Chapter 43: Aaron vs Shadow winged bats

Aaron felt his sword meet some resistance.

Gripping its handle even tighter, he forced his arm forward and swung with all his might.

At the same time, he felt several sharp bites tearing into his clothes. The Shadow-Winged Bats were beginning to feast on him, their vicious fangs sinking into his shirt from different directions as they desperately tried to reach his flesh.

He gritted his teeth and continued swinging.

It didn’t take long before—

"ARGHHH!"

A sharp, agonizing pain erupted from his thigh.

One of the bats had finally managed to sink its fangs deep into his flesh. It clamped down viciously, tearing away a chunk of meat and nearly ripping it out before Aaron reacted.

Without even knowing where the creature was, he thrust his sword recklessly in its direction.

SQUELCH!

His blade found its target.

Unfortunately, in the process, he also managed to graze the surface of his own knee.

[You have killed a Low 2nd Dimensional Beast, Shadow-Winged Bat.]

[...Your Existence grows more powerful.]

Aaron groaned, drawing in a raspy, painful breath.

’Fuck!’

It had taken nearly stabbing his own knee after getting bitten just to kill a single bat.

That was hardly worth it.

Fighting while falling through the air was proving to be a terrible idea.

However, just as he was about to curse his circumstances again, he felt something strange.

A subtle change swept through his body.

His muscles seemed to tighten slightly. His vision became a little sharper, while his reflexes grew noticeably quicker.

The improvement wasn’t particularly significant, but it was unmistakable.

Even the pain in his thigh seemed a little more bearable than it had been moments ago.

’Wait.’

Aaron’s eyes widened slightly.

He could see something!

The darkness hadn’t disappeared, but the silhouettes of the Shadow-Winged Bats were becoming faintly visible.

Their shapes were blurry and indistinct, but he could finally make out their positions.

A realization dawned on him.

’Maybe getting bitten isn’t such a bad thing after all.’

Taking advantage of his improved vision, Aaron tightened his grip around his sword.

His blade whistled through the darkness.

SHING!

A loud, satisfying shriek followed.

’Gotcha!’

He paused for a brief moment, listening intently.

’Please tell me you’re dead.’

As though responding to his thoughts, Zagadat’s familiar voice whispered into his ears.

[You have killed a Low 2nd Dimensional Beast, Shadow-Winged Bat.]

[...Your Existence grows more powerful.]

Another subtle surge of strength spread through his body.

This time, the silhouettes surrounding him became considerably clearer.

Aaron’s lips slowly curled into a sinister smile.

"Now, you bastards are going to pay for my bleeding leg."

Without holding anything back, he tightened his grip on his sword and adjusted his posture in midair.

A grotesquely shaped bat suddenly lunged towards his face, its mouth wide open as it revealed rows of vicious fangs.

Aaron reacted almost instinctively.

SHING!

His blade flashed through the darkness, cleanly severing the creature in a single stroke.

[You have killed a Low 2nd Dimensional Beast, Shadow-Winged Bat.]

[...Your Existence grows more powerful.]

Another bat darted towards his leg.

He casually redirected his sword.

SHING!

Its body was split apart before it could even sink its fangs into him.

This time, his blade encountered almost no resistance.

[You have killed a Low 2nd Dimensional Beast...]

Aaron didn’t bother waiting for the Sorcery to finish its announcement.

He ignored the violent winds battering his face, the warm splashes of blood spraying against his skin, and even the irritating shrieks of the creatures surrounding him.

His entire focus was on one thing.

Killing the damned bats!

His sword moved relentlessly, cutting through the darkness with every swing.

One bat.

Another.

Then another.

He killed them with almost every movement of his arm.

[...Your Existence grows more powerful.]

[...Your Existence grows more powerful.]

[...Your Existence grows more powerful.]

[...Your Existence grows more powerful.]

[...Your Existence grows more powerful.]

Aaron let out a roar and continued his slaughter.

With every kill, he could feel himself growing stronger.

His muscles became firmer, his movements quicker, and his senses increasingly sharp.

So he kept swinging.

And swinging.

And killing.

Yet, despite the growing number of corpses falling away into the darkness, there seemed to be no end to the bats.

The more he descended, the more creatures appeared to swarm towards him.

It was almost as though he was falling deeper into the heart of their territory.

Although each kill seemed to replenish some of his strength, the relentless fighting was gradually taking its toll.

He was becoming stronger, but he was also getting tired.

’This is ridiculous.’

Aaron gritted his teeth.

He couldn’t afford to sustain any more injuries.

He still had a considerable distance to cover, and his descent had barely begun.

[...Your Existence grows more powerful.]

[...Your Existence grows more powerful.]

SHING! SHING!

Two Shadow-Winged Bats hovering directly in front of him had their heads severed almost simultaneously.

Aaron briefly shifted his gaze towards the depths of the dungeon.

And then—

His expression brightened.

Lights!

There were faint lights far below him.

They were dim, almost indistinguishable from the darkness surrounding them, but they were definitely there.

That could only mean one thing.

He was approaching the lower floors!

It was only a matter of time now.

All he needed to do was survive the endless swarm of bats until he reached the next floor.

’Finally!’

However, before he could properly celebrate, he felt something clamp down on his leg.

Another bat!

Aaron gritted his teeth in annoyance and glanced at the creature.

Unlike the previous ones, its fangs hadn’t managed to penetrate deeply into his flesh.

They had only managed to pierce his skin, leaving behind a relatively shallow wound.

’Oh?’

His expression changed slightly.

He could feel the creature desperately clinging to his leg, but its fangs couldn’t dig any deeper.

His body had become considerably tougher!

Aaron clicked his tongue and dispatched the creature with a casual swing.

But instead of immediately searching for another target, his gaze lingered on the shallow wound on his leg.

A moment later, his expression brightened.