It was a tense experience to traverse this cursed land alone, yet again. Gone were the days when most monsters would steer clear, sensing Jeffrey's power. Now, Noah attempted to travel while staying as out of sight as possible.

Of course, Noah still had Steve, Claws and the skeletal ape, which had turned out to be surprisingly helpful, as the caretaker of the party. Noah himself was also quite formidable as a fighter.

However, the disturbing encounter with the abomination had demonstrated the stark difference in power between Jeffrey and Noah, despite Noah's meteoric growth in strength.

In addition to his prowess in battle, Jeffrey had been roaming these lands for centuries, and now Noah was navigating according to Jeffrey's instructions. These sprawling, untamed plains had flourished atop a major pre-Fall route. Noah was to continue traveling along this route until he would reach a mountain range, with a spire emerging from its peak.

From atop the mountains, Noah would be able to spot a landmark which he was already familiar with - Schuler's Pyramid.

The Pyramid was at the center of the region that had halted Arcturus City's expansion to the south. The entire area was infested by ravenous subterranean monsters that devoured anyone or anything that dared to approach.

Schuler was a general in Arcturus City's armed forces who, centuries ago, formulated and led an ambitious campaign to subjugate the region. However, he had greatly underestimated the threat posed by the subterranean horrors. Witnessing his plan fail and his troops being decimated, the general personally led a unit of volunteers that bought time for the survivors of the main force to retreat, at the cost of his own life.

Naturally, Noah would need to circle around the pyramid from a safe distance, but by then, he would already be in familiar territory. Perhaps even visible to The Arc's sensory and reconnaissance detachments.

And so, Noah had spent the early hours of the day marching while keeping the ancient route in sight. The problem was that he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed. However, despite repeatedly looking in all directions, he did not notice anything at all.

Ignoring the eerie sensation of being stalked, Noah continued advancing. The pre-Fall roads were mostly overgrown by grass and trees but still visible.

It was almost impossible for Noah to imagine the countless people who would drive through here, daily, without having to worry about being devoured by nightmarish monsters.

For all of its many flaws, Noah loved The Arc. The tightly packed and cramped megacity was his entire world, providing him with safety and comfort. But seeing everything that humanity had lost, had almost made Noah understand the likes of the denizens of War City and the followers of the Order of the Blazing Path.

'I still rather sit on my couch, drinking beer and playing virtual games, though.'

A subtle rustling noise suddenly jolted Noah out of his contemplative thoughts.

Noah immediately raised his clawed, gauntlet-clad hands, ready to spring into action. But again, looking in all directions, he saw nothing but grassland.

'Wait, it's coming from under-'

Simultaneously, a number of monsters burst out of the ground, flinging dirt and uprooted grass everywhere, before lunging at Noah.

Noah threw a swift uppercut, impaling one of the creatures on the claws of his bone gauntlet. It was an insectoid, beetle-like monster, roughly a meter long, with a lustrous black carapace. The monster's mandibles snapped open and shut before Noah pierced its head with the claws of his other gauntlet.

A battle ensued between Noah's undead party and the monsters. However, with the ambush sprung and the element of surprise gone, the insectoids were not much of a challenge.

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Since the monsters were only interested in devouring Noah and ignored his skeletal minions, he positioned himself between Steve and Claws. Now, the insectoids, hungry for Noah's flesh, had to go through a maelstrom of steel and claws to reach him.

The prize awaiting the monsters that had managed to endure Steve and Claws' onslaught, was to be personally skewered by Noah.

In the end, it had only taken Noah a couple of minutes to annihilate the swarm of monsters, without even needing to throw the skeletal ape into action.

'I'm not THAT easy of a target, you fudge muffins. You'll have to do better than that...'

However, the fact that the monsters were able to catch Noah almost entirely by surprise did bother him. If they were more powerful, he could have been in serious trouble.

This weighed on Noah's mind as he continued marching along the ancient route. Thankfully, the rest of the day was mostly uneventful, aside from a pack of winged monsters flying overhead, that prompted Noah to hide in the bushes, until the creatures moved on.

At dusk, Noah camped for the night in a partially collapsed building. Even though Steve, Claws and the skeletal ape were standing guard, Noah couldn't relax. The idea that at any moment the camp could be attacked was far too unnerving, now that he was no longer under the protection of Jeffrey.

Instead, Noah focused on his nightly ritual of examining his body for the essence of any parasitic creatures.

'Wait, how can I even see the essence through my body?'

In order to observe essence cores within his own body, as well as others, Noah had to perceive it through flesh and bones. Silas himself claimed to have singled out Noah while delving into the essence of an entire city quarter.

'So, I should be able to...'

Noah gazed intently at a cracked and dilapidated wall. On its other side, was Claws, lurking in the shadows, poised to pounce on any would-be intruder.

Noah focused, attempting to perceive the essence of the undead reptile through the wall. As he strained his visual senses, essence began to flow from his core, into his eyes. Noah could only assume that this is how essence always works, empowering Touched, monsters, and abominations, and that he was able to notice it now because he was actively searching for essence.

'It hurts...'

It was an overwhelming sensation, accompanied by a splitting headache. However, after a few minutes, as Noah's eyes began to glow, he was able to perceive the shimmering outline of Claws' skeleton, through the wall.

Living beings have essence cores within their thorax, but Noah's minions are different. The essence that he infuses into them resides evenly within their bones.

'That might have something to do with Steve's martial abilities being far more effective compared to his Touched fire power.'

After a few minutes of focusing on his minions' essence, the pain became too much for Noah, and he stopped, his eyes returning to normal. He knew he needed to continue practicing, but at least he had a new tool in his arsenal and would not be ambushed so easily again.

In the following days, Noah continued marching along the ancient route. Although he was attacked by several packs of monsters, he handled them with ease. As he advanced, Noah became more proficient at staying out of sight, choosing more concealed paths to traverse through.

During the nights, at camp, Noah would continue practicing his perception of essence. Being more attuned to the source of his power, gave Noah some ideas on how to perhaps better utilize it, though it also raised some concerns.

Noah's broken ribs had healed almost entirely. All that remained now was a black and blue bruise. Being Touched did come with some astonishing perks.

As the days went by and Noah marched on, the terrain shifted from flourishing grasslands to a more barren, rocky landscape. Far off in the distance, the mountain range became visible.

With autumn fast approaching, the sky grew gray and dreary. Winter was Noah's favorite season; he loved the sound of raindrops tapping against the windows while being safe and warm at home. But now, Noah was anything but safe and warm.

Taking advantage of the relative calm of recent days, Noah sought guidance under the gruff tutelage of Silas, regarding their Touched power. It also helped keep Noah's mind focused, preventing him from sinking into a melancholic mood.

"So, basically my essence core is like my mana bar and every time I absorb more essence, not only do I replenish some mana, but I also increase the mana bar?"

Silas audibly groaned in frustration. The incorporeal man hated it when Noah compared their Touched abilities to virtual games, which Silas knew nothing about.

"...I don't know. Maybe?"

"And what ab-" Noah suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A massive flying monster had just appeared above the mountain range and was heading in Noah's direction. Not wanting to be seen by whatever it was, Noah hid himself beside a rocky hill.

'Hold on, that is not a monster...'

Noah got up to his feet and began to wave wildly. Exactly three weeks since he was stranded beyond the walls of The Arc, Noah had come across a shuttle.

'Wait...'

Black smoke billowed from one of the shuttle's engines, trailing behind. It was... crashing.