Chapter 47 – Lumeris Outpost
The outpost of Lumeris City shimmered like a dream carved into volcanic stone. Floating basalt cliffs hung suspended by gravity locks, their undersides glowing with streams of molten light. Every structure pulsed with life — walls lined with neon glyphs, walkways of silver glass arching above rivers of orange mist. The hum of radiant cores filled the air, blending machine and nature into one living organism.
As Vaibhav, Shin, and Alicia stepped off the transport platform, their wrist devices buzzed softly — syncing automatically to Venarae's planetary grid.
Thin lines of light projected upward, forming a translucent holographic map above their arms.
> [Venarae Navigation Protocol: Active]
Green Zones → Safe Exploration Sectors
Red Zones → Predator Territories
Dozens of small drones zipped through the sky, their lenses flickering with scanning light, marking fluctuations of energy across the landscape.
"Whoa…" Shin tilted his wrist, zooming in on the red marks clustering to the north. "So… A GPS, but for death levels. Nice."
Alicia's gaze moved across the holographic projections, eyes calculating. "Radiation density is higher than standard Exalted zones," she murmured.
Vaibhav didn't reply. His eyes wandered across the cliff edge — the air shimmered faintly, alive with invisible threads of life energy. He felt them pulsing beneath his skin, as though the planet itself was breathing.
A breeze brushed his hair, warm and metallic.
He exhaled slowly.
Hours later, the trio ventured past the city perimeter — into the first red zone.
The terrain here was nothing like the serene outpost.
Cracked plains of molten glass spread to the horizon, reflecting the copper sky. Each step hissed as heat rippled beneath their boots.
Vaibhav's wrist-map blinked: Hostile Signature Detected – 300 meters east.
Through the haze, a shadow slinked between razor-thin vines growing from black stone. The vines shivered — slicing even the drifting dust in half.
A low growl echoed.
The Razorvine Leopard emerged, its fur interwoven with metallic tendrils that glinted crimson. Its eyes burned with unnatural light, and its claws dripped venom that sizzled against the earth.
"Please tell me this one doesn't explode," Shin muttered, cracking his neck.
"Don't provoke it and maybe we'll find out," Alicia replied, steadying her rifle.
Vaibhav smirked faintly, eyes still on the beast. "If you won't shut up, You're gonna explode."
Shin grinned. "Noted. Boss."
The Leopard's body lowered, tail slicing the air — a living whip of steel.
The Leopard leapt.
Shin was already moving — aura flaring around him like blue wind. His body blurred, momentum bending space as he sidestepped the first swipe and countered with a spin-kick that cracked the beast's jaw. Sparks flew as claw met aura.
"Fast little bastard!" Shin laughed, ducking as a metal tendril whistled past his head.
Vaibhav slammed his palm to the ground. The dust burst upward — a kinetic diversion that cloaked the field. He flicked his fingers, launching concentrated energy spheres that detonated midair, forcing the Leopard to twist aside.
Alicia's visor glowed.
Her wrist display locked onto the creature's pattern.
Her voice was steady — calm against chaos. "Vector locked. Three o'clock."
She fired.
A silver bolt of resonance energy sliced through the dust cloud, grazing the Leopard's shoulder and burning away part of its tendrils.
The beast hissed — its back arched, and dozens of poisoned quills shot outward in a storm.
Shin reacted instantly — spinning, he kicked off a shattered vine, his movements weaving through the barrage. Each quill that got close was deflected by Vaibhav's energy bursts.
Alicia reloaded without looking away, rhythm steady.
The Leopard's eyes glowed brighter — energy pooling in its mouth.
"Down!" Vaibhav barked.
A wave of green plasma exploded from the beast's maw, cutting through the air. Shin dove left, Alicia slid behind a chunk of stone, and Vaibhav met it head-on — his right arm glowing as a translucent barrier flared to life. The blast struck — the barrier cracked but held.
He exhaled, heat rolling off him. "Annoying pet."
Shin grinned, panting. "Think you can hit it harder?"
"Think you can stop talking?"
Alicia's eyes narrowed. "Both of you — left flank!"
They moved in sync.
Vaibhav threw a burst of condensed energy into the ground — it detonated under the Leopard's feet, shattering its balance. Shin darted forward, aura vibrating around his fists, landing a clean strike across its jaw.
The Leopard staggered — roared — and lunged straight into Alicia's targeting reticle.
