Chapter 80: Bat Cave

Ethan shook his head with a faint smile and entered the Bat Cave’s Hell Difficulty portal.

As soon as he entered, he found himself in complete darkness.

He couldn’t see anything around him. Even the ground beneath his feet was hard to make out.

"Ethan, it’s so dark in here!" Aria said.

Ethan summoned several Solar Elementals.

The flames burning on their heads lit up the cave, revealing the stone walls and a long passage leading deeper inside.

But as soon as the light appeared, a sound came from above.

Flap! Flap! Flap!

Ethan looked up.

The ceiling was covered with bats. There were so many of them that they almost covered the entire ceiling.

Some were small, while others were as big as grown men.

The light seemed to wake them up.

One bat opened its eyes, followed by another.

Soon, countless pairs of eyes were staring down at them.

Then the bats let go of the ceiling and flew toward Ethan and Aria.

Then the bats let go of the ceiling and flew toward Ethan and Aria.

The whole cave was filled with the sound of their wings and cries.

The Solar Elementals raised their heads, and rays of light shot from their eyes. The bats in front were hit before they could get close.

Ethan waved his hand and summoned his Shadow Wraiths.

Hundreds of Wraiths appeared and rushed toward the bats. The bats tried to escape, but they were surrounded. In just a short time, the whole swarm was dead.

Aria looked at the dead bats on the ground.

"That was scary! There were so many of them."

Ethan didn’t reply. He was looking at one of the dead bats.

Its mouth was full of sharp teeth, and there were two long fangs at the front. They looked more like the teeth of a bloodsucking monster than an ordinary bat.

Ethan knew a little about the bat cave. Unlike the monsters in the other swarm dungeons, these bats fed on blood. Once they found a target, they would keep attacking until they had drained it dry.

He also knew that the Bat King could sense what was happening inside its territory. The moment they entered the cave, it would have known they were here.

And the bats were not just flying around randomly. They could sense their prey and gather around it.

"Ethan, why do these bats have such long fangs?" Aria asked. "Don’t tell me they suck blood. Are they vampires?"

"Something like that," Ethan replied. "But it has something to do with the Bat King. It’s the one controlling them."

Aria looked at the dead bats again and moved closer to Ethan.

"That’s creepy. So the boss already knows we’re here?"

"Most likely."

Ethan stood up and sent some Shadow Wraiths deeper into the cave.

The Solar Elementals moved ahead, lighting up the passage as Ethan and Aria followed.

Meanwhile, several Shadow Wraiths were already exploring the cave.

Through One Mind, One Legion, Ethan could see everything they saw. He soon noticed that the bats hanging on the ceiling were moving their heads whenever the group passed.

They weren’t attacking. Instead, they kept making strange sounds.

Ethan paid closer attention.

The bats would make a sound, wait for a moment, then make another. A short while later, the bats farther down the passage would respond.

They were communicating with one another.

Ethan had heard of echolocation before. Bats used sound to find their way around in the dark, but these bats seemed to be using it for more than that.

They were sending signals to one another.

"What’s wrong?" Aria asked when she noticed him slowing down.

"These bats are keeping track of us."

Aria looked up at the ceiling. "How? They can’t even see us clearly in this darkness."

"They don’t need to see us."

Ethan explained what he had noticed.

Aria’s expression changed. "Wait. So every bat in this cave knows where we are?"

"Not necessarily every single one, but the signals are spreading pretty quickly."

Ethan sent more Shadow Wraiths ahead.

He wanted to know how far the signals could travel and where all the bats were gathering.

If the Bat King was controlling the swarm, then there was a good chance that these signals were also helping it keep track of their movements.

Deep inside the Bat Cave, far away from Ethan and Aria, a huge bat hung upside down from the ceiling.

It was the Bat King.

Its body was much larger than the other bats, and two long fangs protruded from its mouth. Its wings were folded around its body, and its eyes remained closed.

Then, its red eyes opened.

"Two humans?"

The Bat King turned toward the passage leading into the cave.

It had sensed their arrival the moment they entered its territory.

That made them worth paying attention to.

"Send a few to watch them," it ordered.

Several bats detached themselves from the ceiling and flew into the darkness.

The Bat King remained where it was, its gaze fixed on the passage.

"Let’s see how far they get."

It opened its mouth slightly, exposing its long fangs.

