Edge had followed One-Eye from the dungeon to the cavern, trusting the hunter to lead the way while his reservoir refilled after their battle with the boss.

  Now that he was travelling alone, the dense vegetation filling the biome made it hard to pick out a path and spot the predators prowling within the undergrowth. Fortunately, his time in the Savage Garden had provided a solution to the pressing problem—a way to turn the living maze into nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

  He gathered his will, ignited his core, then activated Penetrate Foliage. When the mana flowed out of his reactor and gathered around his eyes, all the greenery faded away. He could still see the outlines of the prolific plants like they were made of tinted glass, so he didn’t have to worry about walking straight into a bush or tree.

  The sensory-enhancing skill made it easy to chart his course, while revealing anything that was lurking nearby. Now that he could peer through the emerald ocean engulfing him on all sides, Edge spotted a wide variety of animals and beasts that called the jungle home. From brightly-colored birds perched along the branches, to hunting cats stalking prey from the cover of the shadows. Some of the biome’s inhabitants seemed quite powerful, but he doubted anything that was weaker than mid stage two would care to try their luck after the growth he’d experienced over the last few weeks.

  The monsters and jailbirds that had escaped the Savage Garden were another matter entirely. He was tempted to use Foebinder to swing from branch to branch as his primary form of transportation, but he couldn’t afford to give his position away. Instead, he turned to the north and continued walking through the wilderness.

  Edge prioritized stealth over speed, paying close attention to his surroundings as he went. He eventually came across a blade-broken trail with tracks indicating that a sizable squadron had passed through the area while heading toward the dungeon, then another set that had been left by a group about half that size.

  They traveled together to attack the expedition. He read the story told by the long line of footprints. Then some of the Claws stayed behind and entered the Savage Garden, while the rest pursued the hunters from Puppet Town deeper into the jungle.

  Since the tracks were easy to follow and he already knew where they were headed, Edge made good time by moving along the trail the convicts had carved while crossing the rough terrain. A light rain began to fall a few hours later, carrying some of the pervasive heat away and rinsing the grime from his body.

  He decided to press on for a while longer, then find somewhere to shelter for the night. With any luck, he would locate the crew that Sakura had mentioned by tomorrow afternoon, then figure out how to rescue the team that was trapped inside the caverns.

  Come to think of it, I never did learn the name of this biome. While the expedition was crossing the jungle on their way to the Savage Garden, there had been a fierce debate about the matter. Setna’s crew had been the one to discover the biome as far as anyone knew, and had earned the right to name it, and no one could agree on what to call it in the meantime.

  They had eventually put the matter on hold until they learned whether the woman and her crew were still alive. As it happened, Setna had survived after all. But she hadn’t mentioned a name, and given the tragedy that had befallen her friends, it didn’t seem right to ask.

  I’ll just make up my own and use it for now. Edge rubbed at the stubble covering his chin. Let’s see. It’s hot as fuck, even with Regulate Temperature, and all I can see is green. The Sweltering Green it is.

  While he put more miles beneath his boots, he took a closer look at the region in question. The corner of the biome near the dungeon had been a lush jungle, but this swath looked more like a tropical rain forest. One of them is probably a sub-biome, but I have no idea which.

  Unlike the Savage Garden, the Sweltering Green featured a robust and complex ecosystem. It was clearly a high-threat biome and even the animals seemed fierce. He watched a line of bright red ants the size of his thumb go marching off to war.

  Above, a colony of blue spiders that were bigger than his fists darted across an immense canopy of webbing. When he realized how many were up there, Edge picked up the pace until he was out of their territory. Even if the oversized arachnids weren’t beasts, he shuddered at the thought of wandering into their web.

  While the jungle’s dominant shade was emerald, there was a riot of color to be found. From ferns with fronds of violet and crimson, to bright yellow flowers the size of his head. Caws and hoots rode the breeze beside piercing howls and cries—punctuated by the occasional growl of a predator contesting its territory.

  Once the rain began, it never really stopped, varying from a light drizzle to a violent downpour with little warning in between. Even when the rain was heavy, only mist filtered down to the forest floor. In places, the mud was so thick that Edge had to use Foebinder and swing from the branches, shaving hours from his journey as he crossed the Sweltering Green.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Not long after, he realized that the jungle had grown considerably quieter over the last few minutes—a sure sign that something dangerous was on the prowl. He cast his senses into the distance, and though he caught a faint whiff of something foul, he didn’t see anything skulking nearby.

  When the situation persisted after leaving the area, he knew that he was being followed. No. Not followed, he corrected himself. Something stealthy is stalking me. I need to deal with it before moving on.

  To get a better view of his surroundings, Edge gathered his concentration then activated his Unique skill, Manifest Chain. He felt a pinch as the living links pushed through the skin of his left wrist, before emerging into the humid air.

