The portal spat me out into a desert at noon.
Heat slammed into me instantly. This wasn't the kind of heat you sweat through—it was the kind that dried your blood before it hit the sand. Poison reptiles slithered in the distance, waiting for corpses to clean up. Nice choice of battlefield, Arjun. Really thoughtful.
And here I was, supposed to hunt down Ironbacks. The largest monsters in this wasteland, always moving in packs. How many did I need to kill to be announced the winner? Who knew. But that bastard must've already calculated the outcome. What a fucker.
"Status."
CORE COMBAT STATS
Strength: 19
Agility: 19
Endurance: 19
Vitality: 19
Black Essence Units Capacity: 3400 / 4000
Petal Stage: 1 / 24
"Alright… still got 3400 BEU."
The timer blinked at me—
95:27:30…29…28…27.
"Fuck. Still too long before the next stage. Guess I'll have to manage with what I've got."
That was when I heard it—the trembling beneath the sand. A low quake that shook up through my boots. Then the ground split apart, and a herd of four Ironbacks burst out, snarling, armored, ready to crush.
I smirked, activating Void Eyes, slipping into stance, twin daggers humming in my grip.
"What's more? … Let's harvest."
Meanwhile, back in the arena, every pair of eyes locked onto the display as my fight played out.
Vikram Vellory stormed over to Arjun Vellory, furious.
"Uncle, why the hell did you make him fight there? He's clearly lying about being Adithya!"
Arjun didn't even blink. "Yes. I know."
Vikram froze. "Then why leave him there, instead of killing him by our own hands?"
Arjun's gaze cut through him like steel. "Vikram. Be patient. Think a hundred times before you act."
Vikram gritted his teeth, seething. Arjun's voice sharpened, carrying weight.
"Even a Channeler or a Dull from the branch families of the Stronghold wouldn't dare claim what belongs to the Hammer Saint. And yet, that brat—an outcast—claims to be a Vellory. That's no small matter."
Vikram staggered back, shocked. "What—an outcast? Are you serious?"
Another voice intruded.
"Yes, Vikram…"
Ajay Meer was already in the VIP box, cutting into their conversation like a blade.
Arjun Vellory's eyes narrowed. "Interrupting a Vellory. Still got the nerve, Ajay?"
Ajay's lips curled into a thin smile. "Of course, Mr. Vellory. If I didn't have that kind of courage, do you think I'd be commander of COSMOS?"
The two of them shared a brutal glare, the kind that could ignite the air between them.
But Vikram didn't care for the tension. He barked out at Ajay, his tone dripping arrogance, no respect.
"Then what's the meaning of this, Commander?"
Ajay ignored the attitude—it was the hierarchy, after all—and continued.
"He belongs to the slums at the outskirts of Dhruvaansaar. There are no records of him in the archives we maintain about outcasts in the Indravana Dominion. But that's what complicates things. It might be possible… he is the elder son of Vellory."
Vikram's jaw dropped. "What…?"
Arjun's eyes never left the screen, watching me in the desert. His voice was calm, deliberate.
"Let's see what results he shows us."
That damn pangolin-shit monster came charging, claws ripping the sand, armor plates grinding like stone. An Ironback in full rampage.
I knew exactly what those bastards outside the desert were seeing.
Vikram Vellory with his smug grin: "This is what you mean by saying about him, uncle?"
Ranveer, laughing so hard he could choke on his own spit: "Hahaha! What the fuck is he even doing out there? Is that some kind of new hunting method? Pathetic. I almost feel bad he has to die in those things' claws."
Almost.
The first Ironback curled into its signature roll, a living boulder, and smashed into me. The impact ripped me off my feet, sent me skidding across the burning sand. My ribs screamed, my breath rattled, but I wasn't broken.
"Status."
CORE COMBAT STATS
Strength: 19
Agility: 19
Endurance: 19
Vitality: 19
Black Essence Units Capacity: 3400 / 4000
Petal Stage: 1 / 24
"Alright, let's juice this up…"
I dragged three points into Strength, two into Endurance, and two more into Agility.
CORE COMBAT STATS
Strength: 22
Agility: 21
Endurance: 21
Vitality: 19
Black Essence Units Capacity: 300 / 4000
Petal Stage: 1 / 24
Offensive Power
Base Attack Power: 44
Ability Amplification: 43%
Elemental Affinity (Black Essence): 9.5%
Critical Force: 21.5
Effective Damage (per strike, avg): ~60
Defensive Power
Damage Resistance: 14.7%
Corruption Resistance: 6.3%
Mental Fortitude: 6.3%
Regeneration Rate: 3.8% / tick
HP: 190
Essence & Ability Growth
Black Essence Capacity: 300 / 4000
Essence Absorption Rate: 16 BEU/sec
Lotus Synchronization: 4.17%
Petal Stage: 1 / 24
The rush hit me instantly, like fire flooding my veins. My grip on the daggers tightened, my stance sharpened.
