a weak smirk crossed his bloodied lips. "Before you kill me..." he rasped, his voice trembling but carrying a faint trace of defiance. "I want you to answer my question."

Silas tilted his head slightly, his patience thinning but his curiosity momentarily piqued. "Speak," he commanded, his tone devoid of warmth.

"What... are you?" Ozivox whispered, the question carrying a sense of wonder and fear.

Silas's eyes narrowed, his voice calm but laced with a chilling edge. "The same as everything else in this realm," he replied. "A mutant."

Ozivox let out a faint, bitter chuckle, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "So you're not human," he muttered, his tone filled with realization. "That explains it. The aura around you... it's unlike anything I've encountered. At first, I thought you were weak—a mistake I won't live to regret. But now, knowing your power, I can accept my end. To fall by the hands of someone like you... it almost feels like an honor."

Silas's expression didn't change. He stared at Ozivox for a moment longer before his hand moved.

In an instant, his scythe materialized in a swirl of dark energy, its wicked blade gleaming ominously. Silas gripped the weapon tightly with both hands, his knuckles whitening as he prepared to strike. The air around him seemed to hum with anticipation, the promise of death lingering.

Without hesitation, Silas raised the scythe high above his head. The blade caught the faint light of the snow, its edge glinting with lethal precision. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

And then he swung.

SLASH!

The scythe sliced through the air with devastating force, cleaving Ozivox's neck in one fluid motion. His head separated cleanly from his body, dark purple blood erupting like a fountain and staining the pristine snow in violent contrast. The headless body crumpled forward, collapsing lifelessly onto the icy ground.

A series of glowing notifications flooded Silas's vision:

> [You have obtained 5 extra attribute points]

[You have obtained a Mutant Taming skill card]

[You have obtained a Venomous Spines skill card]

[You have obtained a Nightmare Shroud skill card]

[Congratulations, you have slain Ozivox]

Silas glanced at the notifications briefly, his sharp gaze flicking over the text with disinterest. After confirming his rewards, he waved a hand, dismissing the screen. His focus shifted back to the now-lifeless body of his opponent.

"It's done," he muttered, his voice low but firm. "There's no reason to keep the territory active anymore."

At his command, the Nightmare Shroud skill card deactivated. Instantly, the oppressive shadows that had consumed the battlefield began to dissipate. The dark, swirling mist lifted, revealing the natural landscape once more. Jagged, towering mountains surrounded him, their snow-covered peaks glistening under the faint light.

Silas surveyed his surroundings, his keen eyes scanning the corpses of the Mountain Litants scattered across the battlefield. Their bodies, though lifeless, held immense value. Without wasting any time, he retrieved a short dagger from his arsenal. Methodically, he began carving through their tough exteriors, extracting valuable materials—venom sacs, reinforced chitin, and other rare components. Each piece was carefully stored in his inventory, a testament to his meticulous nature.

Once his work was complete, Silas stood and turned his attention toward the tallest mountain in the distance. It loomed over the landscape, its peak disappearing into the clouds. His instincts pulled him toward it, a feeling deep within telling him that his next destination lay at its summit.

"Now, we proceed," he said aloud, his voice steady with determination. His gaze remained fixed on the mountain. "The god's chamber must be up there."

He had no concrete proof, but everything about the mountain felt significant. It was the place where Ozivox had descended from earlier—there had to be something of importance at the top. Perhaps the god of the realm itself resided there.

"Ozivox was strong," Silas mused as he began his trek. "But he was just a servant. Likely the weakest of them. Every master sends their pawns first, after all. If the weakest was that powerful..." He trailed off, swallowing hard as the thought of what lay ahead began to sink in. "I can't even imagine how strong the others will be. And the god of this realm... he'll be beyond anything I've faced before."

Despite his doubts, Silas pressed on. The base of the mountain was rugged but not impassable. Natural formations in the rock created a crude pathway, resembling a staircase carved by time itself. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than scaling sheer cliffs. Silas climbed steadily, each step a testament to his resolve.

Minutes turned into an eternity as Silas ascended. The biting cold grew more intense, each gust of wind cutting into his exposed skin. His breath came in labored gasps, his stamina dwindling with every step. Still, he pushed forward, his determination unwavering.

Finally, he spotted a small opening in the rock—a cave carved into the mountainside. Exhaustion overtook him, and he decided to take shelter. Crawling inside, he found the space surprisingly spacious. The walls were jagged, the floor uneven, and the air inside was even colder than outside.

Silas dropped onto a rock near the entrance, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His entire body shivered uncontrollably, the cold sapping what little strength he had left. "If only I'd chosen the cloak," he muttered bitterly, his teeth chattering. "I can fight mutants, but this cold... this cold is unbearable."

As he sat there, struggling to stay warm, a faint vibration rippled through the cave. Silas froze, his senses immediately on high alert. Slowly, he turned, his sharp eyes scanning the darkness.

From the shadows, a pair of glowing green eyes appeared, their eerie light cutting through the pitch-black void. The creature stepped forward, revealing itself—a monstrous ant, at least seven feet tall, with jagged mandibles and a menacing exoskeleton.

> [Cave Ant]

[Grade 3]

The notification appeared, but Silas barely acknowledged it. His focus remained on the creature as it advanced toward him.

"So, you're the one who made this hole," Silas said flatly, his tone devoid of fear. "I should've guessed it was an ant-type mutant."

As the ant moved closer, a horrifying realization struck Silas. His eyes darted to the shadows behind it, where more pairs of glowing green eyes began to emerge.

"Don't tell me..." he murmured, his voice tinged with disbelief. "There's an entire colony in here?"

The cave trembled as the horde of Cave Ants revealed themselves, their massive forms skittering forward. Silas tightened his grip on his scythe, his expression hardening.