Transcendent Gene
Chapter 245: Scenario Quest [3]

Chapter 245: Scenario Quest [3]

Two tents were set up where the four young Sequencers stayed for the night.

Though, there wasn’t much "sleep" happening.

Gio sat outside the tents on a log he’d set up. It would have been a great place to put a campfire if lighting a campfire didn’t mean death.

"I’m supposed to be the only one on night watch, you know?" He said with a smile. It had been several hours since they’d finished setting up. At this point, he felt like he had to say something.

The environment around this lake was extremely docile. It was like the clearing had never been touched by monsters.

In reality, that was an indicator that a much stronger creature lived nearby, but Gio wasn’t worried about it. If this was that creature’s water source, he had more than enough ways to guarantee their safety.

The door to the tent on the left rustled as someone stepped out. She was hard to miss. Her hair was a similar color to the lake, and it reflected the moon’s light the same way.

"Having trouble sleeping?" Gio asked, simply filling the world with something other than silence.

Shiro was sleeping like a brick in the other tent. Neriah was a much lighter sleeper and was definitely ready to awaken at any moment in case of danger, but she was also getting the rest she needed.

Serene was the only one who couldn’t find it in her to sleep even a wink.

She sat down on the opposite side of the log and looked out into the lake with eyes that couldn’t hide her troubled mind. It was a calm night where the sound of breathing provided solace to those trapped within its silence. The sound of breathing was the only thing saving them from the depths of their thoughts.

"How are you all so calm?" Serene finally asked after sitting for a moment.

"I wouldn’t say all of us are calm. In my case and most likely in Neriah’s case, too, it’s just a matter of experience. I’ve seen worse and lived in worse, so this much is still doable for me."

"And Shiro?"

"He’s just stupid. He doesn’t know how to feel fear, so he’s like that."

"Isn’t that better?"

"How would that be better? If you’re so anxious you can’t sleep, at least you’ll be awake if something happens. He’s going to stay passed out until I drag him out of that tent and throw him into the lake."

"Pfft...!"

Serene covered her mouth and let out a small giggle.

"So it’s just a matter of experience, you’re saying? It’s hard to believe because it’s always like that with you, but I’ll take your word for it."

"You should," Gio responded with a nod and a smile.

"You act like you don’t have it in you. Considering how you got where you are with an Original Gene like that, isn’t time all you need to find a way?"

"That’s true...but this is different. Being this far away from anything makes me feel helpless. I feel like everything around me has the power to kill me if it wants to."

Serene frowned. She was rubbing her shoulders like she was shivering, but it wasn’t caused by the cold.

She was afraid. She was hyperaware of the fact that she was surrounded by monsters and it was eating away at her mind.

Was there a way to fix it?

’I never fixed it.’

Gio was thrown into a world of monsters and beasts that he had to slaughter for survival. He didn’t have time to get rid of his fear. It was forced to disappear.

’That’s not a method I’d recommend to anyone.’

"Do you want the easy answer or the hard one?"

"Which one works?"

"They both do, but that doesn’t make them good."

The first option was to face death directly. Once one had looked into its eyes a few times, their threshold for fear would increase significantly.

"That doesn’t sound fun..." Serene said with a frown as he explained it.

"And the second option is to just wait. You’re not here alone. I’m here, Neriah’s here, and even if he seems useless now, Shiro will always have your back when things get tight."

It was harder for her because they weren’t panicking alongside her, but their calmness had its benefits as well.

"It’ll suck for a little, but feel free to panic as you need to until you’ve gotten used to it. It won’t take long for you to realize that the things you’ve been learning during your time as a Sequencer haven’t been for nothing."

Serene’s expression turned wry as she stood up from the log, walking closer to the lake.

"I don’t know how to feel right now. I’m usually supposed to be the one in your role. I don’t think I like being comforted, but I definitely feel calmer now," she said.

"That’s the only thing that matters," Gio replied, standing up as well.

It was late enough into the night to be called early in the morning.

"And you don’t have to worry about being the weakest thing in the rainforest anymore."

Serene turned around with a curious look. The strong wind carried his words away, but she knew he’d spoken.

"Did you say someth– ?!"

WHOOOOOOOOSH!

She should’ve realized when the first bit of wind picked up.

It had been a calm and silent night until that moment. The wind that erased Gio’s warning was the first of its kind.

What followed was a torrent beyond torrents.

The lush, bright green trees around them slammed sideways. It couldn’t be called swaying when they were all being forced to bow in the same direction.

Serene was thrown off her feet. Before she could be carried away, Gio caught her arm and released his energy.

"Make a bubble!" He yelled as virtual energy anchored them to the ground.

"I...!"

He didn’t know what Serene said, but he could already see the fear locking up her body.

His eyes went over to the tents that were now gone. Neriah was barely holding onto a sword that she’d planted into the ground, while Shiro was surrounded by a wall of flames that looked only moments away from being dispersed.

"GATHER!"

He roared, sending a huge wave of energy into the surroundings. Aether boosted his voice enough to be heard by all three of his comrades.

Vooooom!

He let go of all of the energy in his body, allowing it to drain him in order to create a wide barrier around the four of them that was secure enough to protect them.

Bang!

"Khhh...!"

Gio gritted his teeth as a tree slammed against the side of his shield. He barely managed to keep it stable, but that was enough.

His feet returned firmly to the ground. He held his arms out and caught Serene before she could hit the ground and quickly ran over to the others before setting her down.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

She bit her lip powerfully and nodded her head.

"I’ll be good."

"I can’t hold this barrier for much longer. This wind means it’s started. We just have to hold on until it ends."

He looked at Shiro and Neriah, who read the intent in his eyes.

These were no ordinary winds.

These winds signaled the creation of a Scenario Quest.

They signaled the beginning of a terraforming event that would affect this entire mountain range.

And if they didn’t want to be terraformed with the rest of the world...

’...then we need to find shelter. Now.’