"Now… let's see how strong I've really gotten."
The four Ironbacks roared and tucked into their death-rolls, spinning from different angles—idiots, all aiming for me at the same time.
I leapt high, twisting above them. Two collided head-on, armor clashing like thunder. They rolled, tangled, and crashed upside down in the sand.
Perfect.
Void Eyes lit their weak points—joints, soft belly, eyes, snout. I chose the abdomen. Dropped down hard, daggers flashing. Stab—stab—slash. Three clean strikes. One Ironback convulsed, then stilled.
"Not bad," Arjun Vellory muttered.
"Yeah," Ajay Meer agreed.
Ranveer Rathore's laugh cracked across the arena. "Hey, Saint's son, forget the throne once and for all!"
Neha and Nagul burst out laughing. The mockery spread like fire.
Vikram's teeth ground so hard I thought they'd shatter. But one look—just one cold glare—from Arjun silenced them all.
The three remaining Ironbacks regrouped, growling, plating rattling. Then they rolled—faster than before.
I slipped past them by a hair's breadth, sand cutting under my boots. One clipped me sideways—pain ripped through my chest. My HP dropped, but who fucking cares. Pain just means I'm still alive.
Another rolled in. I grabbed five stones, the size of fists. Waited. At the perfect moment, I dodged laterally and hurled one at the edge of its armor. CRACK. The Ironback wobbled, stumbled, and crashed to the ground.
I dove in—dagger strikes raining down. Stab—stab—slash. Dead.
Two left. Same trick. Same kill.
The desert went silent except for my ragged breath. Above, the VIP box froze—every mouth wide open, shock painted across their faces.
Then—
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Do you want to absorb?
Yes / No
My lip curled. Absorb? With the entire fucking arena watching? If they see the Black Essence, I'm finished.
And then—like a whisper tearing into my skull—
"Hey kid, need some help?"
My pulse stopped. "…Vashir?"
"Yeah. Stay still."
On the big screen, the entire relay went black.
Ajay Meer barked orders. "Get the feed back online! Now!"
"Y-yes, Commander!" his subordinates scrambled.
Arjun didn't move. Didn't blink. His eyes stayed locked on the darkened screen.
Meanwhile, Vashir's voice slid through my mind. "Don't know what you're up to, kid, but play to your heart's content." His voice faded from my head leaving only the taste of venom behind.
I clenched my teeth. I know what he is. I don't trust him. But this isn't the time.
I pressed Yes.
Black essence poured out of the corpses, flooding into me, burning through my veins like liquid fire. Too slow. Too damn slow.
Another window popped up.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
4000 / 4000 Black Essence Capacity filled
No space for remaining 2000 Black Essence Units
Discard? Yes / No
I almost smashed the window with my fist. What? Are you kidding me? Do you know what the fuck I went through to get that BEU?
But I had no choice.
I pressed Yes.
The excess BEU scattered into the air like dust.
"Fuck…" I growled. "I need to advance to the next Petal Stage. But the damn cooldown still isn't over."
And before I could catch a breath—
The ground trembled again, and from the dunes, another herd of Ironbacks emerged—towering, plated, eyes glinting like molten copper. They stood on the ridge, tails lashing, chests puffed, like they were gods of the desert themselves. Apex predators? Motherfuckers, we'll see about that.
I pulled open my status window with a smirk.
"Add three points to Strength, three to Endurance, three to Agility."
CORE COMBAT STATS
Strength: 25
Agility: 24
Endurance: 24
Vitality: 19
Black Essence Units Capacity: 100 / 4000
Petal Stage: 1 / 24
Offensive Power
Base Attack Power: 50
Ability Amplification: 49%
Elemental Affinity (Black Essence): 9.5%
Critical Force: 24.5
Effective Damage: 71.3
Defensive Power
Damage Resistance: 16.8%
Corruption Resistance: 7.2%
Mental Fortitude: 7.2%
Regeneration Rate: 3.8%
HP: 190
Essence & Ability Growth
Black Essence Capacity: 100 / 4000
Essence Absorption Rate: 16 BEU/sec
Lotus Synchronization: 4.17%
Petal Stage: 1 / 24
The numbers burned into my vision, and I felt it immediately—the surge, the sharpened muscles, the faster reflexes. Every breath in my lungs was fuel, every heartbeat a war drum.
I raised both daggers, the Void Eyes glowing faintly as they mapped out every weak spot across the herd's bodies. My lips curled into a grin.
"Let's see who's the real apex predator here."