Chapter 241: How They Roll [BONUS]

The giant monster charged forward like a runaway train, its obsidian claws tearing deep grooves into the cracked asphalt. A rumbling growl echoed from its chest, vibrating through the road and sending loose gravel skittering across the lanes.

Evren landed softly on his feet, his eyes tracking the monster’s speed with his predictive sight. Hitting that thick volcanic shell with brute force would only waste energy, so he waited patiently for the exact right second to make his move.

Just as the massive beast reached him, Evren stepped to the side. The monster brushed past him by inches, its jagged stone shoulder missing his coat as its momentum carried it forward.

As the giant rushed past, Evren brought out the Frost-Bane Cleaver and swung with both hands, burying the blade deep into the narrow fissure running along its spine.

Freezing ice rushed out of the frost core embedded in the hilt, spreading across the monster’s stone armor in spiderwebs of white frost. The rapid freeze locked the monster’s back legs, making it skid hard against the steel guardrail with a screech of tearing metal.

The Alpha roared in fury, channeling red earth mana from its chest in an attempt to melt the frost.

Before the beast could thaw its legs, Evren unleashed a surging burst of golden lightning straight through the Frost-Bane Cleaver.

The violent clash between freezing frost and blistering electricity created an immediate shockwave inside the brittle stone. With a loud, ringing crack, the tough volcanic carapace shattered into pieces like hot glass plunging into ice water.

The golden lightning tore into the soft tissue beneath, shocking the monster’s internal core and dropping it instantly. The giant stiffened, collapsed onto the road, and stopped moving.

[CORE SIPHON ACTIVATED: 1x LEVEL 75 MUTATED ALPHA CORE + 6x LEVEL 72 CRAG-SPINE CORES HARVESTED TO SPATIAL RING]

Evren reached down and caught the Level 75 Mutated Alpha Core as Core Siphon pulled it toward his hand. The crimson crystal was warm to the touch, but unlike standard rift cores, its interior displayed strange, spiral fracture lines.

"Look at the mana pattern inside the crystal," Evren noted, holding the glowing stone up for Zephyra to see. "The energy isn’t flowing in clean concentric circles. It’s warped."

Zephyra glided over, her violet eyes inspecting the glowing core before glancing down at the fallen beast. With a flick of her wrist, several thick shadow tendrils surged from the ground, wrapping around the overturned cargo trailer blocking the road and tossing it effortlessly over the guardrail into the ravine below.

She wiped her daggers clean and frowned down at the now-disolved monster. "Normal rift beasts are usually mindless, not setting roadblocks and ambushes. Why are they acting so organized?"

"It’s the dimensional thinning," Evren replied, looking up at the dark mountain ridge. "Director Calloway warned about this during the military inquiry. When deep rift mana bleeds into the wild zones, constant exposure mutates the beasts’ instincts, forcing them to develop pack coordination."

Zephyra’s eyes narrowed with understanding. "Which means the more the dimensional rift thins, the smarter they will be."

"Exactly," Evren nodded, returning his cleaver to his spatial ring. "Let’s check the truck and get back on the road."

They inspected the armored transport’s tires, suspension, and runic dampers, confirming the chassis had suffered zero damage from the road fissure. Satisfied, they climbed back into the warm cabin and pulled back onto the highway.

As the truck climbed higher into the mountain pass, Evren opened the thermos Calista had packed for them. The soothing aroma of warm chamomile and white jasmine filled the cab, bringing a touch of home into the rugged wild zones.

He poured a cup and handed it to Zephyra, along with a package of honey oat biscuits.

"Calista really thought of everything," Zephyra murmured softly, taking a sip of the warm tea. "It’s hard to believe we were in the middle of a corporate showdown in the capital only yesterday morning."

"Things move fast," Evren smiled, taking a sip from his own cup. "Eat up. We have a lot of miles ahead of us."

They continued driving through the afternoon as the sun sank behind the jagged peaks. The paved highway gradually turned into a rough, single-lane trail winding through ancient pine forests and sheer rocky drops.

By eight o’clock in the evening, sixteen hours after leaving the capital, a cold mountain drizzle began to fall, turning the winding road slick and dark. The mist hung thick between the trees, reducing visibility to twenty paces.

Through the darkness ahead, the flickering yellow and green neon sign of a roadside waystation appeared beside the road: The Iron-Pine Rest Stop.

The waystation consisted of an old fueling station, a greasy-spoon diner, and a run-down two-story motel with wooden exterior balconies, catering to long-haul ore haulers, mercenary escorts, and frontier scouts. A dozen battered cargo rigs and muddy scout trucks were parked unevenly across the lot.

"We’ve been driving for sixteen hours," Evren said, pulling the armored transport into a parking space directly beneath an overhead sodium lamp. "Let’s rest here for the night. We can finish the remaining fourteen hours to Oakhaven tomorrow."

"Agreed," Zephyra nodded. "Driving through these mountain passes in thick midnight fog would only slow us down."

They grabbed their overnight bags, stepped through the light rain, and entered the quiet motel office. The tired clerk behind the counter barely looked up from his small television as Evren paid cash for a second-floor room.

"Room twenty-four, top of the stairs on the left," the clerk muttered, sliding over a brass key. "Keep your door locked. We get all kinds rolling through from the border."

Upstairs, room twenty-four was simple and clean, featuring two modest beds, a worn timber table, and a small bathroom.

Zephyra immediately went to work. She inspected the window locks, checked the ventilation ducts, and discreetly cast a perimeter of shadow threads across the doorway and windowsill to detect any movement outside.

"The perimeter is secure," Zephyra reported, brushing damp strands of hair from her forehead. "Nobody on this floor is paying attention to us."

Evren set his duffel bag on the table and unzipped his combat jacket. "I’m going to run down to the diner to grab some bottled water and hot food. Do you want anything specific?"

"Hot tea or broth would be wonderful," Zephyra replied with a faint smile. "I will stay here and monitor the perimeter."

"I’ll be back in ten minutes," Evren said, stepping out into the cool evening air and pulling the door shut behind him.

He walked down the wooden exterior staircase, crossed the damp parking lot, and stepped into the warm, brightly lit waystation diner. The smell of fried potatoes, roasted meat, and strong coffee filled the air as a handful of weary truck drivers sat at the counter eating quietly.

Evren ordered two large beef noodle bowls, a thermos of hot mint tea, and several bottles of mineral water to go. He chatted briefly with the cheerful waitress while she packed the containers into a brown paper bag.

Ten minutes later, Evren pushed through the glass doors of the diner, carrying the warm food and the thermos through the drizzling rain. He walked past the row of muddy transport rigs toward the sodium lamp where he had parked.

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks.

He stared at the asphalt beneath the flickering yellow light. The space between the two concrete parking markers was completely vacant, with only a puddle of rainwater reflecting the neon signs above.

His custom, military-reinforced matte-black armored truck was gone.

Evren stood in the quiet rain with the steaming noodle bag in his hand, staring at the empty space.

"So this is how you roll over here?" he said to no one in particular. A slow, incredulous smirk began to spread across his face as a faint spark of golden lightning danced across his fingertips.