[Chapter 135. More Than a Crowd]

The Magitech Rifle MKII materialized in his grip, its cold, matte-black surface humming as the violet glow of its internal capacitors intensified without any conscious effort on his part. The Titan Bull's eyes, glowing like smoldering embers, remained fixed on him, its massive head tracking his position as he hovered on the drone. It was assessing the threat, its nostrils flaring as it released plumes of steam that hissed against the cool morning air.

From his seat on the travel drone, Searanox allowed the rifle to accumulate its overcharge. The violet light deepened, pulsing with a low-frequency vibration that resonated in his chest, until the weapon reached its peak. He squeezed the trigger, and a devastating beam of concentrated energy tore through the fog. It struck true—the armored forehead of the bull was tossed back by the sheer kinetic force of the impact. It was too late for the beast to react; the beam had already cracked and splintered the thick, bone-like plate that protected its skull, cooking the brain matter instantly.

A small shockwave rippled outward from the point of impact, followed seconds later by a much larger one as the colossal beast’s legs gave out. The earth trembled, a dull thud echoing across the plains as the Titan Bull crashed to the ground, dead before its heart could skip another beat.

"Iris," he spoke, his voice flat as he began landing the drone in the tall grass. His gaze met hers, "Would you mind slicing it up for me?"

She nodded silently, leaping from the drone in a fluid, predatory motion that covered the distance to the carcass in seconds.

Her Zweihänder descended on the beast, the heavy blade striking the armored flank with a sharp, metallic ping—the unmistakable sound of a hammer striking an anvil. Iris staggered back slightly, the recoil vibrating through her arms as the blade bounced off the reinforced hide. She growled softly, a low, guttural sound from her throat, before her dark blade began to glow with a deep turquoise aura.

She struck again, her strength amplified by the system's power. This time, the blade found purchase, cracking the bone plate and sinking deep into the dense, red flesh beneath.

While Iris worked on the more delicate cuts, Searanox stepped toward one of the creature's six massive legs. He gripped the limb with his gauntleted hands, bracing his boots against the churned earth and twisting with all the force he could provide. The sound of tearing muscle fibers and snapping tendons filled the air—a wet, visceral noise—before the ball-and-socket joint popped. With a final, agonizing groan of flesh, the leg tore free from the carcass.

"Uff... I'd say we take only the legs this time," Searanox said, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. Even with his stats, the physical labor of dismantling a creature this size was taxing.

After considerable effort and several more pops of snapping bone, they successfully tore all six legs from the beast. His Intermediate cargo drones hovered nearby, to separate the prime meat and useful materials from the massive limbs. Each leg weighed nearly one and a half tons, a staggering amount of mass. Even after the drone had discarded the hooves and excess bone, close to five and a half tons of edible, high-protein meat remained.

Searanox glanced back at the massive carcass lying in the grass. The untouched torso and the massive, armored head were still mostly intact despite their heavy harvesting.

"That's insane..." he muttered, watching the Intermediate Cargo Drone systematically discard the wolf meat he had harvested earlier to make room for the superior bull meat. The drone’s hold filled to its absolute capacity, yet substantial portions of the bull still sat on the ground. Iris stepped in, storing the excess in her own spatial ring, but even that extra space proved insufficient to claim the entire beast.

"I'd love to drag that entire thing into the city just to see their faces, but that's a logistical impossibility right now," he said, mounting his travel drone once more.

Meanwhile, the four women—Lana, Carmen, Vanessa, and Sarah—circled several dozen meters above on their own drones. Their discussion had grown heated, their voices carrying on the wind as they pointed toward the remains of the Titan Bull. When Searanox pulled his drone alongside theirs, their conversation faltered into a stunned silence.

"Are you really leaving all that meat here?" Vanessa asked, gesturing toward the tons of muscle still rotting in the sun below.

Searanox nodded, his expression indifferent. "If you want to carry it back on your lap, be my guest."

"I don't, obviously, but isn't that incredibly wasteful?" she retorted, her eyes lingering on the scale of the waste.

"We took exactly what we needed and what we could carry," he answered, his eyes flickering toward Iris, whose storage ring was literally bulging with the weight of the stored meat. "Nature will reclaim the rest within the hour."

With that, they were in motion again. The three travel drones and the heavy-laden cargo drone gradually converged on the horizon, heading toward the cluster of grey shapes that marked the city.

"Is that a city?" Lana called out, shielding her eyes and peering into the distance as the ruins began to take shape.

"Yes, that's our target," Searanox replied.

Time passed as they drew closer, the women's excitement mounting with each passing minute. They spoke of finding supplies, seeing other people, and perhaps finding a sense of normalcy. But as they neared enough to see that the entire city consisted of hollowed-out ruins and crumbling concrete, their enthusiasm faded into a somber silence.

Then, as they crossed the city limits and arrived at the designated hotel, their expressions shifted once more. Thousands of people were gathered in the square in front of the building—which was now noticeably cleaned and organized.

`That's a lot more people than I expected.` Searanox thought, scanning the crowd.

