Shadow Anomaly - Book 1 - Chapter 4

If you want to read the Google Docs version, click on the following link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QvvO_jLQB-b8MMAuAH1KfWQia9D_c0fAYsK-QF6bd0M/edit?usp=sharing

Or you can read it here on the post as formatting isn't as big of an issue for a non-LitRPG story:

At the Center of the Gate

Vexal is pissed off.

Very little has been going his way during this Gate exploration.

First he ended up with far too many E rank vanguard in the team. Then he lost half of them due to their own carelessness and weakness.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, he found someone who was caught in the Gate when it opened somehow. Someone who isn’t even a vanguard yet.

If he were already a vanguard, Vexal would’ve just assumed the man entered the Gate without permission. But since he’s not even a vanguard yet, with his energy only being halfway to the threshold necessary to become an E rank vanguard when he saw him, there’s no possible way the man could’ve entered the Gate from the outside without permission.

Regular humans aren’t capable of breathing and moving around in space.

Especially not with the strange white clothes the man was wearing that don’t even serve as armor.

Clothes riddled in holes at that.

So Vexal decided to ignore him.

After all, the man seemed to be smart and skilled enough to defend himself against the monsters, judging by the dead monsters, and Vexal himself absolutely didn’t want to take on another even weaker person to protect.

But now? While Vexal and his team are being chased by a stronger boss than he expected?

And after the man himself shows himself at a perfect time?

He doesn’t care anymore.

Vexal immediately activates his personal awakened ability, superpower, to triple his physical strength for a brief amount of time. Then he rushes at the boss and reaches forwards to grab it from behind as it kills another of the D rank vanguard. And without hesitation, he lifts it into the air and throws it straight at the man, who seems to have become a vanguard since the last time Vexal saw him.

The newly awakened vanguard’s eyes widen in shock before he immediately runs down the tunnel he entered the cavern from. Meanwhile Vexal charges in the opposite direction towards a different tunnel while shouting at the other vanguard to follow him.

And while half of them look guilty for what Vexal just did, they all follow him anyway. Leaving the vanguard corpses behind in the process as the boss of the Gate slams into the wall right inside of the tunnel. Making the tunnel begin collapsing around it.

Sealing the tunnel off with the boss inside of it.

Vexal feels a little bad for his actions, but his own survival is far more important.

This Gate is a D rank Gate. And every Gate is led by a boss that is a monster one rank above the Gate’s rank. So the boss itself is C rank.

And to beat a C rank boss, they would need at least a team of six C rank vanguard.

Fighting the C rank boss with nothing but some D ranks and a few C ranks is not possible. Especially when one of their C ranks is already dead.

They’re also required by Association law to retreat now that they’ve lost two thirds of their exploration team.

So he begins to lead the remaining survivors of his team in a search to find the exit.

Putting the situation of the newly awakened vanguard out of his mind as he focuses on trying to find the exit.

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ABA #1431

I knew that smile wasn’t a good thing.

It would seem that humans are terrible creatures no matter the location.

I don’t know if I’m in a different universe entirely, a different realm, or just a different planet, but humans never seem to change.

This is the only thought that fills my mind as I run as fast as my shell can take me away from the massive creature chasing me. With the only saving grace being that the creature is so large it can’t freely run in the tunnel that is too small for it.

But the creature is still faster than me, so it very slowly closes the distance over and over again before slamming its claws into me and sending me flying dozens of meters away with my shell riddled in injuries.

The creature keeps getting stuck on rocks in the middle of the tunnel, and even other monsters that have apparently entered the tunnel since I passed through. So it keeps being delayed, giving me time to get away and begin recovering my injuries. Only for it to quickly catch up again and send me flying with an attack.

And when I let out some crimson shadows to try devouring its soul during the brief moments before it strikes me? My shadows barely even nibble at its soul. Dealing almost no damage at all thanks to how powerful the creature is.

I grit my teeth in pain and frustration at my current situation. But no matter how annoyed this makes me, emotions won’t make me stronger or let me survive.

So I push those things away as I run. All the way until I find a cavern on the other end of the tunnel.

Which isn’t a good thing. Because it gives the creature more room when it enters the cavern after me. Letting it move faster in its chase.

I see another couple tunnels on the other side of the cavern, with one of them being too small for this creature to enter. But the creature itself is moving too fast, so it quickly catches up to me in a high leap.

My entire body tenses up as I begin to feel a strong hatred for this current shell. An emotion stronger than any other emotion I’ve ever felt before.

I see the shadow of the creature growing larger as it soars through the air behind me, only for me to feel a strange sensation flooding my shell as my hatred for my shell turns into a wish to return to how I was before being sealed in this body.

And in a single instant, I feel my shell suddenly dissipating, letting me return fully to my crimson shadow form.

Without bothering with trying to figure out what’s happening, I spread my crimson shadows out all around myself to let the creature land in the empty center in the middle of my shadows. Then I rush in to begin devouring the thing from all sides.

But while the creature does screech in pain, I barely deal any damage to it.

Even with the damage it initially took from the human before throwing it across the cavern into the tunnel.

And to make matters worse, I feel my shadows beginning to tremble as signs of them beginning to reform flesh again start to show. Making me realize this is only temporary.

So I use my shadows to rush straight over to the tunnel that’s too small for the creature to enter. At which point I just barely miss the tunnel and reform right outside of the tunnel.

I grit my teeth as I jump straight into the air, aiming at the tunnel. Meanwhile the creature does the same after finding me reformed again.

The heart of my reformed shell beats faster than it’s ever gone before at the sight of the creature’s shadow getting closer and larger by the second. All the way until I just barely make it into the tunnel.

And the creature slams into the wall around the tunnel entrance.

I don’t bother turning to look at it as I immediately begin rushing through the tunnel for an entire half a minute.

It’s only after I’m absolutely certain of my safety that I turn around to find the creature glaring at me with those creepy eyes from the partially crumbled entrance to the tunnel several dozen meters away.

I pant in exhaustion while leaning down and resting my hands on my shell’s knees. Just staring at the creature for several seconds.

Then I finally turn around and begin walking down the tunnel again, away from the creature.

That filthy creature… and those annoying humans…

I feel like my intelligence has increased since getting this shell, both through my faster thinking and the information that was injected into my mind after getting the shell. So I didn’t feel as bad about being forced into this body up until now.

Even though my emotions have started growing stronger as well thanks to this shell.

But after this encounter, and after being used as bait by those humans…

Humans can be disgusting creatures.

I continue making my way through the caves until I eventually find another crevasse located high in a cave. Where I lie down on the ground to rest and let my remaining injuries heal themselves.

Still… what was that earlier?

How did I turn my shell into my shadows?

And why did that drain the energy in my body too?

Chapters 1-2 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/138312760

Chapter 3 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/138389334

Chapter 4 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/138445477