Forbidden Zones and Behemoth Ecology

After the mech knowledge class concluded at noon, Ethan headed to the cafeteria. He got his meal and found an empty table to eat his lunch. He ate slowly, a habit formed from his time living on the surface. During those three years of scarcity, having a meal every few days was the norm. Because of the intense hunger, he couldn't eat quickly. Even now, with the academy's tasty food, he still ate slowly.

"May I sit here?" a voice asked.

Ethan looked up to see Eliot, the tall, thin, and clean-looking student. Without waiting for Ethan's consent, Eliot sat down across from him and extended his hand.

"Can we be friends?" he asked.

Ethan glanced at him and continued eating. Eliot wasn't put off and smiled, "I admire your courage, whether it's facing the Wolf Tick alone or challenging the death duel. But I'm even more impressed by your three years of survival on the surface. That must have been tough, right? I probably wouldn't have lasted a year; you're really something."

Ethan paused briefly before continuing to eat. Eliot went on, "I know you don't want to make friends. The first time I saw you, I thought you were the kind of person who likes to be alone. You trust yourself more. But if you want to be a pilot, a mech pilot, you'll need friends. Mech pilots usually have to work in small teams on missions, with three to four mechs operating together. So to complete missions successfully, you need to integrate into the group and learn to trust."

Ethan listened but showed no reaction. He wouldn't decide to befriend someone just because of a few words. Friends were a luxury to him. He had a scar on his chest, a 'gift' from a so-called friend.

Eliot chuckled and began to eat, offering advice as he did, "When you go to exchange for cultivation resources, don't exchange for the 'Cloud Water Elixir.' First, it's meant to be used with intermediate and advanced techniques. Second, it costs five credits each. Third, its effects are only about 20% better than the 'Soothing Elixir.' The 'Soothing Elixir' can still be used even when you reach intermediate techniques, so there's no rush to switch until you're practicing advanced techniques. Most importantly, the 'Soothing Elixir' only costs one credit to exchange, and it's a bargain."

After finishing his meal, Eliot packed up and stood up, "I'm off. I have combat class this afternoon; I need to get ready." He turned to leave but suddenly heard Ethan's soft voice, "Thank you."

Eliot turned back with a smile, "No need to be polite."

Ethan's thanks weren't meant to curry favor; it was simply proper to express gratitude for the well-intentioned advice. It was a matter of principle.

After Eliot left, Ethan finished his last bite and was about to leave when someone approached, glanced at him, and chuckled, "Are you the new student recommended by Victor?"

Ethan looked up and replied indifferently, "Two months from now, death duel. If I'm still alive by then." He walked away, leaving the other person stunned before calling out, "Wait, why so serious? I was just asking a question. I'm not looking for trouble. Don't just challenge people to death duels. I won't fight! I'd rather die than fight."

Ethan heard the protest but continued on his way, leaving the cafeteria. The person shook his head, "What a lunatic."

...

In the blink of an eye, Ethan had been in the underground city and at the academy for two weeks. During this time, he had his first guided cultivation of Visualization Techniques, his first encounter with combat techniques and mystic arts, his first participation in resonance training... Many firsts made these two weeks more exciting than his entire eighteen years of life.

He also gained a deeper understanding of his mutated vision. For example, he now knew what the red and yellow glows and corresponding numbers represented on himself and others. The red represented blood qi and its value, while the yellow indicated Yuan Force and its measure. Moreover, Ethan could now use his mutated vision to observe the Yuan Force between heaven and earth, discovering its distribution and density.

As for his cultivation of Visualization Techniques, he felt he was on the verge of a breakthrough. After two weeks of cultivation, he had allowed the Yuan Force to permeate his limbs and torso. Now only the area around his head remained.

In the training hall, Ethan picked up a bottle with a pale green exterior. The 'Soothing Elixir'! He had used this elixir every day during his cultivation. This elixir could calm the mind, strengthen communication and sensing with Yuan Force, and increase the efficiency of cultivation. Each bottle cost only one credit, and Ethan had spent over a dozen credits on them. Adding to the three credits spent on his first day and the twenty deducted for the Bennett incident, Ethan's initial 98 credits were now down to 48.

Looking at his fellow new students, only a few could afford to use the 'Soothing Elixir' every time they cultivated, like Ethan. Most couldn't afford such luxury, and some even thought Ethan was wasting his credits. Ethan didn't see it that way. With a death duel in two weeks against Bryce, who had more resources than him, it would be ridiculous to save credits now.

Focusing his mind, Ethan exhaled slowly, opened the elixir, and inhaled deeply, consuming the contents of the bottle. He immediately entered a state of absolute tranquility, acutely aware of the omnipresent Yuan Force in the air. Then, using a specific breathing technique, he drew the Yuan Force along with the air into his body, circulating it and retaining the Yuan Force while exhaling the air.

Time passed, and gradually, beads of sweat the size of soybeans formed on Ethan's forehead. They soaked his hair and converged along his facial contours to his chin, dripping down. Ethan felt his skin becoming tougher under the nourishment of Yuan Force, and a stronger power was gradually emerging within him. This power soon met resistance, as if an invisible barrier was holding it back. So it boiled and erupted. With a deep breath, Ethan brought in more Yuan Force from the world around him, breaking through the barrier in one fell swoop.

