CH 21 Are You Guys Blind? How The F*ck Did You Not Notice That?

“I… did not,” Lotus answered.

“You didn’t sense anything?” he asked again.

“I did. That’s why it’s strange that you say he was healed. From what I sensed, he shattered into pieces and fell to the ground. Then something like sparks erupted from his body, and all the pieces of the armor lifted into the air. That’s all I know. The next thing I sensed was you running, then I heard the cannon being fired,” she said.

Ren frowned as he listened.

She sensed sparks? That has to be Mechanic Force. I was correct to think that our enemy is a Mechanic. But how did he survive the hit which caused the entire armor to shatter?

No matter how hard he tried to think, he couldn’t find an answer. A Mechanic that had not gone through their First Class Evolution would not be strong enough to tank that attack. Even with specialized armor, the damage he had dealt should have ended the fight. The entire armor had shattered. There should not have been any chances for him to survive, let alone repair the entire armor so quickly.

A sudden thought came to Ren, and it made his expression stiffen slightly.

What… what if he didn’t survive the attack? How am I so sure that there is someone inside the armor? Maybe it’s an automaton?

The idea sounded extreme, even to him. The possibility of the armor being an automaton—a robot—and the Mechanic controlling it from a remote location were low.

The reasons were two the limitations of the Mechanic Class before they completed their First Class Evolution. One, the Mechanic cannot control more than one “device” with their Mechanic Force. Second, the farther the device is from the Mechanic, the worse their control becomes.

The first one was a fundamental law, and it couldn’t be changed. Though what counted as “one” device was debatable, and no set parameters for it had been discovered yet. For example, even Freya’s saw-sword had several mechanic components, but it was counted as “one” device, thus it could be controlled by Freya’s Mechanic Force. The internal mechanisms did not matter as long as they were integrated into a single structure that functioned as one unit.

However, something like an automaton would have too many inbuilt devices that came together to make one whole. Currently, many scholars debated that in the next one hundred fifty years, humanity would gain technological advances that would allow them to make an automaton that was counted as “one” device. Until then, controlling something as complex as a humanoid machine remained nearly impossible for a pre-evolution Mechanic.

The second limitation of the Mechanic Class was similar, and it was said to be something that could be improved with technological advances. The Human Federation and Apollo Corp were currently working together on a piece of technology that would allow Mechanics to compress their Mechanic Force, then send it to farther locations to control their devices. If such a technology was made, it could be sold to Mechanics, and would rake in a lot of money. The project had attracted attention from many factions, and rumors about prototypes had already begun circulating in academic circles.

Currently, Ren was under the idea that the silver armored awakener might be an alien. What if their alien species had invented such a technology already? And the silver armored awakener was using it?

If he is using a device to compress his Mechanic Force and send it all over the Base to control the silver armor, then I just need to destroy the device to weaken him, he thought.

Ren’s theory was far too outreaching. He knew that. But he somehow had to make sense of his current absurd situation, and this was the best he could come up with. Every explanation he tried to form led him back to the same conclusion. Either the enemy had abilities far beyond what a pre-evolution Mechanic should possess, or the armor itself was not being operated in the way Ren initially assumed.

He was about to ask another question when Freya shifted. Her eyelashes quivered, and a faint groan escaped her lips. The movement immediately drew Ren’s attention. She pushed herself up weakly. Her body trembled as she tried to stand, but her legs gave way almost instantly.

“Freya,” Ren moved swiftly, catching her before she hit the ground. Even though she was healed, she still seemed weakened. Her weight leaned against him, and he could feel the instability in her posture.

She struggled to open her mouth. She held his hand tightly for support, her fingers gripping with surprising strength despite her condition. Her breathing was uneven, and it took her a moment before she could form proper words.

“I— I am sure of it now. They are terraforming the land. We need to go back,” she said, breathing heavily.

“What do you—”

“They are terraforming the land to corrupt the source of the portal in the Base. If we don’t stop it now, the portal will be connected to another race’s civilization, and they will be summoned here from next month,” she said, cutting him off.

Ren felt as if a hammer had hit the back of his head. The implications of her words were massive, and for a moment he simply stared at her, trying to process what she had just said.

