Chapter 109: Against The Beasts

Chapter 109: Against The BeastsThe fading glow of the grenade explosions left a scorched crater in the vibrant terrain filling the air with the acrid scent of burnt moss and shattered stone.

The Tech Core pinged with a series of notifications, and Adrian confirmed them all, allowing for the harvest of the 2-Star magic crystals from the obliterated Maulers.

He dismissed the prompts for their mangled remains as there were too damaged to be of use.

"Turns out to be an overkill with the 2-Star grenades," he muttered, shaking his head. "Should’ve saved those for something bigger."

His thought was cut short as a lightning bolt cracked through the air, slamming into his helmet with a ~ZAP!~

The Power Suit’s exterior absorbed the brunt, but the impact sent a jolt through his nerves, and the suit’s durability ticked down slightly.

[Durability: 98%]

Adrian’s eyes widened as he scanned the horizon. "What the—?"

He jumped through the open windscreen, rolling across the mossy ground just as a fireball roared past, missing him by inches.

The projectile struck the rover’s cockpit chair, igniting it in a blaze of orange flames.

"Damn it!" he cursed, mentally commanding the rover back into his [Inventory]. The vehicle vanished, leaving only a smoldering patch of earth.



Two more attacks came in tandem. A lightning bolt and another fireball, streaking toward him with lethal precision.

Adrian channeled mana into his legs before executing the Phantom Flow Technique.

His body blurred, leaving afterimages as he sidestepped the assaults with unnatural speed, the ground sizzling where the attacks landed.

"Alright, enough games," Adrian said, his voice steady despite the chaos.

He locked onto the source of the attacks: five sleek, predatory beasts prowling the clearing ahead. Their serpentine bodies shimmered with crackling energy, their eyes glowing with malevolent intent. He activated [Analysis].

[Analyzing...]

[Beast Identified: Stormcoil Serpent]

[Rank: 3-Star Magical Beast]

[Element: Lightning/Fire]

[Properties: High agility, dual-elemental magic (lightning and fire), enhanced reflexes, venomous bite with paralytic effects]

[Remark: A cunning predator that coordinates attacks in packs. Vulnerable to sustained mana-based assaults but highly resistant to physical strikes due to its flexible, reinforced scales.]

Adrian’s lips curled into a mix of confidence and caution, as he drew his mana gun which was preloaded with a 3-Star Magic Crystal.

He aimed at the nearest serpent, charging a shot to about 10%, enough to blow up its head in one blast.

~BOOM!~

[Congratulations! You have killed a magical beast!]

[Would you like to harvest its Magic Crystal?]

But the beasts didn’t wait. With a flick of their tails, they surged forward, their bodies slithering at breakneck speed, spitting lightning and bolts of fire as they closed the gap.

Adrian’s reflexes kicked in, his Phantom Flow Technique carrying him through the onslaught.

He twisted mid-air, dodging a lightning strike that scorched the ground, then spun to avoid a fireball that almost touched his suit.

The serpents were fast, too fast even. Their attacks were also relentless as they flanked him.

Adrian’s mana surged through his body, and he pivoted, channeling energy into a single, explosive kick.

His boot connected with the skull of the closest serpent, the mana-infused strike amplifying the impact.

~CRACK!~

The beast’s neck snapped and it collapsed in a heap.

[Congratulations! You have killed a magical beast!]

[Would you like to harvest its Magic Crystal?]

The remaining three serpents hissed, their attacks intensifying. Adrian didn’t flinch. He raised the mana gun, firing two rapid shots.

~ZAP! ZAP!~

The blasts tore through the air, striking the heads of two serpents. Their skulls erupted in a spray of scales and blood, their bodies convulsing before going still.

[Congratulations! You have killed a magical beast!]

[Would you like to harvest its Magic Crystal?]

...

The final serpent lunged with its jaw wide, but Adrian sidestepped with a fluid motion, his mana gun already tracking its movement.

A third shot followed, and the beast’s head exploded, its body slumping to the ground.

[Congratulations! You have killed a magical beast!]

[Would you like to harvest its Magic Crystal?]

Silence fell, broken only by Adrian’s steady breathing. "Harvest cores," he said, and the Tech Core complied, extracting four 3-Star Magic Crystals into his [Inventory].

"Store bodies," he added, and the serpents’ remains vanished, leaving the clearing as it once was

Adrian lowered the gun, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the encounter.

"They’re getting smarter," he muttered. He glanced at the System map, the red dots multiplying in denser clusters ahead.

"The beasts will only get tougher as I progress. I can take down a few more, but I need a plan. Can’t keep rushing in like this."

His gaze drifted to the scorched patch where the rover had been.

"It’s unfortunate I’ll have to continue on foot," he said, shaking his head. "I can’t risk the rover taking more hits."

The vehicle was his lifeline in the Corrupted Lands, and losing it wasn’t an option.

Adrian didn’t linger. Channeling the Phantom Flow Technique, he took off, his body a blur of motion, leaving faint afterimages as he sprinted across the vibrant terrain.

Encounters with stray 3-Star Magical Beasts were swift and precise. A lone Stormcoil Serpent lunged from the undergrowth, but a single shot from the mana gun dropped it before it could strike.

Another, a hulking Ironclaw Ursa, roared as it charged, only for Adrian to leap onto its back, driving a mana-charged fist into its skull.

