"We are finally out of that Forest." Miranda muttered, her voice hoarse, the lingering shadows of the Rat-hunt clinging to her. She instinctively shielded her face from the desert sun, looking over her shoulder at the oppressive, sudden boundary of the forest.
"This is just the first leg. Keep heading north, and we'll hit Galaxy City." Jessica instructed, her arms folded across her chest. She walked ahead of the column, a silent, powerful figure, while her forty-nine soldiers fanned out, their gazes sweeping the desolate, sun-baked desert.
"This world is so weird... We appeared in a simple wilderness, then we plunged into a dense, monster-filled forest, and now, stepping out of the shade, we meet a desert," Angela grumbled, walking mechanically between Miranda and Alice. "It doesn't make any rational sense. How can biomes change this drastically?"
"Rationality is an Earth concept, kid," Captain Miller remarked, adjusting the strap on his rifle.
Ethan dropped back to walk beside the Captain. "Captain Miller, if you don't mind me asking… the General said we're fighting to go back. What happened in our world? Are you guys truly the only surviving military division?" He asked, keeping his voice low.
The burly man exhaled slowly, the sound rough and dry. "Earth isn't the stable planet we knew anymore. The monsters that tore through our home... they make these Rats look like common field mice. Before the General pulled us through the Fall, we heard scrambled radio reports. They were saying that even tactical nuclear weapons failed to destroy a single high-level monster near the Pacific Rim."
Ethan's smile vanished, replaced by a look of sheer horror. "Nuclear weapons? The government authorized the use of nuclear weapons? What about the hundreds of thousands of civilians in that zone?"
"I don't know, Kid. And you can't think like that here. Monsters that shrug off a nuclear payload? That's not a problem you solve with treaties and humanitarian aid." Miller gestured towards Jessica's back, a profound, weary respect in the movement.
"We followed the General into this world—into the Galaxy Fall. Her plan is simple: get stronger faster here, exploit the world, and then return with enough power to take back our world. Fighting those things with our current strength and mad-made weapons is suicide."
Ethan wrestled with the staggering implication. "Do you think we can actually do it? Fight monsters that survive a nuke?"
"I don't know," Miller admitted, his gaze drifting over the formation. "We already lost ten good comrades since the Fall began—and that was just hours ago. We need to be careful, we need to be ruthless, and we need to trust the General's insight. That's all we can do."
_
The sun began its rapid descent, painting the endless, desolate landscape in hues of deep orange and blood red. The temperature dropped with unnerving speed.
"Halt! We will stop here for the night, the light is failing." Jessica stopped abruptly and turned, her red hair catching the last rays of light.
"Huh? We will stay in the desert?" Miranda asked, genuinely shocked. For someone who was accustomed to penthouse suites and five-star travel, the thought of sleeping directly on the sand was a profound humiliation.
"Yes. We can't travel at night," Jessica stated, raising her head to the darkening, alien sky. "The night shift brings out different, faster, and often camouflaged creatures that we cannot afford to engage right now. We will establish a secure perimeter. Captain Miller, scout the immediate area ahead, and set the boundary. We will take turns on lookout."
"Yes, General!" The forty-nine remaining soldiers acknowledged the order with a crisp salute, their fatigue momentarily forgotten.
Jessica turned her attention to the four students. "You four will stay in the center of the camp, close to my tent. You need to rest—mentally and physically. You'll need every ounce of strength you can muster starting tomorrow." The students nodded, recognizing the non-negotiable tone of her instructions.
__
Meanwhile, on the distant, opposite side of the continent, Mirabella had reached her destination.
"Stop, Cupcake. Stop immediately." Mirabella's voice was sharp, a chilling urgency replacing her usual playful tone. Her companion instantly obeyed, freezing mid-stride, hovering silently twenty feet above the rocky ground.
"Don't get close to that tree."
With her command registered, Cupcake, descended swiftly and landed a thousand meters from a colossal, eerie structure. It was not wood but something denser, blacker, and utterly devoid of warmth. The great black tree, its broad leaves spread like oily velvet, seemed to absorb the twilight itself. Cupcake shrank instantly, transforming into a small, pure white cat, which Mirabella picked up and placed upon her shoulder.
"What is that tree, Master? I have never seen a black tree before," Cupcake murmured, the fear in her tone palpable even in her small form.
"That Tree, Cupcake, is a Boss-level Monster," Mirabella said, a small, dangerous smile touching her lips. "And this time, I will kill it before it kills me."
She activated the system, projecting a detailed, holographic pane of data into the air.
{Information.}
{Name: Black Soul Eater... Boss.}
{Level: 30.}
{Weakness: Weak against fire attacks.}
{Difficulty: Very High.}
{Attack: 1,500.}
{Health: 5,000/5,000.}
{Defense: 5,000/5,000.}
{Agility: 0.}
{Trait: Immune to earth elemental attacks. 50% increase in Attack speed. Absorb soul to increase health.}
"Galaxy Fall bracelet don't give trait, so it comes with the system. Now I know why most of my team in my previous life get their soul sucked away in a flash... Its attack speed is higher than our reaction speed, so we almost got wiped out." She sighed, then a smirk appeared on her face.
"Its attack speed is higher than our reaction time," she sighed, the smirk returning. "That's why our defenses were useless. It fires its soul-sucking projectiles faster than we can register the threat."
"This life, I will personally claim your full 5,000 Health Points, Soul Eater."
She turned her head to the little cat on her shoulder. "We must make sure to deal lethal damage in one attack. If it spots us and engages, we're dead before we even know the attack has landed."
"But how, Master? Its Defense is 5,000," Cupcake asked, her tiny forehead furrowed in confusion.
"My base physical Attack is only 100, yes. But my attacks can be multiply by one hundred times. That means each successful strike is multiplied one hundred times, dealing 10,000 damage per hit." She smiled, a truly terrifying sight. "If I use Arrow Storm and create a rapid-fire volley of elemental arrows..."
"Won't that be overkill? You only need 5,000 damage," Cupcake whispered.
"Of course it's overkill," Mirabella confirmed, her gaze sweeping the perimeter.
"We need to finish that Boss in one move. If it discovered us, we'll be vaporized before we can even shift our weight. My raw Defense is far too low, and my Health Point is only marginally higher than its single Attack value."
She moved her gaze, mapping the uneven terrain, calculating wind velocity, and measuring the precise distance.
"Okay. I have the plan."