Lord of the Time: I Can Reincarnate Infinitely

Chapter 522 522: Dark Soul Suckers

Caleb and the ant had barely taken a few steps towards the wounded lion and gorilla when the ground beneath them abruptly shifted. With a deafening rumble, a massive crack split the earth, swallowing the two monsters whole before snapping shut as though nothing had happened.

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"Holy hell!" Caleb exclaimed, jumping back, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and fascination.

The ant, however, didn't seem as surprised, its antennae twitching slightly in recognition of the forest's brutal laws.

Before Caleb could ask, the ground where the two beasts had lain exploded upwards, forming into a towering humanoid shape made entirely of sand. The creature, lacking eyes but possessing a grotesque, gaping mouth, emitted strange, garbled noises that resonated like a whispering wind through dry leaves.

"That there's a peak level 2 monster, almost touching level 3," the ant informed Caleb, scribbling nervously in the dirt with its stick.

Caleb snorted dismissively. "Level 3, level shmee. To me, it's just another ant waiting to get squashed."

Skepticism was evident in the ant's body language, its movements rigid with doubt.

In response, Caleb gave a mischievous grin, then in a blink, he vanished from sight, reappearing instantly atop the sand creature's head. Without a moment's hesitation, he delivered a powerful kick right into the heart of the sandy colossus.

The impact was like a detonation, and the sand monster's form disintegrated spectacularly, cascading into a cloud of dust that blew away with the wind, leaving nothing but clear ground where it once stood.

The ant, its mouth agape in astonishment, finally managed to scribble, "That... was unexpected," into the dirt, its stick trembling slightly.

The ant beside him paused its scribbling to watch the giants regroup and drag the dead giant away, likely to salvage what they could. "Everything here survives one way or another. Kill or be killed."

Caleb nodded, his gaze following the giants as they disappeared into the distance. "Let's keep moving," he said, setting his sights on the shifting dunes ahead. "I'm curious to see what other surprises this desert holds."

...

As Caleb and the ant continued their journey across the desert, a sudden shift in the atmosphere caught their attention. The sky, which had been a clear, piercing blue, gradually darkened as a massive swarm of crows emerged from the horizon. The sight was chilling: hundreds of thousands of birds, their bodies composed of swirling dark energy, blotted out the sun, casting long, ominous shadows over the desert.

Caleb halted, his eyes narrowing as he observed the eerie spectacle. "What in the world...?" he muttered, his voice tinged with a mix of awe and caution.

The ant, scribbling frantically in the sand beside him, provided an explanation. "Dark Soul Suckers," it wrote, the words shaky as it glanced nervously at the sky. "Soul-sucking crows made entirely of dark energy. They devour souls and are immune to physical attacks. A swarm this size could threaten even a Level 4 monster and terrify Level 3s."

Caleb's gaze shifted back to the swirling mass above. The crows circled in a massive, ever-tightening spiral, their caws merging into a haunting cacophony that seemed to vibrate through the very air. "Soul suckers, huh? And immune to physical attacks... That's troublesome."

The ant continued to write, each word etched quickly into the sand. "They use swarm tactics, overwhelming their targets. Few can withstand their assault due to their sheer numbers and the peculiar nature of their existence."

Caleb folded his arms, watching as a few of the darker crows dove down closer to the ground before swirling back up into the mass. "And I suppose they're here for a feast? Does this happen often?"

"Not often, but when it does, it's best to hide," the ant wrote. "They can sense souls from miles away. Once they start feeding, it's hard to stop them until they're sated."

Caleb nodded slowly, a plan forming in his mind. "Well, hiding isn't really my style. Let's see if we can't find a way to interact with them that doesn't involve being devoured." His voice was calm,