After receiving the message, I headed straight for Red-17 Gate.
There, stacked tall enough to line up across multiple trucks, were the supplies—an overwhelming amount of cargo. And at the center of it all, Quartermaster Gedwin stood like some magnate overseeing his merchandise.
"You've arrived."
"I have. But… this is even more than I expected."
I'd known I requested a lot, but seeing it with my own eyes gave it weight. It wasn't just a truck or two—there was a fleet.
"Yes. Which is why… are you really planning to carry all this yourself?"
"I'll handle it. Just help me move it to the edge of Mount Noah's boundary."
"That much we can do."
Once we reached the boundary, I could just shove it all into the [Rift Space]. No problem.
"May I go over the items with you?"
"Go ahead."
"Yes, then. Thirty TW-742 thermobaric bombs. 300kg of RDX-14. Five TOLMAN15 units. 500kg of TNT-778. Fifty NA-44 Napalm Bombs. Twenty-five Model-88 Incendiaries. Is that correct?"
Hearing it listed out like this—my own request—it did sound absurdly excessive.
"It's correct."
"And then…"
Gedwin continued reading off the list for quite some time—evidence of how much I'd asked for.
"…And that's everything."
"All accounted for."
"Understood. Shall we head out now?"
"Yes."
I followed Gedwin onto one of the transport trucks.
VROOOM…
As the convoy began moving, Gedwin, sitting beside me, turned and asked cautiously,
"Forgive me if this is out of line, but… what do you plan to use all these explosives for?"
"Hunting a beast."
"…With this many, you must be planning to wipe out a whole horde."
"Just one."
"Pardon?"
"The target's just one."
Gedwin stared at me in disbelief.
"One… single beast?"
"Yes."
"…Whatever it is, it must be quite the monster."
"It is. One that poses a serious threat to Ark."
Gedwin looked genuinely startled.
He'd probably assumed I was joking up until now—which was fair. At this point in time, Ark hadn't faced many boss-stage-class enemies before.
"I see…"
As we exchanged few more words, the convoy reached the boundary of Mount Noah.
"We've arrived."
"Good work."
"It's a shame we can't take it all the way up for you, but unfortunately, vehicles can't handle the terrain beyond this point."
That wasn't the only reason.
Mount Noah wasn't a place most humans could survive. The ether density alone could trigger spirit ascension in the average person.
I was the outlier.
"That's fine."
"Thank you for understanding. I'll be taking my leave, then."
"Thanks again."
With a bow, Gedwin departed with the trucks, leaving me behind with an immense pile of explosives and supplies.
["That's… a lot."]
"Which is why you're going to help."
["…Excuse me?"]
Esther appeared and immediately started backing away.
["I just remembered… I might have something important to do…"]
"Stop whining. Get to work."
["Ah, come on…"]
I grabbed her by the collar before she could escape and opened a rift.
['Rift Space' has been activated.]
I could've just opened it beneath the pile and dumped it all in at once, but I wasn't about to treat explosives that recklessly—not even with all the safety features.
The rift's inner environment wasn't fully known, and I wasn't willing to gamble.
["You really want me to do this?"]
"We're doing it together."
["Ugh… fine."]
She rolled up her sleeves and started moving things with me.
[Push? Push. Push. Push. Push. Push…]
Ether flickered around her, but it was noticeably weaker.
["Nghhh…"]
After the battle with the Sand Devourer, her ether reserves still hadn't recovered fully. Her output was lower than usual, but every little bit helped.
"Huff…"
["Can we… take a short break? Please?"]
"Alright."
Despite working diligently, there was still a massive stack left to move. It honestly looked like we might not finish today.
"Back to it."
["Already?!"]
"You've rested enough."
["It didn't feel like enough…"]
"Just get it done. You can rest plenty when it's over."
We resumed the work.
Fortunately, we started getting the hang of it, and our pace picked up.
["That one! Push that one!"]
["Put some back into it! You had energy to eat, didn't you?!"]
.
.
.
["C'mon! More! MORE!"]
"…You're loud."
She claimed she couldn't do it earlier, and now she was the most fired up of the two of us.
Anyway…
Thanks to her—or maybe in spite of her—the transfer was almost done.
Now, all that was left… was to use these bombs to greet the star of the upcoming boss stage.
'But first, I should stop by the hideout.'
I spoke.
"Call Horus."
Janus responded.
[GIGIT!]
He summoned Horus, and soon a massive shadow swept across the sky.
Horus had arrived.
[KIIHEH!]
Night had fallen, but there wasn't time to waste.
"Let's go."
[KIIHET!]
With powerful wingbeats, Horus took to the skies.
We reached the hideout quickly, and I stored the supplies in place.
