Katt's Fossil Map
"Aleckkk!"
I turned at the voice calling from behind me.
He's safe.
Katt, the king mantis with his usual slightly dopey expression. Even after all this time, he hadn't changed a bit.
I gave him a small smile and raised one hand in greeting.
"Huh?"
But Katt froze when he saw me, his eyes wide with confusion.
"Aleck... is that really you?"
He stood rigid a few steps away, scanning me up and down.
"Yes, Senior. It's me, Aleck."
"Whoa."
He slapped a hand over his mouth at my words, then shook his head vigorously with his eyes round as saucers.
"No way... you've completely changed. What the hell happened? Last time we parted, you were still in the Growth Stage."
True, I've grown a lot since we last met.
No wonder he was so shocked. After we split, I'd rocketed not just to Maturity but straight to near-Complete Body.
To him, it must've looked like I'd become a whole different being overnight.
"Wh-what happened? I've heard some rumors, but... oh my god. That was all real?"
As he bombarded me with questions and caught up on old times, he asked about the raids on Chung Hak Gwan and Mantis Hall.
I calmed him down and laid out the truth behind the rumors.
"Insane... no way. Growth like that... what kind of sorcery did you pull?!"
His over-the-top reactions dragged on as usual, but since it had been so long, I let him ramble.
"Calmed down now?"
"Y-yeah. Man, Aleck... wow, I can't even. Look at your height—you're taller than me now. You sure you're not from our king mantis clan?"
His gaze had always been intense, but now it shone even brighter, like a boy idolizing a hero.
He's starting to look like Kind...
It made me a little uncomfortable, but at least he wasn't yapping like a feeler bug.
"Anyway, did you meet Dr. Merni okay?"
"Oh, right! Yeah, I did. Her lab was all about Megaera mantis research—she's dead serious. You can look forward to it. Heh."
"Oh?"
I perked up at his words. Our messages had hinted at big things, and it had me excited.
"Ta-da! Check this out."
Grinning proudly, Katt handed me a map. I unfolded it right away.
...!
I couldn't help but gasp.
"Impressive, right?"
"Whoa... yeah."
It was more than enough to justify his confidence. At least ten locations were marked on the map.
Considering I'd expected maybe three or four at best, this was huge.
Megaera mantis fossil fragments scattered everywhere like this...
It was astonishing. Finding even one without clues would've been lucky.
How did he track them down?
I had a strong hunch there was some special method involved.
I'll have to meet Merni separately later.
I looked at Katt with genuine gratitude.
"You worked hard. This is a huge gift."
"Haha! No big deal. Glad it helps. But you're really going to collect those fossil fragments? The doc said it's no joke. She just pinpointed them but couldn't go herself."
"I need them."
"Uh... okay? But what's it for?"
"I'll tell you later. Here, this is for you."
He tilted his head curiously, but I brushed it off and handed him a jar of honey in return.
It was top-grade Royal Jelly I'd gotten from the Red Rose Merchant Guild before coming. I'd remembered from the Chung Hak Gwan exam how much he loved it—hard(?) to procure, but worth it.
"Whoa! R-rank Royal Jelly? I didn't do that much... you're the best, Aleck! Thanks!"
He beamed, clearly thrilled.
Then—
Buzzzzzz—!
A massive wingbeat echoed from somewhere.
"...?"
"Wh-what?"
We looked toward the sound and spotted a black shape hurtling straight at us.
"Gah! Gr-ground wasp!"
It was a primal ground wasp. Not huge, but big enough to swallow a Growth Stage whole—and aimed right at Katt.
"R-run..."
Caught off guard, Katt froze awkwardly, mouth agape.
In that split-second crisis—
He's still got a ways to go.
I stepped in front of him. Real combat's tough for a trainee, after all.
"Aleck!"
He screamed as if I was sacrificing myself.
Words alone probably hadn't sunk in.
Partial Primalization.
Wind Blade, Thunder Blade.
Zzzzing.
Sharp scythes erupted from my arms. The wasp was still a bit away.
I summoned dual-attribute power without delay.
Whoooosh! Crackle-crackle!
Wind and thunder ether cloaked my blades.
"...Gasp!"
Katt's shock rippled from behind at the overwhelming force.
I didn't need to look—his freakout was obvious.
Wind White Swordsmanship.
First Form: Single Gale Blade.
Heavenly Thunder Swordsmanship.
