Arkelon, the Moving Fortress
“Huff! Huff!”
Zeon leaned back against the wall, gasping for breath.
He had emptied everything.
Mana, physical energy—all of it was drained.
He truly didn’t have the strength to twitch a finger.
In contrast, Dayton showed no signs of fatigue.
Not even his breathing was ragged.
Zeon was once again struck by just how inhuman Dayton was.
Zeon had killed a considerable number of wolf ants himself, but compared to Dayton, it was less than a drop in the bucket.
He had taken down most of the wolf ants in the ant den. Yet there he was, rummaging through the spawning chamber without a hint of exhaustion.
Zeon wondered what the hell the man was up to.
Crack!
What Dayton ripped out was the stone slab where the queen wolf ant had mostly sat.
The massive slab tore away like a sheet of paper.
Beneath it lay an egg the size of an adult’s fist.
“Heh heh!”
Dayton lifted the egg and examined it.
A faint glow emanated from it.
“Just as I thought!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Eat it.”
“What?”
Dayton tossed the egg to Zeon.
Zeon caught it with a baffled expression.
“Why the hell should I eat this?”
“It’s the egg of the queen wolf ant.”
“That’s not what I’m asking!”
“It’s not just any egg—it’s the one that would become the next queen. The queen wolf ant’s essence is melted into it.”
“Like the sand croc’s gall?”
“Better. Eat it.”
“Ugh!”
Zeon hesitated, holding the egg. But he soon squeezed his eyes shut and brought it to his mouth.
As the shell cracked, the contents spilled into his mouth and down his throat.
The moment the egg slid past his esophagus, Zeon felt an excruciating heat as if his entire body was ablaze.
“Arghhh!”
In agony, Zeon screamed and rolled on the ground.
The pain from eating the sand croc’s gall was child’s play compared to this.
It felt like a sharp awl stabbing relentlessly into his gut.
No one could endure this in their right mind.
Dayton simply watched Zeon writhe, making no move to help.
“In this fucked-up world, you’d better get used to pain if you want to survive.”
This was pain for the sake of strength.
It didn’t even qualify as true suffering in Dayton’s eyes.
Dayton left Zeon be and approached the queen wolf ant’s corpse.
He had sliced cleanly at the neck and torso junction, leaving the body pristine without a single blemish.
Obtaining a queen wolf ant corpse this intact wasn’t easy.
There was nothing to discard from a queen wolf ant’s body.
Its pair of antennae were top-tier items for detecting ghost-type monsters, and its six legs were incredibly durable, perfect for weapon crafting.
And that wasn’t all.
Squelch!
Dayton plunged his hand into the queen’s torso and rummaged around.
When he pulled it out, a stone the size of a fist gleamed in his grasp.
A magic stone.
And one of exceptionally high purity at that.
Fitting for a queen, it carried a magic stone within.
Magic stones weren’t exclusive to mines.
Some monsters carried them too, like this one.
These were far purer than mined ones and often infused with the monster’s energy, making them highly versatile.
Its carapace could craft premium armor, and the organs served as materials for various uses.
Dayton summoned his subspace and stored the queen wolf ant’s entire corpse.
Zeon’s torment hadn’t ended yet.
He was now too weak to even scream, curled up like a shrimp, retching.
It looked like digesting the queen’s egg would take quite some time.
Thud!
Dayton stabbed Clayon into the ground and sat down heavily.
Forged from a flame drake’s heart, Clayon now exuded a fiercer aura.
A subtle red sheen also glossed its blade.
But such superficial changes meant little to Dayton.
What truly mattered was Clayon’s essence.
“My friend……”
Hummm!
As if responding, Clayon let out a sword cry.
The cry lingered, and Dayton listened intently.
Only after a long while did he speak.
“Yeah! I know. But there’s no choice.”
Hummm!
“If he’s weak, he dies. That’s just his fate.”
Hummmm!
“Don’t you know? Time’s running out for us…… We need him, no question.”
Hummm!
“Right! You’re correct. But……”
The conversation between man and sword continued for some time.
＊＊＊
“Haa!”
Zeon opened his eyes with a sigh.
His whole body ached like he’d been beaten with a hammer.
His limbs felt utterly powerless—the clear aftereffect of consuming the queen wolf ant’s egg yesterday.
He’d endured gut-stabbing pain all night, so it was no wonder his body refused to cooperate.
At least his limbs were intact; he had that to be grateful for.
Checking his mana, Zeon jolted in surprise.
The amount had at least tripled, maybe quadrupled.
“What the……?”
“You’ve shaken off that mana premature ejaculation issue a bit now.”
Dayton’s voice came suddenly.
Turning, Zeon saw him rising, stowing Clayon.
“The egg I ate boosted my mana?”
