Awakening to a Special-Grade Explorer
Vol. 4 - Ch. 162 - White

A shrill alarm suddenly echoed, tearing apart the quietness of the night. It wasn't even a moment later when the ground or trees shook with the systematic sounds of footsteps, telltale the beginning of ominous.

The 'sound of beginning’ reached to everyone ---whether they were currently off-duty, or on the lookout, maybe they were having fun chitter-chatter, or probably unable to sleep so instead were going through preparation just in case, or gazing at the sky all alone---ears.

The base was immediately engulfed in all sorts of sounds and clanking and shouts and all.

Tenji heard all the ruckus weaving through the darkness, however his gaze was simply focused on one point.

"It's going to be born...soon."

Everything has occurred so suddenly that Tenji couldn't catch up with everything, and just stared at the black cocoon.

There should still be some time before it starts hatching, right?... were Tenji's thoughts until a while ago. Like, they had just arrived here today, were filled about their duty just today, and yet, here they were. Black Cocoon had started to hatch, putting a full stop to his hope for a bit more time.

Black cocoon, largest in the history ever, pulsed with 'thump-thump' like a beating heart as it started its quickening. Following the hatching, a tiny crack appeared on its surface from where white lights spilled out.

Seeing that, Tenji's mind was taken into a contradictory feeling of disgust and expectation.

(White light......well, I can't unsee it now huh. I have never seen that 'white eyed' monster that even Leon-san couldn't win against at all in his prime if I go by Kaidou-san’s words. But I am sure of it, that—)

Gulp Tenji made an audible gulping sound.

"It's the same kind as me."

He couldn't tell for sure, but it was like both of them were resonating. It held no logic but his intuition was screaming ‘we’re of the same kind’, that we're brethren.

Just as he was consumed by confusion—

“Ah, here you're, Tenji.”

Fuyuki’s voice comes his way from behind, or more accurately, from a slanted angle.

Tenji had informed Fuyuki, who was reading strategy materials, that he's going out for a stroll in this direction, so he probably managed to find him immediately after.

For Tenji, Fuyuki was like that kind and reliable brother, always there to back him up. He unhesitantly shifted his gaze from black cocoon to Fuyuki's direction.He was already armed with his usual battle-ready equipment, unwittingly also bringing a tense sensation to Tenji.

“It's time to group with others.”

“Yeah, let's hurry up.”

Both nodded to themselves and bolted towards the Chariots tactical spot, charged with the area encompassing northwest to Northeast.

On the way, Tenji asked Fuyuki.

“Did you see that?”

“What is?”

The light spilling out from Black Cocoon…it was white. The colour of light that it released just before hatching was the same as that monster's eye.

This was something universal knowledge to everyone, whether they're professional explorers or rookie explorers. The light a monster released before hatching—for 5th grade monsters, it was ‘purple’ colour, blue for 4th grade, red for 1st grade—was an indicator to the monster's strength. So a white light was the omen of something ominous that pulled on his tension.

It was one of the basics that anyone aspiring to tread the road of explorer must know. But the sight before them was something out of their textbook. Did Fuyuki notice it as well? Tenji asked with such intention but—

“Huh I didn't have a close-up look at it…but was it White? For real? I was inside the tent reading about the strategy so I couldn't see it. And then I hurried to get my equipment ready when the alarm buzzed.”

“I have seen it with my own eyes, that black cocoon unmistakably released white light.”

“Ugh, white… that doesn't sound good.”

Fuyuki's expression tensed when he heard that, which was the clear indication that the situation was apparently going outside of their prediction. Of course so, the white had pretty much settled it in stone that the monster from black cocoon was most likely an unverified special-grade; a monster of calibre that nobody had witnessed yet.

The colour itself was the representation of difficulty and their survival. Their strategy had literally formulated around the latest known zero-grade monster.

It was as if history was going to repeat itself again.

“Let's group up with Chariot first. We would just end up as a burden even if we try to join in the battle now. Besides, the lack of coordination would surely invite unnecessary chaos. For now, let's trust in the judgement of our commander, Kujou-san. Anyway! Let's head up there first.”

“Understood!”

The predictions were thrown to oblivion at the current juncture. There's no way President Limey would be able to deal with the monster that even Leon at his heyday couldn't contend against.

Leon was indisputably the one holding the title of strongest in this world, and also the only one who had encountered white among the present zero-grade monsters. Yes, as long it concerned ‘current explorers’.

There was once a zero-grade explorer whose whereabouts had gone missing several years ago. The humanity of course doesn't know the truth, but the truth was they had been killed by white eyed monster.

There was no other way to label it as anything but bad luck. They're alone when they lose their life.

The threat that even a zero-grade explorer couldn't escape from was now slowly coming out of its shell. It was a question if even the top ranked member here could fight against it.

With all calculation now shrouded in ominous white, Crack!, a huge crack ran all over the surface of black cocoon.

What was a drizzle of white light until a moment ago now expanded like the sun in a cloudless sky. And the next moment, the nightscape of the 75th floor was showered with the intense light, dispelling the veil of darkness.