While sorting through everything, something familiar caught my eye again.
The comms device Tatiana Belov had given me.
'Still on, huh.'
It was tuned to the shared channel used by the Blue, Navy, and Violet Lines.
Suddenly—
Bzzt… kshhht…
The comms device buzzed, and a voice—somehow familiar—crackled through.
["…Someone… help me…"]
Bzzt. Kshhht…
That was all.
Like a midsummer night's dream, the transmission vanished.
'…What was that?'
I couldn't identify the voice or gather any useful info—it was a shared channel, and the transmission had already cut out.
'Sounded… familiar somehow…'
It lingered in my mind—but I had no time to chase it.
I had more pressing things to do.
'Better to follow up after I finish what's in front of me.'
I mounted Horus.
*
A cold, cutting wind grazed my skin.
If not for the enhancement serum, it would've torn me open. But as I was now, it merely felt like a passing breeze.
'…Hmph.'
The world below stretched out in darkness.
Flying through the night sky beneath a shroud of shadow had a certain serene beauty to it.
If only this weren't this damned world.
["Ugh… I feel a little off."]
"It's probably not just your imagination."
["Huh?"]
Just as the saying goes, flying at night isn't exactly a wise decision.
And for good reason.
Because when night falls, they come.
'Uninvited guests of the night.'
Of course, there was no guarantee they'd show up—but given the direction I was heading, the chances of running into them were high.
I was headed southeast of the Ark, and in that direction, their appearance was all but certain.
["Master!"]
Sure enough, just as my destination came into sight, Esther cried out in urgency, and I began to sense movement within the darkness.
[Heehee...]
[A human.]
[A human?]
[Yummy...]
Chilling voices whispered at my ear.
This wasn't just ordinary ether.
'Nocturnal wraith-types.'
At night, the world outside the Ark became the perfect environment for wraith-types to roam.
Especially where I was now—one of the areas where they appeared most frequently.
["These filthy things..."]
Esther growled, but in her weakened state, her threats didn't carry much weight. There was no chance these wraiths would be scared off.
[Kekeke...]
[Left arm? Left leg?]
[Let's eat.]
[Riiiiiip???]
I could feel it.
The wraith-types, once drifting in the night sky, had now drawn near—dangerously close.
'Hmm.'
Wraith-types are notoriously difficult monsters to deal with.
Physical attacks don't work at all, and alternative methods are extremely limited.
To make things worse, their innate immortality made them even trickier foes.
There are really only three effective ways to deal with wraith-types.
You either overwhelm them with more powerful ether.
Or overpower them with sheer will.
Or just... run.
Of course, the willpower method doesn't really apply to physical-type wraiths like Esther—but regardless, those three were the go-to strategies.
'If Esther were in good shape, I wouldn't have to resort to anything this troublesome...'
Unfortunately, Esther wasn't in top form.
It hadn't been long since she'd recovered her strength, and her recent battle with the Sand Devourer had pushed her far too hard, draining a lot of her ether.
'No choice, then.'
I pulled out my Ark-34 automatic conversion rifle.
Click─
Then switched the magazine.
This was GHOST-157, an experimental round specifically prepared for wraith-types.
[" T-That's... no way..."]
Esther's face turned pale.
It hadn't been needed for a while now, but for wraith-types, this was one of the few weapons that could genuinely threaten their immortality.
"Stay out of the way."
[" Y-You got it!"]
Esther quickly vanished from view.
And I, without hesitation, aimed the Ark-34 around me.
[Heehee...]
[A gun.]
[A gun?]
[He's gonna shoot! Heehee!]
Clearly, their ether wasn't very refined—their intelligence wasn't impressive either.
Bang─!
Tatata!───
The Ark-34 roared to life.
And the bullets that shot forth instantly pierced through the wraith-types.
[Kyaak!]
[W-What? What is this?!]
[It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.]
The wraith-types squirmed.
Even though they ranked roughly between grade 5 and 6 in strength, under the barrage of GHOST-157 experimental rounds, they were all equal.
[Kyaahahak! It hurts! Spare me!]
[Stop! Stop! It hurts!]
And that was the end of the battle.
No—it wasn't even a battle.
The wraiths lost their will to fight in an instant. They all fled in panic, and those who didn't vanish into oblivion.
Such was the power of GHOST-157.
'Now then...'
I turned my eyes to the massive swamp that had come into view.
Somewhere during the scuffle with the wraiths, I had arrived.
'Opacum's Swamp.'
I had visited this place once before, but the reason I was here now was completely different.
Back then, my goal had been to pass through—but now, I had come for the master slumbering beneath this swamp.
'The Rotting Body, Opacum.'
Ruler of the Swamp and the boss of Stage 10.
It was time to prepare for the hunt.