Were they… were they supposed to kill that thing?

Did they even have a choice? The crabs had claimed the only viable territory so far, leaving nowhere else to settle. The volcanic region might have been manageable for food, but water? The Swamp was the only alternative, and its murky depths weren't exactly inviting.

Her fists clenched at her sides. Could they even reach that thing? And if they did… how could they possibly take down a monster of that size?

She gritted her teeth. Time. They needed time to grow stronger, perhaps with more Stage Progress and heavier firepower like additional ballistae. No… too much time. They needed something faster, something riskier.

A targeted elite squad? They could rush to it, avoid the swarm, and aim directly for the behemoth. But the risk… the danger of such a plan was immense. They couldn't go in blind. Not like this. They at least needed to boost Stage Progress enough to have a fighting chance.

But could they afford to wait?

Her thoughts raced, her lip caught between her teeth.

Suddenly, she sensed someone approaching from afar. Wang.

Of course. He'd been out hunting.

She waited, her gaze shifting to the exhausted faces around her. The neural network's last update flashed in her mind—eight still in the Riftflow. Adding them to the twenty-six here made thirty-four.

Only 34 out of 45 remained after seven days. How many would make it to the end?

Her jaw tightened, but she forced herself to focus as Wang's mental voice cut through the haze.

"I felt the ground trembling. What happened?"

"You'll see when you get here," she replied, her tone clipped.

Moments later, Wang arrived. His eyes immediately went to the crabs, the endless swarm stretching into the horizon, and his expression darkened.

"By the gods…" His voice trailed off, carried only through their mental connection.

"Took you long enough," Ayu quipped, catching Wang's expression as he finally registered the tide of crabs below.

Wang shot her a cool glance. "I came as fast as I could."

"And yet Lukas beat you here—with a ballista!" Ayu retorted, her tone sharp but playful.

"Well," Lukas interjected, scratching the back of his head, "I was already close by."

Ayu smirked, leaning back slightly. "Still, not a great look for the golden boy of the group."

Wang rolled his eyes and turned his focus back to Chiara. "What's the plan?"

Chiara inhaled deeply. She wasn't entirely sure. Every idea racing through her mind carried significant risk. The most practical choice seemed to be moving to the Swamp—after an elite team scouted it for safety. If that failed, they might have to settle here at the cliff's edge and—

Huh?

She froze, sensing a faint disturbance several kilometers away. It wasn't an arthropod. Something... different.

Her eyes narrowed as she turned toward the source, squinting into the distance. Too far to make anything out clearly.

Wang noticed her shift and frowned. "What is it?" His gaze followed hers, but he saw nothing unusual. Others around them started to pick up on the unease in her posture.

"Chiara?" Ayu asked, puzzled. "Is something coming?"

Chiara didn't respond. She took a cautious step forward, then another. Slowly, deliberately, her body tensed as she strained to make sense of the very faint silhouette appearing in the horizon. Minutes passed as the figure became clearer through the haze.

A Climber? No… unless…

Her breath caught.

Alonso?

He kept running toward them, his silhouette growing sharper with each stride. As the image became clearer, Chiara's eyes narrowed. Something was off.

A mask? But didn't he… Wait, that wasn't one of theirs. The design was different—crude but functional. The mask had two long, curved antennae protruding from its sides, likely scavenged from some arthropod. Its surface was matte black, with faint grooves etched across it, giving it a rough, almost primal appearance.

Did he make it himself?

Her gaze dropped to the armor he was wearing. It wasn't the casual clothes she had given him last time they met. This… this was different. The scales of the Blaze-Screechers gleamed faintly under the dim light, forming a protective yet flexible layer.

The rest of the Climbers turned their attention toward him, their reactions varied but intense.

Some held their weapons tighter, tension radiating from their postures. Arjun's knuckles turned white as his hand clenched the hilt of his blade, his narrowed eyes fixed on Alonso with open mistrust. Beside him, Ishaam stood rigid, his expression dark, mirroring the same quiet hostility.

Wang raised a single eyebrow, his face otherwise unreadable.

Imani stood perfectly still, his gaze sharp and focused. There was no outward hostility, just a calculated calm as he studied Alonso's approach.

Lukas tilted his head slightly, a faint spark of curiosity in his eyes. A faint smile tugged at his lips, subtle enough to go unnoticed by the others.

And then there was Ayu. Her eyes widened for the briefest of moments when she first noticed him, a flicker of surprise breaking through. But then her expression shifted, her gaze narrowing as if weighing something only she understood. A fleeting emotion passed through her eyes—gone too quickly to name—before she settled into a calm, almost indifferent stance.

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Chiara couldn't help but glance back at the approaching figure. Alonso. Dressed in scavenged armor, a mask of his own making, striding toward them at a steady rhythm. After he reached a certain position, still quite far from them, he stopped. He didn't even give them another look.

He then stared at the tide of crabs below.

He had probably been attracted by the earthquake-like vibration and came to check.

Still, she was curious. Would he actually do something, or would he just turn and leave?

She noticed everyone was still watching him, their gazes fixed, but none stepped forward. That was good. At least Arjun was containing himself.

So they just kept staring. Alonso started rolling his sword in his hand, his gaze fixed below. Seconds stretched, and some, like Ayu, got bored and looked away. But then… then he started stepping back.

