Thanks for 250 powerstones. Here is the bonus chapter!
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I led Alexander toward the tracks I'd spotted, aware of the others following at a distance. The twin suns continued their descent, casting long shadows across the oasis landscape. Something about this place felt wrong—beyond the obvious red gate situation. The mana concentration was unnaturally dense, like walking through invisible syrup.
"Here," I pointed to the indentations in the sand. "See the depth? Whatever made these weighs at least four hundred pounds, probably more."
Alexander crouched, running his fingers along the edge of one print. "Good catch. Stride length suggests something tall. The sand displacement pattern is unusual too—like it's carrying most of its weight on its front appendages."
I glanced at the darkening sky. "We need to move. Night's coming."
'Arcan, quick question.'
『Yes, Xavier?』 Her voice resonated in my mind, somehow louder than usual.
'Does the time dilation affect my leveling? Will I still gain the same experience despite the compressed external time?'
『The system operates independently of external temporal mechanics. Your growth potential remains unchanged regardless of relativistic time differentials.』
I suppressed a smile. 'In normal human language?'
『You'll level up the same here as anywhere else. Time is irrelevant to the system.』
Six months trapped in a monster-filled paradise with accelerated experience gain. If I played this right, this disaster could become the opportunity I'd been waiting for. My stats had plateaued for a while—this could be the push I needed.
'Thanks, Arcan.'
"Valentine!" Alexander's voice snapped me back. "You with us?"
"Just thinking."
"Save it for when we're secure. Let's move."
We rejoined the group, who had already begun organizing equipment for transport. Nicole—still masked as Aurora—was directing the porters to distribute essential supplies.
"We need to find higher ground before nightfall," Alexander announced. "These tracks suggest large predators, and open water sources are prime hunting grounds on most worlds."
"There's a rocky outcropping about a quarter mile east," Jin offered, pointing. "Sonya and I spotted it during our perimeter check. Defensible position, good visibility."
Alexander nodded. "We move in formation. Joshua, Dave up front with me. Combat specialists form the perimeter. Valentine, you take rear guard with Shirai."
The group moved out in formation, crossing the eerily beautiful landscape. Floating vegetation islands drifted overhead, casting shifting patterns of shadow and light. The air smelled sweet, almost sickeningly so, like overripe fruit left in the sun too long.
As we walked, I kept my senses alert. Something wasn't right. The mana density made it difficult to pinpoint specific energy signatures, but—
My danger sense tingled, a sharp prickle at the base of my skull.
I activated my Six Eyes, focusing through the ambient mana soup surrounding us. The world shifted, mana flows becoming visible as currents and eddies of blue-silver energy. And beneath us...
Shit.
"Stop!" I called out, but Joshua and Dave had already taken another step forward.
I engaged Mana Reinforcement in an instant, muscles surging with power as I launched myself forward. I grabbed Joshua by his equipment harness and yanked him back just as the ground beneath Dave's feet collapsed.
Sand erupted upward as something massive burst from below. Dave screamed, his leg caught in the creature's grasp. It looked like a monstrous spider-crab hybrid, with eight segmented limbs ending in wicked claws and a vertical mouth filled with circular rows of teeth.
"What the fuck is that?" someone shouted.
I didn't wait to find out. 'Arcan, Twin Blades!'
The Azure Edge Twin Blades materialized in my hands as I charged forward. The creature was pulling Dave deeper into the collapsing sand pit.
"Alexander! Barrier under Dave, now!" I shouted.
The ex-military hunter reacted instantly, throwing his hand forward. A translucent blue barrier materialized beneath the sinking porter, halting his descent.
The creature screeched, its four sensory stalks whipping around to focus on me as I closed the distance. I slashed at the limb holding Dave, the mana-conductive blade slicing clean through its armored exoskeleton. Ichor sprayed as the severed appendage fell away.
Dave scrambled backward, dragging himself onto Alexander's barrier.
Two more eruptions of sand to my left and right—more of these things, converging on us. The first creature lunged at me, its vertical mouth opening like a grotesque flower blooming.
"Circle up!" Alexander bellowed. "Jin, barrier reinforcement! Elise, suppressing fire!"
Lightning crackled as Elise unleashed arcs of electricity at one of the creatures. The monster convulsed but kept coming. Jin took position, his body glowing with defensive energy as he created a physical barrier between the porters and the threat.
I ducked under a sweeping claw and drove one blade deep into what I hoped was a vital spot. The creature shrieked but didn't fall. These things were tough.
"Shikamaru!" I called out. "Can you pin them?"
The shadow user was already forming hand seals. "Working on it. The sand is making it difficult to—"
His shadow shot forward, splitting into three tendrils that raced toward each creature. One connected, freezing the monster in place. The other two creatures moved too erratically, burrowing and resurfacing too quickly for his shadow to catch.
"Sonya, your crescents! Target the one on the right!" Alexander directed.
