It was another scorching summer, with the azure sky looking as clear as freshly washed linens, and the sunlight poured down like melting amber, casting a golden hue over the abandoned port.

Sixteen-year-old Rosalyn stood atop a half-collapsed watchtower, silently observing the desolate docks below. The briny sea breeze swept across her nose, and the tower walls were covered in moss and climbing ivy, with dewdrops glinting like jewels under the sunlight.

Compared to her first visit six years ago, Rosalyn had undeniably matured and grown more beautiful. Her height now approached 1.7 meters, surpassing her once-admired teacher by a head. Her delicate face had shed childhood plumpness, replaced with a calmness resembling that of Yvette, though more animated with youthful energy.

After gazing down for a moment, she leaned her notebook against the rusted railing and began to write.

“Grayport City, Aberrant Beetle Gathering Location… All of them are basic beetle-type aberrations, no evolved type discovered… Bodies decaying, covered in blood and flesh… Primary attack methods: claw strikes and horn impacts… Note: they prefer dark areas like containers and cracks in breakwaters, beware of surprise attacks…”

Moments later, having completed her observations on the aberrant beetles, Rosalyn hummed a nameless tune and floated down from the watchtower like a breeze, landing on the ruined streets of Grayport City.

For the past year, her task had been to observe and record various aberration types, as assigned by her teacher at the end of last year.

The main reason was that after extensive training and armed with military-grade weapons, Rosalyn had fully developed the capability to survive on her own in this wasteland world. She no longer needed to limit her activities to designated safe zones and could freely explore areas beyond the Central District, even outside Ish City.

Of course, there were still two danger zones she was not permitted to approach: the Ish Mountain Range and Rua City, located behind it. These were two high-risk areas that even Yvette regarded with trepidation, and now that Rosalyn had learned to think before acting, she prudently kept her distance.

Stepping on pieces of rubble and debris, Rosalyn walked slowly along the desolate streets, the sun casting sharp shadows across the ruins.

But in an instant, two massive tide insects suddenly leaped out from the shadows of the nearby ruins. These were aberrant tide insects, over a meter long, their blood-red heads devoid of any added appendages, sporting only gaping, jagged mouths lined with sharp teeth, rushing toward the girl like two dark, rancid shadows. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novᴇlfire.net

Surprise flickered across Rosalyn’s face, but she did not panic, as such attacks from aberrations were quite normal on the streets; she had grown accustomed to it.

Dark red glowing runes suddenly appeared on her skin and clothing. She exploded with immense force, kicking off the ground and creating cracks in the pavement as she sidestepped the lethal strike.

Next, she skillfully drew the alloy blade slung on her hip, and with a flash of blue light, the two tide insects burst apart like pus-filled bags, splattering yellowish bodily fluids everywhere. She had preemptively used her wind manipulation to disperse the mess, avoiding any splatter on herself.

“Phew… Ugh, no matter how many times it happens, it still gives me a shock…” she muttered, using a simple water spell to clean her beloved blade before she sheathed it again.

Then she looked down at the two tide insect corpses.

These were commonly known as watermelon bugs, but their size was frightening. Their heads had morphed into enormous jaws filled with hundreds of sharp teeth. Even a child accustomed to playing with watermelon bugs would likely scream at the sight, overwhelmed by their terror of densely packed teeth.

However, Rosalyn was not staring at the corpses to desensitize herself; over the years, she had encountered a myriad of grotesque aberrations, and two giant tide insects were nothing unusual.

What truly puzzled her was that during her explorations of Grayport City last year, she had not encountered these aberrant tide insects. Now, however, they seemed to be multiplying rapidly, as if they were breeding somewhere at an alarming rate.

The key issue was that aberrations possessed terrifying regenerative capabilities and seemingly immortal lifespans as long as they fed. Yet, they had never been observed reproducing. The primary source remained wild animals breeding, subsequently infected and transformed by aberrations—a continuous loop.

So why were there more aberrant tide insects in Grayport City? As a student bearing her teacher’s expectations and an inquisitive seeker, Rosalyn felt a responsibility to investigate and understand.

First, she could gather clues, retreat at the first sign of danger, and then return to notify her teacher…

She silently reminded herself, then stepped into a narrow alleyway to retrieve her magitek skateboard. The runes pulsed to life as the skateboard glided silently forward, carrying her through overgrown streets, delving deeper into the core of Grayport City.

