Cost: 60 Mana??Cooldown: 20 s

  Effect:

  Conjure golden chains that erupt in a 10 m circle.

  ? Each chain grabs one target (max 5) and pulls them inward for (80 + 100 % FAI) damage.

  ? Enemies pulled together explode in fire for (150 + 100 % FAI) damage.

  ? Enemies affected by this ability can’t turn invisible for 60 s.

  ─────────────────────────────

  Lv. 30 — Demonic Instinct

  Cost: Passive

  Effect:

  ? Detects all hostile intent within 15 m.

  ? Increases AGI by +10 % whenever surrounded by two or more enemies.

  ? Grants resistance to illusions and mind control for 5 s.

  ─────────────────────────────

  “Hmmm, so these are my new skills, huh?”

  She pulled up the descriptions again, eyes flicking over the text while she rolled her shoulders, trying to shake the lingering ache from the chains.

  Cloutless she already knew inside out, as it was a fan favorite back on Earth. She could practically feel the muscle memory of how to aim the mark and how to time the pull. That one was good. Really good. Probably her best tool for dealing with a swarm right now.

  But Demonic Instinct?

  She read it twice, then snorted.

  “Passive, huh? It’s not that bad, but my Map does the first thing that this does. And plus ten percent AGI when surrounded by two or more enemies? Meh. It’s nice, I guess, but it’s not exactly screaming ‘game changer.’ Resistance to illusions and mind control for five seconds after getting hit with one… cool, I guess. Haven’t seen anything even remotely on the level of putting me to sleep yet, so whatever.”

  She shrugged, dismissing the window. “Could be worse.”

  She was tired now. Not falling-over tired, but enough that she felt like she had done a full day of heavy labor. The fight had been fun, brutal, and very, very satisfying, but it also left her feeling wrung out. Did she really sleep that bad?

  She looked around. The little crabs had finally gotten the memo that mommy wasn’t coming back. They were freaking out, scuttling in panicked little circles before diving straight into the lava like it was the safest place in the world.

  Enochia let herself drop onto the nearest flat rock, then immediately hissed and shot back up like she’d sat on a hornet’s nest.

  “Ow—fuck! Sharp little bastard.”

  She pouted, then shuffled over to the lava’s edge where the stone was smoother. She didn’t even know what to call this stretch—beach? Shore? It was lava-adjacent and marginally less pokey, so it won by default.

  She plopped down with a sigh, legs stretched out in front of her, armor creaking softly.

  “Okay. Food first. Stomach’s screaming right now.”

  She opened her inventory and pulled out one of the one hundred twenty-three [Crab Legs] she’d somehow ended up with. The thing materialized in her hand as a hard, black-orange leg that was still in its shell, and steaming. She stared at it for a second, turning it over. 'Since I passed level twenty-five, I also unlocked:'

  [Analyze]

  Nothing. Just [Crab Leg] and a vague sense that the system was shrugging at her.

  “Roo?” she asked the air. “Please tell me this is something good. I’ve got a shit-ton of it.”

  [This is a simple food item. It has no other uses nor effects, besides satiating hunger.]

  Enochia threw her head back and groaned so hard it echoed off the distant cavern walls.

  “Dude. Seriously? Just… food?”

  She stopped, blinked, then laughed at herself.

  “Wait—why the hell am I groaning? It’s FOOD, Nokia. How can you complain about free crab meat? Get it together.”

  She smiled and crushed the end of the leg with a quick twist of her wrist, pulling the meat out like she’d done it a thousand times. Which she kind of had. Growing up spoiled had its perks; Alaskan king crab nights were basically a family tradition. This stuff looked almost exactly like it, and it was perfectly cooked!

  She took a cautious bite.

  And paused.

  It was… mid.

  Like, genuinely mid.

  Slightly spicy crab with way too much salt, a faint metallic tang that probably came from the lava water, but nothing special. No burst of flavor, no sudden urge to cry from joy. Just… crab.