Silver-blue energy crescents sliced through the air, cutting deep gouges in the creature's carapace. It screeched but kept coming, seemingly unfazed by what should have been debilitating wounds.
I engaged the first monster directly. Each cut connected, but the creature's armor absorbed much of the impact. I needed more power.
The group retreated, forming a defensive perimeter around the porters and Theo, who was already treating Dave's injured leg.
Nicole approached me, her mask hiding her expression. "This is only temporary," she whispered. "Don't get used to it."
She placed her hand on my shoulder, and suddenly—
Power surged through me, unlike anything I'd ever experienced. My mana channels expanded, energy flooding every cell. My stats, already high, seemed to multiply. The world slowed down around me, my perception accelerating to match my enhanced capabilities.
"What the—" I gasped as the power settled into my system.
"Go!" Nicole commanded. "You've got about three minutes!"
I didn't need to be told twice. With my Six Eyes active, I could see exactly where to strike now. The creatures had concentrated mana nodes at the base of each limb and a central cluster beneath what passed for their heads.
I moved, faster than I'd ever moved before. The first creature barely registered my approach before both blades sank deep into its primary mana node. The monster convulsed, limbs thrashing wildly as its life force dispersed.
The second creature, still pinned by Shikamaru's shadow, met a similar fate seconds later. Its armor, seemingly impenetrable before, now gave way under my enhanced strength like paper.
The third had burrowed underground, but with my heightened senses, I could track its movement through vibrations in the sand. I waited, timing my strike, then plunged both blades deep into the sand at the exact moment it passed beneath me.
A shriek, muffled by sand, confirmed the hit. The creature erupted upward, mortally wounded but still dangerous. A claw slashed across my chest, tearing fabric but barely grazing skin thanks to my enhanced reflexes.
I finished it with a cross-slash that nearly severed its head.
The battlefield fell silent except for our heavy breathing. I stood amid the three massive corpses, blood dripping from my blades, Nicole's power still coursing through me.
"Holy shit," Joshua whispered, breaking the silence.
I turned to face the group, aware of how this must see. A D-Rank just decimated three B-Rank monsters in seconds. The stunned expressions told me everything I needed to know.
Kaisen had retreated to the back of the group, visibly trembling. Some "berserker." Jin and Sonya exchanged looks of confusion and awe. Elise studied me with narrowed eyes, her analytical mind clearly reassessing everything she thought she knew about me.
Alexander's expression remained carefully neutral, but his eyes missed nothing. Theo continued treating Dave's leg, though his movements had slowed as he watched the aftermath.
Shikamaru released his shadow technique, conserving energy. "Troublesome," he muttered, but his eyes held new respect.
Yuzuriha clapped her hands together. "My, my, Xavier-kun! You've been holding out on me."
The power Nicole had granted began to fade, my enhanced capabilities returning to normal. I felt the loss keenly, like stepping from a hot shower into cold air.
"What was that?" I asked Nicole directly.
She shook her head. "Later. Right now, we need to move. These things rarely hunt alone I think."
"They're not hunting," I said, kneeling beside one of the creatures. "They're ambush predators. They create trap zones and wait for prey to wander in." I pointed to the collapsed sand. "See how it's different from the surrounding area? They deliberately destabilize it."
"Like sinkholes," Theo observed, finishing Dave's bandage.
"Exactly." I wiped my blades clean and stood. "And I'd bet anything there are more traps between us and that outcropping."
Alexander nodded. "New plan. We test the ground as we go. Jin, can your barriers support our weight if we stay on them?"
Jin considered. "For short distances, yes. But it drains me quickly."
"We'll use them sparingly. Everyone watch for disturbed sand patterns. Valentine, your eyes seem good at spotting these things. You take point with me."
"Fair enough."
As the group reorganized, Nicole approached me. "That power boost," she said quietly. "Don't mention it to anyone. It's not common knowledge."
"You can temporarily boost someone's rank," I replied, equally quiet. "Your secret's safe with me." I glanced at the others. "We've got bigger problems anyway."
She stared at me through her mask for a long moment. "You're not what you seem, Xavier Valentine."
"Funny. I was about to say the same about you, Nicole Demara."
We rejoined the group, the tension between us momentarily set aside in favor of survival. As we cautiously made our way toward the outcropping, I couldn't help but smile internally. This gate was dangerous, yes—potentially deadly. But it was also the perfect training ground.
'Arcan, how much experience did I gain from those kills?'
『Substantial. Each creature was a B-Rank entity. Your stats have already begun to increase.』
'And with six months of hunting here...'
『Your potential growth could be exponential, especially given the mana-rich environment.』
I stepped carefully across the sand, testing for solid footing. Six months in paradise, hunting monsters that could actually challenge me. Nicole's rank boost ability was an unexpected bonus—a tool I could potentially leverage when facing stronger opponents.
Looks like the hunt is just beginning.