Hello everyone, I'm Rip. In the darkness, if you see a shining light, would you go closer to it? Generally speaking, you would, right? Of course, if you are exploring the abyss, you shouldn't do that. When exploring places like dungeons, underground cities, and caves, it's very easy to encounter mimic monsters. The most famous of them is definitely the mimic chest, which disguises itself as a treasure box, waiting for adventurers to approach before swallowing them whole. It's a predatory method full of stealth and lethality. Of course, besides mimic chests, there are other kinds of mimic monsters, like treasure bugs, which typically appear as gold coins, gemstones, or pearl necklaces, and blend in with real treasure. When adventurers bring them out of the dungeon and divide the loot, they suddenly attack without warning. Although they are small, treasure bugs generally carry a venom that can paralyze or slow down their victims, making them unexpectedly dangerous mimic monsters. The solution is simple, just sprinkle them with hot water, since treasure bugs cannot withstand heat and moisture. Another type of mimic monster is the corpse mimic, which is quite rare but also the most dangerous. It mimics adventurers who have collapsed in the dungeon, and once a kind adventurer tries to help collect the body, or a greedy adventurer comes to search for treasures on the body, it will extend its tentacles that carry a powerful venom and tightly entwine the adventurer. It's said that the holy servants of the Church of White used to be particularly vulnerable to this kind of monster's attacks, probably because they had the habit of praying for the dead. Mimic creatures generally have the ability to emit light, well, to attract prey.

Now I also see a shining point, which is very strange. Because I'm not exploring the abyss now, I'm just sitting in the castle's study reading a book. I'm sitting on a comfortable sofa, next to a roaring fireplace, and on the small table on the other side, there is the excellent red tea that Ashlie brought. Unknowingly, the shining thing appeared in the corner of the wall opposite the sofa. I became interested and put the book on the small table beside me, stood up and approached it, which was obviously emitting light. After getting closer, I immediately knew what it was. That rectangular object that appeared to be emitting light from far away was actually densely written with white glowing runes. The type of runes was very compact, looking quite like dwarf runes, but the mural and the sharp paragraphs gave a feeling of elven runes. Is it a part of Alice's belongings? While thinking about this, I crouched down and reached out to touch the rune. Suddenly, the surrounding air began to vibrate. Huh? Panicked, I looked around and found that not only the air was shaking, but also the surroundings began to vibrate and distort. A mist wall appeared in front of me, slowly pushing towards me. What the hell?! Before I could shout, I was swallowed by the mist wall. "Are you awake?" The café owner opened his eyes and found himself lying on a white metal bed that looked like it belonged in a hospital, but the surrounding scenery was far from it. There was a motorcycle on the empty ground beside him, and the walls on all sides had tool racks hanging various weapons. Just looking at it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up—the inexplicably high-tech golden pocket watch, the flying knives made of spider-like sharp limbs. And on the table directly below the tool rack, there was something that looked like a jet engine. This was his basement... The young café owner, You Shirou, breathed a sigh of relief and lay back on the bed. At this moment, he noticed that he had various tubes and lines inserted into his body. There were data lines inserted into his neck to restart the energy core in his body, and pipes inserted into his chest to supply fuel to the energy source core. It seemed that Koyomi had dragged him down here. "Are you awake?" A red-haired girl wearing a camouflage tank top and shorts appeared at the entrance to the basement, holding an apple and a fruit knife in her hand. "Yes, I thought I really died this time." You Shirou stared at the blank ceiling. "I almost climbed the stairs to heaven. Peter, the guardian, asked me if there was anything I needed to confess." "The term stairs to heaven is not used like that. And you have a lot to confess."Qianxiao showed a rare smile, walked to the chair next to the sickbed, and sat down, starting to peel the apple.

"So, is this your junior fellow apprentice this time too?"

"Well, to be specific, this junior fellow apprentice is particularly afraid of the opponent he has to fight against."

"Meaning the previous ones were all small fry?"

Slowly peeling the apple skin, Qianxiao remembered the past when those junior fellow apprentices took her away and tied her up on the highest peak in South America. Even though she was a hostage in that situation, the junior fellow apprentices didn't do anything excessive. Apart from tying her up with tighter ropes, they even gave her a warm coat to keep her warm and a blanket to wrap around her legs while they politely asked what she wanted to eat for meal times.