“Yeah. Some monster eggs increase mana. Not all do—only special ones like the one you took.”
“Ugh!”
“Rest’s over. Get up. How long you gonna laze around?”
“Y-Yes! Coming!”
Zeon gripped his trembling legs and stood.
He knew whining about pain wouldn’t earn sympathy from Dayton.
Better to grit his teeth and move—for his own sanity.
His mana had multiplied several times thanks to Dayton; this pain was nothing.
Zeon followed Dayton out of the ant den.
“Whew!”
He never thought scorching sunlight and fresh air could feel so welcoming.
While Zeon savored it, Dayton was already striding far ahead.
Zeon hurriedly unleashed Sand Step to catch up.
Shhh!
His body glided over the sand.
With ample mana, he no longer needed to move his legs; he could manipulate the sand freely.
Keeping up with Dayton was effortless now.
Zeon pulled his robe low over his face.
The fierce battle with the wolf ants had scratched and holed the outer layer.
But over time, it slowly restored itself.
The sand croc hide’s unique regenerative property at work.
By half a day later, the robe was flawless again.
Its heat-blocking ability remained intact.
Combined with Sand Step, traversing the desert felt easy now.
Zeon pulled a strip of jerky from his bosom and chewed slowly, lost in thought.
‘What’s his final destination?’
In this vast desert, what was he seeking? Zeon was dying to know.
If they hadn’t started together, maybe he wouldn’t care. But now, curiosity alone compelled him to stick around.
Then it hit.
A thick sandstorm blew in.
An especially fierce wind swept up the surrounding dunes.
Zeon tugged his robe tight and narrowed his eyes.
An ordinary person would lose their bearings or visibility. But for Zeon, it was mere inconvenience.
He raised his control to keep sand from his face. The robe shielded the rest.
Whoooosh!
The sandstorm engulfed the world.
Nothing but a curtain of sand; Dayton was invisible.
Zeon stayed calm.
His expanded mana had widened his sensory range dramatically.
He sensed Dayton’s presence dozens of meters ahead, walking atop the sand. Each step sharpened the feel.
As if the sands themselves reported Dayton’s position.
‘So this is what ranking up feels like.’
He glanced at his rank badge.
Two lines glowed.
The deep orange proved he was an E-rank Awakener. But that was just surface level.
In truth, he was far stronger than a typical E-rank, with vastly more mana.
Thanks to Dayton’s brutal training.
It allowed rapid growth.
And freedom from conventions, maximizing his abilities’ potential.
‘Imagination is key.’
He’d felt it fighting the wolf ants.
Sticking to preset skills was foolish.
The same skill’s power varied wildly by application.
Infinite imagination, turned to reality.
That was Zeon’s true strength.
Something he’d never grasp without Dayton’s harsh methods.
‘Doesn’t change that he’s a dog of an old bastard, though……’
He always pushed Zeon to his limits, expecting survival.
Fall short, and he’d be discarded without mercy.
Zeon no longer cared about being abandoned.
Still, he wanted to follow to the end.
For the belief that he’d grow stronger.
No more hiding powerless, chased by the weak.
He didn’t know this path’s end, but trailing Dayton would one day yield similar might.
Lost in thought amid the storm, the wind suddenly died, vision clearing.
Dayton’s back came into view ahead.
He stared forward, sand piled on his head and shoulders, unbrushed.
Suddenly, Dayton halted.
‘What’s up?’
Sunset was hours away.
No time for rest.
Zeon approached.
Even beside him, Dayton stared ahead, unresponsive.
Zeon’s gaze followed.
‘What’s there?’
Zeon’s eyes widened at the horizon where sky met desert.
Something enormous moved.
Thud! Thud!
The heavy pounding revealed a massive turtle.
Unlike normal ones, it was thousands of times larger, its shell fortress-like.
A blue barrier, trait of B-rank or higher, enveloped it.
“What…… is that?”
“Mobile fortress, Arkelon.”
“Arkelon?”
“Yeah. Turtle-shaped monster. Officially B-rank, but its defenses rival A-rank or better. That’s why they remodeled the shell into a fortress and ride it.”
“Humans tame and ride something that huge?”
Zeon’s face filled with disbelief.
It sounded impossible. Yet here was the proof: a turtle bearing a fortress.
Arkelon headed straight for them.
It seemed slow, but its size closed the distance fast.
Up close, it was overwhelming.
Nearly the size of a village.
Inconceivable that humans tamed such a beast.
Thud!
Arkelon finally stopped before them.
The fortress gate opened, revealing a figure.
An elderly man, face etched with wrinkles.
He pushed up his slipping glasses with an index finger and eyed Dayton.
“I wasn’t sure from afar, but it really is you, Dayton.”