The Search of The Legendary Fruit

Chapter 1: The Search for the Legendary Fruit

A pale, spectral glow in the heavens, veiling the night sky with unease. As the two moons cast a sinister glow across the otherworldly terrain. A shroud of dark haze drifted overhead, slightly dimming the night sky with its ominous embrace.

A quiet, unsettling force hung in the air, humming with the presence of something unseen. It coiled around a man, pressing against him like invisible hands, a chilling proof that this was not the Earth.

He had come to this dimension through an unstable portal, resulting from his desperate search for the so-called "Panacea fruit." After the portals opened, the world began to change forever. It wasn't just the monstrous invaders that posed a threat—different illnesses also started to emerge, and airborne pathogens, unknown diseases, and toxic anomalies began spreading, poisoning the land.

Humanity was already weakened, but now, even those who had retreated far from the major portal sites were suffering. Fever outbreaks, respiratory failures, and neurological disorders—silent killers they couldn't fight. Siltri's people, living miles away from the nearest rift, were still plagued by lingering traces of the contamination. Doctors and scientists had exhausted every cure they could manufacture. The Panacea fruit was their last hope. Legends spoke of its miraculous ability to cleanse and cure all toxins, but no one had ever returned from a quest to find it.

A deep growl echoed through the twisted, otherworldly jungle. Massive vines coiled around gnarled trees, their bark pulsating with bioluminescent veins. Strange, glowing fungi dotted the undergrowth, releasing sporadic bursts of mist into the air. Something shifted in the darkness—a shadow slinking between the roots.

Siltriver Rayn, also known as Siltri, stood at the center of a tightening circle of predators. His breath came steady, his fingers curled tightly around the grip of his gun. The beasts, towering lion-like creatures with obsidian fur and jagged, ivory horns, prowled forward with their molten-red eyes locked onto him.

"Seriously, when will you stop following me?" Siltri muttered, his voice edged with irritation as he gauged their movements.

A transparent display flickered to life in his left eye—a Scouter system rebooting just in time.

**-Display-** 

**Name:** Horned Lions 

**Category Level:** Beast level

**Description: **- Fierce and territorial nocturnal predators who hunt relentlessly in packs. Their speed and precision make them formidable foes, striking with lethal claws, fangs, and horns. 

Siltri exhaled sharply. "Great, just great. Fast, strong, and relentless. Just my luck."

One of the creatures let out a low, rumbling growl before lunging at him. Siltri reacted instantly, sidestepping and raising his gun in a single fluid motion. A gunshot cracked through the silence, the bullet striking the beast clean between the eyes. It staggered but didn't fall.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Too thick for a skull."

Another beast lunged from the left. Siltri twisted, narrowly avoiding a swipe from its clawed paw. The air hissed as talons tore through his coat. He dropped into a roll, coming up just in time to hear a sickening crunch—a beast collapsing with a bloodied yelp. Coming out from the shadows, his companion stood over the fallen predator.

Vee, Siltriver's genetically enhanced wolf, sleek and powerful, bared his fangs, his golden eyes glowing like twin lanterns in the dark. His thick silver-black fur bristled as he growled, stepping between Siltri and the remaining predators.

Siltri smugly smiled, walking over to Vee. "Good boy, Vee. You saved my life again."

Vee let out a brief, contented sigh. "Always, Master. You get in trouble, I get you out. Simple."

Siltri smirked but kept his guard up. The remaining beasts hesitated now, realizing their prey was more dangerous than anticipated. Then, without warning, they turned and vanished into the alien undergrowth, their retreat swift and silent.

Siltri exhaled. "Not bad."

Still, they were running out of supplies, and worse—time.

Vee's ears twitched before he let out a soft chuff. "No scent. Wind's wrong. Need a better vantage."

Siltri frowned. The fruit remained elusive, but it wasn't just them searching.

His wrist communicator beeped. He tapped it. Dr. Lewis's face appeared on the holographic screen, her expression tense with worry.

"Siltri, are you alright? We lost your signal for quite a while. We were worried sick!"

"Don't worry Doc, I'm doing fine," he said, brushing off the lingering adrenaline. "Just had a little run-in with some friendly locals."

"What locals? Did you get in trouble again? How about Vee?" Her voice wavered slightly, betraying her growing anxiety.

"I'm fine, Vee is also doing fine too. He even saved me from those pestering beasts" He smilingly replied.

"How about your assignment? Did you find any leads?" She asked, though hesitation was clear in her voice.

He shook his head. "Not yet. But—"

Dr. Lewis's face darkened. "Siltri, we have a problem. A rival company sent a team. They're closing in. And if they get to it first—"

Siltri's jaw tightened. He knew exactly the kind of people they were dealing with—ruthless, power-hungry, and willing to kill for dominance over the last remnants of humanity.

"I know, we won't let them beat us" he said, voice firm.

Dr. Lewis let out a slow breath, pressing a hand against her forehead. "Siltri… I know you're capable, but please—please be careful. I don't want to lose you too."

He hesitated. He wasn't used to hearing that kind of desperation in her voice. Dr. Lewis had always been strong, collected—even in crisis.

"I'll be fine," he assured her, softer this time. "I know what's at stake but I cannot let them get their greedy way."

She nodded but didn't look convinced. "Just promise me one thing. One thing okay? Please I beg you, don't take unnecessary risks. If things get too dangerous—"

"I'll handle it," he interrupted gently. "Trust me."