  She chewed slowly, swallowed, then took another bite.

  “Wait… how the hell is it salty? Lava’s got salt in it? Huh. Didn’t know that.”

  She shrugged and kept eating, slower now, savoring the simple fact that it was edible.

  After a couple more bites she summoned one of the thirteen [Crab Broth] she’d gotten. A deep, orangey liquid appeared inside a hollowed-out crab shell that looked suspiciously like a very fancy soup bowl, probably around two hundred fifty milliliters, warm to the touch and steaming gently.

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  She held the leg in one hand, the broth shell in the other, took another bite of meat, then tipped the broth back for a sip.

  Mid again.

  Crabby, salty, with a weird acidic kick that almost tasted like lime but not quite. Still nothing to write home about. Just broth. Normal, slightly spicy, overly salty broth.

  Enochia lowered the shell, stared at it for a long second, then sighed.

  “Well… it’s food. And drink. And I’m not dead.”

  She took another sip, then another bite, chewing thoughtfully while she looked out over the glowing lava rivers.

  She really wished there was someone to talk to right now.

  Just someone. Anyone.

  The quiet pressed in around her, broken only by the distant bubble of lava and the faint crackle of cooling stone.

  She swallowed.

  “Whatever.” she muttered to the empty air. “At least I’m not hungry anymore.”

  Enochia finished the leg quickly and downed the broth in a few gulps, though she was still thirsty as hell afterward. She flicked open her inventory again, scrolling past the endless crab legs until her eyes snagged on the one thing that actually looked promising.

  [Crab Soup] popped into her hand as a wide, shallow bowl made from half a polished crab carapace, still warm, steam curling up in lazy spirals that carried the smell of actual vegetables and herbs instead of just brine.

  Carrots, actual orange carrot chunks bobbed next to chunks of what had to be some kind of pale tuber, maybe potato-ish, and there were even a few thin green rings that looked like sliced leeks or spring onions. A faint sheen of golden fat floated on top, and tiny dark specks of pepper or whatever the fantasy equivalent was dotted the surface. It smelled… cozy. Like someone had actually bothered to simmer this instead of just dumping crab bits into hot water and calling it a day.

  ─────────────────────────────

  [COMMON ITEM ? Crab Soup

  A hearty soup made from lava-crab meat, root vegetables, and herbs.

  Effects: Restores 200 HP over 30 seconds and grants immunity to fire damage for 5 minutes. One-time use.

  [Added to Category: Healing Items]

  ─────────────────────────────

  She actually leaned in and inhaled again. “Okay, damn. This one’s legit. But kinda useless to the new me. It could be nice if I got a par—I CAN GIVE IT TO CERVAIN NEXT TIME, LETS GO!” She yelped a bit out of joy, realizing these things could be used on other people as well. Not to mention if she found some other people down here, this soup could be really useful, just not for her.

  She stared at it for a long five-count, the steam brushing her cheeks, then sighed and sent it back to inventory with a little mental flick. “Nah. Even if the foody spirits are calling for me, I won’t give in. This could be really good later.”

  Instead of drinking it, she stashed it back into her inventory and summoned another crab leg, number one hundred whatever, cracked it open with the same practiced twist, and stuffed a fat piece of meat into her mouth while her brain wandered back to the loot pile still sitting in her notifications.

  ─────────────────────────────

  [COMMON ITEM ? Crab Claw]

  A large, serrated claw from a lava-crab. Sharp enough to cut through hide and bone with ease. Can be used in weapon crafting, cooking, or certain alchemical potions.

  [Added to Category: Materials]

  ─────────────────────────────

  She manifested one in her palm just to look at it. Heavy. Black-orange chitin with jagged edges that caught the lava glow like wet obsidian. The inside was still pinkish where the meat had been stripped away. Solid enough, she guessed. “Cool. I’ve got no idea what to do with it, but cool?” She tossed it back into storage.

  Then the bigger one.