They all refocused. He calmly stepped back from the edge of the cliff, removed his backpack, and then threw the sword into the air, its spinning motion capturing everyone's attention. Just as it landed back in his hand, he surged forward.

He ran incredibly fast toward the cliff and… jumped.

I really miss bathing in the river.

Doing it in the swamp? Hell no. Not with those slimes—or whatever the hell they are—roaming around.

Their illusions are quite the head-fuck, I'll give them that, but under Overdrive? They're just overgrown sewer fluids sliding around like sad little puddles.

Four days. That's how long it's been since I was last in the jungle. Four days of grinding through the stage limits in the three surrounding zones.

I beat the remaining Glow-Lurkers in less than a day—took them down like they were nothing. The volcanic lizards, though, those bastards took two days. Forty-nine of them. They were tasty, though. Not as good as the crabs, but decent. Made myself some armor from their scales too.

And that brings me back to the helmet I made. Not my best work, but it does the job. Amplifying the pulses took some trial and error, and yeah, I was reluctant at first, but Houston made some solid points. I hate when he's right, but damn if the results didn't speak for themselves.

I glance at my status screen, a small grin tugging at my lips.

Status Screen

Stage 1 - 4.846%

Wave control

Personal Output:

2.18 SU

Assisted Bonus (at 68% Merging Rate):

0.84 SU

Bonus from Helmet

: 34%

Total Output:

4.05 SU

Magnetization Efficiency:

76%

Overdrive

Max Output:

75%

Physical Combat (Technique)

Swordsmanship:

0.73 SU

Footwork:

0.68 SU

It looked nothing like before. I felt nothing like before.

Sure, the technique was still lacking, but that didn't mean I wasn't effective in combat. My style might be primal, but with enough strength, speed, and reaction, technique wasn't vital.

It was still on my checklist to train, but only after I finished grinding the entire map for all the Stage Progress it could offer. I had already glimpsed the region beyond the swamps, but I really needed to go back for a bath and some water that didn't taste like swamp rot.

As I ran, I suddenly noticed something odd—a vibration, very faint, coming from afar. It took me a moment to analyze its origin. The coast? An earthquake? No… too systematic. It was something else. Odd.

I frowned slightly. Well, it's where I was headed anyway. Might as well check it out.

I increased my speed, pushing the lever on Overdrive just slightly.

As I rushed forward, the vibration grew more intense. What the hell is happening?

I thought about the camp and the so-called Climbers. While I cared little for them, one face flashed in my mind.

Fuck.

I accelerated harder. I wasn't too far, but it would still take several minutes to reach.

Not more than two minutes passed when the vibration suddenly stopped. It's over?

I frowned but kept my pace steady. Better to make sure first.

Not long after, I finally emerged from the Riftflow and onto the cliff dividing the jungle from the barren region of the arthropods. At first, nothing seemed out of place. Then I looked down.

What the hell?

It was a literal sea of giant crabs stretching as far as I could see… Ayu!

I began running along the cliff. If they were there, they had to have escaped up here. I pushed hard, using Overdrive to sharpen my senses, especially my sight. Then, I felt a wave pass by me. Someone was scouting. Chiara?

I kept running, and after a while, I finally spotted their silhouettes in the distance. Several figures stood there, but I couldn't see their faces clearly. I didn't want to send a wave either.

Slowing my pace, I edged closer. And then I saw her. She was safe.

I breathed a sigh of relief, hesitating for a moment. My legs moved on their own, carrying me a bit closer to get a better look at her. But then I stopped.

So, what now?

I stepped closer to the edge of the cliff and gazed down. The river was far busier than I expected. So much for my bath.

But then I look further back and spot it. What… the actual… hell.

Standing at the rear of the massive army of oversized crabs was… the king? Boss? Whatever it was, that thing towered over everything else, at least the size of a ten-story building.

Were we supposed to fight that? Hmmm… how much Stage Progress would it give?

Tempting. The smaller fights were getting dull, and I could definitely use a challenge.

That said, there was the issue of actually reaching it—and more importantly, taking it down. Even its eyes were as big as me. Should I try going inside and wreaking havoc in its brain? Not the most appealing idea, but I'd done worse, and the helmet would make it… less unbearable.

Then there was the raw power of that beast. A casual swipe of any limb would carry enough momentum to turn me into meat paste without much effort. But I should be much faster… right?

The real concern was the shock. How strong would it be?

If it's under 5 SU, I'll be fine. Even at 6 SU, it would only leave me stunned briefly. Anything higher… I'd better keep my distance.

That left the possibility of additional skills or abilities. Hopefully, it was just a scaled-up version of the others. Hopefully.

What would Houston say about this? Oh, right—he's still on his vow of silence. I smirk.

I step back and drop my backpack to the ground. Tossing my sword into the air, I watch it spin. I haven't quite reached the point where I can carry all my weight midair, especially not now that I weigh nearly double my pre-Tower weight, but I can reduce the fall enough to make it manageable.

Sliding through an army of crabs? Sounds badass.

I smile.

The sword lands back in my hand, and I rush forward, pushing Overdrive close to its limit.

And then… I fly.

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