It turned out his time estimates were a bit better than he had expected. The sun was just starting to rise, which meant the temperature was a mixed bag. It was cold but warming, which worked for him. He wouldn't have to suffer in the heat for too long. He took a look around before he decided to continue north. He doubted the scorpions were the strongest creatures around, and he needed a challenge. A challenge that came sometime after he left the cave. He was attacked by a scarab the size of a minivan. The creature was beautiful in the same way that a powerful storm was. Something that was further supported by his danger sense. Maximilian created a wall of water and wind to defend against a burning ball of black. Based on what he knew about scarabs, he did his best not to think about what that ball was. Instead, he focused on not getting hit. Maximilian leaped away to avoid the bug's next attack and unleashed a barrage of all three elements. The scarab shifted so its harder exoskeleton took the hits.

  Maximilian sucked on his teeth as he considered the situation. The beetle's skeleton was tough, but he should be able to get through it with Severing Disc but he didn't want to. This was a creature that could take a few hits, so it should make a good sparring partner. He leaped back to avoid a strike from the beetle's antennae and to maintain the space between them. As soon as he landed, the beetle unleashed another burning ball. This one was almost as big as his torso. He countered with a combination of wind and water. The two attacks met halfway between and then exploded. Sand, wind, flame, and everything else were tossed into the air. The sudden cover forced him to release his Dao fields, one after another. As soon as they did, he felt them connect with the environment. The sensation lasted for less than a breath, but it was there. Before he could think about it further, his instincts screamed a warning right before the beetle slammed into him. The robe's array snapped into place to defend him, but it wasn't enough. He slammed into the sand hard enough to crater it. The beetle attempted to salvage his chest, but how could he allow that? Maximilian released his killing intent at full blast. The desert around them became the site of a bloody massacre. The sudden change caused the insect to hesitate. A mistake that cost the beetle everything.

  A bolt of blue-white electricity shot into the creature's eye at point-blank range. He could almost feel the electricity as it tore through the creature's insides. The beetle wasn't dead, but that hadn't been his intent. The paralytic effect was just enough to buy him another second. He followed up his first attack with a blade of wind. One aimed at a weak point between the thick chitin-like plates. This time, the attack severed the neck, and dark green blood spilled down his front. Maximilian's eyes widened, and he shut his mouth as tight as he could. He unleashed another blast of air and water to move the body off him. He wasn't sure if the creature's blood would be lethal to him or not, but there was no way he wanted to accidentally drink anything from it. He blasted himself with a jet of water to make sure while his robes cleaned themselves. When he felt he was ready, that he was clean enough, he stopped and leaped out of the hole. When he saw the destruction they had caused, he felt a bit guilty. He doubted there were any creatures near here anymore, but he hadn't wanted to destroy anyone's home. The more rational part of his brain knew that he had entered the desert to fight and kill things. It was a bit ridiculous to be worried about the small things. He turned his attention to the body before him and groaned. He knew what he needed to do, but that didn't make it any easier. He jumped back down and tried to put the whole body into his bag. Tried and failed. He let out another sigh and began his grisly task.

  An eternity later, he leaped back out of the hole. Spots of green, moist sand were the only proof of what he had done. He took a moment to crack his shoulders and then set out again. He wasn't about to start cooking bugs, but it would do in a difficult situation. He decided to continue with his journey. Now that he had gone deeper into the desert, he was surprised. He couldn't estimate the distances with his eyes anymore today than he could before the Network, but he could tell it was massive. New Earth was much more than before, and that lent itself to the local fauna and flora. He had seen a cactus that was as big as a building. One that made his hair stand on end. He could tell the cactus wasn't directly dangerous. When he combined that belief with an old movie he had seen as a child, he figured it meant the cactus's water was a drug of some kind. He decided to leave it alone. Though part of him wanted to take some of the quills as throwing weapons. Yet he knew it wasn't the best idea. His daos were the best long-range and mid-range weapons he would need. Part of him wanted to figure out how to fight at close range. He knew he would come across people who were too strong for his robes, which made him worried. Though he wouldn't panic. He figured there would be other items out there. Treasures that could protect the body the same way they could protect a building. All those would be concerns for tomorrow. Today, he needed to focus on growing more powerful. Something that the desert provided.

