Hi3rd: Achievement Hunter

Aleph's sudden appearance was soon processed by the trio. Appearing out of nowhere was far more 'reasonable' than someone who single-handedly 'thrashed' a Herrscher, as evidenced by the damages that extended to an entire city.

Just the numerous high-rise buildings that collapsed were enough to cause strong earthquakes. If it wasn't for Sundown Alley being in the right distance, they might have suffered from it.

Fortunately, they weren't. It was the reason why most people working in the underworld kept their things there—it wasn't easily reachable and was just in the right distance.

"It's our first time meeting. Do remember to check out the package named for you two below." Aleph said calmly. "If there aren't any more questions, I am leaving. Let's meet on the rooftop this time."

"Sure."

Under their stunned gazes, Aleph's body reappeared right outside the window. Akin to being wiped off with an eraser, his entire figure disappeared.

"That's nothing less than magic."

Despite seeing Kevin fight several times, the novelty of superpowers did not wane in Kosma's eyes. He prefers to be quiet, but his tendency pushes his internal thoughts to be more chaotic than the usual reticent look he shows on the surface.

"The power you receive depends on the honkai beast. As for Aleph… Well, he's a special case. You'll know more about it later."

Two new members were added to their 'small group'.

*****

Three and a half days.

That was how long it took Kevin to complete the evolution process. The cocoon made of black particles crumbled down, revealing Kevin whose entire body was covered with black and white exoskeleton. It was different from Aleph's scales—it corresponded more to the silicon shell a honkai beast has.

His transformation wasn't as drastic as Aleph's. It didn't take long before he regained consciousness.

Instantly, a towel was thrown onto him.

"We need to get moving."

Aleph's voice came from the room's exit.

"Something bad must have happened."

"You're right." Aleph replied as he yawned. "While you were sleeping, the honkai beasts became very active. DEFCON 1 was deployed."

A major honkai eruption encompasses an entire city. DEFCON 2 was deployed in such cases. Its maximum effect for the first six hours was limited to provinces at best. 

Since honkai became a thing, some terms were redefined. Nowadays, DEFCON 1 is used for world-threatening events—such as the simultaneous outbreak of honkai beasts.

"You don't have to worry about your jurisdiction. I took care of the high-level honkai beasts silently. It's not the same for other places, though." 

"...Can't you leave after starting this process? You know, these black particles." Kevin asked.

"No. it's a gamble. We are the first ones trying this out. I am not sure whether an uncontrollable mutation of sorts could happen. Until then, I need to supervise everyone using it."

Once Aleph left, Kevin found a set of clothes lying on top of a table. He dressed up and headed outside.

He was greeted by a huge rectangular metal box.

"The previous battlesuit was a prototype. It's been… hm, twenty days since then. Anyways, you can check this out yourself. There's a user manual on the left side of the container."

Aleph was about to leave when he remembered something.

"Oh, and don't doubt it. You'll discover a miraculous medicine stored inside the battlesuit's pockets."

The Senzu Beans are a miraculous resource. Aleph had nearly sixty of them, to which he gave some to the others. The remaining twenty or so Senzu Beans were left on his possessions. 

Until Mobius, Vill-V, and Mei produce results, it remains to be a non-renewable resource.

Kevin was somewhat curious regarding the 'medicine' Aleph spoke about. 

Only later would he realize how 'ridiculous' it truly was.

*****

"It's been a week…"

Aleph sighed as he looked at the familiar battlefield. It was none other than the eastern region whom he flew over dozens of times in the span of seven days.

He headed towards one of the places covered with rubbles. It was situated in a city where he fought one of the emperor-class honkai beasts.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

A gray-haired girl shorter than Aleph stood at its center. Influenced by Himeko's long-sleeved cheongsam dress, she was wearing her usual martial arts uniform—a black-blue qipao.

"Senior."

"I hope I didn't make you wait for long."

"No. The transfer order from above came three hours ago."

Aleph's involvement with the other high-level MANTISes were kept confidential. It was their trump card on the off chance something unexpected happens. As such, Mei influenced several councilors to transfer them one-by-one at specific time intervals. Their return dates were also made different, so as to reduce the days whereas their missions coincide.

It made the councilors feel as if they held some sort of power towards the newly-made MANTISes. The illusion of power and hiding their true goals—to use the Evolution Cube—was done in one go.

Such was the masterstroke of Mei.

"Follow me. It should be here."

Aleph navigated through the destroyed building. He pushed aside several large rubbles, revealing a wall section of the ground floor.

His hand headed towards a certain portion.

Click.

The moment he clicked a button, a small section of concrete wall slid up. A slightly dimmed keypad was revealed. Signs of aging could be seen on it, though no rust was seen on its metallic edge.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Click-!

Swoosh-!

A two-by-two floor section separated. A set of stairways revealed themselves.

"This was an abandoned secret shelter. You must have heard of the councilors' recent deaths. It was me."

Aleph's revelation did not leave much reaction to Hua. 

Seeing this, he could only think:

'Hua is Hua… If the day comes my teasing affects her…'

"This was one of their secret bases. It was designed to be one of their final shelters."

Hua heard more about the councilors' temperaments. Just the ones Aleph killed prepared something like these for the worst case scenarios. Vill-V uncovered the location of several dozen shelters located all around the world.

Never had they expected it would benefit Aleph instead.

The two traversed through the lit hallway. It did not take long before they arrived at the true shelter.

Click.

The lights were turned on the moment they opened the door. A spacious room presented itself to them.

'Senior Aleph…'

A sudden realization clicked in Hua's mind.

'We are alone… together.'

Her stable heartbeats threatened to turn unstable at this moment.

*****

A/N: Bonus Chapter - 2/3