The ground still trembled from the monster's final collapse.
Dust and shimmering motes of blue mana drifted through the air like ash caught in sunrise.
Kuhaku stood among the wreckage, chest heaving, sweat and steam rolling off his body in waves.
For a moment, the only sound was the faint hum of dying energy.
Then—
"Yeeees!" Kiana's shout broke the silence. She raised both hands, her grin stretching ear to ear. "That's what I'm talking about! Team Hyperion for the win!"
She twirled one of her handguns before holstering it with a satisfied click.
Mei sighed softly but smiled despite herself. "You really never run out of energy, do you?"
Bronya, wiping her cannon's cooling barrel, replied in her usual deadpan tone, "Idiotka runs on chaos and caffeine."
"Hey! I heard that, snowbot!"
Kuhaku couldn't help laughing. The tension bleeding out of him made the laughter sound almost fragile. "Well… you did good, Kiana. We all did."
Their weapons still pulsed faintly with light — a sign of mana saturation. The air shimmered, the smell of iron and ozone blending together.
The remains of the bull-like boss lay ahead, a mountain of blackened stone and molten lines now cooling in long cracks across its body.
Cocolia's boots crunched softly as she approached from the treeline. Despite her usual calm composure, even she looked impressed.
She placed a gloved hand on her hip and exhaled. "Impressive work. I could feel your mana surging from where I stood. The synchronization between you four… is remarkable."
Her violet eyes flickered with something like curiosity — or perhaps concern.
They're getting stronger too fast, she thought silently. That system of theirs… it's rewriting the rules of power itself.
Kiana grinned and leaned on her knees, still catching her breath. "So, Cocolia, how was our performance? Ten out of ten?"
Cocolia smirked faintly. "Eight. You broke formation three times."
"Aw, come on—!"
"Still," she added, "you finished the job. That counts."
Kuhaku turned toward the fallen creature. "So, uh… what happens to it now? Do we just leave the big guy here?"
Cocolia looked at the corpse. "No. Once the area is secured, miners will extract every usable piece — bones, scales, cores. Everything in a Gate has value."
"Even this thing?" Mei asked softly.
Cocolia nodded. "Especially this thing."
⸻
Minutes later, the portal shimmered behind them, and workers in reinforced vests and mana helmets stepped through.
Their chatter filled the once-silent clearing as they hauled carts and extraction tools.
The smell of oil and sweat mixed with the faint tang of mana dust.
One of the miners waved cheerfully. "Hey, Hyperion Team! Thanks for the clean-up!"
Kiana grinned, giving a lazy salute. "No problem! Just doing heroic stuff."
Bronya muttered, "Your ego level has surpassed your mana output."
As the workers began dismantling the smaller monsters scattered across the field, Kuhaku found himself leaning against a broken crystal spire, catching his breath.
His fingers still tingled from the earlier fight — the aftershock of channeling too much energy.
Cocolia stood beside him, observing the miners' efficiency.
"See?" she said quietly. "Every piece of this place becomes part of our world. It's how humanity adapts."
Kuhaku glanced at her. "Even something born from another reality?"
She gave a faint smile. "Especially that."
⸻
They rested near the clearing's edge, the dim light flickering like a slow heartbeat through the forest.
Kuhaku looked around, his curiosity stirring again. "Hey, Cocolia… how long does a Gate stay open?"
She crossed her arms. "About a week. If the boss isn't defeated by then, the mana pressure inside builds until it bursts — what we call a Dungeon Break. Every monster inside spills into the real world."
"Sounds bad," Kiana said, already nibbling on a ration bar.
"It is. The city would fall in hours," Cocolia replied simply.
Kuhaku frowned. "Then what happens if someone's still inside when it closes?"
Cocolia hesitated. The air felt heavier.
Then she met his eyes. "They disappear. Gate and all."
The group fell silent. The faint echoes of miners' laughter suddenly felt very far away.
Even Kiana stopped chewing.
Cocolia softened her voice. "That's why restraint is sometimes necessary. If you can hold a boss rather than kill it immediately, you buy everyone else more time to harvest. Remember that."
Kuhaku nodded quietly. "Got it."
⸻
With an hour left before closure, they joined the miners to help speed up the work.
The once-battlefield now looked like an organized operation.
Bronya used her telekinesis to move large fragments of armor plates, while Mei carefully gathered cores into containment cases.
Kiana, naturally, turned hauling monster limbs into a contest.
