Chapter 62: The Darkthar Mech Grave

She lifted her face toward him, and Declan looked at her quietly.

He knew her confession hadn’t been genuine the last time, but was it because even Declan himself wouldn’t fall for himself because he was weak?

Actually... no. That was just an excuse he’d made up.

As much as he wouldn’t call himself a model, he knew he was above average in terms of appearance. Even in a cold world like this one, there were bound to be girls dumb enough to fall for a handsome face.

What had given Evie away was her eyes.

Declan had always been good at reading them. Even back in Mechnoheart, he could tell the cleaners were up to no good because of their dead-looking eyes, and in the end, he’d been right.

When Evie had confessed her feelings to him, there had been nothing behind those pink eyes. No emotion, nor sincerity. It had been painfully obvious that she was pretending.

But now, as he looked into those same pink eyes, he could see something completely different.

There was conviction in them, as if she genuinely regretted what she had done and truly wanted to make it up to him.

"And how did you plan to make up for that?"

Declan asked.

Evie hesitated before answering, but then Declan’s gaze slowly drifted down from her eyes.

Lower... and lower, until it stopped right there.

"Don’t even dare think about it!"

Evie immediately snapped, and Declan chuckled when he noticed the side of her face turning pink.

"Don’t worry. I’m not."

She looked at him again, and when she saw the serious expression on his face, some of the redness gradually faded.

"I love riding."

She paused, seemingly struggling to find the right words.

"So... how about going on a bike ride? If... if you’re fine with it, of course. I... could even rent an extra bike if you’re not fine with us... you know... being on the same..."

Her words came out in a nervous rush, followed by awkward pauses, until she suddenly stopped when she felt Declan’s hand rest on her shoulder.

"6:00 PM tomorrow evening. Hmm?"

Evie nodded, and Declan removed his hand before she finally stepped aside.

BEEEP

The door unlocked, and Declan stepped inside.

Evie remained outside, watching as the door slowly closed behind him.

She eventually walked toward the railings, her hands unconsciously moving toward her chest.

Her heart was pounding. Hard.

It reminded her of the feeling she experienced during training, which was strange considering she hadn’t even moved from where she was standing.

And yet, her heart was racing as though she’d just finished a strenuous exercise.

Evie slowly exhaled, forcing herself to calm down.

A faint smile appeared on her face as she gave Declan’s door one last glance before finally returning to her own room.

[Mission Completed]

[Mission Information: Win your first Challenge]

[Rewards:]

+7,000 EXP,

+2 Level Up Cards, +3% Core Compatibility ║

The system panel flashed before Declan as he jumped onto his bed, a towel hanging around his neck while wet hair clung to his forehead.

"Not only did I gain 350 points from the fight, I even got myself some level-up cards..."

Declan switched on his device and checked his current balance.

[ Total Points: 540 ]

"Seems like the Challenge System of the academy isn’t that bad. Literally, the quickest way to good living."

A grin slowly formed at the corner of his lips as Declan opened the ranking, curious to see where he currently stood.

15 ║ Declan Ezra ║ 540 points

He was currently the student with the highest number of points among everyone below the Top 10, while Number 10 had the lowest score among the Top 10 themselves, with 600 points, which was already crazy enough.

But when Declan checked Number 1, he nearly choked on his breath.

1st ║ Vathar Sobran ║ 2,670 Points

"2,670 points!? That’s insane!"

He stared at the number in disbelief before eventually settling down.

’If I’m already wondering what kind of monster Number 10 is, then only the devil knows how much of a devil that dude must be.’

"I wonder how strong he really is, though."

"Maybe I’ll watch some of his fights once he gets a challenge next time."

He mused for a moment before turning off his device.

’Initiate MDS protocol’.

[ [ SYSTEM INTERFACE ] ]

[ ▸ Name: Declan Ezra ]

[ ▸ Race: Human ]

[ ▸ Age: 19 ]

[ ▸ Level: 14 ]

[ CULTIVATION ]

[ ▸ Current Energy: Core ]

[ ▸ Cultivation Stage: Anomalous Seedian Nexian ]

[ ▸ Core to Body Sync: 13% ]

[ ▸ Energy State: Stable ]

[ ▸ Core Energy Points: 130 ]

[ IMPORTANT NOTE: At 13% Core to Body Sync, activating the Core will lead to a boost of +13 on all stat points except Charisma and Intelligence. ]

His Core Sync had increased from 10% to 13%, a three-percent increase, and Declan had indeed activated his Core during his fight with Edgar.

