WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom

For the entire battle, Ben had never once tried to communicate. He saw Venom as just another beast—more intelligent, sure, but still just another monster to be put down. His words were nothing more than taunts, his actions solely focused on the fight.

But Venom was different. Among the Elemental Ravagers, he was the smartest. Capable of thought beyond instinct and survival. And while Ben had been testing his limits, Venom had been learning.

From the moment he approached Ben's base, curiosity had gripped him. The walls, the weapons, the way the Krell moved with coordination, the traps—all of it was new. He could have avoided the pitfalls, maneuvered around the defenses, but instead, he let the Ravagers trigger them. Studying. Adapting.

Even now, throughout their battle, he continued to absorb information. What was possible? What wasn't? How could he evolve his own army? The Ravagers had been trapped in this biome for so long, hunting only lesser beasts, never encountering a species capable of civilization. Ben was the first. And Venom had chosen to learn from him.

But he had made a mistake. He had underestimated Ben. And now, he had no choice but to use his trump card.

The relic embedded within his body had been a last resort, something even he had hesitated to activate. He didn't fully understand its effects, only that it would alter him, make him stronger. But the transformation had surpassed his expectations. It give him similar abilities like Consume. The only problem—was the cost.

Unlike Ben, whose Consume ability allowed him to devour everything at 100% efficiency, Venom's own method was crude. A mere 10% of what he consumed was converted into usable power, and even then, it was only the mana he could absorb.

Unfortunately time was up.

Storm had been defeated. And with his life in danger, the Alpha would not remain idle. If not the Alpha itself, then at least Inferno and Earth would be on their way.

Ben, oblivious to all of this, tightened his grip on the pickaxe. His mind raced with strategies to finish Venom off once and for all.

Then, just as he moved— a voice echoed through the Hive Mind. "Master, I'm sorry… but we need your help."

Ben's steps faltered. His eyes narrowed. "There are two more of those Ravagers here. Lady Elvira is fighting them, but… it doesn't look like she's winning."

Ben stiffened. The battlefield around him blurred, his body still coiled for the killing blow. His blood was boiling, his instincts screaming to end Venom here and now, or he will regret it.

But he couldn't ignore the call.

His eyes snapped to the distance—toward his base. His mind churned. Elvira was strong. If she was struggling, then… His jaw clenched. "Tch… goddammit."

Ben's mind e tapped into the Hive Mind, his vision snapping to the other battlefield.

The battlefield was a storm of chaos and raw destruction.

Elvira hovered midair. Mana poured into her body in unrelenting waves from the shattered White Gemstones embedded in the half-destroyed walls. Magic circles, dozens of them, spun around her. The sheer heat of her magic distorted the air itself, warping the light, casting wild shadows across the war-torn ground.

Above her, the ceiling was in ruin..

Lightning roared, thunder cracked like the wailing of a vengeful god, streaks of raw energy slamming into the barrier she had erected. Every bolt that struck didn't fade—it chained, spreading across the battlefield, forcing the very air to vibrate with power.

But the fire—the fire was worse. Storm were on his last leg, but inferno is at full strength.

The moment Ben's gaze locked onto the beast, an explosion rippled across the land. BOOM!

A shockwave of heat so intense it turned stone into liquid glass tore through the ranks of the Krell. The fires weren't just hot—they were alive. Writhing tendrils of flame snaked through the battlefield like predators, chasing down everything in sight.

Ben's eyes snapped to Elvira's right hand. With a barrier She had redirected the inferno's wrath, forcing it into a controlled explosion rather than letting it consume everything.

But even that wasn't enough. She was holding, but barely. Inferno roared, a shockwave that sent cracks through the ground itself.

Then it breathed.

A wave of white-hot fire surged forward like a tidal wave, swallowing everything in its path. The heat warped reality itself. Flames so intense they burned blue, then white. Anything caught in it flesh, stone, even magic wouldn't just burn. It would turn to ashes.

Elvira didn't hesitate.

With a flick of her wrist, her layered magic circles shifted, reforming. A new spell ignited. "Glacial Oblivion!"

A roaring surge of frost erupted from her, ice so cold it cracked the sound barrier, colliding with the incoming hellfire. Frost and flame waged war in the skies, each devouring the other, neither willing to back down.

The battlefield turned into a nightmarish realm of shattered elements. Steam rose in dense, suffocating waves. Lightning danced through the mist, turning it into a charged deathtrap. Flames burned within frozen ice. Ice crystallized within raging fire. And through it all—Earth stood still beside Storm.

Ben's eyes flickered. They were overwhelming her. She couldn't keep this up forever. Mana coiled around her like a storm of its own, her eyes burning.

Ben's breath hitched. 'Three of them. Fucking three.'

One would've been manageable. Two? Risky. But three?

His gaze locked onto Elvira. She was holding, but barely.

His eyes flicked back to Venom. The bastard hadn't moved.

Ben tensed. 'Would Venom let him go? If he choose to back down?'By now, it had to know its backup had arrived.

Yet Venom grinned, like he understand Ben predicament. Then, slowly—it raised a clawed hand… and waved. 'Go. I won't stop you.'

Ben's gut twisted. He didn't trust it. Not for a second. Venom was exactly the type of creature to stab him in the back the moment he turned away.

But… it didn't move. Ben narrowed his eyes. 'What should I do?'