Her words confirmed what he had seen, but couldn’t believe. The land was being terraformed. The strange changes in terrain, the unnatural earthquakes, the cold, and the changing air suddenly made far more sense when viewed from that perspective.

What she said next was worse. The portal inside the Base would be soon connected to an alien civilization.

If the portal was no longer connected to human civilization, Ren would lose the way to return home. The thought alone tightened his chest. The Base had been his only confirmed path back. Losing that meant being stranded in an unknown environment with no guarantee of survival.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, an alien species would be able to occupy this region. The silver armored awakener was clearly an enemy, and Ren doubted his alien species would see Ren as their ally.

We are going to be killed if they can come here.

The Base clearly belonged to the Human Federation, even if it was abandoned as of now. Another race taking over this Base meant a property dispute at best, declaration of a war at worst. The political consequences alone would be enormous, if Ren managed to survive the terraforming.

The three awakeners who hadn’t even completed their First Class Evolution—Ren, Freya, and Lotus—would become casualties of whatever conflict was going to soon occur. Even if it was just a territorial dispute, the conflicts that would happen between two civilizations would be on a scale that the trio human awakener group had no chance at survival. They would simply be caught in the crossfire without any ability to resist.

We need to stop the terraforming, Ren made his decision instantly, but he knew how laughable that sounded. If another race was trying to overtake this Base, they must have made extensive preparations. How could the three of them, a Mechanic who fought like a Martial Artist, a Beast Master who lost her Beast, and a Mage who was summoned only three days ago, stop something like that? If someone else told Ren that a team like that was attempting this, he would laugh and call it a joke of a team.

Ren clenched his fist as the weight of reality pressed down on him. The situation felt overwhelming, and for a brief moment, hopelessness crushed Ren’s heart. The odds were absurdly against them, and logic told him that they could do nothing but wait to be killed.

But…

It’s not over until you give up.

He repeated those words to himself. He was already meant to have died after awakening the Mage Class. But here he was, alive, growing stronger faster than anyone he had heard about. He had survived situations that should have killed him, and each time he had managed to move forward.

He had to believe in himself. Believe that he was going to get out of this mess alive just like he had been dealing with previous problems.

Once he gathered his thoughts, he turned his attention back to Freya. There were too many unanswered questions, and every second they spent in uncertainty only made the situation worse.

“How do you know about terraforming? Why didn’t you tell us about this before? And what’s the way to stop it?” Ren asked.

“Terraforming is related to the source of portals. It was a topic taught in my academy,” Freya replied.

Ren clicked his tongue inwardly. This was not taught in his academy, or any academy he knew about. They were told that this was a military secret. But clearly, the noble academies were allowed to teach these things to their children. Ren was sure that there were more things that only nobles were taught, which they used to stay ahead of commoners. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, though he didn’t show it on his face. This was not the time to dwell on such differences.

“As for why I didn’t tell you, it’s because I was not sure of it myself until now. Terraforming is a huge military operation. I’ll tell you how it works. But before that.” Freya turned to the third figure she could sense in the surroundings. “Thank you for saving us. I was somewhat conscious until we dropped into this tunnel. So I know you saved us. Thank you.”

Lotus nodded. She didn’t say anything, knowing revealing her voice would reveal her identity. It was something that Freya would soon realize, but she was dreading the moment, thus delaying.

Ren didn’t hurry to reveal Lotus’ identity. He was more focused on information about portals and terraforming.

“So, how does terraforming work?” he asked.

“Land of Origin has [Origin Ley Lines] beneath the lands. They are ‘manifestations’ of the region they are present in and they are pure energy. In areas where a lot of Origin Ley Lines intersect, a [Dimensional Pond] is formed. This Dimensional Pond is a concentration of pure energy, as well as a manifestation of the region. Due to the sheer amount of energy in Dimensional Ponds, they fracture dimensions and create a dimensional pull, hence their name. This dimensional pull is what grabs people from our world, and summons them to the Land of Origin,” Freya explained.

Ren nodded with a plain expression, though he was inwardly surprised. He had expected the Human Federation to know about the basic knowledge of summoning, but it seemed these people already knew everything in complete detail. They were just playing dumb in front of the common populace, acting like they had no idea how summonings worked.

