Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 5: Red Book

A convoy of armored trucks, led by a primary vehicle, sliced through the desolate sandy wasteland.

Adam sat in the rear, staring out at the Dead Lands with an expression of pure boredom. Usually, the mere mention of the Dead Lands in tales or conversations would make his skin crawl, but that sensation was entirely absent now.

Despite the Dead Lands being a lethal environment even for Phantoms, he felt an odd sense of tranquility—overly peaceful and even comfortable.

'What a bizarre feeling... Just yesterday, encountering a monster was my ultimate nightmare. Today, both the worst and best things occurred simultaneously, and now I view them as nothing more than pack animals...' Adam thought to himself while observing a cluster of beasts in the distance.

They were currently scavenging what remained of the Electric Eel's carcass—at least, what was left after Lisa and her team had secured the most precious materials, like scales and teeth, in their vaults.

Adam wasn't being conceited; he was simply being realistic. He wasn't certain if he could defeat these particular monsters, but he was positive that the Silver Weaver existed on a completely different level of power.

"Hey! Wipe that serious look off your face! Come on, share a drink with me!" Lisa shouted, thrusting a bottle of potent liquor toward Adam, her face already showing a drunken flush.

"No, I can't. I'm only seventeen, remember?" Adam said, waving her off.

Lisa cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm, so what! The Citadel has no such restrictions! You should drink whenever the chance arises!"

After a few more failed attempts at persuasion, Lisa surrendered and tossed a can of soda to Adam instead.

"Now, that’s more like it." Adam cracked open the can, savoring the liquid.

In truth, Adam was struggling to suppress a wide grin and a shout of delight, as this was only the second time in his life he had tasted soda. To a resident of the slums, the sweet, carbonated flavor was nothing short of a luxury celebration.

"Seventeen years old? And yet, you hunted alone and took down an anomalous monster without sustaining a single scratch. To be honest, I don't like you; you're a damn suspicious character," Jacob remarked, his eyes never leaving the road ahead.

Adam merely shrugged, throwing his finished soda can out into the wind.

"That's your prerogative. I have no intention of becoming your friend; I'm only staying with you until we return, then our paths will never cross again," Adam replied evenly.

"Tsk. I'd love to end this right now, but we have one more Nest to purge before we head back." Jacob snorted, sharply turning the steering wheel while cross-referencing the map data.

'A Nest... I see,' Adam mused.

Monsters varied wildly from one another, yet in some aspects, they mirrored human behavior. They had the strong and the weak, loners and leaders, and even their own social hierarchies. While some preferred solitude, others congregated in packs to establish Nests.

"Who are we targeting?" Adam asked with an air of indifference.

"Lizards!" Lisa cheered, the alcohol clearly affecting her mood. It was obvious that getting detailed information from her would be a struggle.

Jacob realized this as well and handed a tablet to Adam, displaying a 3D rendering of their prey.

[Thick-headed Desert Lizard - White Book, White Threat Level.

Characteristics:

-An exceptionally durable forehead, nearly impossible to penetrate even with the sharpest blades.

-Protective scales that dissipate the majority of energy from explosive or blunt force attacks.

-High resistance to heat and fire.

-Slow-moving, clumsy, and possesses minimal intelligence. Highly dependent on the pack leader].

Adam felt a flicker of surprise; this data was only accessible through OpenEye, a specialized database reserved for Phantoms and high-ranking citizens.

This was merely the introductory page; the subsequent sections detailed monster behaviors, loot drops, and estimated territories—everything one could possibly need to know.

'Wait, they aren't aware I just became a Phantom, so... it shouldn't look suspicious if I look something up, right?' Adam thought before tapping the screen.

Just as he expected, Jacob didn't react. It was common for Phantoms to spend hours browsing OpenEye since the data was constantly being refreshed.

Adam navigated to the White Book section and searched for the Silver Weaver.

[No results found for your query.].

That brief notification confirmed Adam's suspicions immediately.

'Hah, Lisa called me lucky, but back then even I didn't realize the Silver Weaver was a Red Book monster... Damn, that's insane...' Adam whispered internally with a satisfied smirk. Then, his expression hardened as he realized there was something else to check.

'Red Book...'

Adam entered the directory. The Silver Weaver wasn't on the first page, so he decided to use the search function just as he had with the White Book.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!

The truck slammed on its brakes, sending the tablet flying from Adam's grip and causing him to crack his forehead against the seat in front of him.

Before he could recover, Lisa grabbed the device, verified the Lizards' coordinates, and jumped out of the vehicle, slamming the door behind her.

"Alright! We've got fifteen Lizards as our targets! The main mission is to clear the Nest, but one of the Observatories is paying a premium for every fang!" Lisa yelled with sudden energy, pulling a massive black crate from the truck's roof.

She flipped it open and donned her gear—two dark metal gauntlets reinforced with heavy plating and fitted with several exhaust vents.

"YES!!!"

The other Phantoms roared in unison before charging into the fray.

Adam reached for the tablet again, but Jacob cut him off.

"Hey, you can browse the directory later. Right now, we have work to do. The faster we slaughter these lizards, the faster we get back to the Citadel," Jacob said coldly, unsheathing his sword.

Adam shook his head and followed after him.

Scanning the area, Adam noted that only about a third of the group had moved to engage the Lizards; the rest remained by the vehicles. They looked anxious, clutching firearms—rifles, shotguns, and pistols—with white-knuckled grips.

"What are you standing around for? Haven't you seen Harvesters before? Go kill the monsters, rest while they do the butchering, and let's go home. Quit wasting time!" Jacob gestured, sprinting toward the battle.

Adam's eyebrows shot up.

'So those guys aren't Phantoms? I guess it makes sense; someone has to handle the manual labor,' Adam reflected for a moment.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

At that exact moment, a Lizard that had been lurking beneath the sand nearby made its move, approaching him with stealthy intent.

Its long tail whipped toward Adam like a lash. The jagged tip was aimed to punch straight through his skull.

Adam hadn't sensed the creature in time to consciously react to the strike.

Suddenly, Adam’s eyes sparked as electrical currents surged through his frame, causing his head to jerk back instinctively.

The tail whistled past his neck, leaving only a shallow graze that began to bleed slightly.

Adam spun around, his gaze fixed on the lizard with cold contempt.

In an instant, white filaments coiled around his arm. He lunged at the beast, driving a long needle into the soft spot at the back of its head where the armored forehead ended.

With a violent wrench of the needle, Adam tore through the monster's throat, ripping away a massive piece of its neck.

"Shit... that was close..." Adam hissed, touching his wound as he activated Revolve.

[The Thick-headed Desert Lizard's genetic material has been stored in the Vault!]

Adam then turned his attention to the wider combat zone.

The Lizards weren't particularly formidable, and the Phantoms were slowly gaining the upper hand. Lisa was especially devastating, her fists reducing the Lizards to piles of mangled meat.

'Hmm... The guide mentioned they rely on their leader, but if that's true, where is it? Where is the pack leader?'

Rumble. Rumble. Rumble.

The earth began to vibrate, and sand cascaded down the dunes like waves. Before anyone could process what was happening, a colossal head erupted from the ground.

A gargantuan maw, resembling a world-devouring beast, rose up and swallowed several trucks and dozens of men along with tons of sand. The harvesters stood no chance; as the jaws snapped shut, torrents of fresh blood sprayed outward, soaking the desert floor.

Lisa’s excitement vanished as she turned deathly pale, and every Phantom felt a wave of pure terror wash over them.