  He set down the Gardener’s scythe and shield, asked Foebinder to carry him up to the level of the canopy, then activated Conceal to obscure his presence and erase his tracks while listening to the patter of falling rain.

  Ten minutes later, he spotted movement in the distance. Edge never would have noticed it without Penetrate Foliage, the points he’d put into Perception, and the boost provided by his Big Game Hunter trait. But with his various powers working together, he eventually caught sight of the creature that was pursuing him.

  He had assumed it was a beast that was native to the Sweltering Green, but that turned out not to be the case. He was being hunted by one of the monsters that had escaped the dungeon after the System opened the fog door sealing the entrance.

  It was a predator that he had run into on several prior occasions. Since it reminded him of a hippopotamus covered in finger-thick spines, he had decided to call the monster a hedgehippo. Even after his rapid advancement, a peak-stage-two enemy was a significant threat. But Edge couldn’t afford to ignore it either.

  He knew from experience that it would pursue him relentlessly, and it was surprisingly quiet for a monster of its size. If he didn’t deal with the problem now, he would be under the constant threat of ambush going forward.

  Since the spiky bastard had no idea that Edge had spotted it, it was a perfect opportunity to spring a surprise of his own. Better still, after his stint in the Savage Garden, he was familiar with several of the creature’s skills, which would offer him a considerable advantage when the battle began.

  After looking around to make sure that no other predators were nearby, he decided to sit tight and ambush the hedgehippo when it passed below. He was reasonably certain that it would press on after losing his trail, since that was what had happened before.

  Sure enough, after reaching the spot where Conceal had removed his tracks, the monster stopped to ponder the matter for a few minutes, then continued walking forward. It was smart enough to predict his heading based on his behavior and continued creeping toward the tree where Edge was hiding.

  He took a good look at the brutish creature while waiting for the right moment to make his move. The monster was bigger than an Earth bear, with broad shoulders and bulging muscles. Its forelimbs ended in wicked claws, and its folds of scarred purple skin looked thick enough to stop all but the most powerful of blows.

  Most of its teeth were flat—designed to crush and mash—but its fangs were sharp and jutted out past the profile of its jaw. Of course, the monster’s most distinctive feature was its heavy coat of spikes. Each spine was as long as Edge’s naginata and ended in a hooked barb that would inflict even more damage on its way out of his body than it did on the way in.

  He knew that its bite was reinforced by some manner of skill and suspected the creature was packing a sensory-enhancing power too. It also had a skill that let it fling its spines with incredible force while guiding their trajectory midflight. The predator’s other powers were a mystery for now, but he hoped to slay the monster before it had time to use them.

  Edge waited until the hippo was passing below, then dropped Conceal and ordered Foebinder to let go of the branch. He didn’t activate any skills—so the monster couldn’t sense the mana leaving his core—falling toward the creature from forty feet above. The move was almost silent, and the hippo didn’t sense him coming until the last possible moment.

  It looked up and started to turn, but it was already too late.

  With the point of his polearm leading the way, he hit the monster hard. He had extended the shaft to its maximum length to remain out of range of its spines. The blade bit deep into the monster’s back, and he held on tight to keep from sliding down.

  The next part wouldn’t have been possible for most people, but after the cycles he’d picked up while conquering the dungeon, Edge was far from ordinary. While the bulky brute screamed in pain, he used his arms to launch himself into the air, placed one foot against the butt of his weapon, then Leapt off the end, letting the force drive the point deeper still.

  He landed lightly on the ground as the hedgehippo turned to yank the polearm out of its torso in a bright spray of blood. The move forced the monster to take its eyes off him for a critical second, and by the time it turned back around, he had already Leapt again, materializing his iceblade along the way.

  However, he didn’t get a chance to use it.

  The hedgehippo spun in a spike-studded flash, turning its back to him before he could close the distance as it let loose its wrath. A dozen quills swiveled to center on his position, then detached and came sailing his way.

  He had learned the hard way that some monsters coated their attacks in a Disruption field, which made using Shadow Step a risky proposition. Fortunately, he had another power waiting in the wings that would do the trick.

  Edge Hardened the front of his body—diamond scales forming in the blink of an eye. The thumb-thick quills shattered when they hit the insanely hard mineral with incredible force. Just as he’d suspected, there was some Disruption running through several of the barbs. But thanks to his meta skill, Counter Disruption, Harden wasn’t susceptible to that tactic anymore.

  He scrambled back to open some room, deflecting a second volley and retrieving his naginata along the way.

  The battle had gone relatively well up to this point, thanks to his advantage in information. Now he needed to finish the fight before the monster tried something he hadn’t seen before. Edge grinned as Skill-Eater opened one eye in response to his intentions, sending a flood of gluttony coursing through his veins.

  Be patient for just a little longer, big guy. Let me find out what’s on the menu, then we can enjoy our meal.