The Final Desperation

The end of the month came and went in the blink of an eye, leaving many eagerly anticipating the upcoming weeks. The tribes gathered for another meeting, sharing information and giving participants time to prepare.

The world also welcomed its second wave of explorers as more people became available. Among this group was Holster, a 3rd step champion who entered this world by restricting his stats.

'After so long, I've finally tracked down that long-lost treasure,' he thought triumphantly. However, his excitement quickly turned to dismay when he read the mission description. 'What the hell! How did the other realms hear about this? We should be the only ones with that information!'

His alarm only grew when he learned about the previous month's events, and how the tribes gathered to excavate a certain treasure. 'Holy shit, that's fast! They must have a skilled fate scryer helping them. That's the only way they could have made so much progress! I better pick up the pace or I might get the treasure stolen from right under me!'

That was how SagaRealm, the realm with the most proficient treasure hunters, joined the competition.

 

---

 

In the dead of night, the clattering of hooves suddenly echoed throughout, forming a chorus of fast-paced sounds. Tracing the source, one would spot a red blur flash by, followed by an oppressive killing intent that deterred any living obstacles. This was Genji and Bruce, charging forward with wild abandon.

Due to certain time constraints, Genji didn't intend to waste any time and chose the most direct option: bulldozing through anything that stood in their way. This approach had offended numerous people, but it allowed them to leave the grasslands in merely three days—a record most would consider impossible.

They hadn't stopped, as Genji and Bruce would rotate every time they began tiring. This pace wasn't particularly difficult to maintain since their robust vitalities gave them ample time to recover. The ones that truly had a hard time were Astros and Mokan, the passengers of this bumpy ride.

They had battled nausea throughout the journey and nearly lost control of their stomachs several times. Astros fared a little better, being accustomed to riding Genji, but Mokan needed to be knocked unconscious to avoid a vomiting disaster. Even the ferret couldn't endure this after a while and chose to go dormant, leaving the two muscleheads to their own devices.

They ran for a little while longer and hunted some bison for food. As they began cooking, Astros and Mokan stirred from their sleep, having smelled the mouth-watering aroma wafting from the fire.

After scarfing down more food than their stomachs could handle, Genji announced they would rest for a few hours. Astros and Mokan rejoiced and ran around like excited children, celebrating their temporary reprieve. It was evident the journey had affected them greatly.

Genji slept during this time, recharging himself for the upcoming marathon. However, his peace was rudely interrupted when a giant viper covered in rocky scales approached them. Genji immediately jumped to his feet and glared at the snake's head, indifferent to the scale crown on its skull.

"Fuck off. I'm not in the mood right now. Get lost before I turn you into ribbons," Genji threatened, prepared to use his full arsenal if necessary.

Taken aback by his boldness, the snake king paused its slither and evaluated Genji's strength. After determining Genji was weaker than it, it hissed in anger and lunged at him.

'Fine, you asked for it.'

Berserk, Mental Impact, Untraceable Movement, Flashstep.

Using this combination of skills, Genji stun-locked the snake and appeared above it for a mighty strike. His fist thumped against his chest, sending his shadow core into overdrive to use Shadow Devour as well. This was by far his strongest attack, in the absence of his liberations, and it proved itself worthy.

Upon cracking the outer shell, all his frenzied energy rushed into the snake's body and delivered a nearly lethal strike. The snake only survived because its defenses were too sturdy and warded off the energy before reaching the brain. Nonetheless, the attack overloaded its nerves with pain, briefly paralyzing it.

Genji landed in front of its mouth and kicked upward with all his strength, breaking one of its fangs. A sizzling sound came from the point of contact as his pants and skin melted under the yellow liquid seeping from the fracture.

"Get that!" he yelled to Bruce, understanding the value of the venom.

Blood from the snake gathered under the leaking bone and collected the drops. Genji moved to extend the paralysis, but the snake had recovered enough to use an ability. His attack bounced right off its newly enhanced scales, leaving merely a scratch. By his estimation, the snake's defenses had tripled at that moment, rendering most of his methods useless.

