Chapter 26: Zena Scorpion’s legacy.

She took a slow, quiet breath, her eyes darting between the glowing map on her hand and the red outlines on Beauty’s screen. The grime cats were abandoning the hunting circle and coming straight to her.

Within four seconds, they were one meter to her left. It was very close to her current location. They were not put off by her swampy smell like other beasts in the jungle.

"Slower than other cats, huh?" Zyra whispered, her voice barely a thread of sound. "And they hate bright light..."

She glanced down at the glowing, flashing map on her skin, then back up at the dark bushes. A risky, desperate plan began to form in her mind.... she was good with those.

"Beauty," Zyra breathed inside her mind. "Hand me the flashlight from my suitcase. Hurry!"

With a soft digital hum, a heavy, metallic flashlight materialized right into her left hand. Her ears grew sharp and steady. The eerie, baby-like crying started again, much clearer than before. But suddenly it stopped. The jungle became deathly quiet again.

But only for a few seconds. Leaves shook a moment later, four dark shadows launched themselves through the air, claws outstretched, aiming straight for Zyra’s throat.

She slammed the power button. A beam of blinding, high-intensity white light pierced the darkness, hitting the cats dead in the eyes. The Grime-Stripe Cats let out horrific, high-pitched screams of utter confusion, their bodies twisting awkwardly mid-air as their night vision was completely fried.

Zyra didn’t waste a single millisecond. She leaped forward, and suddenly, her body didn’t feel like her own anymore. Her reflexes were fast.... way too fast, compared to the usual. It was almost like the knife itself was alive, pulling her hand, leading her fighting moves, and telling her exactly how to strike.

Slash!

Stab!

Spin!

In a flurry of green light and silver steel, the four grime cats crashed to the ground, completely breathless.

"Wow!" Zyra gasped, leaning against a tree, her heart pounding like crazy. The fight had been much shorter than she expected. Her right hand was on fire, as if she had been wielding a big rock. "This knife is basically a combat cheat code."

She didn’t lose time. She moved toward the fallen cats, sliced them open with practiced ease like she had done it many times before, and pulled out four glowing stones. The moment her fingers touched them, they vanished into thin air, and the little snake on her virtual screen was suddenly four energy stones richer. It was holding them in its weird tiny hands.

"Hey!!!" Zyra shouted in outrage. "What are you doing?"

[Ding! Mission complete. Four low-grade stones acquired. Fun fact: these are equivalent to a measly quarter of a small resonance stone. Also, your debt balance is still at a staggering 170 resonance points. Keep up the good work, debtor!]

Zyra wiped the sweat from her forehead and stared at the screen in disbelief. "Are you kidding me, Beauty? You said the energy stones were mine to keep! And only a quarter?! That’s not fair, we need to do the math again."

Beauty popped up on the screen, leaning back comfortably. [Hey, I don’t make the rules, Host. You have to do a whole lot of hunting to pay off your debt. Of course, your other option is stealing from rich hunters. I won’t judge.]

Zyra snorted, turning back to the trail. "You know what? At this rate, maybe I will just do that. It looks like I need to make a whole lot of money really fast."

The journey continued into the deep jungle. Zyra kept moving, using her map to avoid the terrifyingly loud monsters and ambushing the low-ranking ones she could handle. To her surprise, the more beasts she killed, the more the map on her hand expanded. The lines stretched, the ink shifted, and suddenly, a second glowing triangle appeared.

Before she knew it, she had arrived at the location of the first triangle.

Zyra stopped and blinked. Expecting a hidden treasure cave or a magical ancient ruin from the old world. She was thoroughly disappointed. Rising through the thick jungle vines was nothing but a dilapidated, old, flat concrete building. It looked like an abandoned apartment building from back in the day....the jungle was filled with them.... they had wild plants and vines all over them.

"Is this it?" Zyra asked, completely deadpan. "A run-down building?"

[Scanning area and the map. Map data confirmed. The trail leads exactly here. Oh, and good news! I have scanned inside. There are twenty medium and low-ranked Shardhorns hiding in there.]

Shardhorns was the name for mutated deer, and she recognized it right away. Their meat was edible. Their antlers were crystal, and they could be harvested for weapons. These low level deers were worth 15 to 20 energy stones on the market without their cores. If they had cores, the price could go to 50 energy stones.

[Target Details: Strengths: Antlers can pierce human armor. Herd instinct: attack in groups, charging as one. Their antlers reflect light, blinding enemies.

Weaknesses: Fragile antlers but only under heavy blows. Poor stealth, their crystal antlers are the X which marks the spot. Easily distracted by shiny objects.]

Zyra stared at the prompt. "This is a beast dungeon," She muttered, her brain connecting the dots. "The map led me straight into a low-level beast den." She glanced at the second glowing triangle further away on her skin tattoo....this clearly is the next dungeon.

Her mind started connecting dots quickly. Her mother was the only hunter and soul maiden in history to discover over 1020 dungeons, the highest number in history. "So, this is how she did." Zyra laughed softly. No wonder her mother left the glove to her. It was a legacy to be passed down to her daughter, and another secret she had to hide.

She nodded firmly to herself, turned around, and said, "Alright, Beauty. There is no way in hell I am entering that place unprepared. In every den, there is a boss."

[Oh, come on! Don’t be a coward!] Beauty whined, puffing out her digital cheeks. [Your power had increased! Plus, you have your alien knife! Don’t forget, you can activate it and turn it into a spear! You have the healing liquid. As long as you don’t die, it is worth it.]

Zyra winced hard at the reminder. "Are you serious? The last time I tried to just lift that damn spear, I fell flat on my face! It weighs a ton! You want me to go into close combat with twenty low level mutated deers using a weapon I can’t even hold?"

She closed her eyes, feeling a massive headache coming on. If she didn’t clear this, her debt would just keep growing. "This can only work if I move unseen. I could be in need of another candle.

[Yes, but it will cost you.... the debt....]

"Yeah...yeah I get it, my debt increases"

Beauty’s digital eyes lit up with a mischievous glow. [Say no more, Host. Your wish is my command.]

Zyra felt herself sinking deeper into the debt trap.