379 - The Wrong Wonder

"Dear! What about letting me handling this creature?" Reina offered. Her hands were hovering over her handguns.

"No!" Jack declined bluntly. "It absorbs kinetic power. And it has [Spatial Anchoring], locking out your teleportation power. It's pretty much your counter, Love. A really bad match."

Without waiting for a reply, Jack drew his weapon.

In his right hand, he held his customized steamrune shotgun. A heavy, dark hot weapon with glowing runic conduits along the frame. On his wrists, the dark iron bands of his [Chains of Vengeance] bracers rattled and glowed in fiery flame.

"Stay back!" Jack ordered his crew. "Don't enter the pass until I truly beat it down."

Jack walked into the narrow rock passage alone.

The Mutated Apeman didn't make any sound. It had no mouth to roar with. It simply lowered its center of gravity. Its four arms were flexing and its talons were digging into the stone floor. And then, it launched itself forward like a grey bullet.

Its speed was terrifying. The monster crossed ten meters in a fraction of a second. Its four hands were thrusted forward like spears. Aiming at Jack's head, throat, chest, and stomach.

Jack didn't flinch. He didn't try to dodge sideways. There was not enough room between the sheer rock walls after all.

Instead, he dipped his shoulder. Slipping past the primary upper strikes by millimeters. And rammed his left forearm straight into the monster's lower two hands.

CLANG!

The iron bracer of the [Chains of Vengeance] collided with the monster's talons. Sparks flew in the cramped space.

The beast's kinetic force was massive. But Jack didn't block it with force. Instead, he leaned into the strike. Using a sharp, compact martial art redirection technique to slide the beast's force down into the rock floor.

Before the apeman could readjust its four arms, Jack rotated his body and slammed his elbow to the side of its head.

CRACK! A loud sound reverberated as the elbow met the head. But, the monster just tilted his head slightly after receiving the impact.

Jack wasn't surprised. He knew the beast had [Kinetic Absorption] trait. In a fluid, practiced motion, he simply brought the muzzle of his steamrune shotgun directly against the creature's chest.

"Eat this!" Jack said coldly.

BOOM! He pulled the trigger. The steamrune shotgun unleashed a point-blank detonation of high-compressed explosion and rune-infused lead shot.

The blast echoed louder than a cannon shot in the tight ravine. Dust and rock splinters rained down from the rock walls.

The force of the blast sent the heavy grey beast sliding backward. Its chest was scorched black.

But the creature was completely fine. Its skin rippled. Absorbing a huge portion of the impact. And its six amber eyes flared brightly as it converted the kinetic energy into physical power.

The mutated beast was stabilized instantly. Its four arms snapped out to grab the barrel of Jack's shotgun.

"[Kinetic Absorption] and [High Physical Density], huh?" Jack noted dryly.

Instead of fighting for control of the gun, Jack released his grip on the weapon. Letting it drop down to the ground.

He stepped inside the creature's guard. His movement was unpredictable and jagged. A weird footwork style born from his Savage Rampage martial art. Then...

Rattle! The heavy iron chains attached to wrist bracers uncoiled like striking vipers. Driven by Jack's transcendent energy, the dark yet blazing metal chains wrapped violently around three of the beast's arms. Binding them tightly against its torso.

"Get down!" Jack muttered.

He yanked the chain with explosive force. The mutated ape was jerked off balance. Pulled directly toward him as his leg made a low kick.

CRACK! Jack's booted foot slammed squarely into the monster's knee. The impact caused the creature to lose its balance even more.

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The mutated beast's unchained hand clawed wildly at Jack's body. But he spun on his heel. Executing a tight back-hand strike that smashed into the side of the creature's neck.

THUD! The beast stumbled and crashed against the rock wall of the pass. Jack didn't give it a single second to breathe. He used his [Mysterious Anomaly]'s telekinesis power to control the dropped shotgun back to his hand.

He caught the steamrune shotgun mid-air. With a flick of his wrist, the breech snapped open. Ejecting the spent brass shells with a sharp hiss of hot steam.

In a movement so fast it looked like a blur, Jack loaded the gun. Two fresh, enchanted, heavy-caliber runic slugs were placed into the chambers before he snapped the gun shut.

The mutated beast tried to break the chains binding its arms. Its six eyes glowed violently red as it prepared to unleash a wave of raw kinetic force.

Jack shoved the wide muzzle of the shotgun directly into the creature's top eye. He had just loaded his shotgun with bullets imbued by his [Chaos Energy Infusion] spellcard. The card had infused those ammunitions with chaotic elemental forces. Even he himself wouldn't know what elements would burst out of them.

"Chaos Blast!" Jack muttered. The runic lines along the gun burst into a blinding white-hot glow.

BANG!