Genji backed off and entered a tense stare-down with the beast. His left hand hovered over his chest, poised to overdraw his foundation if necessary. It all depended on the snake's next actions.

The snake raised its body and hissed menacingly, accompanied by several flicks of its tongue. After a while, it decided Genji was too difficult of a prey and slowly retreated, cautious of any sudden attacks.

Once it receded from sight, Genji stowed away his weapon and relaxed his stance.

'These powerful beasts are becoming more frequent as I go deeper into the wilderness. What kind of tribe is Lunar to live in such an extreme environment?'

Genji held out a vial, collected the venom, and gave the container a swirl. 'Not bad. I can make good use of this.'

At that moment, Mokan came over and expressed his relief. "Phew, that was too close. We're lucky it left before things got too ugly."

"Yes," Genji agreed. "It's lucky to get away before I got serious. I could have harvested more venom from it."

Mokan rubbed his ears in doubt and questioned if he heard Genji correctly. 'Did he say what I think he said? Why do I feel like we're not on the same page here? Wait, calm down. There's no way he could have said that. I must be hearing things from the stress. Yes, that must be it...'

"Let's go. It's not safe to linger in one place too long," Genji called out before Mokan could further gaslight himself.

"Ok," Mokan answered absentmindedly before his tone grew distraught. "Wait, does that mean you'll—"

Pak

"Yup, but I'll make it easy for you," Genji replied, lowering his arm and catching the unconscious Mokan before throwing him over Bruce. "You don't have to feel a thing."

 

---

 

When Mokan regained consciousness, he found himself propped against a tree, feeling sore all over. In the corner of his eye, he saw a red horse dozing off with a curled ferret on its back.

"W-where am I?" he asked in a raspy voice.

"At our destination," Genji's voice came from his side. When Mokan looked over, Genji passed him a water flask and some dried food. "Eat up. You're going to need your strength for this next part."

"How long have I been out?"

"A few days," Genji answered vaguely.

Mokan nodded and ate his food. Once he rejuvenated his stomach, he asked, "Have you found the Lunar clan?"

Genji shook his head. "That's the curious thing. There are no human traces here, and it has been that way for a while. I don't know how recent Bechel's information is, but we're stuck."

"We should look around."

"That's the only thing we can do right now." Genji transferred Astros to his shoulder and let Bruce return to sheath form. Then they trudged through the sparse forest, following the widest path. Mokan assessed their surroundings along the way, finally getting an initial understanding of the terrain.

The trees were tall, had few leaves, bore a greyish-brown bark that appeared to be a cross between ash and mud, and required eight adult men to wrap around. With trees like these, Mokan could understand how the place got its name. As long as the skies were clear, it would be simple to see the moon.

"Heads up. We have company," Genji suddenly said, awakening Mokan from his thoughts.

Looking around, Mokan spotted around 20 wolves with white fur surrounding them. Their gazes were calm, their postures ready to pounce, and their fangs were bared, but Mokan didn't feel any danger for some inexplicable reason. Rather, he felt quite tranquil, as if he was merely a bystander, watching the proceedings of nature.

Mokan didn't know if this was his inherent instinct or if this reaction was due to Genji's presence, but it was foreign to him. The wolves sniffed the air and communicated with a few subtle growls before releasing the encirclement. Interestingly, these wolves weren't keen on attacking despite their superior numbers.

'They smelled something that made them reconsider. Is it the snake's venom or something else?'

Genji didn't think much about the issue and continued doing his own thing. However, the wolves followed them from a distance, prompting further considerations from Genji.

'Are they waiting for reinforcements? If so, I might have to get rid of them. This is the mission location, and I don't want to risk meeting a beast king right now.'

The wolves met his gaze, barked at him, and retreated a few paces before barking again. Then they returned to their original positions and repeated the sequence.

"This... They seem to want to lead us somewhere?" Mokan asked with an uncertain tone.

