BOOM!
The expected shockwave never came. No rippling force, no scattered debris. Just... nothing.
Where the crushing void energy had met the Bore Mole's armored face, reality simply... stopped. A perfect sphere of emptiness had replaced the beast's upper section, edges clean as a surgeon's cut. Not destroyed. Not shattered. Simply ceased to exist.
The remaining mass of the Category 3 beast slumped to the ground, its deadly rotating teeth finally silent.
Noah stared at his fist as the purple energy retreated like smoke being sucked into his skin. 'Did I just... delete part of a Category 3 beast?'
[Quest Complete: Prove Your Worth!]
[Reward: 500 XP Acquired]
[Rare-grade Core Retrieved]
[Bonus: First Null Strike Kill Recorded]
[Achievement Unlocked: Void Deletion]
He barely registered the system's notifications. His mind was racing, analyzing what just happened. A punch that didn't destroy but erased – the implications were staggering. If Null Strike could delete matter itself...
'Focus,' he told himself. 'Process that later.'
Something else demanded his attention. The energy emanating from the nest pulled at his senses like a gravitational field. Unlike NYX's core, which had practically exploded out of molten rock during that cave fight, this was different. Deliberate. Prepared.
'Someone built this,' he realized, taking careful steps toward the crystalline structure. 'Someone knew exactly what they were protecting.'
The power grew stronger with each step. It wasn't just energy – it was pure potential, raw and untamed. Where NYX's core had felt like concentrated lightning, this was more like standing at the edge of a storm. Wild. Ancient. Alive.
His tactical mind clicked through the possibilities. Two dragon-related discoveries, both hidden underground, both guarded by Category 3 beasts. But while NYX's situation had seemed random, this... this was engineered. The tunnels, the guardian, the crystal nest itself – all of it purposefully designed.
'This isn't coincidence,' he thought, now standing before the massive egg. 'This is a pattern. But whose?'
The energy pulsed, almost like it was responding to his presence. Or maybe... recognizing something in him?
[Warning: Unknown energy signature escalating]
[Caution: Void resonance detected]
[Alert: Similar patterns to registered void dragon detected]
Noah ignored the system's warnings. He didn't need an interface to tell him what his instincts were screaming. Something was happening. Something big.
And he had stumbled right into the middle of it.
Noah approached the egg with measured steps, his hand hovering over its crystalline surface. The moment his fingers made contact, warmth spread through his arm.
[Scanning Unknown Entity...]
[Species: Azure Storm Wyvern]
[Classification: Ancient Dragon Subspecies - Storm Variant]
[Status: Pre-hatching, Viable]
[Note: Extremely rare variant capable of manipulating atmospheric conditions]
[Would you like to initiate hatching sequence?]
[Warning: Process requires significant energy]
[Optional: Accelerate hatching using stored beast cores]
[Estimated cost: 20 category 3 beast cores]
[Y/N]
'Well, NYX,' Noah thought with a slight smirk, 'looks like you might be getting a roommate.' He mentally calculated his core reserves. The hunting had been good these past few days – NYX was well-fed, and this... this was too valuable an opportunity to pass up.
[Hatching Process Initiated]
[Estimated Time: 2 Hours]
[Status: Stable]
Footsteps echoed through the crystal chamber, bouncing off the walls in a chaotic symphony. His team had finally caught up, their expressions a mix of concern, irritation, and sheer disbelief.
Kelvin reached him first, scientific curiosity temporarily overridden by genuine worry. "Noah! Are you—" His words died as he spotted the Bore Mole's remains. "What in the..."
Lila appeared beside him, blood still trickling from her nose, yet her eyes were sharp with concern. "When you disappeared down that hole, we thought—" She stopped, taking in the scene. "How did you...?"
Cora didn't even pretend to care about his wellbeing. She circled the fallen Category 3 beast, her professional hunter's assessment visible in every step. "That's... not possible," she muttered, examining the clean void-cut through its armor.
Micah's reaction was the most interesting. The third-year student's face cycled through emotions like a slot machine: anger at disobedience, relief at Noah's survival, confusion at the beast's state, and finally, deep suspicion.
'Perfect Echo, my ass,' Micah thought, watching Noah's casual stance. He'd struggled to land solid hits on the Bore Mole with his gravity manipulation, yet this first-year had somehow... what? Deleted part of its head? With a supposedly non-combat ability?
"Burned out my Ravager's core," Noah offered with a shrug when questioned, his face a masterclass in innocence. "Got lucky with the shot placement."
Kelvin bought it immediately, launching into an excited theory about energy concentration and weak points. Lila and Cora exchanged skeptical glances but didn't push. But Micah... Micah's eyes narrowed. He'd seen Ravager cores burn out before. They didn't do... that.
"We're done here," Micah announced, his tone leaving no room for discussion. "Mission complete. Let's head back to the rendezvous point."
The walk back was filled with excited chatter about their encounter, but Micah barely heard it. His mind was elsewhere, counting down the minutes until he could speak with the academy's number one student. There were too many pieces now – NYX, the wyvern egg, his rapidly evolving abilities. Someone had to have answers.
Micah watched Noah from behind, noting how the first-year's apparently carefree smile never quite reached his eyes. In the academy rankings, Micah stood at number five among the top 25. He'd earned that spot through years of training, countless battles, and relentless dedication. Yet here was Noah Eclipse, a supposed rookie with a non-combat ability, casually rewriting the rules of what should be possible.
The transport would arrive soon, ready to carry them back to base. Noah's smile widened slightly as he felt the egg's energy pulse safely stored away. Two hours. Two hours until he discovered what an Azure Storm Wyvern looked like.
Earth had been full of surprises, but Cannadah? Cannadah was turning out to be an entirely different game. And Noah Eclipse was playing it with a deck nobody else could see.