WORLD END

Soulic Stones

Amber extended a hand. “Hand me the medical kit. It’s on the left side of my mech.”

“Here you go.”Miles voice was steady as she passed the box to him. She knelt beside their injured comrade, Luke, and began to work, her movements swift and practiced. From the kit, she brought out a roll of bandages and a small vial filled with a light blue syrup.

“What’s that?” Miles asked, his head tilted.

“Oh, it’s an elixir. I crafted it from a Soulic Stone we got on our last hunt.” She began to administer it to Luke. “We sold some to the Guild, but they don’t fetch much. I decided it was better used for this.”

“Soulic Stone?” Miles’s curiosity was piqued.

“Right, you’re new to this hunting thing.” A small smile touched her lips. “Well, a Soulic Stone—also called a Soul Stone, or SL Stones for short—is found deep in beast territory. Especially high-ranking territory. How they come about? I don’t know. But they’re good for treating the injured or sick.”

As she spoke, she fed Luke four bottles of the elixir. His body, previously wracked with pain, began to show signs of easing. The tension in his frame lessened, and his breathing grew steadier.

“That should be enough for now any more than that could kill a person.,” Amber exclaimed, taking a deep breath of relief.

“I can feel his pulse,” Miles said, his hand hovering near Luke’s neck.

“Yeah, he’s regaining consciousness. But it’ll be slow. He broke his ribs and one of his legs. That’ll heal in time, thanks to the Soulic Stone elixir, but the effects are gradual.”

She gestured toward Miles. “Hand me that amber starch .”

Miles tilted his head to the left, a look of clueless confusion on his face. “What?”

“Oh, sorry. Sometimes I forget you’re blind.” Amber quickly picked up the ointment herself and began to apply it to Luke’s wounds with a gentle hand.

Miles straightened up. “I’m going back to help Sil and the others.”

“There’s no need for that,” Amber said, not looking up from her work. “They’ll be fine, as long as Sil got the Wolf Feng Bow to Israel or Jogo in time, I they make it out of that battle alive. And you’re not going to leave Luke and me here. Protecting your injured comrade should be your priority.”

She finished with the ointment and handed the medical kit back to him. “Once you’re done, create an earth bed. Let’s get Luke placed on it.”

Miles took the kit, tucked it away, and stomped his foot on the ground. With a low rumble, earth and stone rose up, molding themselves into a small shelter—a tent with a rocky, comfortable bed within. The effort drained him, and he fell to his knees, exhausted.

“Nice. Take this.” Amber handed him a small bottle of the SL stone elixir. “It’ll help you recover your energy.”

Miles gulped it down, and a warm, revitalizing energy spread through his limbs, easing the ache in his bones.

“Can’t have you going lazy on me because you exhausted your soul energy on that shelter,” she teased gently. “Now, help me carry him inside.”

Once Luke was settled on the rocky bed, they both sat down and rested in the quiet of the earth tent.

---

Far away, in a massive, bustling military complex, a man in immaculate military attire stood before a glowing holographic orb. In a meditation posture his eyes closed in concentration. This was General Duke.

“General Duke,” a soldier called out, approaching with a datapad. “We’re getting a reading of an unfamiliar energy signature from the southeast of O’Hara. It’s emanating from a D-rank classified beast territory.”

The room was a hive of activity, personnel in identical uniforms moving with purpose between consoles and holographic displays. This was the Military—the first line of defense against the Demon Lord and his army. For years, modern weapons had proven useless against the demonic forces, but with the rise of the Originals—humans with awakened abilities who called themselves Hunters—humanity had gained a fighting chance. They had even defeated Demon Lord Luce himself.

The Originals had shared their abilities with individual willing to join their guide and the military to face the rising threat of beast attacks. Now, the military served as the shield for the public and as backup for any unexpected events within beast territories. Those who joined without any innate ability were granted the “String Ability,” a technique that became the military’s signature. It allowed its users to create near-invisible, razor-sharp strings from their fingertips, capable of cutting through flesh and metal or restraining any target.

“General Duke,” the soldier continued, “the energy signature has suddenly vanished without a trace.”

The General’s eyes snapped open. “Contact Sergeant Nathan. Send a team to investigate.”

“Right away, sir.” The soldier saluted and hurried off to carry out his orders.

---

Back in the beast territory, a sudden shift in presence made Miles’s head snap up. He slammed his foot down, and an earth spear erupted from the ground in front of him, ready for a strike.

Amber, who had been half-asleep, jolted upright, her hand flying to her weapon.

“Something’s coming,” Miles said, his voice low. He stepped out of the tent, listening.

Human footsteps, he thought. A moment later, a familiar voice called out.

“Hey, Miles! How’s Luke doing?”

Miles’s tense posture relaxed, and a smile of relief broke across his face. “Thank God you made it.”

Israel, Jogo, and Sil emerged from the treeline. Israel took in the earth shelter with an appreciative nod. “An earth shelter. Nicely done, Miles. Good job.”

He walked up and patted Miles on the shoulder before they all ducked inside. Amber sat vigil beside Luke, who lay still on the bed.

“How is he?” Israel asked, his voice laced with concern.