~CRUNCH!~

The beast collapsed and its crystal and body were harvested and stored automatically.



"Keep it automatic for now," Adrian had told the System before to streamline the process.

This had greatly increased his efficiency, enabling him to take down more beasts with ease.

But the tide shifted as the beasts began appearing in droves.

Adrian began being hit even more, but he kept on going until when a pack of 3-Star Stormcoil Serpents ambushed him at once, their lightning and fire attacks weaving a deadly net.

Adrian dodged with Phantom Flow, but a stray lightning spear grazed his shoulder.

[Durability: 79%]

"Damn it."

He ran out of patience, and decided to materialize five 2-Star Mana Grenades. With a flick, he pulled the pins and lobbed them at the pack, then zipped out of range with a burst of speed.

~BOOM! BOOOM!! BOOOOM!!! BOOOOOM!!!! BOOOOOOM!!!!!~

The explosions ripped through the clearing, shredding the serpents’ scales and scattering their remains.

The ground quaked, and Adrian shielded his eyes from the blinding flash. As the smoke cleared, the System pinged repeatedly.

[Congratulations! You have killed a magical beast!]

[Congratulations! You have killed a magical beast!]

[Congratulations! You have killed a magical beast!]

...

Adrian counted the notifications. "One, two, three... eleven beasts. Not bad."

The System had already harvested their crystals and stored the corpses, leaving him free to move.

He commanded the Power Suit’s nanites to retract from his head, stopping just below his eyes like he loved.

He inhaled deeply, savoring the energy around him.

"I’m getting closer," he said, glancing at the map. The mana source’s red dot pulsed brighter, but the surrounding clusters of dots grew denser and more ominous.

He sprinted onward, the terrain blurring beneath his feet. For a stretch, the landscape was eerily quiet and devoid of beasts, making Adrian’s instincts to panic.

"It’s far too quiet," he muttered, slowing his pace. The absence of enemies felt like the calm before a storm.

And like he guessed, he soon met with something. A shadow loomed ahead, massive and foreboding.

The ground trembled faintly under its weight, and Adrian’s breath caught as the creature’s silhouette came into view.

It was colossal, easily thrice the size of a Stonehoof Mauler, its form a blend of jagged ice and living stone.

Its eyes glowed a piercing blue, and crystalline spines jutted from its back, refracting the sunlight into prismatic shards. Adrian activated Analyze, as his heart raced.

[Analyzing...]

[Beast Identified: Glacial Titan]

[Rank: 4-Star Magical Beast]

[Element: Ice/Wind]

[Properties: Immense physical strength, crystalline armor with high mana resistance, ice-based ranged attacks, wind control, regenerative hide]

[Remark: A territorial apex predator capable of reshaping its environment.]

Adrian’s eyes widened. "A 4-Star beast," he said, his voice tinged with surprise.

The power gap between ranks was no joke, and it widened exponentially with each tier.

He had never faced a 4-Star Magical Beast before, nor seen its magic crystal.

The creature’s sheer size was intimidating and its presence radiated raw power.

Yet, fear didn’t grip him. "It’s just one," he reasoned. "I can handle this."

These thoughts had flashed through his mind in milliseconds and the Glacial Titan has acted.

Its maw opened, and a barrage of ice shards, each the size of a spear erupted toward him.

~WHOOSH!~

The air screamed as the projectiles tore through it, their numbers multiplying to overwhelm him.

Adrian reacted instantly, channeling mana into the Phantom Flow Technique.

His body wove through the onslaught, twisting and leaping with precision. The shards grazed past, embedding into the ground with ~THUD! THUD! THUD!~, sending up clouds of dirt and moss.

"I just need to find an opening," Adrian said, his focus razor-sharp.

The sheer speed and volume of the attack tested his limits, and he knew a single hit could be catastrophic, even with the Power Suit’s protection.

An opportunity came as the Titan paused to draw breath. Adrian seized the moment, readjusting the mana gun and steadying his aim.

Thanks to Instructor Sam’s relentless training, he found balance despite his constant motion.

"Finally," he said, charging the gun which recently had its magic crystal swapped with a fresh 3-Star Magic Crystal. The weapon hummed, its barrel glowing with concentrated mana.

Adrian didn’t want to take any chances, as he was confident in landing a direct shot giving the position he currently had. So, he charged the gun to 100% power, and squeezed the trigger.

~ZAAAAAP!~



The shot lanced through the air, a beam of pure energy streaking toward the Titan’s chest.

The ice shards ceased as the beast’s glowing eyes locked onto the attack.

To Adrian’s shock, it responded with a pulse of power.

~WHOOM!~

A wave of compressed air surged from its body, enveloping the mana beam. The shot slowed, its energy clashing against the Titan’s barrier.

The beast staggered back, its crystalline armor straining to contain the attack.

For a moment, it seemed the beam would break through. But the Titan roared, its will overpowering the assault. The zap struck its chest with a dull ~THUMP~, barely cracking a single crystalline plate.

The beast shrugged off the hit, its hide already regenerating.

Adrian froze, his confidence wavering for the first time. The Titan’s eyes blazed brighter and its head reared back as it unleashed a bone-rattling howl.

~RAAAAAOOOOOOR!~

The sound shook the earth, sending a chill down Adrian’s spine as the he wondered what the move was for, and just then, he saw it.

[READ AUTHOR’S NOTE!!]