Chapter 107 Desert Worms

Crank Tank and his party held their breaths as they entered the Gate, hoping for the best. No one has ventured into the Gate, even drones and such because it wouldn't allow such things to enter. The disruptive energy being released from the Gate was more than enough to make any electronics malfunction and that's solely why there were no records as to what they could expect inside. With mixed feelings, the group wandered in, fully prepared for an all-out war against the invaders.

The first thing that they felt when they entered was the arid heat that seemed to seep into their skin. It wasn't even a few seconds yet and they were already exhausted and sweaty. The vast plains were filled to the brim with sand and the occasional breeze brought about warm air that made breathing difficult. It's as if everything from their head to toe were burning. Two suns overhead, one with a nice orange and the other purplish, could be seen— the two criminals behind the intolerable heat.

"Gah~~~ I wasn't expecting this." Crank Tank said as the weight of his body caused him to fall forward due to exhaustion. The fight hasn't even started yet and he was already down.

Clerica didn't waste any time covering the party with her area heal and giving a bit of her energy towards Crank Tank so he could regenerate a bit of vigor. In a few seconds, Crank Tank felt a bit better and he stood up, his breathing was still ragged though. "Thanks a bunch, Clerica, did you bring a lot of energy potion with you?"

She nodded in response, glad that she brought more than usual.

"Keep your eyes and ears out," Kifetongue continued. "I'm sure there are enemies nearby."

Crank Tank was about to say the same thing when suddenly, Black Bullet transformed his hands into cannon-like shooters and started firing off from a distance. No one even noticed that he was already wearing his specialized goggles which have thermal vision and night vision. It was one of the support items he carries around just in case he was caught off guard.

"Black Bullet, what are you doing?!" Crank Tank screamed, about to grab Black Bullet by the collar since he moved on his own. When it comes to exploration, moving without precaution could pretty much endanger the entire team, that's why Crank Tank was rightfully furious.

"I guess you can't see that, huh. There's a huge heat signature right in front of us and it's making its way towards us right now. If you look closely, you'll be able to see the disturbance in the sand, please look out for that." Black Bullet concisely explained. He knew that answering back at Crank Tank or denying what he did would just be met with criticism. That's why he explained everything as compact as possible so they wouldn't ask any more questions.

Just like what he said, Crank Tank and the others could see the disturbance in the sand even though there was nothing on top or moving through it. It was obvious that whatever was moving through the sand is invisible to the naked eyes, Black Bullet just got lucky since he brought his goggles with him.

"Sorry about that Black Bullet, nice cover." Crank Tank said, pressing his fists together before screaming an ear-piercing shout. "TAUUUUNNNT!"

His scream was enough to shatter the eardrums of those listening to it that's why he was mindful not to aim his shout towards his party. From afar, he could hear the struggling wails of the invisible monster that was rushing toward them at incredible speeds. Something clicked in his mind.

Three ticks.

"I got three of them. Black Bullet, just tell them where the others are." Crank Tank informed them, rushing towards the disturbance on the sand, fully prepared to tank a hit on whatever the monster was.

"Right," Crank Tank said, he continued shooting at the monster while scanning the area.

None.

Aside from the thermal signature inf front of them, there were no signs of the other two, whatever the monster was.

"I think it's some sort of a huge worm. Hmpgh~" Crank Tank continued before he flew a few tens of meters after being hit by truck-like force. In a split second though, he was back up on his feet, rushing towards the invisible enemy as if his life depended on it.

Well, all their lives depended on it. That much is not an understatement. As someone who is used to taking damage, he knew that he was the core member of the party. Without him, the defense would be compromised and everyone would fall off like leaves in the autumn. That's why he's trying his best to get in the way of the invisible monster no matter how scary it was. After all, the mind defaults a thing unseen and unknown to be frightening, terrifying even.

"I can't see the other two! Are you sure about this Crank Tank?" Black Bullet was already sweating bullets while scanning the area two to three times more just in case he missed anything.

"Of course, I'm sure! I heard three ticks in my mind!"

"Black Bullet, leave this monster to me, you go scan for the other two." For the first time throughout the entire thing, Resonance finally spoke. Her voice was much clearer than what everyone expected though since she never really speaks that much.

"Die!" Resonance said with a calm voice towards the invisible monster.

There was a brief delay, and then a huge shockwave poured forth from Resonance's position towards the invisible monster. A scream was then heard— a scream of pain and death.

Resonance's power is simple yet pretty overpowered. Her words hold great meaning and those words are then translated into shockwaves. With just one word, she can deal considerable damage but using it activates a recoil wherein she can't speak another word until three minutes have passed. That's why she was used to not speaking too much because activating her superpower causes her to be dumb. So far, she discovered that the word 'die' is the most damaging word of all but she's still searching for another word with more damage output so she could have an easier time. But then again, the stronger the word, the more time it takes before she could use it again— the longer the interval, in short.

Splash!

It's as if someone turned on a faucet in the sky as something exploded and blood and gore started raining down on them. As soon as the invisible enemy died, it exploded and its invisibility was negated. Because of that they finally saw the true form of the enemy.

Crank Tank was correct, it was a huge desert worm.

"Everybody all right?" Clerica asked, drinking yet another energy potion as she continued her area heal.

"Not yet! Don't let your guard down just yet. There are still two of them and I'm still attracting them with my aggro. Don't celebrate too early, you guys." Crank Tank said, biting his lips. He didn't expect the worm to be powerful. Fortunately, Clerica was healing them continuously. If not, then he would've suffered terrible injuries right now after the worm sent him flying.

"Crank Tank, you sure about that, right? That there are still two more signatures?" Black Bullet asked for the second time.

"Of course I'm sure! How would I not be? I clearly heard three ticks. There's no way my superpower is tricking me right now." Crank Tank continued, he was on his wit's end.

"Then... there's only one explanation for this!" Black Bullet screamed. "Clerica, heal Resonance's throat right now so her cooldown will lessen! And then Resonance, aim your shockwaves right underneath us!"

Black Bullet figured out that if the heat signatures couldn't be seen on the surface of the desertland, then the worms should be underground, leisurely taking their time until their prey would put their guard down, and then, they could strike. Since Crank Tank already taunted them, Black Bullet is sure as hell that the invisible desert worms are nearby.

Clerica and Resonance nodded.

"Ehrmm, ehrmm, ehrmm." Resonance started clearing her throat just to see if her cooldown already reached zero. Meanwhile, Clerica drank yet another energy potion before working on healing Resonance, it's taking every cell in her body just to continue the area heal, but she just had to do it for a few more seconds so the others could recover their energy. After that then she can just focus on negating the heat that so plagued the entire party.

"I'm ready." Resonance once again spoke calmly like a still lake in the middle of an untouched forest. She closed her eyes and aimed at the ground.

"Die." She continued.

Just like before, there was a brief pause before the shock wave hit the ground, creating a small quake that almost swept everyone off their feet. A muffled scream came from the ground before a dying moan followed.

Two ticks.

One tick.

Zero.