The environment was harsh but still manageable. Brand's cyborg body had a thermoregulation function. The only issue was water. Water was still crucial, as it helped absorb heat. He needed water.
His only source of water? Cactus.
He started harvesting every cactus he saw across the desert and squeezed them for water. These activities helped him secure enough to keep going.
On the holographic map, between his location and the Emas Tribe, there was an oasis. He decided to detour there for a short rest, even though it would cost him an extra day.
"It's okay; survival comes first," he told himself. Besides, a neutral dot on the map indicated someone was there. Maybe they could travel together if their paths happened to overlap.
"Let's head toward the oasis." He told Seraphine his decision while seeking reaffirmation. If it were a bad idea, she would probably give him a hint, like she always did.
Fortunately, she agreed with him.
"Sure. You might encounter some monsters along the way, which will help you level up," she replied.
They continued their journey, heading toward the oasis for the time being.
***
The sun hung high in the sky, scorching the desert below. Brand endured the intense heat through hours of travel. But the scenery remained the same, which made him lose his sense of time and space. It was just sand dunes over sand dunes, no matter how long he traveled.
Occasionally, there were monsters, and he killed them along the way. But even after hours of travel, his level remained the same.
"I think I killed about three Sand Wolves, five Sand Beetles, and one Sand Vulture," Brand complained to Seraphine.
"Monsters you killed before will give less exp, and the more you kill, you'll get less and eventually none", Seraphine replied. "So technically, you got two fresh kills since you last checked your status."
'So… I cannot farm on the same type of monsters only…'
"But the good news is, you're almost there!" Seraphine said, pointing to the black mass of cloud in front of him.
Brand scratched his head at the sight. There was one massive dot on his map, so he thought it would be a gigantic monster.
Although a large monster was alarming, he had the confidence to escape it. He had the speed to pull it off, considering he had managed to escape a dragon's pursuit.
But in front of him were countless flying insects swarming in his direction.
"That's a rare sight!" Seraphine exclaimed.
GHOST was registering the identity of the insect swarm for him. Brand's complexion went pale as he read the holographic text in his vision.
[Scarab Swarm – A swarm of Black Scarabs. Omen of death.]
[Black Scarab – A metallic-brown beetle, sensitive to ground vibrations. It has strong wings that make a whirring sound with each beat. While individual beetles don't make a distinct sound, collectively they sound like distant thunder.]
"This looks like a shitstorm…" Brand panicked.
The sounds they made were terrifying. He could see that the distance between him and the swarm was far, but it still produced such a strong noise. It really was just as GHOST had described.
It was like a black mass in a lightning storm.
'Beatable at my level? You're kidding me!'
Even the Sand Dragon he had met earlier would have avoided confronting a swarm of such beetles.
No matter where they passed, a hurricane seemed to erupt, and trails of sand were traced behind them. It was like they were a force of nature.
"Okay, Sera, I don't think I can do this," Brand said while searching for shelter. The man was just suicidal.
"But you just need to kill one of them, remember?" Seraphine tried to convince him. "Fresh kill for the experience bonus!"
"ALSO!" Seraphine continued. "You might gain a Title?"
"Wait, what do you mean?" Brand asked. If what Seraphine said was true, he could gain a new Title and the skill that came with it.
Intrigued, he asked, "How?"
"Okay, you just need to face the swarm head-on," Seraphine replied.
Brand was speechless for a moment, waiting for her cue that she was joking.
"Nah, I'm not joking." Seraphine tried to dismiss Brand's worry.
"You could get a skill related to defense if you survive that," she elaborated. "Imagine facing a storm of a thousand beetles head-on. What an achievement!"
"That's impossible… You're asking me to go on a suicidal mission…" Brand felt resigned, thinking that the little angel was being impractical.
"You've got a cyborg body!" Seraphine exclaimed. "You also have 10 seconds of stealth from GHOST Mode."
Although Brand thought she had a point, when the swarm got closer, he could see just how massive it was.
"Okay, impossible," Seraphine bluntly commented.
Brand sighed at the sight of the little angel.
"It's okay, we'll get another chance to challenge it," Brand consoled Seraphine. She seemed sad that he wouldn't take on the challenge now.
"An achievement has the strongest effect when you challenge it at a higher difficulty," Seraphine explained to Brand.
"Imagine challenging this swarm as Level 1 compared to when you're Level 100."
"It would be so easy that it could hardly register as an achievement. Taking on the challenge at Level 100 would be a stroll."
"An achievement needs to be recognized by the world. That you're challenging an impossible feat!"
Seraphine continued to bombard him with explanations about the achievement feature.
"If I were unable to make it through the entire cloud?" he asked.
"Let's say I could only make it through half, but I pulled out in the middle so that I could survive, yet withstood as much as possible."
"Would the world recognize this effort? It was supposed to still be a huge feat, right? To withstand the animosity when I'm still a weak Level 2?"
"Hmm, it could work," Seraphine replied, seeming to be in deep thought.
"Okay, then let's prepare." Brand patted Seraphine's head while looking at the massive swarm of Black Scarabs.