Ethan's body trembled, his muscles first tensed, then slowly relaxed, leaving him with an indescribable sense of comfort. Opening his eyes, he looked at his hands and saw the texture of his skin becoming finer, like the patterns of rock, exuding a sense of toughness. He finally understood why Marshal had said he would know when he reached a breakthrough. It was just like this.

That day, Ethan advanced to the second level of the primary stage.

On his way back to the dormitory, Ethan heard many students chatting.

"What Divine Concealment did you awaken?"

"Mimicry: Berserk Bear."

"And you?"

"Me? Ha, I got Super Physical: Iron Cloak. Very practical."

Conversations like these were common. Unlike Ethan, many new students had only started cultivating basic Visualization Techniques after entering the academy. Most had only awakened their Divine Concealment in the past day or two. But for people like Bryce, they likely had been cultivating before entering the academy. Ethan wondered what kind of Divine Concealment Bryce would awaken.

Suddenly, Ethan stopped. Bryce and a few students were approaching from ahead. The delicate-looking young man scoffed at Ethan, "Isn't that Ethan? Looks like you just came back from the training hall, huh? You're very diligent. How far have you gotten with your Visualization Techniques? Have you started practicing combat techniques and mystic arts? You've got two weeks until the arena. Don't let our Brother Luo wet his pants."

Bryce and his companions laughed as if they were watching a clown. Ethan's gaze turned vacant as he activated his Divine Concealment, the Gaze of Qi. Looking at Bryce, he saw a blood qi of 173 and Yuan Force of 124. Comparing himself, Ethan's blood qi was now at 207, and his Yuan Force had far surpassed his initial level, reaching 149.

It was clear that Bryce had also reached the second level of the primary stage. However, Ethan's cultivation of "Observing the Mountains and Seas" emphasized a solid foundation, and both his blood qi and Yuan Force were higher than Bryce's.

Ethan then turned his gaze to the delicate-looking young man. The man's aura of gray and white was dim, and the yellow glow representing Yuan Force was almost imperceptible. The young man felt uncomfortable under Ethan's gaze, as if all his secrets were laid bare. Just as he was about to react, he saw Bryce walking away and hurried after him, bumping Ethan with his shoulder in passing, trying to knock him aside.

Ethan stood firm, and the young man bounced off him, falling to the ground. Ethan continued on his way without a glance.

The next day was Friday. Instead of Xiao Shi's general knowledge class, Marshal entered the classroom. "Next Monday, the Ground Exploration Corps will be heading to Forbidden Zone 3, 'Mist Gorge,' for a mission. It's a rare opportunity, and the academy has secured permission for you to accompany them. This is your chance to experience the forbidden zones firsthand and get a direct understanding of a mech pilot's daily work. So today, we won't have a general knowledge class. Instead, I'll talk to you about the forbidden zones."

Ethan perked up, determined not to miss a word. Marshal wrote "Forbidden Zone" on the blackboard and began, "Forbidden zones are special areas formed after the 'Behemoth Calamity.' Each forbidden zone is unique in size, and the types of Behemoths and parasites within vary greatly. But they all share one thing in common: each one contains a 'Behemoth Ecology' that is vastly different from the outside environment."

Eliot raised his hand to ask, "Teacher, what is 'Behemoth Ecology'?"

Marshal gestured for Eliot to lower his hand and continued, "The so-called 'Behemoth Ecology' refers to the unique ecosystem derived from the Behemoths within a forbidden zone. What kind of 'Behemoth Ecology' emerges depends on the 'dominant-level' Behemoth in the zone. This is a reference, not an absolute. But there must be a 'dominant-level' Behemoth for a forbidden zone to exist."

Ethan's breath caught. From the previous class on Behemoth knowledge, he knew that humans in the underground city classified Behemoths into lower, middle, and upper tiers. Above the upper tier were the dominants, and above them, the 'nightmare' level. Furthermore, from the teacher's words, it was clear that beyond 'nightmare,' there might be even higher levels.

When Ethan lived on the surface, he had already encountered a lower-tier 'Tanuki Power' and a middle-tier 'Taotie.' Tanuki Power was manageable, but Taotie was terrifying, and that was only a middle-tier Behemoth. Ethan couldn't imagine how horrifying those 'dominant-level' or even 'nightmare-level' Behemoths would be.

Although the other students didn't have as rich an experience as Ethan, they were well-informed and knew the terror of 'dominant-level' Behemoths. Hearing that there might be 'dominant-level' Behemoths in the forbidden zones, many students were already considering backing out.

Marshal glanced at the students and reassured them, "Don't worry. 'Dominant-level' Behemoths usually reside in the deepest parts of the forbidden zones, and this mission will only operate in relatively safe areas. You won't, and won't have the chance to, encounter 'dominant-level' Behemoths. However, you still need to know some information about 'Mist Gorge,' especially about the 'dominant-level' Behemoth there."

Turning to the blackboard, Marshal wrote down some information.

Code Name: Huan (pronounced like 'joyful')

Level: Dominant Tier 3

Type: Caterpillar

Characteristics: Fog Creation, Wind Stirring, Illusion, Sonic Blast, Beast Control

Weakness: Unknown

Marshal coughed a few times and said, "This dominant Behemoth resembles a cat with one eye and three tails. Because of its abilities to stir wind and create fog, Forbidden Zone 3 is shrouded in mist all year round, thus forming a unique ecology."

Then, Marshal explained the Behemoths and parasite swarms discovered in 'Mist Gorge,' the types of flora and fauna present, and the areas to be cautious of. With that, the morning passed.