"Only one way to find out," Genji replied, deciding to follow the strange wolves. He didn't sense any malice from them, so he might as well instead of blindly searching the forest. It was not like there was much of a difference given their current circumstances.

The wolves began straying further when they saw Genji follow and gradually picked up speed once they confirmed the group could keep pace. As they dashed through the forest, the wolves occasionally released piercing howls at the sky and received similar howls in response. From the volume of these communications, Genji knew they were approaching another group.

'I hope they aren't leading us to an ambush. That would be so lame given how intelligent they seem.'

After several more minutes of running, they came upon a decently sized pond where hundreds of similar wolves gathered. A few wolves greeted the returning members with cheerful barks, but most ignored their presence and leisurely enjoyed different pastimes.

Some basked in the sun's warmth, lying in the open with exposed stomachs. Others dived into the pond to cool off and enjoy a nice swim, possibly hunting for their next meal.

There were even a few cubs on the side practicing what appeared to be a team formation without a care in the world. Overall, the place gave off a serene feel, as if these wolves were in a utopia of their own, with no need for deception or caution against invaders.

The wolves led them around the lake to a boulder where a giant wolf rested. A circular crown woven from fur sat on its head, attesting to its status. But this beast king gave Genji a far more dangerous impression than the others he'd met, as if it could dispatch multiple of its peers at once. However, this feeling didn't stem from stat differences, but rather from a lifetime of combat experience.

The wolf king opened its eyes and cast an aged gaze at the group before letting out an indifferent yawn.

"Humans. What. Brings. You. Here?" A slow voice suddenly sounded, startling Mokan and causing him to scour the area for the source. "Stop. Looking. I'm. In. Front. Of. You."

Mokan froze at these words as he stiffly turned back to the wolf king. "B-b-b-b-but," he stammered, unable to comprehend his reality.

Genji stepped forward at this moment and broke the discomfort with a question of his own. "Since when can beast kings talk?"

"Sound. Is. Merely. A. Vibration. Those. With. Enough. Control. Can. Replicate. It. With. Energy."

'That explains the danger I'm sensing. If its control is as good as he suggests, I'm in for a hard time.'

"You. Have. The. Scent. Of. The. Late. Leader. Have. You. Come. To. Redeem. The. Promise?" The wolf king asked after a short observation.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Who's your leader?"

"Did. Bechel. Not. Tell. You. Anything?"

"You know Grampa?!?" At the mention of this name, Mokan lost his composure and almost rushed at the wolf, if it wasn't for Genji holding him back.

Countless thoughts flashed through Genji's mind, but they all converged to one outlandish conjecture. "You're the Lunar Clan?!?"

"Who. Else?"

'Everything makes sense now. No wonder I couldn't find any human traces and why they could live in such a beast-infested area. Turns out they are beasts themselves. In hindsight, I should have seen this coming. The hunters have always referred to beast groups as clans. I just never made the connection.'

Understanding all this, Genji brought out the fang and presented it to the wolf. "Is this what you're talking about?"

"A. Realm. Member. I. See. You're. An. Escort."

"You know about the realms as well?" Genji asked, inwardly surprised.

"I've. Fought. In. The. War."

'He must be talking about the Spatial Battlefield. It's the only place that doesn't need explanations between us.'

Genji placed the fang down and received the next link the mission chain.

[Grandson's Coming of Age]

Part 3/4

Requirements: Help the Lunar Clan collect the missing ingredients for the last part.

 

"So what do I need to get?" Genji immediately asked.

"The. Heart. Of. A. Beast. King."

"That's a tall order you're asking of me."

"I. Will. Help."

"Do you have a specific target?"

"A. Boar. It. Lives. Near. The. Forest."

"Sounds good. I need a remote place to prepare."

"There's. An. Area. Behind. The. Lake."

Genji nodded and walked around the boulder. Mokan hesitated for a few seconds before running after him. "Hold on! What's going on?" He asked, unable to keep up the conversation's pace.

"Your gramps made some agreement with them, and I'm going to help," Genji explained.

"I can see that, but what's the agreement?"