She sighed, rubbing her temple. "I do trust you. That's why I worry. Just… come back, alright?"

A small smile played at his lips. "Always."

The call ended. Siltri turned to Vee, rolling his shoulders. "We have competition."

Vee's eyes gleamed. "Good. I like a chase."

Siltri reloaded his gun and aimed his grappling hook. With a sharp shot, he soared into the treetops, scanning the horizon with his Scouter. His pulse quickened when he spotted something—

A grove. It shimmered under the moonlight, its trees unlike any he'd ever seen. Their leaves glowed faintly, crackling with unknown energy. A shiver ran down his spine.

He tried scanning it.

**-Display-** 

**Name:** ??? 

**Category:** ??? 

**Description:** ??? 

His breath hitched. "This place… I think no one has been here before."

A rustling sound snapped his focus back.

Vee let out a low growl, ears flat against his skull. "Something's here. Watching. Close."

Siltri tightened his grip on his gun.

The scent of damp earth and rotting vegetation clung to the air, mixing with the acrid stench of something unnatural. Siltri moved cautiously through the dense foliage, his Scouter scanning for any signs of movement. Vee prowled beside him, ears twitching at every distant sound. They were deep in hostile territory now—an uncharted region where even the air felt like it carried an unseen predator's breath.

**-Display-Location:** Rift Zone Alpha-7

**Status**: Unstable. High anomaly activity detected. Proceed with caution.

Siltri's lips pressed into a thin line. Every step he took in this place was a risk, but he had no choice. If the Panacea fruit truly existed, it was here. The shifting, otherworldly landscape before him was proof of how deeply the rifts had corrupted the world. Massive, twisted roots jutted from the ground like skeletal remains, their bark pulsating with a faint, eerie glow. The once-blue sky was now a swirling blend of violet and crimson, as if the dimension itself bled into reality.

Vee suddenly stiffened, a deep growl rumbling in his chest. Siltri stopped instantly, his hand tightening around his weapon.

"Something's close," Vee muttered through their neural link, his golden eyes narrowing.

A flicker of movement. Then another. Shadows darted between the massive roots, too fast for the Scouter to lock onto.

Siltri took a slow breath, steadying himself. They weren't alone.

Without warning, a figure lunged from the darkness. It moved unnaturally fast, its limbs elongated and covered in a sleek, chitinous armor. Siltri barely had time to raise his gun before it was upon him.

CRACK!

Vee intercepted mid-air, his fangs sinking into the attacker's forearm. A screeching wail tore through the air as the creature thrashed violently, slamming Vee against a nearby tree. Siltri reacted instantly, pulling the trigger—

BANG!

The shot hit center mass, sending the creature staggering. But it didn't fall.

**-Display-**

**Name: Riftborn Stalker

**Category Level: Humanoid Beast **

**Description: A humanoid beast that usually lurks high in the trees. An Ambush predator enhanced with speed and reflexes. Highly resistant to ballistic damage.

"Of course," Siltri muttered under his breath, barely dodging another strike as more of the creatures emerged from the shadows.

Three… four… no, at least seven.

Vee shook off the impact and leapt back into the fray, his claws slashing through the nearest Stalker's abdomen. The wound hissed and sealed almost instantly.

"They regenerate fast," Vee growled. "Bad odds, Master."

Siltri clenched his jaw. They couldn't afford a prolonged fight. He reached for his belt and grabbed a small, cylindrical device.

"Cover me," he commanded.

Vee lunged at the nearest Stalker, buying Siltri a few seconds. Just as the Stalkers closed in, he slammed the device against the ground.

FLASH!

A brilliant white light burst outward, searing through the darkness. The Stalkers recoiled, screeching in agony as their sensitive eyes overloaded, temporarily blinding them.

"Run!" Siltri ordered.

He and Vee sprinted through the jungle, leaping over twisted roots and ducking under low-hanging branches. The disoriented Stalkers shrieked behind them, but they didn't give chase. Not immediately.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After what felt like hours, they reached the top of a jagged ridge. Below them stretched a valley bathed in ethereal light.

Siltri's breath caught. There, at the valley's heart, stood a lone tree unlike any he'd seen before. Its trunk shimmered like liquid silver, and its leaves crackled with electric-blue energy. At its center hung a single, glowing fruit—its deep emerald hue pulsing softly, as if alive.

The Panacea... Possibly..

His Scouter flickered, struggling to process the data.

**-Display-** 

**Name:** ??? 

**Category:** ??? 

**Description:** ??? 

Vee let out a low chuff. "That looks important."

Siltri exhaled. "It is."

But before he could move, his wrist communicator crackled to life. Dr. Lewis's voice, tense and urgent, came through.

"Siltri! You need to leave—now!"

A cold dread coiled in his gut. "What? Why?"

"We intercepted a transmission," she gasped. "The rival company—they're just right above you!"

As if on cue, a low hum filled the air. Siltri turned his head skyward, his blood running cold as a huge shadow passed above them.

Siltri's heart pounded as he looked up to see a colossal airship slicing through the night, its dark metallic hull reflecting faint traces of moonlight as it approached the grove.

An estimated kilometer away from the grove, armed figures rappelled down, their armor gleaming under the fractured sky.

The race for the Panacea had begun.

And Siltri was no longer the only hunter in the valley.