The siren wailed at dawn.
A metallic groan rolled across Outpost K-12 as the outer gates began to rise. The sound was like the world itself grinding its teeth, heavy chains dragging steel higher and higher until a wall of pale fog stretched before them like an endless grave.
Runners gathered at the threshold, a mix of ragged veterans and nervous first-timers. Some checked weapons sharpened down to stubs; others muttered prayers under their breath. A few laughed too loudly, the brittle kind of laughter that cracks just before a scream.
Up on the catwalks, guards leaned against their rifles, smirking down at the line. Bets were already being taken. Who’d come back with blood? Who wouldn’t come back at all?
Voro appeared, clapping his hands once.
“Alright, maggots! Zone-1 awaits. Six hours on the clock. Bring back at least one filled vial, and you live another day. Fail…” He gestured at the mist. “Well, the island always hungers.”
Ash adjusted the dented machete on his belt, his new steel card tucked safely in his pocket. Beside him, Adam looked pale, chewing the inside of his cheek.
“You ever seen a Radbeast up close?” Adam asked, voice tight.
“No.”
“Then pray your first time isn’t your last. Their blood’s worth a lot — because most people don’t live long enough to drain it.”
The gates slammed open with a final metallic clang.
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Zone-1 breathed.
The mist rushed in, cold and wet, carrying with it the metallic tang of blood and a low, guttural roar from somewhere unseen.
Ash stepped forward without hesitation. Adam cursed, scrambling to keep pace.
?
Five minutes later, the forest swallowed them. Twisted trees rose like blackened skeletons, their bark cracked as though charred by invisible fire. Patches of glowing fungus pulsed faintly, casting sickly green light through the fog. Every so often, the earth itself shuddered, as if something massive shifted far beneath.
Ash moved with quiet purpose — a predator on the hunt. But suddenly, he stopped. His gaze flicked over his shoulder, sharp as a blade.
“Why are you following me?” His voice was low, a growl.
Adam froze, then forced a crooked smile.
“Come on, don’t be like that. After last night… we’re practically brothers—”
Before he could finish, Ash slammed him against a tree, his hand clamped around Adam’s throat. Bark splintered under the impact.
“—ackh!” Adam choked, feet kicking against the ground.
“I’ll ask once more,” Ash said, tightening his grip. His eyes burned like embers. “Why are you following me?”
Adam gasped, clawing at Ash’s wrist.
“I—khhh—I know this place better than you! You need me… just as much as I need you!”
Ash’s grip didn’t loosen.
“How can I trust you?”
Adam’s lips curled into a desperate grin.
“Then let me prove it.”
For a moment, Ash considered crushing the life from him. Then, with a sharp shove, he let go. Adam crumpled to his knees, coughing.
“Tch. Do what you want,” Ash muttered. “But get in my way, and I’ll kill you myself.”
Adam didn’t argue.
?
They hadn’t gone ten minutes before the mist ahead shifted.
A shadow broke through.
It lumbered into view — the size of a bull, skin glistening like melted tar stretched over exposed muscle. Its jaw split far too wide, serrated teeth dripping a thick, glowing saliva that hissed as it struck the ground. Radiation shimmered around its body, warping the air like heat haze.
Adam’s face drained of color.
“Level One Radbeast,” he whispered. His blade trembled in his grip. “Eight… no!! nine thousand [mSv]. You gotta be shitting me.”
The creature screeched, the sound rattling Ash’s bones and knocking Adam flat on his back.
“Run,” Adam stammered. “We have to run!”
But Ash didn’t run. His grip tightened on the machete, muscles coiling. Heat bubbled under his skin, veins throbbing as if they carried fire instead of blood. His Overdrive clawed at the surface, begging to be unleashed.
And for the first time since stepping into Thanaros… Ash smiled genuinely.
“Let’s hunt.”