It had collected a considerable amount of blood since its master arrived. Yet it was still not enough. Collecting enough blood had taken longer than expected. It couldn’t afford to fail now.

Its eyes narrowed at the thought of its master.

It’s master had gone to considerable lengths to enter this place. Even the Bat King did not know every detail of the plan, nor did it dare to ask.

It only needed to complete its task.

"More blood," it muttered.

Its gaze returned to the passage.

"These two should be enough to get things moving."

The Solar Elementals continued lighting the way as Ethan and Aria moved deeper into the cave.

Above them, the bats kept making strange sounds. Some remained hanging from the ceiling, while others flew between the passages.

Ethan was still watching them through his Shadow Wraiths when he noticed something unusual.

Several bats were carrying small objects in their claws.

He focused on one of the Wraiths following them.

The object was a small container filled with dark red liquid.

"Blood?" Ethan muttered.

"What’s wrong?" Aria asked.

"Look over there."

Aria followed his gaze and spotted a few bats flying past them. One of them was carrying a small container.

"Wait, is that blood?"

"It looks like it."

"Why are they carrying blood around?"

Ethan didn’t answer immediately. He sent a few Shadow Wraiths after the bats to find out where they were going.

The bats flew through a narrow passage and disappeared around a bend. His Wraiths followed them.

A short while later, Ethan discovered that the passage led to a much larger chamber. Several bats were already gathered there, carrying similar containers. Others were returning with more.

"They’re collecting blood," Ethan said.

Aria’s expression changed.

"Collecting blood? From where?"

"I’m not sure yet."

Ethan watched for a little longer. The bats weren’t drinking the blood or storing it in a nest. They were bringing it to this chamber and leaving the containers with the others.

Before Ethan could investigate further, the bats above them suddenly began moving.

"Here they come!" Aria shouted.

A group of larger bats swooped down from the ceiling. Their bodies were nearly twice the size of the ordinary ones, and their fangs were long enough to be seen clearly even in the dim light.

Ethan remained calm.

"Shadow Wraiths."

Several Wraiths emerged from the surrounding shadows and rushed toward the incoming bats.

The two groups collided in midair.

The larger bats tried to bite the Wraiths, but their fangs passed through the shadows. Before they could retreat, the Wraiths struck back with their claws and chains.

Within moments, several bats fell to the ground.

The remaining ones screeched and tried to scatter, but the Wraiths quickly caught up with them.

The fight ended almost as soon as it began.

Aria looked at the fallen bats, then at Ethan.

"That was it?"

"Looks like it."

"Then why did they attack us in the first place?"

Ethan glanced toward the deeper part of the cave.

"Maybe they were trying to stop us from going any further."

He recalled the containers his Wraiths had found.

If the Bat King was collecting blood, then there was probably something deeper inside the cave that it didn’t want intruders to discover.

"Let’s keep moving," he said.

The Solar Elementals continued forward, their flames illuminating the passage.

Ethan sent more Shadow Wraiths ahead to investigate the chamber where the blood was being collected.

He wanted to know where the blood came from and, more importantly, what the Bat King intended to do with it.

Ethan continued walking while his Shadow Wraiths explored the cave.

The Wraiths following the bats soon reached a large chamber.

There were dozens of containers on the floor, most of them filled with blood. Bats kept flying in with more, dropping off the filled containers before taking the empty ones away.

Ethan found it strange.

There was so much blood here, but he couldn’t see a single corpse.

Where were they getting all this blood?

He ordered his Wraiths to search the area.

After a short while, one of them found a narrow opening behind some rocks. It flew inside and followed the passage beyond it.

Soon, it reached another chamber.

There were cages everywhere, and each one held a creature.

Most of them looked weak. A few could barely move.

Several bats were flying between the cages with small containers in their claws. They landed beside the trapped creatures and sank their fangs into them.

The creatures struggled, but they couldn’t escape.

After sucking up some blood, the bats pulled out their fangs, filled their containers, and flew back toward the previous chamber.

Ethan finally understood where all the blood was coming from.

The Bat King wasn’t just collecting blood from creatures it killed. Its bats were capturing living creatures and keeping them here to drain their blood.

And judging by the number of cages, they had been doing this for a while.

Ethan sent a few more Wraiths to search the chamber.

One of the Shadow Wraiths soon found a large stone door deeper inside the chamber.

Ethan tried to get a better look at what lay beyond it, but the door blocked his view.

"Let’s see what you’re hiding," he muttered.