Transcendent Gene
Chapter 251: First Kill [1]

Chapter 251: First Kill [1]

Whether on Gio and Serene’s side or Neriah and Shiro’s side, the investigations didn’t cease immediately. Both groups took several dozen minutes to ensure that there was nothing left unseen.

They were a distance away from each other, but communication wasn’t impossible.

Their holowatches were restricted to the space within the barrier. No signal from within could leave.

However, they could still function within the parameters of the quest. It was as if only this small stretch of land had internet while the rest of the world was a dead zone.

Gio and the others had a group chat they’d made for the sake of training, but it also showed its use in times like these.

When around half an hour passed after Serene showed Gio the booklet, he sent a message into the chat.

[Gio: Let’s meet.]

[Shiro: we’re not done yet]

[Neriah: He’s lying. We’ll be done in a few minutes. Where should we meet?]

[Gio: Coffee shop. It’s where we killed the cyclops.]

[Neriah: Affirmative.]

[Shiro: u guys type like old ppl]

The meeting place was established easily and the four of them saw each other’s faces again no later than twenty minutes after that interaction.

From an outside perspective, it sounded like they’d found traces of similar things, however, that was not the case. While the physical clues they discovered were the same, their implications were different.

Gio and Serene found signs of illegal experimentation and the presence of the Monster Race’s influence in the earliest parts of new human society.

They unveiled the possibility of the Monster Race influencing human history. This influence could mean nothing, but it could also mean everything depending on how much was changed through them.

In Vita’s hidden lab, Neriah and Shiro found the language of the Monster Race in the legal facilities that were used to better the world. They did more research to see if it was true that Vita was corrupted, but they were relieved to find that it wasn’t.

The writing of the Monster Race found there was stolen. There were records in the lab of when it was taken from the enemy and there were also records of the researchers’ attempts to decipher the language and find ways to use the monsters’ knowledge against them.

’If we could find the translations, it would be amazing. Even aside from that, if Vita was already aware of what the monsters were up to...then it could also be true that they found ways to combat it that they were never able to spread.’

They found problems and solutions at the same time.

"What are we supposed to do with this information?" Shiro asked.

"Well, we have options," Gio immediately responded.

"If we want to focus on the small scale, we can stay in the city and look for more clues hidden here. It’s not a bad choice, but it’s not the option I would go with."

"What’s that?"

"I think we should leave. We should see what else is present in the scenario. If what we found holds any weight, then the secrets we’re going to uncover by the time the quest ends will be on a much larger scale. It won’t all be present in one place."

It wasn’t a bad thought process. Scenario Quests also didn’t focus on any specific person or group. If one person managed to finish the quest, it would end for everyone. The terraformed area wouldn’t revert back to its previous form, but all quest items and locations would disappear.

They needed to cover as much ground in as little time as possible.

"I agree," Serene said.

"I don’t think there’s anything else in the city. At least, if we’re just going to follow this one mystery, there’s probably nothing."

If there were multiple ways to clear the quest, maybe the city held clues related to other mysteries.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t related to them.

Neriah and Shiro also didn’t feel strongly enough to disagree.

Gio acted like he picked a random direction to move in and led his group to the north.

’I don’t know exactly how things are laid out, but the report had minor details about the environment. I know that there are monster territories to the north or east of every human territory. It’s just 50/50 on which direction it’ll be.’

This time, he was correct in choosing the north.

The group made its way to the very edge of the city without encountering more than one or two monsters. That peaceful fate only changed when they were outside of the cover provided by the skyscrapers.

Bang!

A massive wolf, around twice the size of a pickup truck, launched a surprise attack from their side just before they could leave the city limits.

Awooooo!

It called out while coiling back on its hind legs, its muscles tight like a drawn bowstring. Shiro and Serene were forced to face it to anticipate its next attack.

Meanwhile, Gio and Neriah were distracted by separate battles. The wolf’s call attracted several more monsters, only some of which were its kin.

The group of four was surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Yet, it wasn’t a situation they dreaded. Even Serene, who was the most terrified of them all, didn’t feel particularly endangered by the encirclement.

After all, these monsters were just bottom feeders. They were the ones who had to band together regardless of species or strength if they wanted to survive.

In front of predators, they could be nothing but prey.

And Gio’s party was more than ready to become the predators.

The battle started quickly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Serene and Shiro moved first. She rose up into the air and spread her arms, creating several dozens of bubbles that filled the air and drifted in all directions.

They popped in various forms, spreading various poisons into the air. Some of them slowed the beasts, others rendered their senses useless, and others more filled their bodies with deathly energy that aimed for their throats.

Within the siege of bubbles, Shiro rushed at the first wolf monster and summoned a blade coated in superheated golden flames.

Shing!

It cut through the air and into the monster’s fur like butter. It roared and tried to shift its body to counterattack, but Shiro was faster.

Vooooooom!

Gio and Neriah weren’t far behind. Any piece of the ground that wasn’t assailed by bubbles was covered in a sea of virtual blue.

The substance the energy became could be considered somewhere in between fire and water. The substance trapped everything caught inside and burned it while also forcing its victims to sink into the ground.

It was a new technique Gio developed by mimicking quicksand. It wasn’t very good at causing damage, but it could hold enemies better than any other ability he currently had.

And while they were held, his backup acted.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Spires of earth rose from the ground and impaled monster after monster. Any being that didn’t die from the spires was bludgeoned by massive chunks of rock that she raised into the sky and dropped with the force of hammers.

The four of them weren’t quite like a well-oiled machine yet, but they were reaching that state rapidly.

As they pushed through their enemies and continued to move in the direction of their goal, the environment eventually shifted from the human world they knew to something entirely unknown.

There were more than just some clues awaiting them at their next destination.