"Acid time," Ilex muttered, unleashing a surge of acid towards Nexis. The viscous blob hurtled through the air, its putrid aroma tainting the already foul atmosphere.

"Come on, come on," Brian whispered, watching as the acid touched Nexis, making a sizzling sound as it made contact. It was a direct hit! They exchanged glances, each reflecting the other's glimmer of hope, but this shared optimism didn't last long. The acid started to slide off Nexis, falling to the ground like rainwater on a smooth surface. Nexis didn't even react, and any hope that Brian and Ilex had momentarily felt was quickly extinguished.

"Shit," Brian gasped, this won’t be an easy boss fight.

In retaliation, Nexis fired a venomous discharge from his stinger; “Watch out.” Brian pushed Ilex aside just in time, absorbing the venom with his EHG before narrowly dodging the beta's landing.

The impact of Nexis's tail upon the ground created a small crater where it struck. The force sent a powerful shockwave through the battlefield, hurling Brian and Ilex backward nearly ten meters.

His Oculus Core instantly picked up a valtite signature moving behind them; it was one of the valtivenom soldiers. “Ilex, there’s one coming at you.”

“I know.” Ilex replied.

Brian knew that if he could see it with his Chronal Gaze, Ilex could also probably smell it just as fast; what would it be called, he wondered, Chronal Nose? Either way, he was still not comfortable assuming that Ilex had detected the threat. His instincts told him that voicing the warning was the right thing to do.

The valtivenom soldier hissed, “Nexis, I’ve got this one,” in the same watery tone as Nexis.

Wounded and drained, Ilex could barely stand. The flying snake was merely inches away, and Ilex stumbled back to the ground as he prepared for the valtivenom's strike.

It was obvious that the acid mage was way past his limit. The soldier's stinger came down on Ilex like a chameleon's tongue shooting at an insect. Ilex protected his face with his hand, and the stinger went through it. With his final reserves of strength, Ilex yanked the valtivenom toward him by the stinger stuck in his hand, then placed his other hand over the enemy's face.

Ilex wasn't able to produce a lot of acid, but it was enough to melt the valtivenom soldier's face off. Brian felt the experience points, or more accurately valtite reserves, flow into him, but he was surprised by what his Valtite Identification revealed.

[Energy Spike Detected - Signature: Ilex Viez - Glow]

Nexis moved in, launching himself like a spear towards Ilex, whose body appeared to be radiating valtite energy. A soft white glow emanated from all around him, and his features, which moments ago appeared lifeless, now blazed brighter than ever with determination.

Brian relaxed a little, having a very good hunch that Ilex was now going to finish this quickly.

"Alright, you bastard," Ilex growled, setting his book down and closing his eyes. "Let's do this."

He exhaled sharply, feeling acid stream from his fingertips and spiral up his arms. The vibrant yellow-green coating that formed looked like a cross between mud and kid's glow-in-the-dark slime. It stopped at his elbows but didn't remain still; instead, it seemed to move in a continuous conveyor-belt style, making it seem almost alive.

As Nexis closed in, Ilex delivered a powerful right hook that tore half the beta's jaw clean off. The severed jaw splashed into a venomous pool nearby, releasing a cloud of toxic vapor.

"Guess it's not…”

Nexis's rage intensified, consumed by his complete inability to fight off Ilex's onslaught.

“... just the acid…”

The transmuter pummeled the beta relentlessly, each blow landing with devastating precision, burning through the valtivenom's chitinous exoskeleton. At some point, Nexis's fury vanished, and he realized he had been defeated. Covered in knuckle marks, Nexis smirked—or at least, that's what it looked like without a jaw. His speech was also almost impossible to understand. "Good luck! Vipros, the broodmother is coming."

“... that packs a punch!"

"Ha! Take that, you ugly fuck!" Brian barked, slumped on the ground, panting heavily. He allowed himself a deep breath, realizing it was finally over - for now. Kael and Sophia finished off the last of the valtivenoms across the battlefield as Ilex's arms returned to normal, the syrupy substance dripping to the ground.

The once-mighty Nexis lay before them, an unrecognizable heap of mutilated flesh and chitin. His once-luminous markings were reduced to mere smears of color, his hauntingly glowing eyes were now dim and lifeless, and his once-venomous stinger lay severed and impotent.

You have vanquished [Valtivenom Beta - lvl 27] - Valtite has been distributed amongst your party. You have gained +83 Valtite reserves.

Brian received similar notifications for each valtivenom soldier that his party had killed, for a total of 187 valtite reserves.

‘DING’ Your valtite energy grows to level 15, empowering your stats and increasing your potential. +2 to each stat and +2 untrained points.

‘DING’ Your valtite energy grows to level 16, empowering your stats and increasing your potential. +2 to each stat and +2 untrained points.

Progression, Progression, Progression. Brian realized that he was starting to get addicted to the dopamine release every time he leveled up. It could be a good motivator to catch up to Darius, but he had to be careful not to allow it to get the better of him.

