Wait... It grows by killing?

A sharp breath cut the air.

Max's shoulders tightened.

"What?!"

Kael's stare hardened, but he didn't move, didn't blink.

"How can you be sure?"

Ash exhaled, voice even but carrying a weight that hadn't been there before.

"Every time I killed an Apex Trooper... the same message popped up. Vein Energy gained."

Max's hands curled into fists. His eyes shut tight. He reached inward, trying to pull energy from the surroundings like he used to.

Nothing.

His eyes snapped open.

"Kael… I think he's right. I don't feel anything out here."

Kael closed his eyes, reaching for the flow.

Seconds dragged by. Nothing came.

His fists tightened, a low breath leaving him.

"So... we only grow by killing?"

Max's fists shook. His breathing stayed calm, but the tension in him was sharp enough to cut steel.

"I don't want to kill just to get stronger."

Ash's eyes lowered to the cracked earth. He let out a slow breath.

"Sometimes, I wonder if this change is a blessing or a curse."

Kael scoffed, jaw grinding. His eyes lifted to the torn sky.

"It's a curse. No question."

His voice was a low simmer, ready to boil over.

"How the hell am I supposed to surpass Dad if the only way to grow my Vein Energy is through killing?"

Max shifted his weight, glancing between them, then offered a small, weak grin.

"You? Surpass Dad? Come on. That's impossible. He's already at the Ascendant Stage—the only one at that stage."

Kael's face darkened. The humor didn't stick.

"Yeah... and now, with this curse, I never will. Maybe I'll reach grandMaster Stage. Maybe."

His hands dropped to his sides, fists half-closed.

"But if the only way forward is through blood? That's not a path I want."

Max crossed his arms and sighed.

"We'll figure it out. I'll dig through the archives when we get back. There's gotta be something."

Kael barely heard him. His gaze had already moved, scanning the broken ruins around them. His brows furrowed. Then he froze.

"Wait... this place—"

Max followed his line of sight. His face shifted, a trace of memory passing through him.

"Yeah. Hard to believe, right? The blast reached even here. Just shows how terrifying Dad really is."

Ash turned, taking in the jagged remains. His pulse kicked up.

"If you recognize this place then there's a way back, right?"

Both he and Kael turned to Max.

Max rubbed his temple, frustration heavy in his stare.

"Yeah... but the explosion was massive. I don't know exactly where we landed. After the incident, settlements popped up all over this land. The whole place changed."

Ash let out a breath. Heat shimmered off the scorched ground under his boots.

"Good. I'd rather not roast under this damn sun."

Max nodded once.

"If we find a village fast enough, we won't have to. This is the Dancing Fire Region—our base should be somewhere around here."

Kael scoffed.

"Yeah, imagine if we landed in some far-off region. That would suck."

Max didn't answer. His gaze stayed locked on the endless wasteland ahead of them.

"We better move. If we find a settlement, getting back will be way easier."

Ash rolled his shoulders.

"Yeah. Let's go."

Max raised a hand, halting them mid-step.

"Wait."

Ash and Kael turned toward him.

Max's eyes scanned the broken field around them.

"There's a lot of scrap here. We should scavenge a bit."

Kael huffed, shaking his head.

"You and your weird habits."

Ash glanced down at their torn suits—ripped, hanging in pieces. No way they'd last much longer.

He sighed.

"Fine. Might as well grab some new clothes while we're at it."

They split up, weaving through the wreckage, picking through shattered steel and scorched gear.

Max moved slower, careful. His foot kicked aside a sheet of metal, and something caught his eye—a faint glow, deep under a collapsed beam. He crouched low, brushing dirt and dust away with quick hands.

Cold metal pressed against his fingers.

A plate. Perfectly round. Smooth. Not a scratch on it, even surrounded by wreckage. It gleamed faintly, strange lines carved into its surface, pulsing with soft light.

Max stared at it. His breath slowed.

"The portal device."

He turned it over. The patterns shifted at his touch, almost alive. This thing wasn't just intact—it was working. More advanced than anything he'd seen in the labs back at the academy.

Under his breath, he mumbled, half in awe,

"The brains behind Apex must be seriously smart... maybe even smarter than me."

Kael's voice rang out from behind him, dry.

"That's not exactly a high bar."

Max shot him a look, but let it slide. His hands tightened on the device.

This thing... it isn't normal.

————

Two days dragged by.

The wasteland stretched forever—blackened ground giving way to broken rock, then shifting to dry, cracked sands. Above them, the sun hung like a hammer, pounding down without mercy.

Max stumbled. His knees hit the dirt first, then the rest of him followed with a dull thud. A groan slipped from his lips.

"That's it... I'm done. Just leave me here to rot."

Ash slowed, looking back. His dark shirt stuck to his skin, sleeves pushed up to show old scars. The small bag across his chest clattered with bits of Apex tech, the sound sharp in the heavy air.

