Nex rubbed his eyes two times. He stopped himself before rubbing a third. The hunters had already sensed them and were coming closer.
The blue panel was still floating right in front of his face.
Metahuman – John Elgam
Tier 1
Gene Points: 30
Cultivation: None
Talent: Throwing(S), Acting(A)
So many things had happened in just one day. The Third Eye Manual, the Gene Points, and now this weird ability to see someone else's full status. His head started hurting like hell. Thin veins popped out all over his body like small black snakes moving under his skin. His eyes turned bloody red.
Luckily he was wearing that old black hoodie, torn in several places and stitched roughly. He pulled the hood down low and stayed at the back of the group. No one should see him like this.
He breathed slowly and calmed his body down. The veins slowly disappeared back under his skin. The red in his eyes faded. Good.
"Jerry, you talk to the kids," Kael said, clearly not in the mood. "I don't feel like dealing with these greenhorns right now."
Jerry came forward. He was huge, nothing like his normal name suggested. Built like a bodybuilder, muscles tight against his gear.
"Okay," Jerry answered. "But then you're the one cooking tonight."
Kael smirked. "You want to eat food made by me?"
"Everyone makes shit food here anyway. What's the difference?" Jerry replied casually.
One of the other hunters laughed. "Kael, you want Captain to beat your ass again? She told you to finish this before she finishes her drink."
Kael scratched his head and cursed quietly.
Meanwhile, John stepped forward with a big smile. He had been preparing his lines the whole time. If I tell them I have trapmaking skill, they will surely let me join.
But before he could start his sweet talk, Kael pointed at him.
"Hey blabbermouth, shut up for a second."
Kael introduced them roughly. "I'm Kael. We are Alpha Eagle Squad. We're supposed to do census and check awakened people, but our real work is exploration."
John interrupted with a confident tone, "Shouldn't you be recruiting people like me who awakened skills? Why are you not doing your proper job—"
"Shut Up!"
Kael shouted with mana mixed in his voice. The air felt heavier. The other hunters started laughing loudly. John finally shut his mouth, face turning red.
After calming down a bit, Kael continued, "We are looking for portals above purple grade. You know what that means, right?"
John nodded. "There is only one portal near our base, about ten kilometers away. But its color is strange."
Kael raised his eyebrow. "Strange? Portals can be any color now. Don't you listen to radio updates?"
John thought for three seconds. "It looked like… a live wallpaper of the universe. Stars, galaxies, everything moving inside it. And no beast comes out from it. Not even normal monsters go near it. Some hunters from our base entered… none returned."
Everyone became serious.
Kael rubbed his chin. "You don't look smart enough to notice all that… This might be a hidden dangerous dungeon."
Right then, Captain Lena stood up from the big monster corpse she was sitting on. She had been drinking quietly with a cold face the whole time. Now she was paying attention.
"Describe that portal again," she said in a low voice.
John explained everything once more. Lena listened while taking another sip from her flask.
Nex, who was standing quietly at the back, felt something stir inside him. The way John described the portal felt familiar… the same cold, vast feeling he had when the Third Eye Manual awakened.
John tried again, "I also have Trapmaking skill. I can be useful if you take me with you."
Lena simply capped her flask and started walking. "Alpha Eagle doesn't run away from mysteries. We will check it ourselves."
The squad followed her without question.
Nex pulled his hoodie tighter and walked behind them. John's status window was still at the corner of his sight. He had a bad feeling that this cosmic portal was going to drag everyone into something much bigger.