["…The Sandstorm Caravan? Wait, you mean that Sandstorm Caravan? The dust-covered caravan that hauls all sorts of weird stuff around?"]
"Yeah."
["…By yourself? Have you lost your mind?"]
Esther's reaction was understandable.
Even though the Sandstorm Caravan was relatively neutral and friendly toward Ark, meeting them alone was no simple task.
More precisely, it was nearly impossible for an individual to establish an equal trading relationship with them.
["Do you even know what kind of people they are? Those scumbags would strip you clean the moment they see an opening! They're the worst of the worst!"]
Even the Shadow Order had fallen victim to their ruthless business tactics multiple times, judging by the way Esther was practically shuddering.
"I know."
["And yet you still want to meet them?"]
"There's nothing to worry about."
This trade would be highly beneficial for both sides, after all.
Of course, Esther, who wasn't aware of that fact, couldn't help but feel anxious.
["…Fine. Whatever. Do what you want."]
"I was going to anyway."
["I swear, you're impossible."]
With a powerful push, Horus launched into the sky.
[Kieet!]
I did have the newly acquired Z-74 jetpack, but it was meant for tactical maneuvering, not long-distance travel.
I could use it to travel, but the limited power output made it inefficient for extended flights.
'Not to mention, I'm carrying a load.'
The amount of cargo strapped to Horus' back was no joke.
It made sense—I had been meticulously gathering goods to sell to the Sandstorm Caravan, and there was a lot of it.
'This should be enough to use as a bargaining chip.'
As Horus' heavy wingbeats carried us forward, the scenery below began shifting rapidly.
His movements were sluggish compared to usual.
Only a beast of Horus' caliber could handle this kind of weight—any other creature would have been grounded by now.
["Hang in there, bony boy."]
[Kieek.]
["Poor guy. Stuck with a master like this, huh?"]
[Kieeeek…]
Horus let out a pitiful cry in response to Esther's teasing.
["By the way… are you even sure where you're going? The Sandstorm Caravan is notoriously hard to find."]
She had a point—the Sandstorm Caravan never stayed in one place for long.
Even if someone wanted to find them, it wasn't as simple as tracking them down.
But that didn't mean there was no way to reach them.
At the end of the day, they were still a caravan, and there were always ways to make contact.
"I just need to make them come to me."
["…You even know how to do that?"]
"In this situation, wouldn't it be weirder if I didn't know?"
["Ugh… Seriously, why did I end up stuck with such a freak…? What are you, anyway…?"]
As Esther grumbled,
Hmm.
As if on cue, dark specks began appearing in the distance, growing larger as they approached.
A flock of flying beasts.
["What are you—oh, wait."]
Under normal circumstances, Horus wouldn't have cared if those things chased after him.
But the problem was that his speed was significantly slower than usual.
'That's not all.'
The flying beasts weren't particularly strong—Horus could have wiped them out with a single flap of his tail.
The real issue was the massive amount of cargo strapped to his back.
If Horus made any sudden movements, there was a high chance the supplies would spill out and scatter across the ground.
"Hmm."
I could take them out from a distance…
'Actually, this is perfect.'
I adjusted the straps of my Z-74 jetpack.
["W-Wait. What are you doing?"]
"I'm going to take care of them."
["You could just shoot them from here! Why go through the trouble?!"]
"I need to test something."
I patted Horus' side.
"Horus, keep going. I'll catch up."
[Kieek!]
Then, without hesitation, I let myself drop.
["…Unbelievable."]
Even as Esther complained, she gathered ether around me, ready to intervene if necessary.
She was worried I might end up splattering on the ground.
As always, the embodiment of self-preservation.
Ziiiiing…
Of course, her concern was unnecessary.
The moment the Z-74 jetpack roared to life, a bright blue flame ignited beneath me.
Fwoooosh!
At first, I simply hovered in place.
Then, as I adjusted the controls on my left palm, the thrust output increased, accelerating me forward.
And then—
Sweeaaaak!
The speed wasn't insanely fast, but it was completely different from sitting on Horus' back.
My entire body felt like a bullet tearing through the air.
'Ah.'
For a moment, I was entranced by the sheer sensation of speed.
Before I knew it, the distance between me and the Flying Beasts had closed significantly.
At this rate, I'd crash straight into them if I wasn't careful.
'In that case…'
I gripped the BLT-47 plasma launcher—reborn in the hands of Maybell Pilgrim.
The perfect stage had been set for a test run. There was no reason not to use it.
'The distance is… a little tricky.'
If it were an Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle or another conventional firearm, this would be a perfectly reasonable range.
But the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher was different.
Plasma weapons delivered devastating power at close range but lost effectiveness over longer distances.
'No big deal.'
I didn't have to wait long.
Since both the beasts and I were moving toward each other, the distance was shrinking rapidly.
I aimed the BLT-47's muzzle.
Unlike other firearms, it lacked a proper sight or magnification, but aiming wasn't difficult.
The reason was simple.
I didn't need to aim precisely.
A blinding streak of light shot forth from the BLT-47's barrel.
The plasma bolt moved at the speed of light, piercing straight through one of the beast's wings.
Unlike a bullet wound, the impact left a completely different type of hole—clean, seared, and precise.
[Screeeeeech—!]
The beast let out a shriek.
But the plasma bolt wasn't finished yet.
