Hand Them Over

"I knew it. This is a bad idea," Trey said, a frown on his face as he noticed the Primers eyeing them with blatant greed.

"They're surprised," Bach commented from the side. Although he had expected this reaction, the initial shock faded quickly.

It was normal for people to be stunned upon seeing them holding watermelon-sized Growth Orbs. However, their astonishment lasted only for a moment before their eyes burned with greed.

After about thirty minutes, they had finally arrived under the spire. Along the way, Kael had defeated another Second Grade Behemech.

The two couldn't help but be fascinated by Kael's capabilities. Even without a suit, he displayed abilities on par with—or perhaps even greater than—those wearing Mechanical Suits. The miner was starting to believe Kael was even stronger than them.

Bach had already been shocked by Kael's strength, but seeing the Primers react the same way made him feel good—until he noticed the hunger in their eyes.

He glanced at Kael, waiting for a reaction.

However, Kael merely cast them an emotionless look.

"Ka—" Trey hesitated, still unsure if this lunatic's name was real. Even so, he managed to blurt out the crazy guy's 'supposed' name. "Kael, they're eyeing your Growth Orb. I told you this was a bad idea!"

"Let them come. I'll deal with them," The White Prime said arrogantly.

"How are you going to do that?!" Trey clenched the Orbs tightly. Although the Growth Orbs didn't belong to him, he couldn't just let someone else take them—not after carrying them all this time. It was like having your child snatched away by kidnappers!

"With my fist, of course," Kael replied, glancing at the young man as if he were a fool. Every word he spoke, he meant.

If these Aegis dreamers dared to take what was his, he wasn't about to stand idle. Kael would make sure blood followed those who wronged him.

"B-but…" Trey wanted to argue, but Kael's aura suddenly shifted. The air around the lunatic grew cold, sending a shiver down Trey's spine. He suddenly wanted to get as far away from this guy as possible.

"Here they come," Bach said.

A group of five Primers was already approaching. Their eyes burned with greed, locked onto the Growth Orbs as if nothing else existed.

"What are you looking at, huh?!" Trey shouted at them.

Some of the approaching Primers wore heavy Mechanical Suits, while others had lightweight suits designed for speed. It was clear this group was experienced—each member specialized in a specific role.

"What do we have here?" One of them sneered, licking his lips. He held a small box with a button, his fingers hovering over it. Then, he turned to the man standing slightly ahead of the group. "Captain, shall we?"

"Wait," the man raised a hand, signaling his team to hold back. He examined the miner and Trey before his gaze settled on Kael. "I know the Grey Hunter, but he's following you. You must be the leader. My name is—"

"I don't care," Kael cut him off before he could finish. His eyes were locked on the swirling Portal beneath the spire.

Now that they were here and he had achieved what he wanted, he was ready to finish everything and move on. Rest wasn't on his mind. After all, there was still a hot mom waiting for him outside—and the mine where he was found.

Kael walked past the leader of the group, stunning everyone.

Not only were they shocked that three people—without even a suit—had managed to collect so many Second Grade Growth Orbs, but they also dared to ignore one of the Primers!

Trey was just as stunned, while the miner simply followed after the lunatic.

"This is bad. This is bad," Trey whispered, lowering his head. Walking behind Kael, he felt the intense gazes of these high-ego Primers piercing into him like daggers.

"Where are you going?!" Suddenly, the leader they had walked past shouted, his eyes red with anger and frustration. "Who do you think you are, huh?! I was about to show you mercy by letting you hand over all your Growth Orbs, but I've changed my mind!"

Kael stopped in his tracks. Slowly turning around, he let out a sigh. "Alright, go ahead and finish your words."

"Too late!" The leader snorted as his teammates began encircling the three 'unsuited' individuals. "You've already offended me! And you will pay!"

"How much? One hundred? One thousand?" Kael asked, casually pulling out some money from his pants.

"With your blo— I don't need your money!" The leader was momentarily speechless. This guy wasn't following the script! "What I want is to see your blood! My men here will cut off each of your limbs for disrespecting me!"

Usually, when normal people encountered someone like him, they would either worship him or tremble in fear. Most Primers thrived on those reactions, feeding their inflated egos. And like a plague, many of them strutted around, thinking they were above everyone else.

"I didn't know there were so many Primers like this," Kael mused as voice of the Leader echoed.

"Like I told you, these guys think that just because they're hiding behind those metal sh*ts, they can bully anyone," Trey said, a deep frown on his face.

Bach nodded in agreement. As a miner, he had his own share of bad experiences with these egotistical Primers, and he fully agreed with Trey.

"So you're saying you don't want to wear an Exoskeleton Suit to boost your strength?" Kael asked. "They're the metal sh*ts you're talking about."

"I…" Trey scratched his cheek. "Well… I meant low-quality metal sh*ts."

"Hey!" The leader, now thoroughly offended, glared at them. How dare they ignore me a second time?! "Your Growth Orbs! Hand them over—now!"

Hearing this, Trey instinctively took a step back—only to freeze as the sound of a gun being loaded echoed behind him. Slowly, he turned around and saw two Pulse Rifles aimed directly at him. His throat went dry, and he gulped.

"Kael, you can't fight them," Bach said, gripping the Growth Orbs tightly. "There's five of them, and you're just one. Why don't we just hand over the Orbs?"

Even though he had already witnessed Kael take down Second Grade Behemechs alone and without a suit, those fights hadn't been easy. The guy fought recklessly, as if he didn't care about his own life. Even when he got hit—when he was clearly in pain—Kael never stopped.

Every battle against the Behemechs had been a close call. Kael had only managed to pull through thanks to his exceptional skills.

But fighting five Primers in full suits? That was an entirely different beast.

Bach wasn't hopeful that Kael could win. In his mind, it was smarter to just surrender the Growth Orbs. Backing down wasn't cowardly—it was survival, especially when their lives were on the line.

But for Kael, backing down or retreating didn't exist in his vocabulary.

He snorted, his gaze turning cold as he looked at the five Primers surrounding them.

"I'm not giving them my Orbs," he said. "But they can have my fist."