[07: 01: 37: 22]

  ...

  Cassian sat cross-legged, sorting through his thoughts as he looked at Dorian. The man had already regained much of his composure; his sharp brown eyes were calculating despite his exhaustion.

  “So, here’s the plan,” Cassian began, rolling his shoulders. “From what I saw on the cams in the security room B1, there weren’t any monsters roaming on this level; there still could be some. But I think we should head back up, get you geared up from the armory, and now that I know how to harvest soulsparks, we should collect them from all the monsters I killed earlier. That way, I can see if they actually increase my strength.”

  Dorian listened intently, nodding slowly. "Will the soulsparks really help you gain more power?"

  "Yeah, they should. But I won’t know for sure until I collect a decent amount… again, I have no idea about my powers; I’m running on instincts here," Cassian admitted.

  Dorian grunted approval and pushed himself up, stretching his stiff limbs. “Sounds like a solid plan. Let’s move.”

  Cassian stood, grabbing his bag before handing Dorian a flashlight and the floor plan for B2. Dorian took them, raising a brow at Cassian in mild amusement.

  "Good thinking," he muttered. "Having these will make navigation a lot easier."

  Cassian shrugged. “My loot."

  Dorian chuckled under his breath. Cassian was sure he heard Dorian say, "Kids..."

  I can’t really understand old people; it was my rightful loot.

  They moved in silence toward the entry gate for the B2 level. As they approached, Cassian suddenly stopped. Dorian frowned as he asked Cassian, "Is something the matter, Cassian?”

  “Shit! My fault, Dorian; in all the excitement of finding Soulsparks, I forgot one crucial thing… we should be careful around the stairs that lead up to B1. This is where I got captured."

  Dorian’s hand moved instinctively toward his weapon. "Monsters here? Can you handle the threat?"

  Cassian shook his head grimly. “The enemy I faced was an elite... there were 2 of them. And worst of all… they use mental-type attacks. I don’t have any defenses against those.”

  Dorian's face darkened at that. He crossed his arms, deep in thought. “When my team entered this facility, we encountered something similar.” His voice was grim. “All we heard was a scream, and then we blacked out. When we woke up… most of my squad was gone.”

  Dorian nodded. “Any ideas on how to deal with them?”

  I can resist for about a minute before I black out, I think… hmmm, Cassian inhaled sharply, gathering his thoughts.

  “That depends… The best course of action is for me to take point. I can resist the mental effects for about a minute before I black out. You should stay at least 10–15 meters behind me. If we encounter the elite, I’ll act as the distraction, and you'll pop its head. I don’t know how many of those monsters are there, but we should stay vigilant."

  Dorian nodded, clearly relieved to have a plan. “Understood. It’s risky… but we don’t have many options. I’ll tail you from behind, stay hidden, and if I don’t hear from you after 30 seconds, I’ll assume we’re in combat.”

  Cassian gave a sharp nod. “Understood. I’ll clear the path ahead. I’ll be in your care.”

  Dorian smirked. “Likewise.”

  Cassian moved ahead, stepping out of the B2 entry gate and onto the stairs leading up to B1. He tightened his grip on his shotgun, keeping it close for the tight quarters. Taking a deep breath, he crouched, his boots making no sound as he slowly advanced up the stairs.

  His senses flared, boosted with more perception, and halfway up, he saw the fucking monster. A Kalrach stood motionless in the middle of the stairs, its grotesque, elongated head twitching unnaturally, and as he crept closer, he saw another looming above near the exit gates of B1, or would it be entry since he was in B2 right now…

  Focus! There’s no way around them…

  His mind raced. He could try to assassinate the one in front, but the moment it died, the others would be alerted.

  I need to tell Dorian.

  Silently, he turned, spotting Dorian hidden a few meters behind him.

  How should I communicate… let’s hope he understands my hand signs.

  He gestured, holding up two fingers, and then pointed at his head. Dorian’s expression didn’t change, but he nodded once.

  Good, he gets it, I think. But should I go back to tell him the full plan? No, moving now would be risky.

  Cassian pointed at himself, then at the Kalrach on the stairs. Dorian nodded again. Then, Cassian pointed at Dorian, gestured toward the monster on the upper floor, mimicked aiming, and pointed up. Dorian’s lips curled into a small smirk. He reached for his handgun, his eyes darting around the area to find a perfect angle from which he could take the shot.

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  Alright, time to make my move.

  The moment Cassian crept forward, his body moved instinctively. His enhanced stats kicked in; his vision sharpened, and his breathing slowed.

  The Elite Kalrach in front of him stood perfectly still, its grotesque, ugly face staring into nothing.

  Cassian moved as close as he could, keeping to the shadows. He stopped just short of its detection range.

  Any further, and I’m dead… holy! The stealth skill is really good.

  These things are like screamers in games. I have to finish this fucker up in one move.

  Carefully, he glanced at Dorian, who had already found a place and was aiming to take the shot. His posture was odd—leaning in, elbow braced, breathing measured—but it screamed expertise.