"Come on, Kuhaku, bet I can carry two of these before you even lift one!" she teased, hefting a mangled claw almost her size.
Kuhaku groaned but played along, lifting another with both hands. "You're insane."
"Flattery will get you nowhere!"
Laughter rippled between them and the miners.
Even Cocolia, from her usual composed distance, allowed a small smile.
For a group that's seen hell, they still find light, she thought. Maybe that's what keeps them human.
The Gate's glow began to dim. The humming pitch dropped lower, like a heartbeat slowing down.
⸻
"Time's up," Cocolia called out. "Everyone out, now!"
The miners packed quickly, rushing toward the shrinking portal.
The swirling blue narrowed, compressing until it was only a thread of light — and then it winked out, leaving nothing but silence and a faint smell of ozone.
Cheers rose from the workers who'd made it out.
Cocolia crossed her arms, nodding with approval. "Textbook run."
Kuhaku smiled faintly. "Guess we did alright."
⸻
As the others loaded crates, Cocolia turned to Kuhaku.
Her tone was calm, but her eyes were sharp. "Kuhaku. About that system of yours…"
He blinked. "Yeah?"
"I can't see it," she continued, "but I can feel it. Every time you fight, your aura swells and refines itself. It doesn't make sense. Power doesn't grow that fast naturally."
Kiana joined in, puffing out her chest. "That's 'cause it's the System!"
Cocolia raised an eyebrow. "System?"
Mei sighed softly. "She's talking about what connects us — the blue interface we can see."
Cocolia studied their faces. "You all have it?"
Bronya nodded. "Kuhaku shared it with us. We can track stats, skills, mana control efficiency…"
Cocolia froze. "He… shared it?"
Kiana nodded proudly. "Yup! He gave it to us."
Cocolia's voice dropped. "Then… can you give it to me?"
Kuhaku hesitated. "I… don't know if it'll work. But I can try."
⸻
The air around them thickened as Kuhaku closed his eyes.
He focused on the same intent he'd used before — that instinctive pull, like passing light from one soul to another.
A faint blue circle appeared beneath Cocolia's feet.
Lines of light spread across the ground like veins, connecting her to him.
She gasped as energy surged into her body. "What is—"
Then, just as suddenly, her aura collapsed.
The glow flickered and died.
Cocolia fell forward, barely catching herself before her legs gave out.
"Cocolia!" Kuhaku caught her, holding her steady as her breathing quickened. "Hey! What's happening?!"
Her voice trembled. "My… power… it's gone."
A translucent window appeared before them, text scrolling in pale blue light.
[New User Registered]
Name: Cocolia
Level: 1
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
Fatigue: 80%
Free Points: 6
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Vitality: 1
Intelligence: 1
Sense: 1
Kiana's eyes widened. "Wait—what?! She reset to level one?!"
Bronya frowned, scanning the data. "Her entire mana flow has been rewritten. Like the System… replaced her foundation."
Mei knelt beside Cocolia, worry written across her face. "Can you breathe properly?"
"I… I feel like I've been emptied," Cocolia whispered. "Like something stripped me down to nothing."
Kuhaku clenched his fists, guilt twisting in his gut. "This is my fault… I shouldn't have tried."
He lifted her gently, carrying her toward the van.
Her body was light, trembling.
⸻
Bronya took the passenger seat, activating the onboard mana scanner. "Her vitals are stable, but her mana circuit is… dormant."
Kiana bit her lip. "What the hell do we do now?"
Kuhaku pulled out his phone, dialing a familiar number.
It rang once before Daichi's voice came through — sharp, focused.
"What happened?"
Kuhaku swallowed. "Dad… I tried giving Cocolia the system. It worked, but—she's… she's lost her power. She's weak. Her stats reset."
There was silence on the line. Then his father's tone hardened.
"Stay where you are. I'm coming personally. Don't let anyone near her or talk about this to anyone. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
The line clicked dead.
Kuhaku lowered his phone slowly, staring out the window.
Outside, the forest shimmered faintly with residual mana — blue sparks drifting like ghosts in the fading light.
In the van, Cocolia stirred weakly, whispering his name.
"Kuhaku…"
He turned toward her, the guilt still heavy on his chest.
"It's alright," he said softly, though his voice wavered. "You'll be okay. I promise."
But deep down, he wasn't sure if he believed it.
⸻
End of Chapter 2 – Part 9