After spending some time in the armory, Yakup greeted the other candidates and pick up the weapon parts. On Prometheus they had learned to manufacture, disassemble and assemble the parts of many mechanical weapons.
The high-tech weapons were not working in Paradise. There were thought to be several reasons for this. The first was the extremely powerful and complex Electromagnetic Field inherent in the structure of Paradise. This field imposed an electronic blackout that prevented electronic devices from working. It caused chip-based devices to malfunction and not work properly.
The other was the Aether Field Distortion. Aether is a form of energy known as the building block of Heaven. When Aether penetrated the parts of high-tech devices, it caused a short circuit, disrupting the flow of energy and turning weapons into bombs.
There were many hypothesis as to why electronics didn't work, but the most intriguing was certainly the one that claimed that Paradise was a semi-conscious ecosystem with an Anti-Tech Defense. Of course, this was just a hypothesis, but it would be wrong to say that it was unpopular.
After getting the weapon parts he needed, Yakup followed his guide. His guide was traveling fast on a horse. Yakup chased after his guide with a long-barreled gun case in one hand, a second case with rifle parts in the other and a titanium dagger in his left hand. The combined weight of his burdens exceeded forty kilos, but he was still running at a pace that would not allow him to lose sight of the guide.
The others were no different.
They looked like white-collar workers late for work.
---
After the guide led him to a strange area covered with tall trees and stone cliffs, he threw a pouch. Yakup caught it, opened it and carefully counted the pills inside.
"Stay alive," said the Guider and rode back faster than he had come on his horse.
Yakup carefully put one of the pills in the pouch into his mouth and swallowed it. It was a special pill called Aetherex, made with ingredients from Paradise, which allowed humanity to be in Paradise. Although the air in Paradise was very good, breathing it for more than a day was harmful to human health. In Paradise, this pill was more essential than food and water.
Thanks to Aetherex, they were protected from the side effects of the Heavenly air and could continue to be in Heaven. Especially ordinary people like him needed this pill in Heaven. The Masterhumans, called Hunters, could travel for a week without using this pill.
After throwing his bag over his shoulder, Yakup looked around for a place to stay for himself. He had to choose a place where the ground was not dirt. There should be as little greenery as possible. The insects and plants of this ecosystem were notorious for their poison.
Yakup moved carefully towards the stone cliffs.
- - -
"Commander, are you really sure?" one of the instructors asked.
Major Kaya had his hands clasped behind his back and was looking over the hill at the wonderful view in front of him. It was impossible to see any emotion on his face.
"You underestimate Paradion, Captain. The assholes inside those walls who think they are gods are not as careless as they think."
"Still, it doesn't seem logical to have the candidates do this, to send our wonderful young people to die like this," the Captain said nervously.
"They are not children."
Major Kaya was a commander with a heart like a rock, as his last name suggests. His skills were renowned in the buffer zones. He had even killed a Hunter with his own hands. He had had many brushes with death in Moscow.
He knew how ruthless Paradion could be.
---
After creating a living space for himself, Yakup opened his bag and started to assemble his weapons, starting with his pistol. Since they were not Hunters, it was suicide to engage in close combat with a monster. However, weapons were incapable of piercing the skin of most monsters. Especially the Lightning Komodo Dragon, a Class B monster, was next to impossible to penetrate.
Of course, this monster also had its weak points.
Prometheus-01 "Breakwater", Yakup looked at the weapon parts lying on the bag. Bright light danced on the cold, metallic surface of the tungsten alloy. He took a deep breath, loosened his fingers and went to work.
First he removed the metallic gray receiver. He quickly wiped it with his camouflage to remove dust. Then he took the barrel and joined it to the receiver. As the heavy barrel clicked into place, the sound of metal clamping together was heard. Yakup liked this sound very much. He tightened the screw mechanism with his hand.
Then he took the cocking handle and carefully placed it on the side of the receiver. He had to exert extra force to get the spring mechanism in place. After increasing the pressure in his hands, the spring clicked into place.
Once the sighting system was in place, he aligned his eye and made sure it was at a perfect angle. Finally, he inserted the stock into the receiver. When he pulled the latch and snapped it into place, the weapon was now a complete piece. Yakup lifted the rifle and felt its weight in his hands. He tried to understand its balance.
It includes a telescopic, simple, adjustable scope. Free of electronics, it was designed to focus entirely manually. Its bullets were armor-piercing thanks to tungsten-coated cores. Unfortunately, there was only one magazine and ten rounds.
Looking at the Breakwater, Yakup sighed in admiration.