Kael turned too, standing a few paces ahead. Dust clung to his gray vest, boots coated in grime. Arms crossed, he stared down at Max, unimpressed.

"You're the one who insisted we haul all this junk, Now look at you. Slowing us down. This is your fault."

Max groaned again and shoved himself off the ground. His brown shirt sagged off his shoulders, soaked in sweat. A strange device hung from his ear, thin wires running along his back, flickering with weak pulses of light.

He wiped his forehead.

"You two are monsters. I was born with a Tier 2 Vitalforce, and you guys pulled Tier 5 and Tier 6. How is that even fair?"

Kael rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you traded your power for brains."

Max shot him a dirty look.

"And you traded your brain for a bigger fireball."

Kael's smirk dropped.

"You know i was only trying to make you feel better. Now I regret it."

Max grinned, breathless.

"So you do have a heart after all."

Kael scoffed.

"Shut up before I drop-kick you."

Ash laughed, stretching his arms behind his head.

"Man, if someone saw us now, they'd never believe we're the same people who tore through an Apex ship two days ago."

Kael snorted.

"Yeah. Look at us. One genius barely holding himself together, one guy hoarding trash, and one who thinks running fast makes him special."

'Is he trying to make me angry? Well i don't care. This new skill is my key to finally reach his level.' ash thought.

Max pushed himself to his feet, brushing dirt off his knees.

"If we don't find a settlement soon, I'm trading one of you for a horse."

Ash squinted at the horizon.

Then he froze.

A shadow broke the endless line of sand and sky. Not a rock, not a mirage—something real.

'A settlement.'

"…I think I see—"

The air shifted.

Something heavy pressed down on them, thick and choking. The ground shuddered, the tremor crawling up through their boots. A low, broken rumble rolled through the earth, shaking their bones.

Kael's head snapped up. His hands clenched into fists.

"Huh? What the hell was that?"

Max froze, eyes wide. A cold memory clawed its way up from deep inside him. His heart hammered against his ribs.

"Guys… I think I know where we are."

Ash and Kael turned to him, the air between them thick and still.

Max swallowed, his throat was dry.

"We're in SandWorms valley."

Their voices exploded at once.

"What?!"

The ground buckled again. A crack split open nearby, sand pouring into it like water down a drain. Another quake hit, louder this time, a growl that seemed to come from the bones of the earth itself.

Then—silence.

Max didn't wait.

He spun and bolted.

"Run. Now!"

Kael cursed, eyes blazing.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?! You'll lead those things straight to them!"

Max didn't stop. His breathing was rough, but his legs never faltered.

"That place is still standing. That means someone strong is in there!"

Kael bit down a sharp curse. He threw a look at Ash, who hadn't moved an inch.

"Run, you idiot!"

Then he followed max.

But Ash didn't move.

Something in the distance caught his eyes. A heavy pull in his gut pinned him there.

The sand shifted.

A ripple moved across the dunes, fast and wide, as if something huge stirred underneath. Then—movement.

Worms.

Dozens of them.

Their long bodies churned through the sand, cutting clean paths like blades through water. They surfaced and dove again, circling.

Then they broke free.

Monsters burst from the ground, stone-plated bodies grinding against each other, chunks of earth sliding off their backs. Their spiral jaws opened wide, rings of black teeth snapping at the air. A low hiss rumbled out of their throats, thick and ugly.

They weren't just hunting.

They were swarming.

Ash's blood pounded in his ears. His brothers were running—but the worms were faster. Too fast.

'They are not going to make it. I guess i got no choice but to use it.'

"[Activating skill: phantom's stride]"

The world slowed.

Ash saw every detail—grains of sand floating midair, the flicker of muscles under the monsters' armor, Max's shirt whipping behind him.

He moved.

His hand clamped onto Max's collar. His arm hooked around Kael's waist.

The world snapped back.

Air ripped past his face. The dunes blurred into long, golden streaks. The worms lunged, their spiral jaws snapping shut just behind him.

Ash crossed the line that divide sandworms valley from the settlement.

The change was instant.

Solid ground hit his boots. The choking heat of the desert vanished, swallowed by a still, heavy air. Max stumbled beside him, Kael crashed down on one knee, both gasping for breath.

Behind them—

The sand worms halted.

Their monstrous heads towered over the settlement's border, mouths wide, frozen like statues. Their segmented bodies twitched, leaking small falls of sand through the cracks in their armor.

But they didn't move forward.

They just stared.

Ash stiffened. His fists clenched without thinking. The worm's faceless head locked onto him, unmoving and waiting.

Then, as fast as they had come, the beasts twisted and slid back into the dunes.

The earth stopped shaking.

The desert went still.

Ash let out a slow, tight breath. His chest rose and fell, sharp and heavy. His voice cut through the silence, low and wary.

"…What the hell was that?"