Titan.
A planet shrouded in icy storms, barren rock, and monsters born from nightmares. One region was feared even by the bravest—The Mantis Graveyard, home to over 10,000 evolved mentis beasts. No communication worked there. No tech functioned. It was a place of death.
And yet, Dev entered it alone.
His golden Sacred Armor shimmered under Titan's dim skies, protecting him from the extreme cold and acidic winds. Each step he took left a glowing print in the sand. The moment he crossed into the graveyard, the air shifted—dense, buzzing, alive with menace.
Then they came.
Mentises—ten thousand insectoid beasts with blades for arms and venomous wings—rushed him from all sides.
Dev didn't flinch.
With a single thought, his Sacred Armor activated its Blazing Core Mode. Energy flared around him like a solar storm. He leapt, twirled midair, and rained down destruction with explosive arrows—each a one-time-use soul he'd absorbed earlier. The sky lit with fire.
He moved like a phantom—dodging, striking, vanishing between enemies. One after another, mentises fell in burning heaps. His arrows pierced their chests, exploded their wings, shattered their armor.
Hours passed. Dozens turned into hundreds, then thousands.
He was unstoppable.
But then, in the midst of the chaos, he spotted something strange—a human figure, injured, surrounded by dozens of mentises, desperately fighting them off.
Dev dashed forward like a lightning bolt, killing the swarm in seconds.
The man collapsed.
Dev caught him just in time.
Without hesitation, Dev stored the bodies of the mentises, consuming only 20 of them for Sacred Points. The rest—he took with him.
Later, the injured man regained consciousness. His eyes widened as he saw Dev sitting nearby.
"You… you saved me," he whispered. "Who are you?"
Dev stood quietly. "Call me Dollar. That's not my real name, but it's all you need for now."
The man smiled with gratitude and awe. "I'm Viyan Sharma. I work under Shivani Mittal… in the team known as Dark_Newbee. We protect high-status citizens and enforce law across ten planetary bases. This… this is Base 6."
Dev nodded. "I've heard."
Viyan looked at the mountain of mentis corpses, stunned. "You killed all these?"
"I did."
Viyan's voice softened with respect. "After a point, absorbing the same beast type gives no benefit. Twenty's the cap. But you… you've done something extraordinary. I'd like to buy these for my team. They'll serve us as one-time-use beast souls."
Dev thought for a moment. "Ten million credits."
Viyan's eyes widened. "That's… cheap."
"I know the real value," Dev replied calmly. "But I'm fine with this. Meet me here tomorrow—alone. No team. No drones. Just you and the credits."
Viyan nodded slowly. "Deal. And Dollar…"
"Yes?"
"You've earned my respect."
**
That night, Dev planned his next move. The mentis corpses were too valuable to leave exposed. Technology didn't work in this zone, so transport was risky.
At 2 a.m., under the cover of darkness, he began moving them—stealthily, quietly.
On the way, he spotted scouts from Munna's faction. He avoided them easily, sticking to shadows. Within hours, the bodies were relocated 4 km from the base.
Six days passed.
Then, a message appeared on his internal system:
> "You consumed: Mentis Mutant-Level Beast. Earned: 20 Mutant Points. No further points can be gained from this type."
Along with it, another message appeared:
> "Basic-Level Beast in Cage has evolved to Sacred-Level."
Dev had placed one of the strange crystals inside the cage before leaving.
He quickly killed the newly evolved Sacred Beast and consumed its flesh.
> "You consumed: Sacred-Level Beast. Earned: +10 Sacred Points. Current Total: 20 Sacred Points."
Still no soul drop—but the power surge was real.
**
Dev returned to Earth via the base's teleporter system. At the terminal, his father's old friend, Colonel Virendra, met him.
"This time, use the Titan Rail Nexus," the Colonel instructed. "It'll teleport you to a new zone—an experimental station. From there, you'll arrive closer to the forest regions."
Back on Titan, Dev explored new, uncharted territory.
A different forest. Wilder. Darker.
He hunted relentlessly.
For five days, he killed dozens of basic beasts. On the fifth day, another notification:
> "You've reached: 100 Basic-Level Points. Limit Reached."
"Your lifespan has increased by +100 Years."
Dev froze, stunned.
Longevity… just from power.
He smiled quietly. A silent victory.
But before he could celebrate, he saw something near a distant lake.
A mutant-level beast stood near the water.
And a young man bent down to drink from that very lake—unaware of the danger behind him.
Dev raised his bow.
Took aim.
Then…
To be continued…