  ─────────────────────────────

  [UNCOMMON ITEM ? Titanic Crab Claw]

  The massive primary claw of a greater lava-crab. Exceptionally durable and naturally heat-resistant, with a cutting edge that retains its sharpness even after prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures. Primarily suitable for high-end weapon crafting.

  [Added to Category: Materials]

  ─────────────────────────────

  That one appeared much heavier when she summoned it; she had to brace her forearm to keep it from smacking her knee. The thing was almost as long as her shin, curved wickedly, the outer shell mottled with deep crimson veins.

  “Okay, yeah,” she muttered around another mouthful of leg meat, “This one’s got main character energy. Bet a blacksmith would cream his pants over this.” She gave it an experimental swing and felt the air part with a satisfying whoosh. Definitely going on a sword. Or maybe a scythe. Scythes were cool.

  She dismissed it before she could get too attached to the idea of using the same weapon as one of her favorite anime characters.

  Time for the next one!

  ─────────────────────────────

  [UNCOMMON ITEM ? Crab Shell]

  A thick, heat-tempered carapace segment from a lava-crab. Naturally resistant to both physical impact and thermal damage. Excellent for crafting medium-to-heavy armor plates or as a base component in fire-resistant potions and enchantments.

  [Added to Category: Materials]

  ─────────────────────────────

  She pulled a proper shell, easily the size of a small round shield, maybe twenty inches across. The outer surface was that same mottled black-orange, while the inside was surprisingly smooth, almost polished, with subtle ridges that looked like they’d channel impacts away from the center. It was bigger than she’d expected. Way bigger. Impressive, honestly.

  She hefted it with one hand. “…It’s so light.”

  Not feather-light, but nowhere near the weight she’d braced for. She could probably swing this thing one-handed even with these pathetic STR stats she had. She turned it over a couple times, frowning at how easily it moved, then shrugged one shoulder.

  “Whatever. Still badass.”

  She set the rest of the leg meat aside for a second and wiped her greasy hand on the ash and tiny rocks to clean herself. Then, on a whim, she balanced the shell on one fingertip, right at the center curve, and gave it a tentative spin like she’d seen basketball players do with balls back on Earth.

  It wobbled immediately. Tilted and then slipped.

  The shell clattered to the stone with a hollow thunk, rolling a half-circle before bumping into her boot and stopping. She stared at it for a beat, expression flat, mouth half-open like she was still processing how badly she’d just failed at something so stupidly simple.

  “…Yeah, I wasn’t interested in the WNBA for a reason.”

  She dropped back onto her palms, legs stretched out again, and tilted her head until the cavern ceiling filled her vision.

  She had food for a long while, and broth for a few days at least. If she really needed more water she could probably farm another big crab or two, though the idea of chugging more of that overly salty, metallic crap instead of actual clean water made her stomach twist in preemptive protest.

  Not enough water screws you long-term. She could still hear her older brother’s voice cracking through tears that one summer he’d ended up in the ER, doubled over, swearing he’d never skip hydration again while the nurse patted his back like he was five. He taught her how much of a bitch kidney stones were.

  A small, tired huff of a laugh escaped her. Her gaze drifted, unfocused, tracing one long stalactite all the way to its dripping tip.

  He’d been such a cinnamon roll. The kind of idiot who’d apologize to a doorframe he walked into. The kind who’d text her dumb memes at three a.m. just to make her laugh.

  If a guy like that ended up anywhere but heaven, Enochia decided right then and there that God could go fuck Himself. She’d lose whatever scraps of faith she still carried. Hell wasn’t built for people who cried at animal shelter commercials and hugged their little sister too tight when she came home crying about some bullshit high-school drama.

  She hoped she’d get to see him again someday. After all this Hell nonsense, after whatever final boss bullshit waited at the end of the line. When she finally clawed her way up to whatever passed for heaven in this screwed-up world, she’d find him waiting with that same stupid smile he always wore in front of her.