A deafening explosion rocked the entire pass. The enchanted runic slug struck the monster's head. Flame, lightning, and holy elements blazed in chaotic burst as the beast's head snapped back violently.

Jack didn't stop at that.

BANG!

Another deafening explosion reverberated loudly. This time, frost and darkness elements exploded. Turning the creature into a temporary frozen statue.

Jack dropped his shotgun and drew three spellcards. Activating them consecutively.

The first was the [Soul Breaking Scream] card. Devastating sonic attack exploded. Even when it was completely focused on the creature, Jack could still hear terrifying screech coming out of nowhere. Shaking his mind. Devastating the beast's essence.

Then, he activated one of the newer spellcards he had, the [Blindness Curse]. Dark smoke appeared and covered the monster's head. And when it was gone, the beast's six amber eyes turned lifeless grey. The curse had taken its sight.

Finally, Jack used the first spellcard he acquired, the [Dragon's Lullaby]. As the card turned into light and raw musical symphony, the beast collapsed to the ground.

The spell managed to break its already shaken physical and mental defense. Forcing it to fall into a deep sleep, despite still being chained and under a curse.

Jack stood over the sleeping body. The barrel of his steamrune shotgun were still smoking. He unbuckled the chains. Letting them retract smoothly back into his bracers.

He then turned back to face his group. They were standing further back. Watching him with varying degrees of awe and composure.

"Path's clear." Jack said calmly as he reloaded his gun. "Let's go."

Reina stepped forward first. A fond smile was gracing her lips as she walked up to him. "You're not killing it, Dear?" She asked softly.

"It has [High Physical Density] and [Kinetic Absorption]. Very hard to kill." Jack replied simply. "Besides, technically we are the one in the wrong here. We invade its home after all. Just leave it there."

Jack led his crew. Passing through beside the sleeping monster...

Beyond the narrow rock walls lay the hidden valley. A massive, sunlit ruin covered in overgrown flora. It was a place where ancient ruined structures sprawled silently. Like sleeping giants resting peacefully.

Jack noticed that the hidden valley was a bowl of ancient stone and aggressive greenery. Stone structures and statues could be seen everywhere. Covered by moss and cracked by centuries of root growth and weathering.

The air here was heavy. Saturated with a static charge that made the hair on Jack's arms stand up.

However, Rune hummed with a vibrant green and golden light. Indicating no immediate danger. Instead, there was fortune here. She was darting between the pillars of basalt.

"Keep your eyes open!" Jack ordered calmly. "There's no immediate danger here. But, the air seems... very wrong."

The crew followed him in a tight formation. Baroness Artheim walked in front, alongside Jack. Her eyes were darting across the statues and the reliefs on the crumbling walls.

She looked puzzled. Her scholarly confidence was wavering as they moved deeper toward the center of the ruins.

She thought this would be the ruins of the Malleh City. But, the architecture here didn't match the records of Malleh City.

Malleh City was known for its mystic spires and delicate crystal lattices. The art style of this place was too simple and wild for that.

Soon, they reached a center of the valley. In the middle of the clearing stood a monolithic obelisk. It was definitely more than ten-meter tall. Carved from a dark, iridescent material that seemed to sparkle under the sunlight.

It didn't just sit there silently. It pulsed. A low-frequency sound vibrated out of it. Traveling through the ground to reach the soles of their boots. Rhythmic as a heartbeat.

Baroness Artheim stopped dead on her track. Her face showed a great astonishment. "I was wrong. This isn't Malleh City."

She whispered. "The geometry... the resonance... This isn't a laboratory for arcane research. It's an ancient primordial source. It's the origin of transcendence."

"What is it, Baroness?" Leon quickly asked. "Do you recognize this?"

"The Obelisk of Evolution. This is the Obelisk of Evolution." She replied. Her voice was filled with awe. "Another lost wonder at the same, or even greater, value as Malleh City. Legend says it was a tool used by the first sentient beings to reach transcendence. Historically, this might be one of the greatest archeological findings."

The crew members were about to move to approach it. Drawn by the hypnotic pulse of the stone. But...

"Stop!" Jack commanded. His voice had the grim weight of danger.

He had long activated his [Eyes of Judgment]. He had appraised the relic. The obelisk wasn't just a historical stone. It was a fountain of chaotic mutagenic energy.

The crew halted instantly. They had learned to trust Jack's judgement over their own curiosity.

"What is it, Dear?" Reina asked, stepping to his side.

"The obelisk is dangerous." Jack stated bluntly. "It emits a field of forced mutation. If you walk too close, and even worse... touch it without any precaution, your genes will be rewritten on the fly. Mutating randomly just like the beasts in this island."

Chloe gripped her lightning kirin cub, Sparkle, tighter. "So it's useless?"

"Of course not." Jack said. "It can give us great power boosts. But, it's only if we follow the safe method to do so."