Chapter Five: First Steps on the Aqua Demon Planet (Part Two)

As time passed, two months slipped by in the blink of an eye. During those two months, apart from training, Mad Eater and Shadow Thief ventured out from their base to hunt monsters and collect crystal cores.

Monsters with crystal cores were not easily slain. Energy cannons from airships could not be used against them; once struck by energy weapons, these monsters would channel the energy within their crystal cores to defend themselves, depleting their cores significantly. The value of a crystal core depended entirely on its stored energy. Thus, crystal hunting usually required ancient techniques: close-quarters combat that prevented monsters from expending much of their crystal core’s energy.

The ability to hunt high-energy cores depended on the monster’s species and level, as well as the hunters’ own skills. With Mad Eater’s divine beast, low-level monsters were hardly a challenge. Shadow Thief’s divine beast was a massive, intimidating, long-snouted giant crocodile, whose powerful jaws could sever limbs or necks with ease. Mad Eater’s divine beast, while not particularly lethal, excelled at ensnaring monsters. Its long vines, seemingly fragile, possessed unimaginable strength and resilience. Over the past two months, the pair had encountered few difficulties.

Only half a month ago did they face any real trouble, from a nearly ten-meter-tall Giant-footed Beast. Herbivorous though it was, its raw strength surpassed even that of carnivores; Shadow Thief estimated its power to be at least equivalent to a re-armored transport airship. The ten-meter-tall, ten-legged bull-headed creature managed to pull Mad Eater's divine beast, which had ensnared it, completely out of the ground, then charged straight at Mad Eater and Shadow Thief. The perilous moment nearly petrified them. If the beast broke through, perhaps Shadow Thief could dodge with his agility, but Mad Eater, with his bulk and short legs, stood no chance of escaping.

In the end, Mad Eater dashed toward the nearby woods, simultaneously using his mental power to command his divine beast, Little Blossom, to wrap its vines around the Giant-footed Beast’s ten legs with all its might—only then did the creature collapse.

When the Giant-footed Beast finally died from excessive blood loss, the two stared at the mangled, severed vines beneath its feet, cold sweat pouring down their faces. Mad Eater hurriedly summoned his divine beast back into his body; as soon as Little Blossom returned, he felt his true energy being voraciously absorbed by the creature nestled in his right shoulder. Clearly, his divine beast had expended a great deal in that hunt. When wounded, a divine beast would absorb its host’s energy to heal upon returning to the host’s body.

If the injuries were severe and the host couldn’t bear the drain, crystal cores had to be fed to the beast in advance; otherwise, the stronger the divine beast, the greater the risk. Thus, those who fought with divine beasts always kept one or two crystal cores handy. Demand for cores was ever high, but monster growth was far from simple, making supply perpetually less than demand, so prices never fell. Crystal cores also aided divine beasts’ growth, so the wealthy used them in large quantities for their beasts.

Unfortunately, Little Blossom couldn’t consume crystal cores, which meant Mad Eater had to bear all the injuries himself. This realization made him break out in cold sweat. Afterwards, Shadow Thief, seeing Mad Eater’s face change after retracting his divine beast, felt a surge of fear; his experience told him exactly what was happening.

After extracting the crystal core, Shadow Thief rushed back to the base and locked Mad Eater in the training chamber for nearly ten days before allowing him out.

Early that morning, Mad Eater was summoned by Shadow Thief. Looking at Mad Eater, who had clearly slimmed down from hunting, Shadow Thief chuckled, “Kid, looks like I should make you train more. Maybe your figure will finally correct itself.”

Mad Eater, used to being teased about his size, retorted grumpily, “Should I force you to eat more every day? Maybe your figure will correct itself too.”

Shadow Thief grinned sheepishly, then deftly changed the subject. “Alright, kid, go wash up and change out of your combat suit. I’m taking you to Aqua Demon Star, so you can see it for yourself.”

Mad Eater’s curiosity was piqued. “Not going hunting today?”

Shadow Thief nodded, smiling. “We’ve hunted thirty-four crystal cores these days. I plan to exchange them for Gale Empire currency and buy some supplies.”

Mad Eater nodded enthusiastically. He’d been here for over a year but never visited a civilized planet, though he’d always been eager to see other worlds. “I’ll go recharge the Multi-footed Beast,” he said.

Shadow Thief quickly interjected, “Don’t use your Multi-footed Beast anymore. This trip is mainly to buy you a small spaceship; you can’t use your beast for transport. If someone saw it when you picked up those three containers, and recognized it, we’d be in trouble.”

The two boarded Shadow Thief’s diamond-shaped ship, which could seat up to three. With careful piloting, Shadow Thief maneuvered through the star’s rotation, slipping out of the base and into the asteroid belt behind the planet.

They hid among the asteroids for half a day, then adjusted their course toward Aqua Demon Star. Only after breaking free from the asteroid belt did Shadow Thief say, “Kid, when we reach Aqua Demon Star, watch more and speak less. First-timers aren’t always welcome there.”

Mad Eater asked curiously, “Why is it unfriendly? I remember you mentioning other inhabited planets nearby. If Aqua Demon Star isn’t friendly, can’t we go somewhere else?”

Shadow Thief shook his head, smiling. “Aqua Demon Star hosts the largest underground trading market in the Death Star Sea. It attracts not only human smugglers, but also many alien smugglers from the Winged Ones’ domain. Only there can crystal cores fetch a good price—and only there can we buy the spaceship we need.”

Aqua Demon Star wasn’t far from Mad Eater’s home planet, by cosmic standards. It took only seven days—seven Earth days, humanity’s universal standard—to reach the star’s orbit.

Gazing through the ship’s viewport at the deep blue planet, Mad Eater couldn’t help but exclaim in awe. The planet was about the same size as his family’s Berserk Star, but its entire surface was a striking deep blue, stunning even Mad Eater, a hardened man.

The ship came to a halt in space. Shadow Thief, seeing Mad Eater’s amazement, laughed. “Kid, isn’t Aqua Demon beautiful?”

Mad Eater nodded, still awestruck. Shadow Thief continued, “The surface of Aqua Demon Star is entirely covered by freshwater—no land, no islands. From space, it’s pure blue, perhaps the only all-water planet in the universe, and its water is perfectly drinkable for humans.”

Mad Eater paused, surprised. “All freshwater, no land? Old Ghost, where are we going? Am I supposed to wear a diving suit and go underwater?”

Shadow Thief smiled mysteriously. “Wait until we rotate to the star’s facing side, then we’ll descend.”

“Why not now?” Mad Eater pressed. He’d asked about this star system before. Though Shadow Thief had explained the conditions on each planet, he’d never detailed their physical nature—partly because Mad Eater hadn’t asked, partly because Shadow Thief found it tedious.

Shadow Thief sighed, his voice drifting. “The universe is full of mysteries, so much is inexplicable. Take Aqua Demon Star: a planet wrapped in water, yet home to a strange land-dwelling species. The side facing away from the star never exceeds minus one hundred degrees Celsius, and the winds above the water are so fierce that even Gale Empire’s Storm Demon Battleships can’t withstand them for long. The origins of these powerful winds remain a mystery—their force rivals starship main cannons, yet no one knows how they're generated. It fascinates and intrigues me.”

At last, when the side of the planet facing the star was exposed, Shadow Thief piloted the ship, angling down and plunging directly into the water.