Out Of Gas

Like a dancer, Kael weaved through the high-intensity beams fired by the Big Bellied Fox. The heat distorted the air, scorching parts of his clothes, but no matter what the Behemech did, it couldn't land a hit.

Kael sidestepped, narrowly avoiding another beam by a hair's breadth. As he continued firing his micro lattice gun, it didn't take long before the bullets ran out.

The White Prime tossed the empty gun aside and brandished his high-frequency sword in front of him.

"You're out of gas," Kael muttered, noticing that only sparks were sputtering from the Behemech's mouth.

The monster seemed to realize it too. With a roar, it turned and bolted, its fat legs pounding the ground in desperation.

Not wanting to lose his 'training buddy,' Kael gave chase. With a powerful leap, he landed on the creature's back.

Raising his sword, he slashed at the Behemech's flesh-covered areas.

The Big Bellied Fox let out a pained roar, thrashing wildly in an attempt to throw him off. But Kael was faster. After slicing through its back, he plunged his sword deep into its heart.

Suddenly, as if its power had been cut off, the Behemech's body seized. Its red eyes blinked a few more times, as if trying to reignite something, but it was futile—the monster collapsed to the ground.

A small dust cloud rose, and the once-chaotic battlefield fell into silence.

Kael, on the other hand, dropped to his burning knees. The pain was unbearable, his legs feeling as if they were trapped in a furnace. Even though he had revised the Speed Burst Technique to suit his current body, the strain from his earlier, unrefined use of it had already exhausted him.

"This is a problem," Kael muttered, his face serious—though it quickly relaxed. "But this is good."

Glancing at the dead monster beside him, he realized something. His body was slowly adapting to high-intensity battles. It was painful, exhausting, but he could feel the changes.

He wasn't getting stronger—yet—but his movements were refining themselves, aligning with his combat style.

This confirmed it. Fighting more of these Behemechs was the right decision. Once his human body became as battle-efficient as possible, leveling up later would give him a far more solid foundation than before.

A new plan formed in Kael's mind as he pushed himself to his feet.

At the same time, footsteps approached. Trey and Bach stopped beside him.

"You… you really killed a Second Grade on your own," Trey muttered, his voice filled with disbelief. No matter how many times this lunatic shocked him, he still wasn't used to it.

Bach also stared at Kael with the same amazement. The more he looked at the man he had found in the mine, the more his eyes gleamed with interest.

He had told himself that saving Kael was just a gut feeling, an act of good nature. But in truth, it was curiosity. That mine wasn't like the others he had worked in. It was different.

And now, seeing Kael pull off feats like this, it felt like watching an investment return a thousand times over.

"But is there a Growth Orb inside?" Trey asked, eyeing the Big Bellied Fox. "I don't think we can carry another one of those big ones."

"This guy's orb-less," Kael replied.

Trey sighed in relief.

His bag could only fit a few more small Growth Orbs—his equipment was still inside. Carrying another large one would be a nightmare.

"I can hold a few in my arms," Bach suggested from the side.

"Then I'll hunt some more," Kael nodded at the miner before walking off.

"Don't you ever get tired?" Trey asked, following after the White Prime. "You barely even rested, dude. I'm beyond blown away by everything you've done."

"Rest is for the weak," Kael replied.

"So you're saying most people are weak?" Trey chuckled.

Bach let out a small laugh. Although he was exhausted—especially after being stuck in that cave, fearing for his life alongside the Behemechs—he was still a veteran soldier and a miner. He could hold his own.

It didn't take long for Kael to find another monster. A live one. Along the way, all they had come across were corpses—riddled with slashes and holes, stripped of everything except their remains.

Clearly, Primers wouldn't let even the smallest Growth Orb go to waste.

But that wasn't the only reason Kael was hunting these Behemechs.

After another battle, the 2nd-Grade monster collapsed with Kael standing over it.

His entire body burned with exhaustion, his pain so overwhelming that any normal person would've passed out from just moving an inch. Yet, Kael showed no emotion as he slashed open the Behemech's back, exposing a Growth Orb.

Gripping it, he jumped down and handed it to Bach.

"You killed that one even faster," Bach commented as he hugged the orb.

"Hmm." Kael merely nodded before walking off again. The pain surging through his body was excruciating, but resting now would only make things worse. They still had to reach the spire.

"H-He's a monster," Trey muttered, gulping as he glanced at the fallen Behemech.

Another Second Grade. This one was much harder to kill than the Big Bellied Fox—far more aggressive. Yet Kael had fought it even faster, his body moving in ways Trey thought impossible without an Exoskeleton Suit.

Once again, Kael had proven that the human body could also achieve what Primers can.

Watching Kael's back, Trey felt like he was looking at a legend walking toward a grand stage.

Unbeknownst to him, a hundred years ago, Kael had already reached the Grand Stage.

"Fanboy," Bach muttered from the side.

Trey shot him a glare. "I am not!"

…

"I… I think this is enough," Bach said with a bitter smile.

"I agree," Trey nodded.

"Oh?" Kael raised an eyebrow, just as he was about to hand them another Growth Orb. But seeing how the two were struggling to hold three large orbs, he casually dropped the one in his hand. "Then we'll head to the spire and get out."

Trey and Bach were each carrying three giant watermelon-sized Growth Orbs. Weighing nearly four kilograms each, they weren't too heavy—but they were slippery. Adding any more would only make it harder to balance.

Besides, Trey had another concern.

"But… is this a good idea?" He glanced at Kael. "Walking around with Second Grade Growth Orbs in the open? We're basically asking to get robbed!"

"This fanboy has a point," Bach Ponce added.

"I told you, I'm n—"

"I'm Kael Draven. Who would dare rob the White Prime?" Kael said, raising an eyebrow. "If they try, I'll just kill them."

Oh, right. This guy's a lunatic who actually believes he's the White Prime.

Trey wanted to slap his forehead—but the Growth Orbs in his arms stopped him.