“Now, have you ever wondered why Explored Regions and Unexplored Regions are so different? We might know about Explored Regions and the monsters in them, but we can do discover the monsters of Unexplored Regions too, and yet, the name of Unexplored Regions is uttered with dread. Why do you think so?” Freya asked, suddenly changing the topic.

“Is this related to Dimensional Ponds?” Ren asked.

“Yes. As I said, Dimensional Ponds are concentrations of Origin Ley Lines, which themselves are manifestations of the region. So, if we alter Dimensional Ponds, we can alter the regions. That is what we call…”

“Terraforming,” Ren completed her words. “So that’s how terraforming works in the Land of Origin.”

“Yes. I don’t know how the Dimensional Ponds are altered. It was not taught to us. What I do know is that it’s possible to alter them in a way that they only summon people from one civilization or one bloodline. Moreover, the altering is done in such a way that the region becomes habitable for the civilization that has altered the Dimensional Ponds. This is why Explored Regions have gravity, water, and air suited for humans. But outside, in the Unexplored Regions, the air, the gravity, all of them are dangerous for humans. All Bases are made on top of Dimensional Ponds, and that’s why they are prized so much,” she explained.

Ren had to take a moment to digest all the information. Now he knew how one divided Explored Regions and Unexplored Regions. If this was a normal day, he would have sat down and probably thought out the implications of this knowledge. He liked reading and learning things, after all. But right now, Ren was in an area that was being terraformed. He had no time to sit down and waste time on fascination.

Freya continued, “Overtaking a Dimensional Pond, and a Base by that extension, is a huge military operation. Entire military regiments and top-level powerhouses would be deployed by each civilization whenever they are trying to overtake a Base. However, there is nothing like that here. We saw no military, no powerhouse. That’s why… I wasn’t sure until now that this place was being terraformed. I thought maybe something else was happening.”

As much as Ren wanted to say she still should’ve warned him about this before, he understood where Freya was coming from. This place was weird. They had a huge Salt Region where anyone who was seen by the [thing] got turned into salt. Then, the Base, something that each civilization prized, was abandoned.

Why had the Human Federation abandoned this Base?
Where were the armies of the alien civilization if they were trying to overtake this Base?

“…what if there is no army?” Ren suddenly said.

“What?” Freya asked, confused.

“What if the alien, that silver armored awakener, got summoned to an Unexplored Region. He moved through lands, and happened across this abandoned Base. Now, he is altering the Dimensional Pond so that he can create a portal to return home?” Ren said.

“That… that sounds plausible. Because if this was done by a civilization, then there would be an entire army stationed here,” Freya replied.

“If it’s just one person, we should have a good chance to defeat them, and retake the Base,” Ren said. Of course, he knew that sounded too hopeful to be true, and even if it was true, that silver armored awakener was strong enough to protect an entire Base by himself. But at the moment, drowning in despair was the last thing they needed to do, so he spoke confidently. “Do you know how to stop the altering of the Dimensional Pond?”

“I don’t, but they must be doing something to the Dimensional Pond, right? We just need to go to the Dimensional Pond, and stop whatever is looking suspicious,” she said with a bitter smile. The plan was sloppy at best, but it was the best she could come up with the limited information she had.

“How much time do you think we have left before terraforming is completed?” Ren asked.

“Based on how fast the air is changing, a few hours at worst, a few days at best. And we don’t know what kind of alien is terraforming the Dimensional Pond. If worst comes to worst, the entire breathable air might disappear within a few hours due to terraforming,” she said.

Ren nodded. Now he knew why monsters were running. The terraforming was going to change the land, thus making it uninhabitable. That’s why they were leaving. The pieces began to fit together, but a few details still bothered him.

Why did Huntscale Vipers not leave? And why did the rest of the monsters attack the Base instead of running away? Ren thought.

He shook those thoughts away. They were not important at the moment. He could investigate them later if he survived. Right now, the only priority was stopping the terraforming before they lost their chance.

“Freya, rest and recover. We are going to attack the Base in an hour. Lotus, do you know where the Dimensional Pond is? It seems you have entered the Base several times, so you might know,” Ren said.

Lotus froze when her name was called. So did Freya.

