"Fucking hell!!" Enzo cursed as he looked at the screen in front of him.
The bone-winged Nepron was a much stronger species of creature in the desert, quite evident with how many sand Trihorns it took to kill just one.
A weapon from it was bound to be more powerful than a mere sand Trihorn.
Unfortunately, even after meticulously planning, he didn't get an echo from killing the bone-winged Nepron. Rather, he got this:
[Golden Sand Drill]
[Rank: Hallowed]
[Tier: Noble]
[Description: A dagger that drills through the hearts and bones of those who oppose it, fine-edged and tempered by the sun]
The weapon was a dagger with four sharp corners made from something that seemed to be chitinous. One touch from one of the corners was enough to cut through the skin of anyone who touched it.
But that wasn't all.
-grinnnnnn!!!
With a casual flick, the dagger head in Enzo's hand began to spin like a drill, its four sides moving in a clockwise manner. And with another flick, it started spinning in the opposite direction.
"Damn, that's going to be so painful." Enzo couldn't help but smile bitterly.
This thing looked more like a torture device than something one would typically use to fight. Plus, what were these ranks and tiers?
"Nice kill, it's a noble."
While he was deep in thought, a feminine voice resounded beside Enzo, forcing him to look back with a bitter smirk.
His shadow had become dimmer as a result of nightfall; that meant that Victoria could come out.
"Also, I must commend you on using a divine treasure in such an 'ingenious' way," Victoria said with a tinge of bitterness. If the powerful beings that had fought for this thing those many years ago could see what Enzo had just used it for, they might just throw a fit and destroy his seven generations.
"Hehe, I know right?" Enzo turned back and accepted the compliment. He thought the idea was very strategic, using what he had at hand to bring the best results. It was worth the effort.
"What's a noble?" Enzo asked, looking at the dagger in his hand.
He knew very little about beasts and their ranks, but the attendant at Weavetech had explained to him that most first voyages would only contain beasts of Hallowed rank. His was, of course, different with beings like Victoria and Nibbleskin roaming around.
He needed as much knowledge as he could get.
"Ahh, well, it's quite simple. Beasts are separated into ranks and tiers. For your level, Hallowed-ranked beasts like the sand Trihorn are very typical and can easily be handled. Above that we have the corrupted, these are slightly more dangerous there's then withered and profane…" Victoria paused, her hand on her chin.
Enzo as a great warrior was able to fight hallowed beasts, but her saying he could probably handle a corrupted beast was a bit out of place.
It wasn't without merit though since the nephron he just killed was exactly a corrupted beast.
"Anyway, as for the tiers, well, that's up to skill mostly. But then again, you have to be really powerful. They range from common to noble to count, then viscount. Anything above that is very difficult. This little creature you killed is a noble Hallow, so yeah, good kill." Victoria explained.
"Ohhh." Enzo nodded calmly.
It seemed like even within the ranks, there were further divisions.
"Hey, what's that?" While Enzo was in deep thought, Nibbleskin jumped on his shoulder and squinted his brows as he looked into the distance.
The heat from the day had just disappeared, and in the distance a sort of mirage was dissipating, revealing a large building structure.
"Hm? That's a Red Sun Prison," Victoria commented with a frown.
"I think Thane is inside there," Victoria said, sniffing the air for a familiar sent.
She wasn't captured alone; several of her direct subordinates were also captured, but she had no idea whether they were dead or not. In the Red Sun Prison, time was constantly being distorted, so in truth she had no idea how long it had been since her capture.
"Wait here, Enzo, I'll go check it out," Victoria said calmly, and before Enzo could even respond—
-boom
She had disappeared into the horizon, moving at an unbelievably incredible speed.
"She's just too powerful," Enzo thought to himself, seeing her glide through the wind with such ease. It further drove home a feeling of helplessness in him; if even she could be captured and placed in a planet created to kill her…
What real help could he realistically be?
"Yes, she is," Nibbleskin added, wagging his tail.
"Oh, by the way, who is this Thane fellow?" Enzo raised his eyebrow and asked.
Victoria had been really quick to take action at the thought of the prison; clearly, the person she suspected was trapped inside there was important.
"Thane… the Dead Follower," Nibbleskin commented.
There were many times in Victoria's life when she faced insurmountable odds—but one moment, early in her rise, had nearly cost her everything. Surrounded by hundreds of enemies who sought her death, fated to fall, and fully prepared to die, she stood her ground.
She had just liberated hundreds of slaves from one of her brothers' brutal camps. She asked for nothing in return, only gave them their freedom. But on the day she needed them most, they abandoned her. Not one stayed behind.
Her first true act of kindness to humanity was answered with betrayal.
All but one.
A single figure remained….Thane. Frail, broken, barely able to stand. Among the weakest of them all. Yet he chose to die at her side.
Despite the certainty of her death, he followed her into battle.
And so he was named 'the Dead Follower'.
"He's one of her closest generals, a person willing to die at a moment's notice for Victoria. You can understand," Nibbleskin explained.
He and Enzo would have an incredibly hard time trying to replace Thane in Victoria's heart.
"Hmm?" Looking back at the horizon, Enzo couldn't help but sigh, seeing Victoria exit with a body over her shoulder.
He understood loyalty; his father had practically given his life for Enzo to come here and undergo the trial. He couldn't let him down either.
"He's dead."
Soon Victoria arrived before Enzo and said with a cold, unfeeling aura. She had really hoped that Thane would still be alive. But he unfortunately was not.
It also meant that everyone else was dead.
Clearly, her stay on this planet had lasted much longer than she thought.
"Sorry for your loss, my lady." Nibbleskin bowed at Victoria. Losing someone close was always painful.
"It's okay, we should get going. There are still a few hours before the sun comes." Victoria turned away, unfeelingly, and started walking. She didn't want to dwell on things like these.
But the desert wasn't done with them yet. In a particular place underneath Galafray, an array of lights lit up a small engine room.
[7 Head protocol—scenario 4789 possible. Initiating checks...…]
[Prisoner escape confirmed: further checks and balances are required. Reanimating test subject A1-2 The Tyrant Litch]