Now, thinking back, those junior fellow apprentices were different from the enemies she had encountered so far. Qianxiao looked at the weapons hanging on the wall which came from the modified humans that the owner You Zilu had fought against in the past. The exceptionally sharp sword came from a serious high school girl who, unlike Qianxiao who didn't go to school and worked at this shop, still diligently went to school after becoming a modified human and even consistently participated in the kendo club's training. The jet engine on the table came from a modified killer whale's back, which would emit terrifying energy and thrust when he threw punches or charged. Though it was no longer stored in the basement, Qianxiao knew that You Zilu secretly collected the armor fragments of those five junior fellow apprentices.

When the junior fellow apprentices left her next to a comfortable rock and said goodbye to her before walking towards You Zilu who was standing opposite her, Qianxiao became aware of their expressions. They weren't fearful, expectant, manic, or any expression with negative emotions. They had an expression full of the resolve to face death while confidently holding the power that surpassed their predecessors. And then, they fought against You Zilu, whom she respected, as they transformed, and the result was self-evident. Qianxiao had never seen You Zilu with such a look before, a look filled with regret and pride. Regret for not conveying their strong spirit to their back, but proud of their growth.

Even atop the snowy peak, the bloodstains intermixed with blue oil stains on her clothes, that man who usually argues with her came to her and hugged her tightly. It was only that once...

"That kid is different from the previous ones."

You Zilu's words brought Qianxiao back from her memories. She looked at the young shop owner who was staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"This guy this time around not only has speed that can keep up with me, but also has a consciousness that's ahead of mine. Even when I switched to the blue mode, he didn't panic."

"Blue mode?"

Qianxiao recalled that form she had only seen a few times, with its incredibly high speed and smooth combo attacks, as well as the final appearance where it needed to open the exhaust port to spray out scorching steam. It was still fresh in her mind.

"Can he keep up with that kind of speed?"

"Not just that. You know what? Before my chest was pierced, he was still in yellow mode."

"How is that possible?"

Qianxiao wasn't very familiar with modified humans, but she was (familiar) with the one in front of her, You Zilu. This person had the power to extract other people's energy cores and run their records and data on his own cores. He had three different forms that were suitable for using various weapons. He was the Red Skull Knight, whose speed, strength, and skill were all very average and used for a variety of weapons. He was the Blue Wolf Warrior, who was the fastest but also had the weakest defense. And he was the Yellow Fortress Soldier, who used heavy firepowers and emphasized defense and endurance. Although she had also witnessed the attack of many fierce modified humans, she had never seen anyone who could drill a large hole straight through the chest of a yellow fortress soldier like that.

"And the worst thing is, that kid's spirit is somewhat similar to mine."

You Zilu looked at the cabinet where he kept the relics of a few junior fellow apprentices with an exhausted expression.

"He can also switch (forms) like I do."

"Like you?"

"Yes, didn't you come down back then? That kid has switched into different colors."

"Who is this modified human really?""It's hard to explain, but if I had to describe it, I would say I'm an adventure junkie?"

"That's a strange way to put it."

After scoffing, Qianxiao hit the apple peel she had just cut off and threw it into the trash can. then, she took a bite of the apple without the skin.

"Um..."

Yuzilu looked lonely as he looked at Qianxiao.

"Didn't you cut it for me to eat?"

"Who said it was for you to eat?"

Qianxiao smiled again and asked abruptly.

"What do we do? Is there a way to beat him?"

"There are some methods."

After answering like this, Yuzilu closed his eyes.

Qianxiao stared at Yuzilu, who was resting with his eyes closed. She knew him better than the young store owner lying down. When she said there were some methods, wasn't she revealing her own cards for battle?

Then, drag the battered body back, tell yourself that everything is fine, and bury your head in a deep sleep. Even if she didn't know much about the altered humans, she knew that the energy core of the person in front of her did not have much life left. Five years ago, when he became an altered human, he had experienced five years of hellish battles. How could he continue to wear himself out like this?

An adventure junkie? Qianxiao remembered that the store owner had once mentioned such a student. He also mentioned that he had returned to his hometown to confirm the tomb of the student. She also remembered the words that the student's sister had said about dreams. So use that...

Thinking like this, Qianxiao threw the apple with only the core remaining into the trash can. She walked out of the basement and climbed the ladder next to the kitchen door. The space upstairs was her living space, which had been converted from originally being used as a warehouse under the arched roof. Although the store owner had asked her a few times if she wanted to move into his mansion, she refused. She walked to the low bed and opened the drawer of the bedside table, where a notebook with a golden ribbon tied to it lay folded underneath. A classmate who claimed to be a saint gave it to her a long time ago. The classmate warned her not to use it until it was the most dangerous, and told her how to use it. Now is the time to use it.

Qianxiao knelt on the ground, supporting it with her hands, and wrote runes on the ground according to the method she remembered from her classmate.