Standing in the center of the Habitable Zone was the Central Tower. It was an immense structure even considering just the part that was visible to the inhabitants of the settlement but its true majesty remained concealed to all but few. Its top stretched for the heaves, the massive dome covering the top layer merely a pebble compared to the length that stretched out into the everpresent darkness but that was not all to this majestic, but hidden structure. It dug even deeper than the deepest layer of the Rozcast, reaching a depth no less than its height.
The interior of the tower was teeming with vibrant life, an oasis of flourishing flora and fauna accessible only to a select few amidst the frozen desolation. The tower sustained this environment by itself, unlike the top layer of Rozcast which sustained its sea of greenery by burning an absurd amount of Qi at every moment.
Within one of the countless rooms, a group of individuals, none appeared to have physically surpassed their thirtieth cycle, were in an intense discussion. The room was filled with holograms, conjured by weaving together intricate illusion spells. Some were unchanging while many others constantly updated to show the latest information.
“Do you all truly believe they will fall for this ruse?”
“If you look into the type of nobles they have been killing up until now, you will find one thing common among them: all of them have committed many dirty acts but if you dug deeper, you will find few of their victims have survived and have even gained citizenship of the capital. If my hypothesis is true, they will not just fall for our ruse, they will rush into it with maximum force because the group of young ones has especially been curated to only allow those whose families have committed many dark deeds. So this will be a perfect opportunity to capture them all if not outright eliminate them,” a voice full of confidence replied.
“Are those young ones prepared though? Those people are all uncaring of their lives and have a strangely high level of technology in their possession too. We cannot just sacrifice all those children, it will be too dark of a mark on our image,” another individual raised his concern.
“All of you can rest assured, I have trained them to a level where they won’t hinder our efforts.”
Some questioned, and others answered and the discussion slowly delved into the intricacies of the mission execution and the handling of the audacious group. Initially, they had turned a blind eye towards their actions as they had only been targeting those that had performed deeds worth death but they had slowly started extending out of their boundaries. The prestige of Mus-Draik was one thing that could not be tarnished and their actions had started doing just that.
“Why is Cile near that area? When did she even leave the capital?” inquired someone upon encountering the name “Cile Etrost Mus-Draik” on the map of the surrounding where the operation would be executed.
Immediately multiple voices rose questioning why the princess was outside and especially so close to a place that was going to be a hotspot filled with danger.
“Who among you authorized this? Knrama, did you give her permission? How many times do I have to tell you, don’t pamper her too much?”
“I did not do it, there is no way I would let her go to a place so dangerous and don’t you dare say that I pamper her too much. It is you, people that need to treat her as a human,” his emotions that were usually very controlled seeping into his voice.
“My wife granted Cile the permission.”
“You should have stopped her, Cile is too precious to be put into danger like this.”
“She has a contingent of veteran harvesters protecting her so I am sure no issues will arise but just in case, Uncle Knrama, can you take another contingent to make sure nothing goes wrong, just in case?”
“Why are you sending him over, let’s just bring her back. She can do whatever she wants after the mission is complete.”
“The mission will continue as planned and Cile will remain in the lab she had requested for use. The increased security will be enough to deal with any unforeseen circumstance so I will not hear any more useless debate on this topic,” the voice spread across the room and brought along with it a pressure that made sure no more objections could be raised.
***
Imperceptible to the naked eye, the Qi composing every single thread was minuscule, and even those with the keenest senses were not able to perceive their presence. Yet, within this these threads, thinner than a strand of hair, was Qi weaved into spells that allowed him to sense his surroundings with a clarity that surpassed the limits of his human senses.
Nearly a thousand threads spread out from his body, a testament to the progress made in mending his core over the past months. It had once been plagued by a myriad of cracks, now only a few deep cracks were left on his core.
With the sudden extension, the threads passed through the wall and he detected from within the wall an aura akin to the one he had encountered within those illuminated tunnels, albite more subdued yet not any less potent.
They continued stretching while he kept all his focus within, observing and looking at the signs that he was approaching his limits. Soon he started feeling his Qi becoming a little wilder, pain building in his head only to get more intense due to the constant inflow of information. He stopped, slowly retracting the threads until he found a perfect spot at the length of 25 meters. Nearly a thousand threads swayed in the bubble of 25 meters, granting him a comprehensive understanding of everything within their range.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
‘Lord Knrama?’ he thought when he perceived, through his threads, new presence among whom was the familiar presence of the person that had brought him to the capital. His attention then turned to the other presences behind him and he could tell that each and every on of them a veteran, a rarity to behold.
The Harvesters, a quasi-military organization, were handsomely compensated for the perilous endeavors they undertook that could easily cost them their lives. Despite the handsome compensations though, few among those he lived until the end of their mandatory service remained part of the organization. Almost all sought occupations within the safety of the Habitable Zone, far removed from the treacherous expanse of the outside that was forever dark and unbearably cold. A wastelands teeming with merciless monsters.