“Lotus…?” Freya muttered.

“Y-Yes, it’s me,” Lotus answered with a gulp.

Freya’s blank expression instantly changed, and her hand moved toward where her sword should have been. When she realized her swords were missing, she changed her approach. Her muscles tensed, and her posture shifted as she prepared to tackle and take down Lotus in one move.

“Stop. She is a healer. We need her to attack the Base and fight the silver armored awakener,” Ren grabbed her wrist.

“She stabbed me in the back and left me to die. We can’t trust her. It’s better to kill her here,” Freya said, speaking as patiently as possible while holding her temper off.

Ren could feel the strength in her arms increasing. She was not throwing him off because he was her teammate, but if he didn’t do anything soon, the situation would worsen.

“That’s not it! I never betrayed you!” Lotus suddenly shouted, gathering her courage.

“Let me go, Ren,” Freya spoke to him, instead of responding to Lotus.

“I am not lying! I ran away because I was scared. I— I’m sorry. But I promise I have nothing to do with the monster horde attack!” Lotus said again. She seemed quite afraid of Freya. Whether that was a result of her own cowardly nature, or plain fear of Freya, only she knew.

“Let me go while I’m being polite, Ren. I nearly died because of her. Don’t stop me from killing her,” Freya said.

Lotus spoke, “Freya, I—”

“Shut up,” Freya snarled, finally responding to Lotus.

She grabbed Ren’s arm tightly and was about to pry his hand off when he spoke, “If you kill her now, what are you going to do if the silver armored awakener poisoned the cub again?”

Freya stopped.

Then she spoke, “I’ll protect—”

“That guy has defended the entire Base from hundreds of monsters. Do you really think you can protect the cub from him? Both of us know the chances of that are extremely low. Of course, if you stay behind and don’t attack the Base, then the cub will be safe. But then terraforming will be completed, and you, me, that cub, Freya, all of us would die because we would not even be able to breathe in this place,” he said.

“So what?” Freya spat. “You want to attack the Base with her? I would bet she is working with the silver armored awakener and will betray us. I am not going with her.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Ren replied.

“I—”

“Stop being stupid. Do you think I don’t understand that she isn’t trustworthy? But she is necessary for our battle. If we fail, we would lose the portal, and the Base. We can’t go without her,” Ren snapped back.

Freya was surprised, seeing Ren angry for the first time. The force in his voice made her pause, and for a moment the tension in her body faltered. She gritted her teeth, then pulled her arm back with enough force that Ren couldn’t hold onto her. However, instead of attacking Lotus, she turned and sat in the tunnel, looking after the cub.

“I’ll let her live because she saved us. But if she does something stupid, I’m killing her then and there,” Freya said.

Ren nodded, and turned back to Lotus.

“What did you mean you didn’t betray Freya?” he asked, knowing this was important. He needed to get the story straight.

“I—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Freya cut off Lotus.

Lotus clamped her mouth shut. She bit her lips hard enough that blood drew out. The tension in the tunnel grew heavier, and for a moment no one spoke. A sigh escaped Ren’s lips, and he spoke again.

“Let her talk. I need to know what happened before, because that would include information about the Base and how she lost her Beast to the silver armored awakener.”

Freya frowned. It was her first time hearing that Lotus’ Beast was captured by the silver armored awakener. That only made her more sure that the silver armored awakener and Lotus were working together, and that was why Lotus’ Beast was not killed yet.

Freya’s muscles tensed, but in response, she sensed Ren’s hand twitch, as if he was about to use his skills.

I’ll have to fight Ren if I try to kill Lotus, Freya gnashed her teeth. Although she wanted to kill Lotus, she didn’t want to fight Ren. He was her teammate who had saved her multiple times, and he was strong. Moreover, it seemed Lotus was capable of manipulating earth, considering how this tunnel looked man-made and how she pulled Ren and Freya underground to save them.

Fighting here and winning when she has terrain advantage would be hard, Freya thought.

She decided to hold off making any moves before she was sure she could kill Lotus instantly.

Ren sighed, sensing Freya’s muscles had relaxed.

“You can speak now,” he said to Lotus.