"I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. I'm as clueless as you here."

"But you agreed so easily!" Mokan argued.

"That's because I'm confident in my strength. If you're curious, go back and ask. I'm sure the old wolf won't mind."

"Can I really?" Mokan asked uncertainly, unsure if it was a good idea to leave Genji's side.

"Just go. You don't want to be near me with what I'm about to do."

"Okay." Mokan nodded slowly and turned back around.

"You too," Genji said, waking Astros and summoning Bruce.

"Yiii?" The ferret responded sleepily before suddenly jolting up and giving Genji an aggrieved look, questioning why Genji wanted to send him away. *Sniff* 'Dad, do you not want me anymore?'

Genji ignored the resentful gaze and passed Astros to Bruce. "Take care of him, okay?"

Bruce nodded understandingly and followed Mokan back to the settlement, despite Astros's many paw-waving protests.

'Sorry, little guy. You're the one most at risk if you stay with me. I won't be able to concentrate unless you're gone.' Genji waved them goodbye before retrieving the snake venom. 'Now let's see if I can make a poison strong enough to take down a beast king.'

 

---

 

When Genji finished his seclusion and backtracked along the path, he found Bruce and the wolf king in an intense stare-off with neither party budging an inch. This lasted until the wolf king sensed Genji's approach and turned to address him.

"A. Curious. Abomination. He. Has. The. Spirit. Of. A. Beast. But. A. Body. Resembling. The. Parasites. Where. Did. You. Find. Such. A. Partner?"

"In the collapse of a certain civilization. Also, the Parasites have dissolved. I made sure of it."

"What. Great. News. They. Were. Such. Annoying. Opponents. Respectable. But. Annoying."

"How's the other ingredients coming along?"

"We. Found. Most. Of. Them. Just. Missing. A. Few."

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow. It's. Best. If. The. Heart. Is. The. Last. Ingredient. Fresher. That. Way."

"Alright. Give me a heads up when we're about to leave." Genji beckoned at Bruce, asking why he was in a staring contest with the wolf king.

Bruce followed him and gestured vividly with his tentacles, expressing high interest in the king's speech ability. 'Do you think I do that someday?'

"Maybe, but it's going to be a long way. From what I can tell, his technique is even more precise than mine. And that's not to mention how difficult it is to make the correct enunciations. There's a good reason why he talks so slowly. But it is a good exercise if you want to hone your control."

Bruce nodded, slightly dejected, but quickly perked up as he obtained a new goal to work toward. 'Just you wait, my delicious foods. Once I learn to speak, I'm going to have the biggest feast ever. I'll be able to order whatever I want, however I want.'

"By the way, where is the little guy? I haven't seen him yet," Genji said after strolling for a while.

Bruce began gesturing again, conveying that Astros had gotten bored and went out to play. 

"Is that so? That's cool as well. I'm glad he's not as dependent on me anymore. He's maturing." Genji wasn't worried about the ferret's safety since Astros had the perfect toolset to protect himself. It would take nothing short of a natural disaster to hurt Astros, given his ungodly passives and powerful stealth inherited from Genji. 

'That and maybe a careless area attack if his luck doesn't save him.'

Astros truly was a one-of-a-kind creature that many could only envy. 

"What about the kid? Is he doing alright?"

Bruce shrugged and stated he hadn't paid much attention to Mokan. The last time Bruce saw him, Mokan was wandering around the forest with an herb basket like when they first picked plants.

"Sounds like he's working hard to gather the other ingredients. Speaking of, I still don't know what we're preparing for. Let's go ask." Genji returned to the rock where the wolf king was and mentioned his curiosity. "Just what agreement did your clan make with Bechel to require a beast king's heart? No matter how I look at it, that's not a normal ingredient."

The wolf king gazed at him before stating one of the most shocking things Genji had heard since entering this world.

"The. Only. Way. To. Become. An. Awakened. Warrior. Is. To. Consume. The. Heartblood. Of. A. Beast. King."

"!#*(#%^((!!@@&@(*@&%?"