“He’s going to be okay,” Amber replied. “Just needs rest. He’ll be back on his feet in no time.”

“You gave him the healing elixir?” Jogo asked.

“Yeah.”

“Alright,” Israel said, his tone shifting to one of command. “We need to talk.”

Miles stomped his foot again, and three earthen seats rose from the floor. The group sat.

“First,” Israel began, “we lost that Giant Crab’s Soul Crystal. And whatever took it is still lurking under the pond the crab rose out of. So, there’s another beast like that down there….” He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. “I looked into the pond. I saw pillars of ruins under the water. That means two things. One: there’s something of importance down there. Two: whatever it is, it should have attacked alongside the first crab—especially after hearing its death cry.”

“So what’s the idea here?” Miles asked, his voice edged with disbelief. “You want us to go up against the same type of beast we barely escaped from, with one of us heavily injured?”

“Well, yes and no,” Israel said, a confident glint in his eye. “We can take out a beast like that with fewer casualties. We just need a plan. Now that we know it’s an Emperor-tier beast.”

“How can you tell?” Sil asked. “It never came out.”

“Judging from the damage luke did to the crab beast with the Cleric Shield it An Emperor-tier beast and An Emperor tier beast can’t coexist with a beast stronger than it. There’d always be a fight for supremacy,” Israel explained. “But an Emperor-tier can live with another Emperor-tier—especially if they’re the same breed.”

“So what’s the plan?” Jogo asked.

Israel turned to Amber. “Amber, you’ll stay here. Take the Wolf Feng Bow.” He tossed it to her. “You have the most energy left. Look after Luke. The four of us will go into the pond and see what’s down there.”

Amber nodded, catching the bow. She began to channel her soul energy into it, refilling its power.

Jogo went to his mech-beast and retrieved supplies, tossing a bottle to Israel. “Is this the last batch of healing elixir we have?”

“Yeah, that’s all,” Jogo said. “When you’ve had your fill, pass it to me. I need to recover my SL cells too.”

Sil, who had been quiet, finally spoke, his voice tight. “Aren’t you guys… a little nervous? That we could die?”

Israel, Jogo, and Amber just shrugged it off. “We’ve defeated an Emperor beast before,” Israel said. He then turned to Sil with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. Take the Cleric Shield.”

He handed Sil a magnificent shield. “It was forged from an Intermediate-tier beast and later upgraded with an Emperor-tier one. It can reflect any strike back at the attacker with twice the force. It also doubles your attack power when you equip it.”

Jogo took the shield from Amber mech and tossed it to Sil. “Here you go.”

Sil caught it, his eyes widening as he felt its weight and the latent power humming within. Israel tapped him on the shoulder. “Feel better?”

Sil equipped the shield, and a wave of strength surged through him, doubling his physical abilities. He gave a firm nod.

“Alright,” Israel said. “Let’s get some rest. Miles, drink some of this when you feel drained and double your SL Cell, but don't drink too much .” He handed Miles the healing elixir.

Miles tucked the bottle into his side and, on instinct, created another earth spear, holding it in his left hand.

After ten minutes of pouring her energy into the Wolf Feng Bow, Amber handed it back to Israel. “It’s fully charged. The active skill isn't available for now but it's just a little time before it's can be used again”

A groan from the earthen bed drew their attention. Luke was shifting in pain. The group watched him quietly for a moment before turning back to their preparations.

“Amber, take Luke back to the city,” Israel said, slinging the charged bow over his back and securing his second bow at his side.

Jogo took a blade handle from his mech-beast and attached it to his belt.

“You guys be careful,” Amber said. She left the tent to prepare her mech, carefully securing Luke’s mech to her own. Before she departed, Israel handed her the twenty beast crystals they had excavated from the Advanced-tier Crab beast. “Trade these with the Guild. We’ll link up with you when we’re done on our end.”

Before she left, Israel pulled out a pair of finely crafted daggers. “Miles, here. You can have Luke’s Ifrit Daggers. Made from a fire-type Advanced-tier beast. They’ll help you against those crabs.”

Miles shook his head. “I’m not good with a weapon like that.”

Israel saw the longing look Miles gave the daggers and smiled. He said nothing, simply securing them on his mech.

Sil looked at the shield on his arm. “You guys really have good weapons.”

“Our weapons and armor are our life as Hunters,” Jogo replied. “Without them, we’d have been dead on hunts.”

---

They stood at the edge of the pond, gazing into its dark, murky depths. Now that they were looking, they could clearly see the shadowy outlines of ancient ruins beneath the surface.

A sudden rumble vibrated through the ground. The group stood firm, but Sil’s hand tightened around his sword and shield. Doubt flickered in his eyes.

Israel noticed. “If you guys don’t feel up to it, we could always let the military handle this.”

Miles spoke before anyone else could. “Then why are we Hunters?”

Sil’s nervousness vanished, replaced by a fierce resolve. He gripped his sword tighter.

Jogo tapped Miles on the shoulder. “thats the spirit.”

Israel grinned. “Alright, g**g. Let’s go hunting.”

With that, he dove into the icy water. One by one, the others followed, plunging into the darkness below.