Kelly held the chair tightly as the car suddenly shot into the air. The brief moment of weightlessness ended just as fast, replaced by a brutal crash as the vehicle slammed back down onto its metallic wheels.
The impact kicked up a huge cloud of dust, and the car screeched across the sand while the driver fought to steady it and pushed on through the desert ahead.
What unsettled Kelly wasn't the chaos outside—it was the driver himself. He didn't look panicked. Not even a little. His expression stayed maddeningly calm, like this kind of near-death jolt was something he dealt with before breakfast.
Kelly could imagine way too many ways this whole thing could go horribly wrong, so his calm wasn't calming at all. It was the opposite.
"What are those creatures?" she asked, her voice tight. Her face felt drained of all color. The Draconian girl beside her was trembling hard, sweat gathering on her skin. On the other side, Yul only clicked her tongue, eyes filled with boredom as if nothing happening here mattered.
The driver glanced back through the mirror, let out a slow sigh, and answered, "Those are the Sandreavers. Nasty bunch. But don't worry too much—most of them are predator-level beasts. This tanked baby can handle that."
Kelly raised an eyebrow. Instinctively, she reached out to her private universal encyclopedia.
"Hey, system… how strong is a predator-level beast actually? Can I take one on?"
Regarding predator-level strength, beasts follow a basic ranking system, in ascending order:
Feral.
Predator.
Havoc.
Ravager.
Warlord.
Titan.
Apex.>
Kelly stared at the list, eyebrows lifting as curiosity nudged at her. "Then what are my chances against a Havoc?" she asked.
The system interface pulsed, lines of text snapping into place.
Kelly shot it a glare. Seriously? It couldn't have worded that a little less harshly?
Before she could think of a comeback, a faint vibration rolled through the vehicle. It wasn't like the earlier thuds—this one felt different. Deeper. As if the desert itself had shifted under them.
The driver's reaction hit her harder than the tremor. His body stiffened, and the calm expression he'd held onto so confidently tightened into something close to panic. His hands clamped around the steering wheel.
"We… we may have a problem…" he managed, voice unsteady.
New Mission: A beast horde approaches. The children of the ancient desert god have awakened and hunger for blood. Successor of Eternis, prove your worth. Carve a path through the scourge before you are devoured!
Reward:
1. A beginner's guide to the Dao of Alchemy.
2. A beginner's guide to the Dao of Blacksmithing.
3. A beginner's guide to the Dao of Array Formation.
Penalty: DEATH!>
"Of course," Kelly muttered with a sigh. "The old guy's been doing this for eighteen years without issues. It's just my luck this happens now."
She didn't get the chance to say anything else before it struck.
The vehicle shot backward like a fired bullet, spinning wildly in the air from the impact. Kelly clenched her teeth and held onto the chair for dear life. Beside her, the Draconian girl was flailing, screaming like the sky was falling.
Yulvaris, on the other hand, didn't even flinch. She sat there calmly, a small smile tugging at her lips as if this chaos was nothing more than a leisurely ride.
The armored car slammed back down with a violent screech, skidding across the sand and wobbling dangerously before it managed to right itself.
"What is happening, you old fart?!" the Draconian girl yelled, voice cracking with fear. "Is this normal scorched land stuff?!"
The driver didn't answer right away. His hands were shaking, jerking the steering wheel back and forth as his eyes darted across the windshield display.
"It's… it's a beast horde," he finally forced out through clenched teeth. "This event only happens once every seven years—and the monitor servers always give a warning. This one came out of nowhere, unless…" His jaw tightened. "Unless those disgusting nobles paid someone to keep quiet. Perfect way to thin out the commoners heading to the ancient ruins. Bastards!"
A heavy thud slammed into the side door, followed by the harsh sound of metal grinding as claws scraped against the steel. The whole vehicle rocked violently as the creatures outside clawed and bit at the frame. Every time the driver tried to push forward, the impact of the beasts slowed the vehicle down again.
He didn't need to say anything—Kelly could feel it. The car wouldn't hold forever. And if it failed…
A cold tremor ran down her spine.
"Open the doors," Kelly said, steadying her breath as she spoke. Her voice came out firm, more controlled than she felt.
The driver shot her a quick look—he understood exactly what she meant. But he shook his head immediately, sweat dripping down his face as he struggled to keep the vehicle moving.
"Forgive me… but you're a Dust Initiate. You're probably the least helpful person right now—"
The vehicle lurched sharply as something slammed into the opposite side, the metal wall denting inward with a sickening crunch.
Kelly didn't hesitate. Cosmic Dust surged around her arm, condensing into a glowing purple hammer. Her eyes hardened as she fixed the driver with a sharp glare. "I'm going to blast this whole vehicle into scraps if you don't move. Now."
The Draconian girl's eyes flew wide the moment she saw the hammer. "Wei… Wielder Stage!" she shrieked, going pale.
Yulvaris only scoffed, rolling her eyes as if the reaction was ridiculous—but the faint lift at the corner of her mouth showed how entertained she really was.
With a loud metallic clank, the roof hatch slid open, letting in a sandstorm of dust and the deafening roar of beasts. Screams—raw, agonized—cut through the chaos outside.
"It's safer up top! Don't die, girl!" the driver shouted, but Kelly was already moving. She leapt up through the opening before he even finished.
She landed on the roof, boots skidding slightly on the shaking metal. She barely had time to take in the battlefield before something lunged at her.
A massive creature swooped down from above—three serpent-like heads, all hissing, all spitting venom, attached to a chitin-covered, insectoid body with beating wings. It came straight for her face.
She barely managed to raise a shield of Cosmic Dust in front of her.
BAM!
The creature smashed straight through it, the venom eating away the shattered pieces. Two purple blades shot out from her sides, spinning wildly through the air before slicing into the beast. All three heads were torn apart with a wet, nauseating squelch.
Kelly's gaze swept over the battlefield—and her breath caught.
It was a massacre.
Human entrails were scattered across the sand while the monsters ripped through armored vehicles like they were nothing more than flimsy sheets. Screaming passengers were dragged out and torn limb from limb. A few people had banded together, fighting desperately to carve out a path.
But it was useless.
Against a horde, it was pure desperation. For every monster cut down, more surged in, filling the gaps instantly. The creatures gnawed through bone and tendon while their victims were still alive, their screams blending with the crunch of teeth. The sand was soaked dark red, and the air reeked of blood and torn flesh. Wet chewing sounds echoed across the desert like a macabre chorus.
The metallic rumble beneath her snapped Kelly out of her daze. Five wolf-like beasts—huge, snarling, furious—had surrounded the vehicle. They rammed their bodies against the sides, jaws snapping as they tried to tear the car apart from the outside.
Kelly let out a tired sigh as a long sledgehammer, nearly three meters in length, formed from Cosmic Dust in her hand. "Since the damn system wants me to learn blacksmithing, I might as well practice," she muttered, gripping the hammer with both hands before bringing it down on the first wolf creature.