Not only had that given him an additional 30 Core Energy Points, but every time he activated his Core, he would now receive an extra three points to his physical stats.

[ EXP: 7,000 / 25,000 ]

[ Level Up Cards: 2 ]

[ Does Host wish to level up? ]

Yes.

[ -1 Level Up Card! ]

[ Congratulations, Host has leveled up to Level 21. ]

[ +20 Attribute Points Obtained. ]

[ -1 Level Up Card! ]

[ Congratulations, Host has leveled up to Level 22. ]

[ +20 Attribute Points Obtained. ]

════════STATS════════

[Strength: 100]

[Agility: 100]

[Endurance: 100]

[Intelligence: 100]

[Charisma: 65]

[Attribute Points: 40]

Does Host wish to distribute attribute points?

"No."

The forty points weren’t going to make much of a difference at his current level of strength, so it would be far more useful to accumulate more points first and make a proper allocation once he had enough to produce a meaningful increase.

With his Core fused, the Battle Challenge completed, the fight won, and all of the system’s notifications finally dealt with, Declan was satisfied with his progress, and for now, he decided he had earned himself a good night’s rest.

___________________

CLANK

CREAAK

The first thing Declan heard was a gnawing sound, slow and rough, almost deliberate, as though something nearby was methodically chewing through metal.

Then, without warning,

BANNNG!

A heavy metallic impact rang out, violently forcing both of Declan’s eyes open.

He immediately looked upward, only to find that instead of the familiar ceiling of his dormitory, a gloomy sky greeted him, completely covered by thick, dark clouds.

CRAAAACKKKLLLEEE

Red lightning suddenly crackled across the sky, the deafening sound nearly bursting his eardrums as Declan instinctively pushed himself to his feet.

His heart hammered against his chest.

"Where... am I?"

He slowly looked around, and his expression changed when he realized he was standing in a burial ground.

But it wasn’t a burial ground filled with corpses.

It was a burial ground made entirely of heaps of metal, with countless twisted structures stretching from deep beneath the ground all the way toward the sky.

Weapon nozzles protruded from the earth, while strange mechanical components lay scattered everywhere, many of which Declan couldn’t even identify.

Some of the metallic structures were so enormous and bizarre that they resembled gigantic hands, with two massive fingers sticking out of the ground as though some colossal being had been buried beneath the surface.

"Grrrhh..."

A strained groan escaped Declan as he suddenly reached for his nose and throat, his fingers tightening around them.

The smell hit him, and it was like breathing in burning chlorine gas.

His eyes quickly reddened as veins spread across them, and every breath became more difficult than the last.

He needed to get out.

But before he could even figure out which direction to move in, the system panel suddenly appeared.

[Congratulations On Meeting the Requirements, Host.]

[You Have Arrived in Darkthar Mech Grave.]

I... Darkthar Mech Grave!?

He had never heard of such a place before, nor had he ever encountered the term anywhere.

Another notification immediately followed.

[Mission Issued: Survive A Night In The Darkthar Mech Grave!]

[Rewards:]

[+10% Creation Fusion With The Mecha Overlord Mech Module.]

[+1 Base Fusion With an Darkthar Mech Module]

The mission itself was simple enough to understand: Survive the night.

Right now, however, the air alone was already threatening to kill him, so that was clearly his first problem.

The rewards were another matter.

Declan didn’t understand what they meant, and before he could question the system, the golden light surrounding the panel began to dim, fading more and more until it disappeared completely.

The final words remained for only a moment.

[Good luck Surviving, Declan Ezra.]

"Hey, System?"

There was no response.

"Initiate MDS protocol."

Still nothing.

The system was...Gone.

Only then did the true horror of his situation begin to settle in.

CLLAAANK

CREAAK

The entire graveyard was silent, yet that same gnawing sound continued somewhere in the distance, as though something was slowly crunching through a pile of metal.

Declan’s heart began pounding again as he turned around and stared into the darkness.

It was too dark.

The enormous piles of metal rising toward the sky blocked his vision, preventing him from seeing more than twenty meters ahead.

He turned toward the other directions, but the situation was the same everywhere.

His eyes narrowed as he studied the air around him, eventually noticing something floating through it.

Dark dust.

Declan reached out and scooped some of the particles into his hand before cautiously bringing them closer to his nose.

The instant he inhaled even a little of it; he violently threw his hand away.

WHHEEEZE

A harsh wheezing escaped his lungs as he dropped onto both knees, a thin line of blood trailing from his left nostril.

’It’s them. The ashes.’