Due to its low-profile, ground-hugging movement, Rosalyn encountered relatively few dangers on her journey.

However, as she approached the heart of the port, a chorus of unnerving rustles and inhuman roars snapped her attention to a nearby sound.

Rosalyn quickly elevated her skateboard, landing on the rooftop of a relatively intact ruin, and witnessed a sight that filled her with astonishment—hundreds of aberrant tide insects were advancing in unison, devouring every animal and aberration in their path.

Once gorged, the satisfied tide insects would immediately retreat without attacking their kin, while others continued their relentless charge, unaware of their destination.

Rosalyn stood frozen. This collective movement exhibited a level of coordination among the aberrations, demonstrating a shared goal and an absence of mutual hostility!

This was entirely inconsistent with her impression of basic aberrations as “mindless killing machines devoid of self-awareness!”

Impossible! How could this happen? Could these all be evolved types?

Frowning, a wave of uncanny unease washed over her.

According to her teacher’s classifications, aberrations were typically divided into two categories.

The lowest tier was referred to as “basic aberrations,” or more simply “base-type.” They were characterized by aberrant heads, exposed flesh, deformities, and an absence of self-awareness, often attacking each other and consuming everything in reach.

The higher tier was called “evolved-types,” distinguished by reduced exposed flesh, newly evolved offensive or defensive organs, and exhibiting a low-level biological instinct of self-preservation.

Over the years, Rosalyn had interacted with both types.

Base-types appeared most frequently and were often dispatched swiftly by her, just like the tide insects she had just encountered. Evolved-types were rare but varied greatly; among them, some were dangerous enough to chase her down, while others were merely slightly more troublesome than base-types.

But the swarm before her…

If they were base-types, then why did they demonstrate an ability to recognize their companions without attacking each other? If they were evolved-types, aside from their overwhelming numbers, their aberrations seemed to be limited to the head and skin covered in fleshy tissues, similar to the characteristics of base-types.

What was going on? Did these tide insects possess a unique ability to recognize their companions through pheromones?

But if that were the case, then why didn’t other types of aberrations have this capability?

Moreover, the tide insects that had just partially consumed members were retreating in the direction of the Ish Mountain Range, which was precisely one of the two high-risk locations Yvette had earnestly warned her about!

Was there a connection between the increasing presence of aberrant tide insects and the dangers lurking within Ish Mountain Range?

With those thoughts, Rosalyn felt her urge to retreat swell—better safe than sorry; she should return and inform her teacher!

But just as she prepared to step onto her skateboard and swiftly head back to Ish City, a sudden surge of malicious intent caught her attention.

She immediately looked up to see a dark humanoid shadow standing atop a nearby ruin, not too far from her, coldly staring her down.

It was a humanoid aberration clad in pitch-black scales—undoubtedly a top-tier evolved type! Four pairs of dragonfly-like wings sprouted from its back, and its arms ended in sharp, bony blades. Its dark face resembled a mask with enormous grayish-white compound eyes, yet it partially revealed the outline of human-like features.

So… high of an evolution degree… undoubtedly the most evolved aberration I’ve ever seen, and a clear outlier…

Rosalyn’s heart sank, her fingers instinctively moving toward the alloy blade at her waist, preparing for a possible confrontation.

According to her teacher, all biological aberrations with less exposed flesh had a higher evolution degree. Fully retracting all external flesh would denote a rank among the highest points of aberrations, a monster that could rival even her teacher’s full power.

Drawing the alloy blade, Rosalyn slowly began to back away, attempting to step onto her skateboards, but unexpectedly, throughout this whole exchange, the evolved type standing on the rooftop showed no intention of stopping her escape, as if it were merely observing a drama in which it had no involvement.

Why wasn’t it attacking? A stronger sense of caution and confusion surged within Rosalyn, and she even began to suspect that her opponent’s field of vision was limited; it appeared to be looking right at her, yet in reality, it might not be able to see very far.

But in that moment, she suddenly noticed a small, slow grin forming at the corners of the mouth of the humanoid aberration, as it loomed over her from its vantage point.

Was that… a smile?

Rosalyn doubted her own eyes for a moment, but just as she blinked, the silhouette of the humanoid aberration abruptly vanished from the rooftop, as if it had never existed at all.