Her finger tightened on the trigger.
A flash of silver light split the red haze —
The shot drilled through the creature's spine.
Silence.
Vaibhav stood before the fallen beast, chest rising slowly. He pressed his palm against its hide.
Faint threads of green light spiraled from its corpse — life force leaking, drifting toward him. The air shimmered as that energy entered his body, disappearing beneath his skin like ink dissolving in water.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
[+6 Mutated Exalted Power Points Gained]
Vaibhav closed his eyes again, feeling the residual aura sinking into his veins.
He exhaled once, eyes flickering gold for a heartbeat. Then he reached into the beast's chest, tearing through the sinew and plating until his hand closed around a glowing crystal core.
He pulled out the shard — black with violet veins pulsing faintly.
Shin dropped onto a rock, panting. "And you call me messy."
Alicia walked over, scanning the shard with her wrist interface. "Stability: 93%. Efficient harvest."
Shin reached for it, and Vaibhav tossed it his way. "Your turn."
Shin smirked and absorbed it.
[+5 Mutated Exalted Power Points Gained]
For a moment, they stood in the silent wasteland.
Above them, aurora flickered crimson and gold — as if Venarae itself acknowledged their first victory.
Shin grinned. "Round one — flawless teamwork. Mostly."
Alicia raised a brow. "You nearly got impaled twice."
"'Nearly' is the keyword," he said proudly.
Later that day, the trio ventured deeper into the crimson-glowing valley where crystal forests grew like frozen flames.
The ground trembled—then burst open.
A Crimson Ravager, serpentine and wingless, emerged from the rock, scales blazing like molten mirrors.
"Another one?" Shin groaned. "This planet needs a hobby."
Vaibhav's lips twitched. "You're the hobby."
Alicia raised her weapon. "Focus."
The Ravager lunged, jaws splitting to reveal nested fangs of energy.
Shin darted forward—his speed sharper now, movements synchronized with Vaibhav's feints. Each of Shin's steps kicked dust cyclones, cutting the Ravager's aim.
Vaibhav mirrored him, appearing at odd angles—projecting faint energy bursts that confused the beast's senses.
The Ravager thrashed violently, flames spilling from its scales.
Alicia's sight locked on.
Her shots cut through the blaze—each impact precise, breaking the beast's rhythm.
Finally, as Shin spun and redirected the Ravager's charge, Alicia's last bolt struck through its open maw, detonating deep inside.
The beast's body convulsed, molten cracks spreading along its scales before it crashed down.
Silence returned—only the soft hiss of cooling stone.
[Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
Shin tore open the corpse, retrieving a blood-red shard and tossing it to Alicia.
"Your turn."
She nodded. "About time."
Vaibhav's hand brushed the air—the dying life force swirled toward him, absorbed in seconds. His aura flickered faintly with silver light.
Vaibhav: [+4 Mutated Exalted Power Points Gained]
Shin grinned, hands on hips. "You're basically a walking battery, Vyuk. Hacker confirmed."
Vaibhav smirked. "Guess I'm efficient."
Alicia deadpanned, "At least someone is."
Alicia sat cross-legged atop a broken crystal, holding the shard in both palms.
The light seeped through her gloves, threads of energy winding into her wrist device. Runes flared—sharper and more intricate than the others had ever seen.
Her eyes reflected the system interface as it unfolded before her.
[+4 Mutated Exalted Power Points Gained]
[Status Screen – Alicia]
Name: Alicia
Lifespan: 1000 Years
Height: 174 cm
Weight: 58 kg
Ordinary: 0/100
Mutated Ordinary: 0/100
Exalted: 0/100
Mutated Exalted: 4/100
Mythic: 0/100
Mutated Mythic: 0/100
Transcendent: 0/100
Mutated Transcendent: 0/100
System Architecture – "Genesis Codex Protocol (Lin Xuan Derivative)"
Night settled slowly.
They stood atop a ridge, overlooking glowing rivers that carved through misty forests below. The light reflected off their combat suit—three silhouettes against an alien horizon.
Shin stretched, yawning. "Teamwork's improving. We might actually survive this."
Alicia: "Don't jinx it."
Vaibhav didn't answer. His gaze stayed on the distance where the horizon pulsed faintly red.
Something vast moved beyond the ridge—a roar deeper than any beast they'd faced rolled through the valley.