After assembling all his weapons, it was time to learn the Secret Mission and hunt the Lightning Komodo Dragon. After placing the weapons in their boxes, he is sit down and took out the letter hidden in his inner pocket. After gently opening the letter, he skimmed the contents.
The first lines seemed like a normal mission report, but at one point his eyes freezed over.
He didn't even notice how his fingers squeezed the paper. His eyes scanned the text again, hoping to misread it. But the words didn't change. It was simple and clear. His heartbeat began to echo in his ears, his breathing became erratic. His hands holding the paper were trembling now.
Yakup remained motionless for a moment. A lump had settled in his throat, breathing became difficult. The wetness in his eyes began to drip down involuntarily. But he did not cry. He quickly wiped his eyes and returned his gaze to the paper. He read the words once more, this time with a clear mind. He took a deep breath, inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, repeating this several times.
He began to tear the paper into small pieces with his hands. Despite his trembling hands, he did it carefully. As the pieces fell to the ground one by one, Yakup was trying to control his thoughts. His eyes were still fixed on the floor. He gritted his teeth as he separated the last piece, struggling to control himself.
His first priority was the Komodo Dragon. After taking care of him, he would have to make a decision. After grabbing his shotgun, pistol and bayonet, he grabbed one of the bags and slid down. After descending from the cliffs, he dived into the jungle to gather the supplies he needed.
The Lightning Komodo Dragon was big enough and fast enough that it had to make itself known when it moved. For Yakup to find a Class B Lightning Komodo Dragon, he only needed to roam his territory for an hour.
In those two hours he collected every droppings, moss and plant he came across along the way. The Lightning Komodo Dragon's nose was incredibly sensitive compared to monsters of its level. It could instantly detect the tiniest drop of blood within a ten kilometer radius.
Ignoring the residue of soil and sticky herbs on his hands, Yakup took out his wooden container to prepare the mixture that would intensify the ammonia scent. In a few minutes, he crushed the ingredients from the collected plants and mosses into a thick liquid. This was one of the best ways to drown out and even fool the Lightning Komodo Dragon's sense of smell.
The smell was intense enough to give him a headache, but after covering it up, it was somewhat bearable.
'Now...'
After grabbing his rifle,Yakup set out to find the Lightning Komodo Dragon. The Lightning Komodo Dragon preferred rocky areas or high caves as its habitat. But since there was a river nearby,Yakup thought he could find it.
He encountered many Class A creatures on the way, but he ignored them all and continued on his way. After reaching the riverbank, he crouched down behind a tree and waited. Hunting was largely a matter of patience. Especially a non-Hunter like him could not attack the beast head-on. He had to do it in a dishonorable way, with poison, traps and strategy.
Yakup waited where he was for an hour without moving.
He had a flat, triangular head. Around his nose were bright blue lines resembling a lightning pattern. These lines were a special organ, the source of his elemental ability 'Lightning'. His eyes were large, shining blue blue like glass. It was hypnotically beautiful. With its thick, serrated teeth, it could chew steel plates without any problem.
The upper surface of its skin was twice as hard as titanium, looking like overlapping plates of armor. But the thin slits between these plates acted as a natural conductor for electric current. When wet with rain or struck by light, its skin would glow slightly, giving off a menacing aura.
Each step made the earth tremble and left traces in the environment. Its claws were curved and sharp, easily shattering even the metal Beta-A12. The claw tips of its front claws had small organs that created electric puddles, making its claw attacks more deadly.
Jacob realized that every hair on his body was lifting. The electricity around him was affecting him too. A Class B Lightning Komodo Dragon had the strength and power to threaten an entire neighborhood. Its evolutionary ability was suitable for Class B.
Being careful not to make a sound, Yakup examined the Lightning Komodo Dragon approaching the riverbank. It was longer than a truck. Its height was more than three meters. Its length easily exceeded six meters.
'Oh shit, level four.'
Jacob counted again the lines around the beast's nose that resembled a lightning pattern. This particular organ, known as the Lightning Stamp, said a lot about the Lightning Komodo Dragon. Just like counting the annual lines of a tree to determine its age, one had to count the Lightning Stamp lines around its snout to know the level of a Lightning Komodo Dragon.
'A level four, Class B Lightning Komodo Dragon. Even Master Hunters have to be wary of them.'
After drinking from the river, the Komodo Dragon turned its head and started heading in the direction it had come from. After a distance of more than two hundred meters, Yakup sprayed a deodorizing spray on one of them and followed the Lightning Komodo Dragon, leaving a distance of three hundred meters between them.
After two and a half kilometers, he saw the Lightning Komodo Dragon enter a cave. After memorizing the area, he went back to the area where he lived to take care of the rest.