The threads returned, warping around his bod. He started the physical training of his body, paying little heed to the new visitors who had just arrived.
***
"Cile, my dear and precious child, how are you?" Knrama's words belied his youthful appearance, carrying weight that was beyond his physical appearance. His movements, speech, and demeanor exuded an air of maturity.
“I am well. What brings you here, grand uncle?” Cile’s neutral tone betrayed no hit of emotion, her words measured and unaffected.
“Why else but for you?” Knrama replied, hoping despite knowing she would not allow this diversion and just as he had expected, her gaze was fixed upon him, unwavering.
"Tell me the reason, grand uncle," she requested once more, her voice devoid of inflection.
"Ah, my dear, I know you won't listen, but I wished to inquire if it would be possible to return for a brief respite," Knrama finally admitted.
"No. My experiment has reached a crucial stage," Cile responded, resolute in her pursuit.
"In that case, I have other matters to attend to in this vicinity, and I shall be utilizing this facility. I hope it doesn't inconvenience you," Knrama proposed.
"I don't mind," Cile replied, her tone still unchanging, unyielding.
"You truly are a good child. Now then, how is harvester Inero-ie performing?" Knrama inquired, seeking solace in her response.
"Good. He is useful." Cile briefly acknowledged, providing no further elaboration.
"Excellent. That is more than enough," Knrama acknowledged a subtle sense of relief apparent in his demeanor.
A tranquil silence descended upon the room, the pleasantries exchanged. Yet, Cile's voice, perpetually toneless, broke the stillness once more.
"But grand uncle, why have you come? You have yet to provide an answer," she persisted, her words carrying an unwavering resolve.
"Hahaha... I thought you might let it pass. We had intended to carry out a task in this vicinity, but at the last moment, we discovered that you were nearby. Knowing you would not simply return, I thought it was better to accompany my precious granddaughter, ensuring her safety,” Knrama finally confessed, his laughter tinged with a mixture of amusement and underlying concern.
***
Inero-ie sat within his armor, the necessary items already prepared and stored in the dimensional storage. The threads extended out to the maximum length and he left the room, carefully selecting corridors void of any traffic. The prospect of encountering Knrama held little appeal for him; in fact, he avoided interaction with others whenever possible. Ever since he had made the decision to die, he had also chosen to abstain from social interaction, as it weakened his resolve to achieve his goal. Thus, he refrained from engaging in conversations and, when compelled to speak, intentionally employed fragmented sentences in the hope of deterring further interaction.
Death. He employed every measure to ensure he would not stray from his ultimate objective.
He headed towards the specified coordinates, ascending the mountain and then he descended into a vast, expansive plain. Swiftly passing through the area, he noted that the concentration of monsters was still increasing, something that he had been noticing whenever he returned back to the laboratory.
"Why are they so passive?"
Although not evident from his young age, he had spent more than half his life outside the safety of the Habitable Zone, venturing through these desolate wastelands. While these monsters attacked with the same ferocity as normal monsters, they lacked the relentless drive to kill humans at any cost that monsters normally possessed.
Engaging them in battle, he noticed that the sounds of conflict failed to attract many nearby, another peculiar observation. Jotting down these anomalies to report when he returned, he ascended yet another mountain, each step fraught with danger.
Unlike his first expedition to hunt the Isoluid, which required him to go all the way to the Outer Barrier, the remaining materials on his list could be found within the Mid Barrier, significantly reducing travel time. Nevertheless, it had taken him months to reach this point. This would be the last thing he needed to bring.
‘Hopefully, I will be granted access to the Frozen Sea quickly.’
***
The creature was elusive, its presence absent from the holographic display. Even his physical senses which had been sharpened to the extreme were unable to detect its presence. The only reason he could find its location was due to the aid of threads.
An unnatural calmness enveloped the area where the monster stood, a stark contrast to the ceaseless, fierce gusts that normally swept across this world without stopping. Inero-ie had decided to face last when he had first read its description.
Though imperceptible to ordinary senses, the creature possessed extraordinary control over the air in its surroundings. Though currently a tranquil pocket void of any of the furious gusts of winds, it could change in any moment. ‘This must end swiftly,’ because the power that was currently being used to finely manipulate the air to create that tranquil pocket of space could easily be redirected for combat.
Once again halving the number of threads at his disposal, he opted instead to extend their length, carefully monitoring every subtle movement of the creature.
The creature's numerous razor-sharp appendages penetrated the unyielding ice covering the ground without producing even the slightest sound. Despit his closeness to the creature, his armor still failed to detect its existence.
Once more, Inero-ie melded with the icy ground, each step drawing him deeper into the icy depths until he found himself fully submerged. Moving seamlessly through the ice, he steadily closed the distance. As he positioned himself beneath the creature's body, he meticulously adjusted his threads, identifying the precise point at which to strike for a swift and decisive kill. With his plan in place, he sprung into action.