Chapter 18: Gravehound!
The journey through the canopy was a masterclass in silent agility.
Daniel used the enhanced effects of [Ghoststeps+], his near-invisible form blending seamlessly with the shifting bioluminescent light and shadows cast by the colossal flora.
His feet, augmented by Agility exceeding 90 points, barely whispered against the crystalline bark as he leaped vast distances between branches, covering ground far faster and more stealthily than any ground-based movement could allow.
Below him, the chaotic sounds of the Purge, the roars, the screams, the sickening impacts, faded slightly as he moved deeper into the jungle, towards the strange, cold locus his [Aura Sense] targeted.
A notification pinged softly on his Nexus Interface.
[Warning: You are departing the designated Assessment Zone scoring perimeter.
Kill score calculation and positional tracking by Academy command will be temporarily suspended until reentry.]
Daniel barely glanced at it. The official assessment rules felt trivial compared to the potential harvest ahead.
Rank 1 could be secured later; exponential power growth took precedence now.
As he neared the coordinates indicated by [Aura Sense], the density of Purge Beast signatures increased, but they seemed less frantic, more purposeful.
He descended cautiously to a lower, thickly-leaved branch, peering towards the entrance of what looked like a large, naturally formed grotto or cave system nestled at the base of a cluster of jagged, obsidian-like mountains.