Lotus nodded, and she began narrating her past. She was summoned to the Salt Sea region, and instantly her Beast had warned that something was wrong in this place. Coupled with the fact that Lotus could feel a creeping gaze, she decided to stay hidden behind salt mounds.

She stayed hidden for hours, unsure whether the gaze she felt was real or simply her imagination reacting to the oppressive atmosphere.

She was found by Freya later. Thereafter Freya explained to her that they were in an Unexplored Region.

“I know it’s wrong for me to say this, but… Freya was too overprotective. She didn’t even let me go beyond her eyesight. She seemed suspicious. I— I thought she was trying to take me somewhere instead of helping me. That’s why as soon as I gained a new ability, I dug tunnels and ran away,” Lotus said.

That was stupid. Ren wanted to say that. However, he had been thinking the same when he first met Freya. It hadn’t helped that Freya, a Mechanic, called herself a Martial Artist, which made her come across as mentally unstable. Back then, if he had a way to leave Freya like Lotus had, he might have done the same.

“Is that all? Are you not going to tell him how you lured all the monsters to my location so that you would have a free passage to escape?” Freya added with a twisted expression.

“I didn’t do that!” Lotus said, desperate. “Think about it. I can move underground. Why would I need to lure away the Hushclaws? How would I even lure them to your location? All I can do is heal and this.”

Lotus waved her hand, and the dead end of the tunnel behind Ren and Freya moved back as mud was pushed apart on its own. The soil shifted smoothly, widening the space without any visible strain. The display was simple, but it made her point clear.

Freya clamped her mouth shut. That did make sense. Of course, Lotus might have an ability that could lure monsters, and she might be hiding it, but what made sense was the fact that she seemed capable of moving underground and would not need to lure monsters to Freya’s location.

That would mean Lotus was correct. It was a misunderstanding. She never betrayed Freya. However, the emotions that Freya had kept bottled for weeks, the desperation she had gone through to survive back then after being besieged by the monsters, didn’t let her think rationally.

“After I left the Salt Sea region, I found that Freya was saying the truth. This was an Unexplored Region. I… I went back to the Salt Sea region to find her and apologize, but what I found was countless Hushclaw corpses. It made me realize Freya had been ambushed and perhaps… she died. After that, I just kept hiding and moving underground. I was too weak to fight any monsters and level up, so hiding was all I could. And…”

Lotus looked towards Freya, even though she couldn’t see her.

“Then, I found Freya. She was living in the cave with Luna, both of them barely surviving. I was happy. I could apologize. I could team up with Freya again, but then I heard Freya talking to Luna. Whenever my name came up, her voice was wrapped in venom. I understood instantly that if I appeared in front of her, she would kill me without listening to my explanation. So, I hid, and waited. I waited for her to calm down. At the same time, I secretly tried making it easier for her to survive by making tracks that would lead her to weak monsters or fruits—”

Freya snorted, which made Lotus shut up.

“A very good fitting story you have there,” Freya commented.

Ren had to agree. The story fit too properly and was too much in favor of Lotus. It basically painted her as a woman who made a mistake and desperately wanted to apologize. Of course, the story might be true. But the chances were slim, and Ren knew better than to accept it blindly.

“Go on,” Ren said.

Lotus nodded, and spoke, “After Freya somewhat recovered, she attempted to go towards the valley. I thought I should do that too. I would scout the place ahead, and come back to tell Freya about it. The information would make it easier to speak to her and apologize and… that’s where everything went wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Ren asked.

“I found the Base after I entered the valley through underground tunnels I made. I know I shouldn’t have, but I entered the Base. I got ambushed and fatally injured by the silver armored awakener, and barely ran away—”

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“What about your Beast?” Freya suddenly asked.

“…”

Lotus became silent.

Freya’s expression changed, turning genuinely shocked.

“Did you run away while leaving behind your Beast?” Freya asked, unable to understand how Lotus could leave behind someone who was no different from a soulmate.

The fact that Beasts and Beast Masters were tied by life and were almost always together meant that a Beast and Beast Master were closer than a family. Yet, Lotus left behind someone like that just to save her life.

“I didn’t have a choice—”

“Enough. I don’t want to hear more,” Freya cut her off.

