Chapter 148: Mira (2)

The crystalline forest of Sector 12 was utterly unforgiving and endlessly silent.

Mira exhaled slowly, her breath pluming faintly in the cool, dense air.

The ambient mana in this region was oppressively heavy, pressing against her skin like a physical weight.

She had been moving through the jagged, towering structures for hours since her last level-up.

Her boots carefully avoided the shattered glass-like leaves that littered the forest floor.

Every step required absolute, unwavering concentration to avoid making a single sound.

In Sector 4, a careless footstep meant fighting a stray wolf or a corrupted bear.

Here in Sector 12, a careless sound meant drawing the attention of something that could erase her from existence.

She gripped the hilt of her curved blade, feeling the reassuring weight of the magic-infused metal.

Her silver hair was tied back tightly, keeping her peripheral vision entirely clear.

She paused behind a massive, translucent tree trunk, her silver eyes scanning the clearing ahead.

Three heavily armored creatures were patrolling a small pool of glowing, viscous liquid.

They resembled massive, six-legged reptiles, their backs covered in thick, jagged amethyst plating.

Mira’s interface flickered silently, identifying them as Level 33 Amethyst-Crawlers.

They were two levels higher than her current standing.

A few weeks ago, engaging three higher-level elites alone would have been a death sentence.

But Mira was no longer the frightened girl hiding in the Lotus Rest hotel.

She allowed the ambient shadows of the forest to completely envelop her body.

The darkness wrapped around her leather armor, pulling her seamlessly out of the visible spectrum.

She moved forward, her steps entirely silent as she closed the distance to the edge of the clearing.

Her heart hammered a steady, controlled rhythm against her ribs.

She singled out the crawler positioned furthest from the other two.

A pale green, sickly glow quietly enveloped the length of her curved blade.

The concentrated neurotoxin coated the razor-sharp edge, dripping silently onto the moss.

She didn’t shout a battle cry. She didn’t announce her presence.

Mira simply lunged from the shadows, driving her blade flawlessly into the unarmored joint behind the beast’s skull.

The Amethyst-Crawler let out a high-pitched, metallic shriek as the blade severed vital tendons.

Before the beast could even thrash, the neurotoxin invaded its bloodstream, instantly paralyzing its hind legs.

Mira didn’t linger to admire her work.

Her body blurred, sliding rapidly backward through the air to put ten feet of distance between herself and the dying monster.

The other two crawlers whipped around, their jagged jaws snapping aggressively as they locked onto her position.

They charged, their six legs tearing up the crystalline earth with terrifying speed.

Mira remained perfectly calm, reading their trajectory with the cold calculation she had honed over the past month.

She waited until the leading beast launched itself into the air, aiming to crush her under its heavy plating.

She pivoted sharply on her heel, letting the massive reptile crash into the dirt right where she had just been standing.

As it landed, she brought her curved blade down in a devastating, horizontal sweep.

The poisoned edge sheared through the softer scales on the creature’s flank, drawing a thick line of dark fluid.

The beast roared, attempting to whip its heavy, bladed tail toward her waist.

Mira dropped into a low crouch, the lethal tail whistling mere inches over her head.

She pushed off her back foot, dashing forward to close the gap with the third crawler.

She parried a vicious bite, letting the monster’s momentum carry its jaws past her shoulder.

She drove her knee upward into the beast’s throat, forcing its head back.

With a rapid, fluid motion, she reversed her grip on her blade and buried it deep into the creature’s exposed chest.

The neurotoxin flared, shutting down the crawler’s respiratory system in a matter of seconds.

She ripped the blade free just as the second crawler, struggling against the poison in its flank, tried to bite her ankle.

Mira simply stepped back, watching as the beast’s movements grew sluggish and uncoordinated.

She didn’t waste her stamina on unnecessary strikes.

She let the lethal toxin do the heavy lifting, pacing carefully around the dying monster until it finally collapsed.

The heavy thud of the creature hitting the dirt signaled the end of the engagement.

Mira let out a long, ragged exhale, flicking the dark fluid from her weapon before sheathing it.

The three massive corpses began to rapidly dissolve into gray system data.

The golden light of experience flowed freely into her chest, warming her tired muscles.

Ding!

A notification pulsed in her vision, confirming that she had successfully reached Level 32.

She smiled tiredly, rolling her stiff shoulders to alleviate the tension building in her back.

The grind was brutal, endless, and completely isolating.

She missed the Valkyrie Vanguard. She missed the safety of a heavily armored tank drawing the aggro away from her.

But relying on herself had forced her to perfect her evasion and her timing.

She walked over to the dissipating corpses to collect her loot.

Her inventory updated automatically, securing a handful of eternal coins and three intact amethyst plates.

As she closed her interface, she noticed a strange, corrupted system cache file attempting to process her drop tables.

It was labeled Ten Lucky Draws_28, a bizarre string of data that meant nothing to her.

She swiftly dismissed the erroneous log, clearing her vision to focus on her surroundings.

Sector 12 did not forgive distraction.

Mira retrieved a small leather canteen from her belt and took a conservative sip of water.

She checked her remaining supplies. She had three basic healing potions and two stamina drafts left.

It wasn’t enough for a prolonged expedition, but she couldn’t afford to stop now.

A/N: Thanks for reading this far, golden tickets, power stones, and gifts are truly motivating!

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