Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 40: The Class 3 Overlords

CH40 The Class 3 Overlords

***

Alex’s entire body went rigid. A chill so deep it numbed his bones raced down his spine.

The aura wasn’t aimed at him, though. Its fury was directed behind him—at the SkyTiger.

A thunderous rumble tore through the valley as the cave’s entrance exploded outward—

And a massive serpent burst forth.

A Sunscaled Viper.

Alex’s eyes widened as he took in the sight. He recognised it instantly—the same species as the snake he’d killed just days ago.

But this wasn’t some fledgling hatchling.

This was a fully mature Sunscaled Viper—an early Class 3 monster and one of the apex predators of this subspace.

Dozens of metres long. Glimmering bronze-gold scales. A hissing maw dripping with poison potent enough to melt metal.

Its presence froze the very air.

The SkyTiger had wandered too far. It had entered the Viper’s territory.

Although its aura was slightly weaker than the SkyTiger’s, Alex didn’t dare underestimate it.

The Sunscaled Viper’s true terror wasn’t its size.

It was its poison.

Every secretion, every drop of saliva, even its breath—all were toxic enough to kill most Class 3s with prolonged exposure.

Alex, wisely, didn’t wait around.

He disappeared into the rocks and underbrush, quietly retreating as the two behemoths squared off.

The Bladefanged SkyTiger roared mid-air, a thunderous challenge that echoed through the valley like a declaration of supremacy.

But it only provoked the Sunscaled Viper further.

This was its domain.

It would not tolerate the insult.

HISSSSS!

The Viper launched itself at the tiger like a bolt of poisoned lightning.

In an instant, the two apex predators collided in a feral clash of muscle, fang, and Mana.

The ground trembled beneath their fury. Shockwaves rippled outward, toppling trees and cracking stone. The sky above twisted from the sheer violence of their clash.

Alex ducked into a side cave and followed its path, hoping it would lead to the far side of the mountain. He didn’t stop running—but he remained locked on the battlefield with his Spirit Sight ability, monitoring the duel through the volatile surge of Mana.

The battle was vicious. The beasts tore into each other with primal hatred.

The SkyTiger managed to land a devastating strike, ripping a chunk of flesh from the Viper’s coiled body. A mortal wound—Alex could see the serpent’s life force beginning to flicker and fade.

But there was no triumph for the tiger.

The Viper’s final strike had connected—its fangs had sunk deep.

A slow, creeping darkness spread through the SkyTiger’s Mana signature. Its roars weakened, and its wings faltered. The poison was working—fast.

Moments later, both colossal creatures collapsed beside each other.

One slain by fang. The other by venom.

Alex shuddered as he absorbed the brutal truth.

This was the danger of facing poisonous beasts like the Sunscaled Viper. Even if you won... you might still die.

He began creeping back toward the valley. There was something within the Viper’s lair—a strange energy signature buried deep inside—that had drawn him here in the first place.

He needed to investigate it.

But before he could make a move—

Howl—! Roar—!

A cacophony of cries erupted from the surrounding forests.

Alex froze. At first, he thought the magic beasts were mourning their fallen overlords. But no...

Their cries were exultant.

Within seconds, dozens—hundreds—of beasts launched into a frenzied charge.

They were stampeding toward the corpses of the SkyTiger and Sunscaled Viper.

Realisation hit Alex like a slap to the face.

’Shit. Of course. The bodies of fallen overlords are treasures to these beasts. Nectar for growth and progression.’

He quickly abandoned any idea of entering the Viper’s lair—for now.

The entire valley devolved into a bloody, chaotic free-for-all. Beasts tore at one another in an orgy of violence, each fighting for a piece of flesh or blood that might let them ascend, even a fraction.

The two mighty tyrants of the subspace in their lives... reduced to little more than food to grow the next generation’s overlord.

Cruelty.

And fairness.

The laws of nature in perfect harmony.

Alex staggered through the cave system until he emerged on the far side of the mountain.

The toll of his exertions—and the backlash of stacked speed-enhancing buffs—was finally catching up to him.

Pain exploded in every limb. His muscles felt like they were tearing themselves apart from the inside out.

He needed to rest. Fast.

Spotting a small side tunnel, he dragged himself into the shelter of another cave, collapsed in the corner, and began circulating Mana to heal his battered body.

Half an hour passed.

He had just started to feel his internal injuries stabilise when he felt... movement.

His eyes snapped open—

And he froze.

Five tiny wolf cubs were crawling over him, sniffing and pawing at his robes like he was some kind of chew toy.

’What the hell...?’

He blinked, momentarily horrified that his senses hadn’t detected them earlier. He must’ve been far more fatigued than he realised.

But the horror soon gave way to confusion.

They weren’t scared of him at all. In fact, they acted weirdly affectionate—as if he was one of them.

’This doesn’t make sense... even cubs wouldn’t be this naive.’

Then something clicked in his head.

His maternal bloodline... the form it took...

A Transcendent Wolf.

’Wait... could they be attracted to my bloodline?’

It seemed plausible.

Still, there was no time to dwell on it. He needed to finish recovering quickly if he wanted to raid the Viper’s den before a new overlord rose to claim the valley.

But in his excitement, he’d forgotten one very important thing.

Where there were cubs—

There were parents.

Grrrrrr...

The low, guttural growl echoed through the cave like a death sentence.

Alex’s eyes snapped open again—he’d just finished a cycle of healing when two massive wolves stepped into view.

One male. One female. Their coats shimmered with mana. Their eyes blazed with fury.

The father growled. The mother bared her fangs.

And both looked very ready to tear the intruder into bloody strips.

’Oh, come on! Cut me some slack!’ Alex screamed internally.

***