Biocores: The Legendary Weapon Designer-Chapter 60: New Challenges

When Brae regained consciousness, she found herself lying next to Trum, Juith, and Kyle. A sharp pain coursed through her neck as she tried to recall how they had ended up in this situation. Fragments of memory flickered in her mind—Nioh’s devilish grin, the swift brutality of his attack.

Her pulse quickened.

She hastily shook her companions. "Wake up!" Her voice was hoarse, laced with urgency.

Groans filled the air as the others stirred, their bodies aching from the sudden betrayal.

"He took the package," she muttered, her stomach twisting with frustration.

Juith clenched her fists. "We should’ve never trusted him."

"And now we’re stranded, with nowhere to go."

Trum rubbed his temples, trying to gauge their surroundings. "How much time has passed since we were knocked out?"

Before they could fully process their predicament, the air around them rumbled. A shadow loomed overhead.

Brae’s eyes widened. "Shit."

A massive military ship hovered above them, its sleek black hull reflecting the pale sky. With a sharp mechanical hiss, the latch beneath the ship opened.

A figure descended like a thunderstrike.

Tall, imposing, and clad in deep purple military garb, he landed with effortless precision. A long sword rested at his side, its presence alone radiating authority. His face—severe and unrelenting—sent a chill down their spines. None of them dared to move.

More soldiers followed, fanning out with trained efficiency, weapons at the ready.

The man took slow, deliberate steps toward them before speaking.

"Where is the prince?" His voice carried a weight that left no room for deception.

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances. Brae swallowed hard and stepped forward.

"We haven’t seen any prince."

The man’s piercing gaze scanned them, searching for any sign of deceit. Then his eyes fell on the knife and communication device at Brae’s waist.

In an instant, he seized her by the throat, lifting her off the ground as easily as one would a rag doll.

"Where did you get these?" His voice was sharp, edged with lethal intent.

Brae gasped, clawing at his fingers, but his grip was unyielding.

"Please—have mercy!" Trum fell to his knees, his voice trembling. "It belonged to a veteran! He was burned all over his body—he’s the owner—"

The man’s grip remained firm. "Where is he?"

"He stole from us and ran away!" Trum blurted.

The man’s expression darkened. "Stole?" He tightened his hold on Brae’s throat.

She struggled to breathe, barely managing to choke out, "He made a deal—our safety in exchange for the package—but then he turned on us."

At last, the man released her, letting her collapse to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. He turned to his soldiers.

"Comb the area. The prince might still be nearby."

His voice held little conviction. Deep down, he knew there was no finding the prince—not unless the prince wanted to be found.

Still, at least one thing was certain.

The prince was alive.

He turned his gaze toward the horizon, eyes narrowing in thought.

"What are you up to?"

—

Three months had passed since Nioh separated from the group.

Now, he stood face-to-face with a Lightning Bamboo, its towering frame humming with volatile energy. It wasn’t an ordinary plant—it was a living conduit for electricity, its smooth, metallic-blue stalks stretching high into the sky, crowned with razor-thin leaves that glowed faintly with static charge. Pulses of energy rippled along its surface, discharging in erratic flashes. Though it was classified as non-aggressive, any creature foolish enough to linger near its territory would find itself reduced to cinders.

Nioh, however, wasn’t here to run. He needed the steam it produced to craft his next weapon.

Over the past three months, the wilderness had honed him. His body, once covered in burns and wounds, had healed—scabbed flesh giving way to hardened muscle. His face, however, remained scarred, a permanent reminder of past battles.

In each hand, he wielded the severed legs of a silent spider feral biocore, their sharp ends reinforced with hardened exoskeleton. Strapped to his back was a heavy supply box, brimming with harvested biocores and rare crafting materials.

The fight had been dragging on longer than he had expected.

The moment he stepped within range, the Lightning Bamboo reacted, its stalks vibrating as arcs of electricity crackled between them. Then, without warning, multiple bolts shot toward him in rapid succession.

Nioh barely had time to react.

He kicked off the ground, rolling to the side as the first strike carved a smoldering trench where he had just stood. Another bolt lashed out, grazing his shoulder and sending a jolt through his body. Gritting his teeth, he forced the energy downward, dispersing it harmlessly into the ground.

"Just use your other abilities," Ekoh’s voice rang in his mind, sharp with irritation.

Nioh smirked through the pain. "I need to get used to controlling electric waves." freewebnoveℓ.com

His body crackled as he surged forward. With a flick of his wrist, he slashed at the nearest stalk with one of his makeshift weapons. The reinforced leg tore through the outer layer, releasing a burst of white-hot steam.

The Bamboo retaliated instantly. Its leaves trembled, glowing brighter before unleashing a web of lightning in all directions.

Nioh thrust his left arm into the ground, allowing the charge to funnel through his body and into the soil. The shockwave still left his nerves tingling, but he pushed forward. He spun his weapons in a vicious arc, carving through another section of the Bamboo and sending another burst of steam hissing into the air.

The fight became a test of endurance—strike, dodge, absorb, repeat.

The Bamboo’s defenses were relentless, but Nioh was adapting. The more he fought, the better he could manipulate the electric waves, redirecting them with increasing precision.

Then, at the perfect moment, he struck with everything he had.

Electricity surged from his own body, mixing with the Bamboo’s, overloading its natural defenses. The towering stalks convulsed before, at last, splitting apart. The creature collapsed with a final, thunderous crack, steam rising from its broken form.

Breathing heavily, Nioh stepped forward and pressed his hand against the still-warm surface. He could feel the energy coursing through it, the last remnants of the Bamboo’s lifeforce. With careful precision, he extracted the core of the plant—the final material he needed.

"At some point, you’re going to have to leave. The signal is getting stronger," Ekoh reminded him.

Nioh exhaled sharply. "I know."

The token Magnus had given him had been pulsing intermittently for days now. But today, it was different—the signal had stabilized, guiding him toward a precise point in the expanse. There was no doubt about it. The qualification trials were about to begin.

The thought sent a thrill through him.

He slung his supply box over his back, his body still tingling with residual electricity, and turned his gaze toward the horizon.