He walked up to Ilex, the slime-like acid around his arms dripping to the ground, hissing, and turning into vapor. The valtivenom's stinger was still perforating his palm. He yanked it out and drew a vial from the pouch that hung from his belt, his hand trembling uncontrollably. The vial was even smaller than the pouch, looking like a vaccine container filled with an amber-colored liquid inside.

He quickly drank it, his whole body convulsing for a brief moment as if an electric current had traveled through it, then his nerves seemed to settle and calm.

“Ilex, that was astronomical! You’ve saved us! I felt it, did you level up?

“Level up? I mean… I felt my valtite close to reaching new heights, then it peaked,” Ilex said.

“And how did you beat, Nexis?”

“More Acidity.” said Ilex, his face ever stoic. “I realized that with the Olfactory Core, I can detect different types of Valtite. So, I managed to counteract his venom by adjusting the balance of my acid, like you said. I also found a way to neutralize the venom once it comes into contact with it."

“Wow, that's actually... some impressive chemical engineering right there,” Brian said, a little too excited. He knew Ilex was talented, but this innovative application of his powers was nothing short of extraordinary.

“So, what was in the vial?” Brian asked.

“An antidote.” Ilex briefly lifted his palm, his injury was already starting to heal. “It’ll heal, but it’ll take some time.” He then took another vial out and unexpectedly threw it at Brian. “It’s my own creation.”

The small vial flew straight at him at a fast speed. Brian caught it without flinching. “Thanks.”

“Nice catch. That was actually my last vial.”

“Then why did you throw it?” Brian’s voice crackled with disbelief, and his eyes grew wide in alarm.

“I don’t know. I wanted to compare the Occulus Core to my Olfactory Core.”

Brian threw himself back and a chilling realization crept over him. He had taken the life of an intelligent being for the first time. In the heat of the moment, it had been easier than he had anticipated—perhaps because it was an act of self-defense or maybe because he wanted to protect his friends; he thought of every other noble justification that exists. But in reality, he found himself grappling with the moral implications of his actions, his thoughts veering toward his own capacity for empathy.

Back on Earth, Brian had often felt disconnected from the emotional lives of his friends and family. They seemed to possess a deeper well of empathy than he did. But perhaps it wasn't a lack of empathy that set him apart; rather, his own logical nature dominated his emotional responses. Positioned on the far left of the spectrum between logic and emotion, Brian found himself in the company of individuals like Mandrix, separated from the emotional bus that seemed to drive most people.

However, there was a key distinction between Brian and Mandrix: Brian could feign emotion to provide comfort to others. He wondered if this act of deception constituted genuine empathy or if true empathy required feeling the emotions oneself.

The line between empathy and cold logic blurred in Brian's mind, leaving him with a sense of unease. He found himself questioning his own humanity, was Valteria changing his personality, or simply making him aware?

Sophia sat next to Brian. “What’s bothering you?”

Brian came out of his head and flipped his sight to her. “How many did you kill?”

“Three!” She didn’t hesitate, then grinned after noticing Brian’s reaction. “Don’t be silly, our new home is a monster-infested, post-apocalyptic world, remember? Lumary was a big step towards owning that. I am proud of us!”

“Look at the sky. It’s still beautiful, isn’t it?” Her voice sparkled amidst the valtivenom carnage.

Brian laughed. Everybody looked at him.

“Did I say something funny?”

“No it’s not you.” Brian responded. “It's just this reality, this sadistic game. We can live if we kill a lot of them.” He pointed at Nexi’s body. “And I get it, so far these guys appear evil, but Silas only wants his race to live in peace. And Darius has no problem killing their children. I get it, they look like monsters to us, but to them, we look like monsters. Don’t get me wrong, if one of them tries to kill me, I will kill them first. But how many do I have to kill to be able to do that?

The rhythmic sound of stealthy footsteps rang in Brian’s ears. With a practiced flick of his wrists, Kael wiped his daggers clean of the lime-colored blood that clung to his blades. A faint smile played on his lips as he sheathed the weapons, relishing the satisfying click as they locked into place.

Kael nodded. "It's not about the numbers; it's about the choices we make and the reasons behind them."

Brian's eyes met Kael's, and they shared a silent understanding. A realization began to dawn; he had to adapt, he had to grow. The world had changed, and so must he.

"I suppose you're right." Brian shrugged. I will thrive in this world. I can live here. His cheeks swelled up as he tried to lighten the mood. “Here, I thought you only counted insects."

"Those are for collecting, not killing." Kael's mouth curved into a half-smile. “Come on, brother… I told you that in confidence. I don’t want everyone to know about my hobby!”

Sophia chuckled. "I think we'll be fine as long as we have Kael's insect collection to distract us."

“Ilex, are you good to move? We should leave at once,” Kael said.

[Valtivenom Alpha Detected]

[Energy Rank: Glow]

Brian's face drained of color, growing pale as the chill of Valteria's climate seemed to evaporate. Heat crept through his body, a sensation at odds with the frigid air around him. Each strand of hair bristled, standing on end as if electrified, while a shiver coursed down his spine, trembling in the unnerving tension that gripped him.

“Ilex,” his speech quivering. “Do you smell this?”

“Yes.” Ilex looked up straight at the sky. “It smells like shit… Also, I can barely move, and I have no feeling in my left arm.”