WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom-Chapter 56: Ravager

’Wait… am I overestimating its intelligence?’ Ben hesitates, watching the creature closely. ’Maybe it’s not as smart as I thought. Maybe it’s just copying movement, like a dog responding to a trick—not actual understanding.’

The creature’s eyes flicker with confusion for a moment. Then, slowly, it moves its own limb—but unlike Ben, its sharp nails carve a real line into the mushroom’s surface. Ben’s interest piques. ’This could be useful’. If he could tame this thing… find more of them… they’d make excellent guards. Maybe even breed them, start a ranch—But his thoughts are cut short.

"ROOOARR!!!" A monstrous roar rips through the silence, shaking the air. Ben’s head snaps toward the source.

[Your Krell Scout has perished!]

Just moments ago, Ben sensed his Krell encountering somethin. And now, it was dead. His grip tightened as his pickaxe materialized in his hand, ready for combat.

Then, the ground trembled. The shaking grew stronger like a stampede. Then—they emerged.

A herd of creatures burst from the clearing, baring their fangs and locking their glowing eyes onto him. Their bodies were covered in thick, armor-like shells, with a rough texture that made them look like living stone. Despite their size, they moved smoothly, muscles shifting beneath their hard exoskeletons.

Each creature had six strong legs, the front two ending in sharp, curved claws, perfect for slashing and gripping prey. Their long jaws opened wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth and a second, smaller set of snapping mandibles inside. Along their backs, glowing spines flickered in different colors, like they were sending signals to one another.

The Krell Soldiers reacted instantly, dashing forward to meet the threat. Chitin clashed against armor as the battle erupted in chaos.

Ben’s gaze flicked to the intelligent creature from before—only to find it gone. It had vanished without a trace. But there was no time to think about that now.

One of the creatures leaped, its jaws snapping shut inches from a Krell Soldier’s neck. The soldier twisted, four arms moving in perfect coordination, one pair locking onto the beast’s head while the other stabbed into its underbelly with claws. A shriek echoed through the air as thick, black blood sprayed across the battlefield.

But it quickly get overwhelmed.

From all sides, more of them move forward. Their movements were fast—too fast. The Krell Soldier barely had time to react before another beast slammed into its side, knocking it off balance. Clawed limbs raked across its armored shell, sparks flying as they scraped against the tough carapace.

The Krell Soldier tore itself free from one attacker, throwing it aside, but three more swarmed in immediately. Fangs sank into its limbs, claws scraping against its carapace, trying to tear it apart. A pair of glowing spines on the creatures’ backs flared just before they struck—some kind of signal.

Ben’s mind worked fast. ’They’re coordinated. They don’t just attack randomly—they communicate.’ But that raised another question. ’Do they have a hierarchy?’

His gaze shifted, scanning the battlefield. If there was a leader, taking it down could throw the rest into chaos. His grip tightened. ’These things are relentless… tearing through anything in their way. I’ll call them Ravagers.’ Then, his thoughts flicked to the creature from before—the one that had disappeared the moment the fight began. Unlike these beasts, it move in silence. ’And that one… I’ll call Shadow.’

Another Krell Soldier attacked. Two arm locked onto a Ravager’s snapping jaws, holding them apart, while the other two drove serrated claws deep into its exposed underbelly. The creature screeched, black blood gushing onto the dirt as it thrashed violently. But the Krell didn’t let go. With a sharp twist, it ripped through the Ravager’s gut, spilling its insides before hurling the lifeless body aside.

But there was no time to celebrate. More Ravagers closed in, their glowing spines flashing in rapid patterns. Then, as if on cue, they struck all at once.

One Krell was hit from the side, claws raking across its carapace, leaving deep gouges. It staggered, but before the Ravager could finish it off, another Krell crashed into the beast, sending them both rolling across the battlefield.

Ben watched closely, reading their attacks. They time their strikes based on those glowing spines… that’s their signal. Now he just need to make sure who give out signal the first. As it wil lbe their leader.

Another Ravager attacked, but a Krell spun its entire body, swinging its sharp claw in a vicious arc. The strike carved through the creature’s midsection, nearly cutting it in half. The Ravager collapsed with a gurgling hiss, but two more took its place, slamming into the Krell’s side, biting and clawing.

A third Krell charged in, grabbing one of the Ravagers by the throat and lifting it clean off the ground. The beast shrieked, clawing wildly, but the Krell crushed its neck in an instant, dropping the twitching corpse before turning to the next foe.

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The battlefield was chaos—black blood splattered across the ground, bodies piled up, but neither side backed down.

Ben’s eyes locked onto his target. He had been watching—waiting. Every time the Ravagers attacked, this one was always the first to signal. But it wasn’t reckless. It moved carefully, staying just out of sight before sending the command. ’There you are.’ His pickaxe appeared in his hand. Without hesitation, he pushed off the ground, muscles tensing as he launched into the air.

Chitin armor spread across his body, forming over his limbs just as—

BAM!

One of the ravager barreled into him mid-air, slamming into his side with bone-crushing force. Ben twisted, driving his pickaxe into its back as they hit the ground, black blood spraying across his arm. The creature screeched, thrashing, but he ripped the weapon free and kicked it off, rolling back to his feet.

More Ravagers closed in, snapping and clawing, forming a wall between him and the leader. ’Damn it, they’re protecting it.’ Ben’s jaw clenched. "Move in!" he barked.

The Krell Soldiers reacted instantly, storming forward. One latched onto a Ravager’s throat, mandibles crushing down with enough force to snap its neck. Another rammed into the side of a beast, knocking it off balance before tearing into its underbelly.