Demons Within: I level up endlessly

Chapter 64: Hunter Model. Pt 1

"Pushing my luck any further would be suicide," Daniel whispered to himself, as his voice resonated softly in the massive White Chamber.

He took one last look at the floating sphere of light. It was beautiful, pulsating with an infinite rhythm, but the dead explorer’s warning rang loudly in his ears.

Daniel turned his back on the glowing light and sprinted toward the exit. He moved with urgency, his boots slapping against the smooth, obsidian floor.

Daniel passed the smoking remains of the Core Sentinel he had just destroyed. He didn’t stop, he kept running. He ran through the large archway and left the chamber behind.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the atmosphere changed completely.

He had expected to return to the dirty, steam-filled tunnels of the industrial sector. However, the corridor he stepped into was nothing like the dirty passages he’d walked through earlier.

This new area was clean. The walls were made of white, polished panels that fit together seamlessly. There was no rust here, no leaking pipes, and no piles of scrap metal.

Soft lights were set into the ceiling, giving the room a clean, bright glow. It felt less like a dungeon and more like a high-security laboratory.

"Where am I?" Daniel wondered, slowing his pace slightly. He kept his Twin Fang daggers in his hands, his grip tight.

The air here was different too. In the lower levels, the energy in the air had been corrupted, feeling like static electricity.

Here, the ambient energy was pure and clean.

Daniel took a deep breath. He could feel his new B-Grade skill, [Energy Siphon], reacting to the environment. He didn’t even have to focus. The skill worked automatically, pulling the rich mana from the air and feeding it into his body.

His mana bar, which had been drained during the fight with the Sentinel, began to refill at an incredible speed.

"This is efficient," Daniel noted with a small smile. "I can fight forever in a place like this." He checked his internal map. The wireframe image in his mind showed that this corridor led upward.

It was a direct path toward the upper levels of the Verge. He was heading in the right direction.

Daniel stepped forward, his feet barely making a sound on the floor. He activated his enhanced [Omnivision].

The skill expanded effortlessly in the clean air. The interference that usually clouded his senses was gone. He could feel everything.

He walked for about five minutes, his eyes scanning every corner. The hallway was long and straight, but it felt too empty. It felt too quiet.

"There is no way this place is unguarded," Daniel thought. "The Core had a Sentinel. The junk room had a Golem. What does this place have?"

Suddenly, his [Omnivision] pinged. It was fast. Two signatures appeared at the edge of his sensory range, and they were moving toward him with terrifying speed.

"Incoming," Daniel hissed. He stopped moving and pressed his back against the white wall. He looked down the long corridor.

At first, he saw nothing. Then, he saw movement. Two shapes emerged from the shadows at the far end of the hall. They moved on four legs, low to the ground.

As they got closer, the light caught their bodies, revealing polished chrome and black metal. They looked like panthers, but they were entirely mechanical.

Their bodies were built to move fast through the air, and their tails were long, flexible cables that crackled with blue energy.

They didn’t make a sound as they ran. Their paws had soft pads that absorbed the impact, making them silent hunters.

Daniel quickly raised his left arm and scanned them with his Databand.

[Verge Custodian - Hunter Model (Level 3)] [Stats: Moderate Strength, Moderate Vitality, High Agility, Moderate Spirit.]

[Abilities: [Wall Climb], [Energy Whip], [Pounce].]

[Threat Assessment: Fast attack units. They hunt in pairs. Their tails can discharge high-voltage shocks. Agile and aggressive.]

"Level 3," Daniel muttered. "Lower level than the Sentinel, but they are fast." The Hunter Models spotted him. Their sensor eyes flared red.

They moved in perfect sync, separating slightly to flank him. Daniel didn’t wait for them to reach him. He stepped away from the wall and stood in the center of the hallway.

He sheathed his daggers for a second and pulled his Skyreaver Bow from his back. "Let’s slow you down," Daniel said.

He drew an arrow and channeled his mana. He didn’t use a full [Mana Bolt] because he wanted to save the big hits for later. Instead, he infused the arrow with a small burst of kinetic energy using a weaker version of [Forceburst].

He aimed at the Hunter on the left. The machine was zig-zagging, making it a hard target, but Daniel’s improved agility kept his aim steady and true.

TWANG!

The arrow flew down the hallway. It didn’t hit the head or the chest. It slammed directly into the machine’s rear hip joint.

CRUNCH!

The kinetic force shattered the metal joint.

The Hunter stumbled, but its back leg scraped uselessly against the floor. It screeched and then tumbled sideways.

"One down, one to go," Daniel thought. But the second Hunter was smarter. Seeing its partner fall, it didn’t continue running on the floor. It leaped.

With incredible grace, the robotic panther jumped onto the wall. Its claws dug into the metal panels, and it began to run along the vertical surface, defying gravity.

It moved even faster now, closing the distance in seconds. Daniel dropped his bow and drew his Twin Fang daggers again.

"Come on," he challenged. The Hunter reached him. Instead of it to pounce on him immediately, it just whipped its tail forward.

The tail extended like a lash, glowing with blue electricity. It aimed straight for Daniel’s head.

Daniel reacted instantly. "[Shadowsteps]!"

His body blurred as his Agility tripled. He ducked under the lashing tail, feeling the heat of the electricity sizzle above his hair.

He ran two steps up the opposite wall, flipping his body in the air to get above the machine. It was a high-speed acrobatic duel.

The Hunter swiped at him with its metal claws. Sparks flew everywhere as the claws raked the wall where Daniel had just been.

Daniel landed behind the machine, skidding on the floor with his boots. He swung his right dagger toward the Hunter’s spine.