With the slightest flick of my wrist, another streak of plasma erupted from the BLT-47 launcher, slicing through the beast's body like a beam of pure destruction.
[Kieeek—!]
A short, final cry.
That was all the beast managed before—
Thud.
What was once a monstrous predator split in half and fell limply to the ground.
The other beasts flinched at the sight.
[Kiii…]
[Kik! Kik!]
They felt fear.
That was how absolute the devastation of the BLT-47 plasma launcher was.
But that didn't mean they fled.
Instead, they screeched even louder and charged at me with renewed aggression.
Their instincts told them that if they didn't kill me here, they would be the ones to die.
'Not that it'll help them.'
Normally, plasma weapons weren't practical for sustained use in real combat due to energy efficiency issues.
But for me, that was never a problem.
With my unlimited energy supply and Maybelle Pilgrim's reinforced modifications, the BLT-47 transformed from an impractical weapon into a tool of pure devastation.
Just like now.
Bzzzzzt—!
The plasma bolt streaked forward, an embodiment of destruction and annihilation.
With the slightest movement of my fingertips, wings were severed, bodies were torn apart.
It felt like I was wielding the power to control life and death.
Thud…
Thud, thud—
What was once a fearsome flock of aerial predators became nothing more than chunks of burned meat raining down from the sky.
No blood spilled—the plasma had cauterized every wound instantly.
[You have slain a Grade-8 Flying Beast, Black-Feathered Executioner.]
[Damage against Grade-8 Flying Beast, Black-Feathered Executioner increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain a Grade-7 Flying Beast, Thorn-Feathered Cuckoo.]
[Damage against Grade-7 Flying Beast, Thorn-Feathered Cuckoo increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain a Grade-9 Flying Beast, Giant Sparrow.]
[Damage against Grade-9 Flying Beast, Giant Sparrow increases by 0.05%.]
["What the hell…"]
Even Esther, once a fearsome Grade-1 Specter with nothing to fear, was left speechless at the scene.
This wasn't just the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher at work—this was the result of infinite energy fueling it.
I glanced down at the remains of the fallen beasts before turning away.
They weren't worth feeding to Janus.
'If I'm going to feed him, it should at least be something worthwhile.'
I inspected the BLT-47 plasma launcher.
Hiss…
Even after just this short burst of fire, the heat was extreme.
Had I pushed it any further, the launcher might have overheated entirely.
'So, flashy attacks come with heat management issues.'
Technically, the BLT-47 was meant to be used in short bursts, just like any proper long-range launcher.
But since this was my first test run, I had pushed it harder than usual—hence the resulting heat buildup.
'If it weren't for Maybell Pilgrim's durability upgrades, it might've broken down completely.'
Spending all my credits on that upgrade had been worth it.
'Well, in real combat, I'll just use it more efficiently.'
Either way, the test confirmed the BLT-47's raw power.
Even 8th-tier Flying Beasts were effortlessly pierced and torn apart.
Higher-tier beasts might put up more of a fight, but the destructive potential wouldn't change.
'Time to head back.'
I adjusted my Z-74 jetpack, aligning my trajectory toward Horus' flight path.
There was no reason to linger here any longer—wasting time would only make it harder to catch up.
'I flew at high speeds, but the jetpack barely used any energy.'
Unlike the BLT-47, the Z-74 jetpack had excellent energy efficiency and heat management.
'Of course, that might change at higher speeds.'
For now, I had been flying at roughly the same speed as Horus.
But if I pushed for even greater acceleration, the energy consumption would likely increase exponentially.
'Might as well test it now.'
I looked toward where Horus had flown ahead.
Even though he was weighed down by supplies, the distance between us wasn't small.
Catching up wouldn't be easy—
Which made this the perfect opportunity to test the Z-74 jetpack's max speed.
'Let's go.'
Bzzzzzt—!
With a sharp engine roar, I shot forward.
*
The Z-74 jetpack's speed was incredible.
Before I even had the chance to push it to its full limit, I had already caught up to Horus.
But personal flight systems had an unavoidable downside.
"Ugh…"
["Tsk, tsk. Who told you to drink so much and then fly around like this?"]
I felt nauseous.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been a problem—
But the hangover from drinking with Lieutenant Colonel Banol the night before was still lingering.
["Ugh, seriously… Oh?"]
Esther, who had been clicking her tongue at me, suddenly spoke with urgency.
["Master! Master!"]
"…Stop talking. My head is pounding."
["No, not that! Look down! Look down!"]
"What is it?"
["Just look, dammit!"]
Reluctantly, I forced myself to ignore the nausea and glanced toward the ground.
A group of beasts and monsters was swarming below.
And in the middle of them—
A lone figure.
'That's…'
Given that this was outside of Ark, this sight was highly unusual.
Bang!
Bang, bang!
The figure fired at the surrounding beasts, trying to hold them off.
But they were outnumbered.
If nothing changed, they'd become monster food in a matter of minutes.
["We should help them, right?"]
I was a little surprised to hear Esther say that.
Still, I agreed.
Though, not for the same reasons she probably had in mind.
'I didn't see wrong. That's definitely her.'
If my eyes weren't deceiving me, the person trapped below was none other than The Daughter of the Sands.
Ayla.
The daughter of the Sandstorm Caravan's leader—
And the very person I had been on my way to meet.