  Okay, Dorian is in position… I think he is leveraging a better angle… Please hit the shot… but just in case he misses, I’m retreating.

  Fuuuu~ It's my game now… but first I gotta bring this fucker down to his knees… why are they so tall.

  Cassian steadied himself, then surged forward. In an instant, he was beside the monster. The Kalrach registered his presence as it jerked.

  Too late, bitch.

  Before it could react, Cassian kicked hard at the Kalrach’s legs, its right leg snapping under the force as it stumbled off balance. The creature toppled forward, its face splitting open as it sucked in a breath to scream—

  Cassian jammed his shotgun into its gaping mouth and pulled the trigger.

  BANG!

  Its head exploded, bits of skull and dark ichor splattering against the walls. The echo of the gunshot rang in his ears, but he was already moving, instincts screaming at him to check on the second target.

  Almost simultaneously, another shot rang out.

  Cassian’s head snapped up just in time to see the second Kalrach’s skull burst apart. The creature wavered before collapsing forward, its monstrous body tumbling down the stairs with a sickening thud.

  Damn! That was a nice shot…

  He stepped over the corpse, clearing angles and scanning for threats. Only when he reached the B1 entrance did he allow himself to breathe.

  Turning back, he saw Dorian approaching, smooth and controlled, his gun still held in a ready stance. Cassian stepped aside as he entered, and together they sealed the doors with the access card.

  "That went well," Cassian exhaled. "Awesome shot."

  Dorian let out a small laugh. "Fortunately, it’s one of the things I’m good at." He held up two dull, crystalline objects. "Also, I got these."

  Cassian’s eyes widened. "Wait… you harvested them? Good thinking."

  "Yeah, figured we shouldn’t waste them. So, what’s next? Do we head to the barracks?"

  Cassian nodded, adjusting his grip on his shotgun. "Yeah, but we’re taking the long route. I need to get every soulspark I can."

  Dorian gave him an approving nod. "Understood. Let’s move."

  …

  The trek back to the barracks had taken nearly half an hour, but it had been worth it. Cassian had spent the entire time harvesting Soulsparks from the Kalrach corpses he had left behind earlier, killing any stragglers he encountered along the way.

  And honestly?

  Dorian was a fucking godsend. Watching him in combat was like watching a well-oiled machine. The man moved with perfect efficiency, his shots landing dead on target, his blade work brutal and precise. Kalrach drones that had once been a challenge were now nothing more than fodder.

  That’s peak training and discipline… no powers yet; I’m sure he's crazy strong.

  Cassian could feel Dorian’s attitude toward him shift. The man was probably thinking of Cassian as a kid who got lucky and survived, but now, after seeing just how many monsters Cassian had killed, not to mention the Behemoth’s corpse and the insane damage left behind by that fight, Dorian's respect for him was growing, and he saw Cassian as an equal.

  Only after they entered the barracks did Cassian feel a sense of relief. Dorian handed Cassian the bag filled with Soulsparks before stepping toward the equipment lockers and sorting through the gear.

  fuuu~ Man, I smell… My clothes and armor are all slimy and shit…

  The first thing he did was strip off his current armor and clothes, throwing them into a corner. No point in keeping mucus-covered gear on any longer than necessary. He grabbed a fresh set, slipping into clean tactical gear before sitting down in one of the corners of the barracks.

  As Cassian got comfortable, he pulled the bloodstained letter and the floor plans from his bag and tossed them toward Dorian. The man caught them instinctively, giving him a questioning look.

  “Read those when you get the chance.”

  Dorian simply nodded and turned his attention back to his equipment. Cassian, meanwhile, dragged the bag of Soulsparks closer.

  Phew~ Time for some upgrades… What did the system say… yeah feed my soulkeep the soulspark… umm system can you hear my thoughts and if you do how should I use these soulsparks

  A familiar DING! Echoed in his mind.

  OKAY! Here we go.

  He reached into the bag, counting the Soulsparks. There were a total of 44. Most of them were small, dull crystals—but three stood out. The ones from the two Mental-Type Elites and the Behemoth. Those were larger, irregularly shaped, pulsing faintly with energy.

  Cassian decided to start small. He picked up one of the regular Soulsparks and crushed it in his palm.

  Huh?… So the soulspark from the kalrach is special?? And soulkeep strengthened … also 5 wish fragments?… System, can I get any information on this?

  Damn, that’s such a nice knowledge packet; Sir Eternal Wanderer, you are amazing!

  His Soulkeep just got stronger; he could feel it, and he had 42 more Soulsparks to absorb.

  This was going to be fun.

  ...

  A/N : We are officially kicked off from Rising stars... Sniff ... Man I had so much hope of how good this book will do but my luck got to me. Still we at 465 follows at 23K views. I'll now do MWF release schedule. Let's hope we soar from here on. Also do check out my Patreon would help me a lot with my UNI.

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