WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom

The air trembled, tension thick enough to suffocate.

From the distance, two silhouettes emerged. One was Earth, its form bulkier than even Inferno or Venom, its sheer presence radiating raw, immovable power. But Ben's focus wasn't on him.

His eyes locked onto the second figure. Smaller. Different. The moment he saw it, his instincts screamed. 'So that's the true Alpha.'

Even from this distance, Ben could feel it. The pressure. The sheer weight of its presence pressing down on the battlefield like an unseen force. This one was different. This one was stronger.

His fingers tightened around his pickaxe. Without another word, he kicked off the ground, soaring through the air, landing beside Elvira. "You good?"

Elvira's breathing was steady, but her body still trembled from exhaustion. Even after absorbing more mana, her circuits were in shambles. "No. But if you mean 'Can I fight?'—then yes."

Ben let out a small grin. "Good."

"How about The Krell?" Elvira asked.

"I ordered One to pull them out," Ben replied casually, cracking his neck. There was something in his tone. A hidden meaning. A backup plan.

Elvira didn't ask. Instead, she nodded, magic already forming at her fingertips.

Then—the Alpha stepped forward. It was watching them. Its six glowing eyes shifted between Ben and Elvira, studying them. Then, slowly, it let out a series of clicks and growls.

Ben frowned. "Yeah, I don't know what the hell you're saying—" He pointed at Inferno, a wicked grin curling his lips. "But let me eat that one, then maybe we can talk."

Inferno shuddered. It didn't need to understand Ben's words. It could feel his intent. A real malice.

The Alpha let out another clicking sequence, this time different. Then, it moved. Its body contorted. Limbs shifted. Bone snapped and reformed. A seamless transformation.

Ben's grip on his pickaxe tightened. He didn't move. Not yet. His instincts screamed at him to wait.

He didn't know how strong this thing was, and Earth and Inferno were still at its side. He and Elvira weren't at their peak—mentally and physically, they were drained. Their mana reserves were back, but their fatigue is on it's peak.

Meanwhile, the enemy was fresh. The Alpha finally stepped into full view. Its form had changed. No longer a four-legged beast—it stood upright.

A humanoid shape. Lizard-like, armored in a sleek black exoskeleton, with two arm and legs. Its claws gleamed sharply, its tail swayed with purposeful balance.

It was nothing like Venom. Venom had evolved. But this? This was something else entirely.

A being that could reshape itself at will. "Outsider. Why are you here?" Its voice was calm. Measured.

Ben and Elvira exchanged looks. Shock flickered in both their eyes. Not just at its intelligence—but at the sheer disparity.

The other Ravagers were beasts. Even Venom, cunning as it was, never spoke. 'Even that green bastard wasn't this smart…' Ben clenched his jaw. 'So this is why it's the Alpha.'

Ben exhaled, keeping his stance firm. He wasn't about to show weakness. "We need resources," he answered plainly, warily eyeing the Alpha.

His mind was already running a hundred different calculations. 'It can shapeshift at will. That means it can turn its body into weapons, like I do… but what else?'

There was no way intelligence and shapeshifting were its only abilities. It was the Alpha for a reason.

Whatever power it held, it had to be overwhelming. Something that made even the cunning Venom submit.

The Alpha tilted its head, six glowing eyes studying Ben with an unreadable expression. "So thou seek my territory." Its voice rumbled, calm yet layered with an undeniable authority. "In that case, how about working for me? Share your knowledge, and I shall grant you a place among us."

It was a tempting offer. Ben knew it. He could provide them with knowledge—probably about construction, weaponry, maybe even tactics. In return, he'd avoid war.

If he were still the human Ben, he might have considered it. Hell, he might have accepted it outright.

But now?

Now, he was a Hive Sovereign. And a Sovereign does not bow. A Sovereign does not kneel. No matter how strong the adversary, a Sovereign face it upfront than end up above them.

The very thought of surrender sent a wave of disgust crawling through his body, his instincts rejecting the idea outright. Weak. No weakling deserves to be a Sovereign.

His jaw tightened, then curled into a sharp grin.

"Yeah, how about no?" Ben scoffed. His voice dripped with amusement, but his eyes burned with resolve. "I've seen how your little pack operates. You're smart. But what about your followers?" He gestured toward Inferno and Earth with a lazy wave. "They're just mindless beasts. Even if I gave you knowledge, they wouldn't understand it."

The Alpha let out a low chuckle. "Kekeke… You wish for me to serve you? Tell me, outsider—are you stronger than me?"

Ben's grin widened. "Is that a challenge? If I beat you, does that mean you'll submit?"

The Alpha's mandibles clicked. "How amusing, so your kind love to jo-"

Swosh!

A spike shot out from Ben's back—fast, aimed straight for the Alpha's throat.

The Ravager's instincts flared. It moved. A single step back. That was all it took to avoid the lethal strike. The attack barely missed, slicing through the air where its head had been an instant before.

But Ben wasn't done. He had already moved. His muscles coiled, his body twisting as his adaptive limbs morphed.

The spike retracted, reshaping mid-motion into a serrated blade-arm. He closed the distance, pickaxe in one hand, bladed appendage in the other, slashing in an unrelenting flurry of strikes.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The Alpha blocked. No weapons. Just its bare hands. Its claws shifted mid-fight, turning into something sharper, denser—matching Ben's speed, matching his ferocity.

Ben clicked his tongue, grinning. "What's wrong? Not used to get attacked?" His blade-arm snapped forward in a feint—only to shift at the last second into a spiked club.