Second Form: Thunder Net Piercer.
Whiiish—Flash!
BOOOOM!
Gale and lightning shot from my hands at the charging wasp.
"Kreeeek!"
It shrieked, body shredded by the strike.
Whoooosh!
But it twisted mid-charge, grazing the attack—it survived.
Not used to dual sword forms yet.
Practicing two-attribute arm combat, but my skill wasn't honed enough to adjust aim perfectly.
Still, testing simultaneous sword arts was a solid success.
"Uh-uhh..."
Katt babbled behind me, dumbfounded by the display.
"Senior, hold position."
I crouched low to pursue the fleeing wasp.
I'd failed the instant kill, but no way I'd let it escape.
Ground wasps were smart—they might call friends, remembering me. Not scary for me, but they could target Katt.
Primal Jump.
Crunch-crunch.
My legs coiled with explosive power.
BOOM!
I leaped beyond locust or mantis jumps, closing the gap instantly.
"K-ki-reet?"
It panicked at my approach, accelerating its wings, shooting up and banking sharply in acrobatics.
But—
Wobble—
It faltered mid-air.
Poison's kicking in.
That strike wasn't just wind and thunder ether. I'd laced it with Deadly Poison and Paralysis Poison—upgraded to A+ from raiding Craig's depot. Effects were spreading now.
Trembling in flight, it was doomed to crash anyway.
Can't let it go.
Shhwick!
Short wings sprouted from my back. I rocketed after it in dragonfly snatch-mode.
Slaaaash!
I cleaved its weak point—the thin joint between thorax and abdomen—bisecting it clean.
Thud, crash!
It slammed into the ground in pieces, kicking up dust. Even twitching, I finished it off.
No Predation activated—worthless corpse.
I turned back.
"Whoa..."
Katt gaped at me.
"Insane."
His face was a storm of awe at the unreal scene. Just days ago, we'd been peers—now I'd surged to Complete Body power.
Dual wind-thunder from each hand, locust-mantis leaps, dragonfly aerial kill. No wonder he was reeling.
"Senior, you'll catch flies like that."
"Ack!"
He slapped his hands over his mouth. So ridiculous, I chuckled despite myself.
Katt was still perfect for teasing.
* * *
A dim, humid cavern untouched by sunlight. Home to the diviner spider clan, webs waiting for prey everywhere.
An uninvited guest slipped in.
Swish.
"Hm?"
Kerau, elder of the diviner spiders, sensed a presence and peered ahead.
Nothing. His traps were intact—no snags.
Over-sensitive?
As he tilted his head—
Pierce!
"Guhk."
Death's shadow struck. Agony bloomed in his chest—he looked down.
A jagged blade protruded from his heart, thrust from behind.
"How...?"
Slash!
No more words. A follow-up severed his head.
A pathetic end for a Complete Body powerhouse.
Continent-dwellers would've been stunned. Conventional wisdom: you needed one stage higher to tackle web-settled diviner spiders. Even Ultimates struggled silently.
Only one could pull this off.
"Target eliminated."
Sahan, ghost ant super-assassin—future "Assassin King" or "Death's Reaper."
His cold face matched his dry declaration.
"Next target... hm?"
Checking his bonus mission, he voiced doubt.
He blinked—same info.
"Slim mantis clan... Aleck? Complete Body unconfirmed, but matching power..."
Slim mantises were weak by nature, even at Complete. Ants vs. mantises aside, "ghost" outclassed "slim."
Target one? He'd planned to dump it on Sarhan.
But the note: "Sahan must handle personally." Threw him.
"...A breather?"
He muttered, noting Aleck's last sighting.
Made sense—it was his job. But still, his easiest lately.
Stretch.
Sahan cracked his back, pumped for warmup.
For now, that's all he thought.
* * *
Before parting with Katt:
"Aleck! You're really going to Kasaya Jungle? Even Complete Bodies are at risk there..."
Kasaya Jungle. He fretted repeatedly, but couldn't sway me.
A fossil fragment—likely a forelimb—marked plain as day. How could I resist?
Perfect timing after deciding to reinforce my forelimbs first.
And it's nearby, too.
Sure, per Katt, Kasaya was deadly. Less unknown than Eternal Mountains, but teeming with bigger, fiercer primals in its natural density.
But that won't stop me.
I smiled toward the distant Kasaya Jungle.