  His trek through the desert had turned him into a butcher. He lost track of how many monsters he had killed. The ones who chose to come after him were interesting. The various bugs were most common. Insects like hornets and beetles, along with scaled reptiles, seemed small next to the creatures he hunted now. They were wasplike creatures, though he couldn't remember what their old-world analogs were. Assuming there was one. The creature was about as big as his arm, with a black and blue body that glowed in the dark. They had four wings that moved faster than the eye could see. The wings were beautiful in an ethereal sort of way. They looked delicate, as if he could rip them up with his bare hands, though he knew he couldn't. The few times he had killed them revealed they were as strong as steel. Further, the creatures had four beady eyes and a wicked stinger. His encounters had shown that the creatures were textbook glass cannons when it came to skills. He could tear through them, assuming he managed to hit them. Which brought him to the current moment. He had followed several of them back to a nest. A nest the size of a house, and one that made him afraid.

  He wasn't sure if wasps had queens, but he decided to assume they had. The moment he went inside, he would face countless lesser bugs and the big queen herself. Part of him wanted to turn back. He should avoid walking into a literal death trap and hunt smaller enemies. Weaker enemies. Yet another part of him recoiled at the idea. He wished he could say that one part was better than the other, but he couldn't. His instincts to survive were valuable, but it was clear that the Network rewarded you for taking risks. That it rewarded you for putting your life on the line. Which meant he needed to find a balance. He considered it for a few more moments before he shook his head. He could debate until the world ended for a second time. It wouldn't make a difference. He had come here in search of power, which meant he wouldn't run. With his decision made, he shifted to preparations. From what he knew, the nest had one entrance and exit, which meant stealth was somewhat pointless. Once the first set of bugs saw him, the battle would be over. He shifted a few things in his bag in case he needed to pull them out fast. He then took a moment to get into the right headspace. When there was nothing more to do, he took a breath and strode into the nest.

  Rain fell from all around him as he released his dao. He still didn't understand how that worked. The rain "fell" from above, but there were no clouds, nor was there an actual origin point. The rain came from above, but above was relative. Even if he were upside down, which created an odd visual. Next came the dao of Squall. Tornado and cyclone-like wind coiled around him. Its desire to be free, to be unrestrained, meant he had to work harder to contain it close to his body. The makeshift wind armor was the best defense he had that would let him move. Next, bluish-white electricity arced across his clothes, his body, and the air. His first dao was still his favorite. It was hard to not feel epic when you could see electricity arcing off of your body. He suppressed the effect to a few feet around him. Next came his killing intent. He let it free like a beast that had snapped its chains. It blasted forward into the nest. Now that he had prepared himself for a fight, he took a moment to relish it. Part of him still didn't like it. He didn't like that his presence was associated with death, but now that he had let his killing intent dull over the last week or so. Another part of him missed it. It was proof of his power. Of the effort he had put in. As well as a reminder of the bodies he had walked over.

  His musings were interrupted by the nest's awakening. He grinned as the sounds of hundreds of winged beasts echoed toward him. He picked up speed. He shed more of his doubts with every step. Every second allowed him to create another dart of electricity, or a blade of wind, or a bubble of rainwater. By the time he saw his target, he had surrounded himself in a tempest of his own power. There was no moment of calm. Nor was there a moment of sizing each other up. The moment they saw one another, there was pandemonium. The wasps came for him, and he unleashed everything he had. The nest shook as his trio met the hornets. Despite his best efforts, there were just too many of them. He wasn't sure if the wasps were mindless or if there was something that let them throw their lives away. Not that it matters. The brief stalemate was broken, and several wasps shot toward him. His danger sense screamed a warning as he condensed his wind. It resisted his will for less than a moment before it was crushed. The first hornets were torn apart as soon as they arrived. He activated Severing Disc. He imbued them with the dao of Squall and increased them to their maximum size. The buzz saws were much better weapons in this environment. He released them and watched as they bisected more than two dozen of the ugly creatures.

