Chapter 1 - Monster core
After two centuries of the Mist covering the Midia continent, human civilization already adapted to the significant changes it brings.
Just a week after the Mist detected by many countries, kingdoms, or organizations, beast tides began invading human cities.
The endless mutant beasts conquered half of the continent, and the news of large-scale refugees fleeing the destroyed cities makes most of the human gatherings feel fearful.
Scared at the possibility of human civilization’s destruction, all human countries, kingdoms, or other power left established Midia Federation as the central command to resist the invading mutated beast and restore the fallen land.
Unity brings more power and hopes to the people despite the increasingly dangerous areas around the Midia continent.
Humans built many frontier cities as a borderline fortress to defend against the beast tide and as a base to restore the land lost in the beginning of the beast tides.
The Evolver also starts appearing among the humans, possessing the strength surpassing ordinary humans. They appeared as the cores of the human army facing the beasts or high-level monsters.
Until now, the source of the Mist, or whether it is a blessing, opportunity, or curse for humans is still unanswered.
***
Gaia, Midia Continent, East Region.
In the lelema valley at the outskirt of the Sulian frontier city. A thin red mist is covering much of the valley, shadowing all inhabitants in it from the direct sunlight.
As the nearest F-level threat hunting zone, many E and F-ranked teams or individuals with low combat power from Sulian city come here regularly to hunts mutant beast or practice.
In a small cave, a dark-haired injured boy around 17-18 years old was leaning against the cave wall.
He seemed asleep.
The wounds on his chest and right arm just crudely bandaged.
Suddenly, his closed eyes opened.
His pair of blue eyes stared at the cave opening.
“Here is... Am I alive?”
“Uh...” The boy closed his eyes again to accept the additional information in his brain for a minute before opening his eyes again, remembering where, when, and what is his situation right now.
“It seems I am truly alive, or it’s just my memory or soul who crossed the time and space?” he wondered
His eyes were still staring at the cave opening, but his thought was like a fast-moving movie scene.
Countless images flashed through his mind and settled in the first time he went hunting to celebrate his successful promotion to the ranks of official evolver.
He was still 17 years old. A high spirited-boy with dreams to be a high-level warrior, to live in the green or even blue safety zone far from the chaos of the grey zone living area.
The visitors from distant universe are not yet common, Bala continent “world connecting bridge” has not yet connected. Human civilization is still busy fighting mutated beasts and monsters within Gaia’s planetary shield.
The punisher known in the future dark era where humankind ceased to exist when he destroyed the overlord zerg civilization. Feared by the blood civilization, blue union, and other races or associations in the central territory. And died on a remote dead planet of the past Andromeda galaxy, the overlord Leon Scifer. Returned to his third-year student at Sulian high-school.
Reorganizing his memories, Leon reached into a thing from his tattered backpack nearby.
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Lay above his left palm is a small blue crystal.
A monster core.
The crystallization of purified mist energy formed inside the body of mutant beasts or monsters. Only high-tier mutant beast at level 5 or above produced this kind of thing. At least, until human technology touches the edge of mist compression and purification.
There’s only one thing he has to do.
That is to activate the status window and make use of the excess energy to heal his injured body.
Closing his eyes, his consciousness gathered at the left hand, trying to sense the energy in the core and drawing it toward the thin mist energy naturally formed inside his body after successful promotion to one-star warrior.
The quiet mist energy inside his body, like a calm lake, trembled and forming waves after the core massive energy joined his pool of mist energy.
Leon felt a slight pain in his entire body because of the disparity in quality and quantity between the core and his energy pool.
Indeed, as a normal, lowest level official Evolver, the energy within 5 tier monster core is many times greater than his own.
But he was still calm.
About three minutes, when the pain seems unbearable, a cyclone slowly formed in the center of the pool.
A ring of solid-state, nearly transparent mist energy created by him was floating just above the pool. But Leon put his attention more on the spillover of the excess energy which formed the ring.
Instead of letting the energy left his body, he guided it with a strange internal body technique to walk around his body. Healing all of his injuries and even strengthen his muscles and bones.
Different with humans of this era who couldn't use the energy in the mist, Leon knew several internal body techniques capable to control and purify part of the mist.
Leon opened his eyes and stretched his body. A satisfied look appeared in his pupils.
“Status” he whispered.
A semi-transparent blue window appeared in front of him.
Status Window Name: Leon Scifer
Realm: second realm
Life status: healthy Rank: 1-star warrior Techniques Ability Primary stone-skin [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Golden_star.svg] None
There was a smile on his face. Although he was still a 1-star warrior, the second realm status makes him happy. At least, his effort to strengthen the muscles and bones was successful to lay a more solid foundation.
This is a pure realm without a high-level technique and awakening ability. This means his combat power would be higher than ninety percent of the warrior at the same rank.
In this era, most of the Evolver paid more attention to the rank than the realm. Because the evolver rank is the standard for someone’s position in society.
The realm which reflected the combat power in the same rank according to the Evolutionary Association could be trained later after the rank promotion speed slowing down when touching the barrier of high-level evolver.
It is widely recognized as the best route for promotion because when an Evolver is promoted to a higher rank, his/her realm likely to drop.
So instead of practicing alternately, it’s simpler to promote the ranks first before increasing the realm.
After all, most evolver could only be first or second realm without awakening ability. And only super genius or 7-star above warrior who could awaken an ability.
Now, his status window was already activated, and he knew that only fewer than ten students in Sulian high-school successfully activated it.
A human could activate the status window by absorbing the energy from the monster’s core.
When someone lower than a 5-star warrior tried to absorb the core, a help from high-level warrior is needed for suppressing the core energy. Of course Leon is an exception.
Because only 5-tier mutant beast and above produce it, the monster core is always sold at a high price and ordinary students rarely use it.
“Step... step...”
Suddenly, Leon’s pupils condensed, and his gaze turned cold, staring at the cave entrance.
“I think he ran in this direction.”
A man’s voice sounded outside the cave, followed by another voice.
“He was badly injured, and should not run too far.”
The footsteps were coming closer to his position. And a shadow was visible in the cave opening.
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