"Who's in charge here?" Searanox's voice, cut through the murmuring crowd as his travel drone settled onto the cracked pavement of the square. The other two drones landed beside him in near-perfect synchronization, the hum of their engines dying down.

Rayan pushed through the mass of bodies, Samantha trailing a half-step behind him. Both looked exhausted but determined. "I am," Rayan said, nodding to Searanox. "We've followed your instructions to the letter. Everyone is organized into shifts."

"I can see that." Searanox gestured toward the cargo drone, which was slowly descending into the center of the square. "Where do you want this? It's heavy."

"Over here," Samantha said, pointing to a long wooden table that had been set up near what remained of the hotel's main entrance.

"Too small," Searanox warned. The cargo drone shifted its position, its spatial storage releasing massive chunks of bull meat onto the table. The wood groaned and splintered under the sudden weight, the table filling to capacity in seconds.

"But... how? Where did you find this much?" Rayan's voice trembled as he looked at the red, marbled muscle.

"Because I'm not incompetent like some other people you've had to deal with," Searanox replied, his tone flat. The drone moved slightly to the side, releasing the remaining meat in a mountainous pile directly onto the pavement beside the table.

"Rayan, Samantha," Searanox continued, pointing his thumb toward Lana, Carmen, Vanessa, and Sarah. "These four are with you. They know the basic drills. Fill them in on the current rotation." His hand moved to indicate Iris, who was standing beside him. "I'm taking her to the swamp."

The gazes of the crowd shifted from the mountain of meat to Iris, and for a moment, there was a collective breath held in lungs. Then, chaos erupted. Screams rippled through the assembly as they finally registered her lupine features—the ears, the tail, and the predatory grace. Several people scrambled backward, a few breaking into panicked runs toward the hotel.

"Do I need to bring her back in a sack next time to avoid the drama?" Searanox asked, his eyes fixed on Rayan and Samantha, who were also looking quite pale.

"No, sir," Rayan managed to say, swallowing hard and forcing himself to stand his ground. "They’re just... they haven't seen anything like her before."

Searanox nodded, unimpressed. "Keep them in check. You’re in charge, remember?" He mounted his drone as the other transport drones dissolved into blue sparks of light. "Just so you know—each one of these four women could have handled Thomas without breaking a sweat. Treat them with the respect their levels deserve."

The drone lifted into the air, the hum of its propulsion leaving the square behind in seconds.

They landed shortly after before the shimmering blue portal of the level fifteen dungeon. Both dismounted, staring at the swirling, translucent gateway that pulsed with a rich blue.

"Iris, I want to test a theory," he said, turning toward her.

She cocked her head to the side, waiting for him to elaborate.

"I want to see how the system handles reward distribution in a non-standard clear. I'm going to clear all the minor beasts inside, then I'll leave the dungeon while the boss is mutilated and on its last breath. I want to see if you get the full solo reward, or if I still get a contribution share even though I'm technically outside the instance." His voice remained flat, purely analytical.

Iris's ears twitched. "That is an interesting question. Why test it on this one instead of inside the Burrowing Depths? The rewards there are more stable."

"Because I want to know if you can trigger the 'Solo Clear' bonus on a dungeon of your own level while I do the heavy lifting," Searanox explained, his gaze flickering around the desolate landscape. "If it works, we can power-level the others significantly faster."

Iris nodded. "That would indeed be wise to test. The efficiency gain would be substantial."

"Alright. The plan is simple. We go in, I clear all the trash, then you'll mount a travel drone once we find the boss. I'll weaken it, then I leave. Leaving the dungeon should automatically dismiss the drone I leave for you, and you can drop directly onto the half-dead boss to finish it."

They stepped through the portal as he finished speaking.

The oppressive, humid air of the swamp washed over them instantly. The scent of stagnant water and active decay was overwhelming, a thick miasma that seemed to cling to their skin. The dungeon remained unchanged from his previous visit—murky, waist-deep water in places, skeletal trees reaching like dead arms toward a dim, foggy ceiling, and ground that squelched and groaned under their boots.

Searanox summoned six Assault Drones, their crescent-shaped mechanical forms hovering silently above the murky swamp water. "You know the drill. Search and destroy everything that isn't the boss."

The drones shot off in different directions, their thrusters creating small ripples in the water.

Crimson beams of light began to flicker through the thick fog as the drones engaged the dungeon's inhabitants. Both Searanox and Iris remained stationary near the entrance, listening to the distant sounds of combat. One by one, the Rotting Hulks, Toxic Spitters, and Plague Carrion were eliminated systematically. It wasn't a battle; it was a cold, calculated slaughter.

The clearing proved much faster than Searanox had anticipated. The drones superior range and damage output made short work of the swamp's inhabitants, who were largely restricted by the difficult terrain.

After ten minutes, the sounds of combat ceased. Searanox checked his mental link to the drones. He dismissed all the assault drones, then sent in a few recon drones to do a final sweep. When they returned empty, having found no hidden treasure caches or stray mobs, he dismissed them too.

"Your turn, Iris." Searanox summoned a travel drone, its form flickering to life beside them in the gloom. "Let's go find the master of this pond."