  He followed the attack with a mixture of Static Bolt and several normal electrical darts. The result was much less impressive, but it got the job done. He was just about to head deeper when his danger sense warned him. He spun to his left. Narrowly avoiding a wasp, he hadn't seen before. One that glowed with the dull translucent color of spiritual energy. His mind raced to make sense of it as he split the insect with three wind blades. He had figured monsters would get skills soon, or at least something similar. After all, the beasts he fought for dominion over his mountain had something similar. It would change things if it continued. He had played enough video games to understand that these were the low-level creatures. The ones that provided so little value that they could be thrown away. He would need to control himself so as not to waste too much energy. It wasn't all bad, though. The weaker enemies would give him the chance to test a few things. Really refine his technique before the real battles began.

  Maximilian decided to experiment with his other dao. Namely, the dao of squall. When the next horde came, he formed a cyclone in between his hands, or at least he tried to. He had managed the first part, a swirling tornado that could pull the wasps in. The second part was where he had difficulty. He had planned to form a vacuum that could pull the enemies in, disrupt their ability to fly, and then crush or tear them apart. He wasn't able to generate enough force. Only if the enemy got close enough, and even then, they had to effectively fly into the wind tunnel. He was forced to abandon the attempt when he was hit by two wasps. His robes handled the damage well enough, but he couldn't afford to waste time. He shifted his focus and expanded his dao fields. The tunnel-like nest became a trap as wind, water, and electricity assaulted them all from every angle. Spiritual energy practically poured into his dantian as he continued the slaughter. He felt himself reach the threshold of his next level. A moment later, he felt a familiar popping sound, and then even more energy surged inside him. He didn't spend his new attribute points. He didn't want to risk getting distracted from the battle, and the attribute points weren't that big a deal.

  A short while later, he withdrew his killing intent and dao fields. His vision swam as he braced himself against a nearby wall. He had spent a bit more mental energy than he had intended, which meant it was best to recover. He summoned a soul crystal and took a seat. He hoped that withdrawing his killing intent would be enough to make the wasps believe he was dead. He doubted it would be enough to work long-term, but it should be fine for a few minutes. Just long enough for him to recover a bit of energy and spend his points. The latter took almost no time. He placed the points into Intelligence to pump up his offense. He wanted to pick up a few of his weak points soon, but he wasn't willing to risk it now. He doubted the few points would matter but again better safe than sorry. With that part dealt with, he turned his attention to the stone in his hand. He increased the drain rate. A soft groan slipped from his lips as the cool energy flowed through him. The sensation reminded him of a brain freeze, only it helped instead of hurting. He took another moment to catch his breath and then stood up. He released his killing intent and prepared himself for battle.

  Ten minutes later, Maximilian sat against another wall. A bubble of wind dried off the sweat that dripped down his face. He had slaughtered more bugs than he had wanted to and could go the rest of his life without seeing more. Yet here he was. He was certain that the queen was in the next room and that she was strong. His danger sense provided a subtle warning about the impending threat. Which got him a bit excited. He wasn't sure he could beat her or it, but he wanted to know. He didn't have anything more to prepare, but he wanted to take some time to calm his heart. Being excited was good, but being reckless was stupid. He flexed his fingers and stood up. He had plenty of spirit stones, and there was nothing more for him to do. He withdrew his killing intent since it would be better off as a surprise attack instead of an always-on effect. There was nowhere for them to run, and he doubted the queen would be willing to flee. He figured the hive was important enough for the queen to die for. Or at least her hatred would be enough to drive the fight. He chuckled when he realized he was stalling for time.

  He strode forward until he found the circular cave entrance. He had half expected a video game-like door. Maybe even some special music, but the truth was much less interesting. The only hint of something interesting behind was the amount of spiritual energy in the air. It was enough to make his skin crawl. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but what he saw wasn't it. The queen was a large quadrupedal creature that looked more like a backwards rhino than a wasp. It had two large eyes that reminded him of a fly. It lacked wings and didn't look like speed would be its strong suit. Now that he could see his enemy, he found himself wishing he could fight the normal wasps again. This thing was horrendous. Something that was further proven when the queen looked at him and made a horrible screeching sound. A sound that made his bones ache and made him want to do nothing more than eradicate every wasp in the new world. He released all three of his dao fields at full blast. All parts of him were dedicated to the task.