Capítulo 42: THE SHAPESHIFTER'S GUISE
As Ravan and the Rabbit stepped through the massive black door, a new world unfolded before them.
The second floor of the Red Dungeon was unlike anything Ravan had seen before.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth, and the cavern walls glowed with a faint, eerie light emanating from bioluminescent fungi.
The floor was covered with patches of soft moss, and strange, twisted trees with crimson leaves dotted the landscape.
Ravan glanced at Jet, the rabbit he had given a name, who was perched on his shoulder, occasionally tugging at his hair with its tiny paws.
"You sure this is the right way, Jet?" he asked, half-jokingly.
Jet merely twitched its nose and looked ahead, its eyes scanning the path before them.
"Guess we're in this together now," Ravan muttered, shaking his head.
The bond between them was still rocky.
Jet's antics were both amusing and annoying, making Ravan question his decision to keep the creature as a companion.
But there was something endearing about the little rabbit, and Ravan couldn't deny that its presence made the dungeon feel a little less lonely.
As they ventured deeper into the dungeon, Ravan couldn't help but wonder where the other adventurers had gone.
"You think they made it this far?" he mused aloud, his voice echoing off the cavern walls. Jet looked back at him, then continued hopping ahead.
"What are you looking at, Jet?" Ravan asked, noticing the bunny's frequent glances behind them.
He turned around and his eyes widened in surprise.
Standing at the edge of the shadows was a man wearing a dark grey mask shaped like a skull, adorned with protruding horns at the top.
Before Ravan could react, the masked man lunged at him, his limbs morphing into monstrous forms mid-strike.
Ravan barely had time to dodge as a clawed hand swiped at him, leaving deep gouges in the stone where he had just been standing.
"What the hell are you?" Ravan shouted, drawing his daggers.
The centipede mandibles [Paralyzing Fangs] he had gotten, gleamed in the dim light, their paralytic venom a deadly promise.
The masked man didn't respond.
Instead, his left arm transformed into a serpent's tail, striking at Ravan with lightning speed.
Ravan parried the blow, his daggers slicing through the air with precision.
'He can shapeshift his body parts?'
"You've got a beast contract, don't you?" Ravan taunted, dodging another attack.
Jet darted around the battlefield, a blur of motion that distracted the masked man.
The rabbit's speed and agility were incredible, and Ravan realized that Jet was more than just a cute companion; he was a valuable ally.
'I guess I can't let a rabbit have all the fun, I need to increase my stats, fast!'
The fight raged on, each combatant trading blows.
The masked man's limbs shifted from claws to talons, from hooves to wings, each transformation more grotesque than the last.
Ravan's mind raced as he tried to anticipate the next form, his body moving on instinct as he parried and countered.
"Is that all you've got?" Ravan taunted, breathing heavily.
His body ached from the relentless assault, but he refused to back down.
"You're just a cheap imitation of the real thing."
The masked man snarled, his voice distorted by the mask.
He lunged at Ravan with dual swords, their blades humming with dark energy.
Ravan barely blocked the attack, the force of the blow sending him staggering backward.
Jet leapt onto the man's back, scratching and biting at his exposed neck.
The man roared in anger, trying to swat the rabbit away, but Jet was too quick.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Ravan lunged forward, his daggers aimed at the man's throat.
The masked man's right arm transformed into a rocky, monstrous limb, swatting Ravan away with brutal force.
Ravan crashed into the cavern wall, pain flaring through his body as he coughed up blood.
"Alright, maybe I've been a bit too cocky, but someone who has faced death...why wouldn't I be?" Ravan growled, pushing himself to his feet.
His eyes blazed with determination as he charged at the man again.
The masked man's limbs shifted once more, but Ravan was ready.
He ducked under a swing, driving his daggers into the man's chest.
[Weapon ability: Paralysis is Active!]
The paralytic venom took effect almost immediately, the man's movements slowing as his body began to seize up.
Ravan didn't stop there. He slashed at the man's throat, the centipede mandibles cutting deep.
[Paralysis Effect has been increased!]
[Paralysis Effect has been increased!]
[Paralysis Effect has been increased!]
The system called out each time Ravan slashed.
The masked man fell to his knees, blood pouring from his wounds.
Ravan stood over him, breathing heavily, his daggers dripping with red blood this time.
This was probably the first time he had seen red blood on his daggers. It bothered him for a bit but knew if it wasn't him then he would be the one dead.
The man tried to speak, but the paralysis took hold, and he collapsed to the ground, his body twitching before finally going still.
The system's voice echoed in Ravan's mind.
[Target eliminated!]
[Mask identified as the Shapeshifter's Guise]
[An artifact of a fox beast capable of transforming its wearer]
[This mask is a relic of immense value]
Ravan knelt down and removed the mask, revealing the face of the man he had seen earlier—the one who had killed his own teammates.
Ravan's expression hardened as he realized.
"This man followed me this far, likely intending to kill me for the items I've been carrying."
"Guess it's a good thing I didn't trust you," Ravan muttered, glancing at the sack of valuable items he had collected.
He looked at the mask in his hands, its intricate design and the power it held.
"Should I sell this?"
"This could be useful."
He stood up, slipping the mask into his bag. "I'll need this to conceal my identity when I meet the others. Especially the ones who betrayed me."
Jet hopped onto his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek.
Ravan smiled faintly, patting the rabbit's head.
"Come on, Jet. Let's see what's next."
Regalos
-- Regalo
recibido Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder