[Crystalis is a formidable A-rank creature composed of jagged, translucent crystals that shimmer with an ethereal glow.
Its form is menacing, with crystalline limbs extending like sharp blades.]
A young man with pale skin, with blood running down his head, was sitting beneath a crystal rock.
His black hair was clinging to his scalp, totally soaked in his blood.
He was trying to patch the wound on his leg while listening to the description of the monster that was hunting him.
[Crystalis are often found in areas rich in mana, such as ancient ruins, enchanted forests, or deep within crystalline caverns.
They are solitary creatures, guarding their territories fiercely and using their abilities to deter intruders.]
Despite the urgency of the situation, his movements were smooth as he wrapped a bandage around his leg.
But the trembling in his black eyes couldn't hide his internal turmoil.
'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!'
[Its abilities include,
Crystal Lure: The Crystalis can create illusions to deceive its prey, drawing them into traps or ambushes.
Crystal manipulation: It can manipulate crystals and shoot them at a speed faster than that of normal bullets.
Mana Drain: The creature can siphon mana from its surroundings, weakening spellcasters and disrupting defense spells.]
Roy was reading this article on his broken phone, which contained a monster journal.
[Its weaknesses are-ar-ar-ar]
Then came the sound of his death sentence.
Roy's face darkened,
'Damn it! Damn it! Robert, you bastard! If we somehow survive this hell, I will skin you alive myself.'
He cursed his friend who had dragged him on this raid.
'I'll strip you naked and make you dance like a dog in front of your favorite idol.'
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
Startling him out of his thoughts was the high-pitched scream coming from the distance, not too far.
'Who was it now? Robert? or Leo?'
His pale face became even more pale after thinking about the death of another one of his comrades.
'We need to regroup.'
He looked around him to find a safe place to hide.
The Mountains of Crystals rose high. Their peaks were covered in shining crystals that sparkled in the sunlight.
Sharp crystal shards jutted from the ground everywhere, making it hard to walk.
Pools of clear water reflected the glittering mountains.
Many believed creatures powerful than SS rank monsters lived deep within the dead zone.
And Roy believed that's exactly where the sudden rift had thrown them.
He pushed himself up, leaning on a crystal rock, and groaned in pain because of his leg, which landed straight on a sharp crystal after they were thrown from the rift.
'I know I am unlucky, but this is just next level.'
He surveyed the area carefully, finding no immediate danger, and relaxed a bit.
He took a golden compass out of his subspace,
Looking at the compass, he remembered its description,
-------------------
[Seeker's compass]
Rank: C
Category: tool
Enchantment: [Fifth direction]
Cooldown: 1 day
Description: This compass points toward the thing that you desire, but do you even know what you are looking for?
-------------------
The system descriptions were always a bit confusing, but an experienced person could interpret them. In this compass's case, it meant that the compass could point toward the thing someone desired, provided they knew exactly what it looked like.
If the wielder hadn't seen the object or the place himself, the compass won't function at all.
Roy channeled his mana through the compass and started to picture his teammates' stupid faces.
'I want to find my teammates. I want to find my....'
He continued to repeat that in his mind, soon the needle started to rotate and then stopped, pointing toward the South.
Right toward the depths of the mountains.
Roy gulped, looking at the mountains that were screaming of danger.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and started to limp carefully in the direction the compass was pointing.
'Here goes nothing.'
Moving through the mountains was not an easy task for Roy.
He was being careful not to step on any of the sharp crystal shards on the way.
Not just because they were sharp enough to pierce the tough skin of an expert like him, but also because they might be some alarm for a monster to detect intruders.
'This might explain how they are finding us so fast.'
He wasn't sure, as far as he knew, the whole dead zone was a graveyard from where few ever came back alive.
_Whossh!
Suddenly, a sharp sound of a Crystalis's roar split the silence.
Roy quickly hid beneath a sloped rock and activated his skill,
[stealth]
His form turned transparent, but in these mountains, [stealth] might not work so well because of the light of crystals.
With a tired sigh, he slid down the sloped rock, sinking deeper into its cold surface.
And after a few minutes, all the crystals in the vicinity glowed like coming to life.
Whenever that sound rang out, the crystals began to glow, reflecting the light.
A group of triangular-shaped green crystal head creatures came, hovering just above the ground, consuming the glowing crystals beneath them.
Strange runes were etched across their crystalline heads.
Their bodies were formed of jagged green crystals with their tentacles extended like blades.
It was identical to seeing a swarm of jellyfish drifting in water; the only difference was that these were the deadly A-rank monsters capable of ripping apart any seasoned veteran in seconds.