“Freya—”

“Ren, we have heard enough. Meditate, and recover. We need to attack the Base soon,” Freya cut him off too.

Ren knew that Freya was not going to listen. She seemed to be in a bad mood after meeting Lotus already, and after hearing that Lotus had run away while leaving behind her Beast, she lost any goodwill she might have started to have after realizing that she could’ve been mistaken about Lotus betraying her.

If she ran away while leaving behind her Beast, we can’t trust her too much, Ren thought, staring at Lotus.

“Alright,” Ren nodded to Freya, then turned to Lotus. “You should rest and recover too. We are going to attack the Base soon.”

“A-Are you sure?” Lotus asked.

“About what?” Ren frowned.

“What if the altering of the Dimensional Pond really is being done by an alien civilization? If that is true, the silver armored awakener would have made a lot of preparations to stop any interference. We can’t stop him just with the three of us,” she said, fidgeting.

“He might be alone, and not have the backing of an alien civilization. Remember how he is the only awakener we have seen here,” Ren said.

“But he is strong. He has been defending against hundreds of monsters by himself. H-How can we win against him?” Lotus asked, afraid.

“We don’t have the luxury of being worried about ‘how’. We need to win, and we will win. That’s our only option,” Ren said.

Before Lotus could complain more, he sat down and began meditating. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, isolating himself from the tension in the tunnel. His posture relaxed, but the determination in his earlier words still lingered in the air.

Lotus stared in his direction, biting her lips. She had barely mustered the courage to go back and rescue her Beast, but after hearing about terraforming, she had lost all of her will. It didn’t make sense to her that Ren and Freya could even think of attacking the Base.

A group of awakeners were needed to fight one monster. If an awakener could fight one monster alone, they would be called talented. And if an awakener could fight a monster above their level, they would be called a genius. Fighting a group of monsters that were higher level than you was not supposed to be possible.

And yet, the silver armored awakener was defending an entire Base against hundreds of monsters alone. Of course, he used traps and cannons and a maze, but that didn’t diminish his achievement. He defeated hundreds of monsters alone.

For all Lotus knew, that silver armored awakener was the greatest genius produced by an alien civilization. That would explain how he was talented enough to fight so many monsters. Fighting something like that, with just three of them, felt absurd.

We can’t win. There is no way we can win, Lotus thought.

They had a Mechanic who screwed up her build by investing stat points into physical stats, a Beast Master who was summoned only three days ago, and herself, a Beast Master who lost her Beast. How could a ragtag group like that defeat the silver armored awakener?

We are going to die, Lotus thought.

She clenched her fists hard enough that they turned white. She wanted to run away. But…

Why are the two of you not afraid?

She stared at Ren and Freya.

Why are the two of you entering the Base without hesitation?

Perhaps Ren was correct. They would win. Freya might have screwed up her build, but she did survive alone for two months, and reached a high level. Ren might have been summoned three days ago, but he had injured the silver armored awakener once.

Maybe they could win.
No, they had to win.

Lotus desperately tried to tell herself that they would win. She didn’t know if she had decided to believe in Ren and Freya, or if she was just deluding herself.

---

Ren continued his meditation. He had yet to add a modification for Wind Surge and Mana Zone. Right now, just before the battle, it was time he added those modifications.

Mana Zone, I want a modification that changes the shape of Mana Zone without changing the volume, Ren said.

A modification like that is not easy to control. The farther the Mana Zone he would stretch, the more unstable it would become. Did he still want that modification?

Yes, he answered back.

[Mana Zone Spell has been modified.]

(New) [Modification: The Mana Zone’s total volume remains constant but it can be reshaped into alternative forms depending on user’s will. However, the more the zone is extended, the more unstable it becomes. Highly stretched sections have reduced mana density, weaker control, and may flicker or collapse if pushed too far.]

Ren checked his Mana Zone. He focused, changing the shape to a long tube that was the same size as the tunnel. He was able to extend it up to 50 meters. It was a huge increase from his previous 25-meter range. Stretching the Mana Zone beyond that point made it highly unstable, and it would return to its original spherical shape like a rubber band being pulled back after stretching too much. Ren had a feeling that if he forced the Mana Zone to stretch even more, it would snap like a rubber band.