Chương 43: Chapter 42 - Alpha (IV)

Alonso detected a faint signal disturbance ahead, slightly to the right. Pinpointing its origin and nature, he visualized potential lines of attack from its position to him. Calculating the range and area of impact, he prepared himself. When the worm launched itself toward him, he had his sword ready. He could have severed it mid-air, but... With a sharp clang, Alonso angled his blade to parry the horn, deflecting it with a precise twist of his wrist.

The force of the impact sent the worm off course, and it attempted to burrow back into the ground. Alonso reacted quickly, stepping forward and driving his sword down to kill it just in time. He crouched and reached out to absorb the orb left behind. Stage 1 - 1. 027%"That was a close one," he remarked as he stood up.

"Well, it did come from the side. But nicely done," Abhijit nodded. They had been walking inward for a while, encountering their fair share of worms, with the attacks becoming increasingly frequent. Alonso noticed that Abhijit, who had been eager earlier to take the lead, was now starting to hang back. The gains from the orbs were diminishing, just as Alonso had suspected. Abhijit, who had already killed eleven worms, seemed less interested in the orbs and more focused on his safety now."

He's had his fill, and now you're left at the front, facing the most dangerous part. Well done, Alonso."

"..." As much as he hated to admit it, Houston was right. Alonso couldn't shake the feeling of being played so casually. If Abhijit wanted to take the lead, why retreat now that the worm attacks were becoming more frequent? Alonso sighed. He probably would have done the same... maybe. In a place where life was on the line, expecting dignity from a stranger was unrealistic. But even so... it didn't feel right. Should he just separate from Abhijit? Go their own ways? No. That would just be childish.

He chuckled to himself, realizing how pumped up he had gotten over something so minor, something that could be easily discussed.

"Are you okay, Alonso?" Abhijit suddenly asked, breaking his thoughts. Alonso glanced at him, his expression casual.

"Yeah, just thinking about the best way forward. The attacks from the worms are becoming more frequent, and I've noticed they're traveling underground rather quickly. The chances of two or more attacking at once are getting higher." Abhijit frowned but nodded.

"What do you suggest?"

"Well, the whole point of teaming up was to share the burden. Instead of one of us taking the lead and the other hanging back, we could move forward side by side—one on the right, one on the left. What do you think?"

"Sure," Abhijit replied without hesitation.

"I figured you might want to stack more orbs now that they're having little effect on me, but you're right. The encounter rate is going up, and getting flanked by two of those things would be nasty. My bad," he added with an embarrassed expression. An imperceptible glint flashed across Alonso's face for an instant before disappearing.

"Great. And yeah, I could stack more orbs, but staying alive takes priority, haha." They both nodded and resumed the march ahead in silence." Maybe he's not that bad? Maybe his intentions are good? Please save those ideas for someone who has earned them. Always remember, Alonso: this is a trial. This isn't the modern world with all its comforts and laws. This is the unknown. And the behavior of any creature in it, humans included, must never be taken for granted."

"..." Alonso's face remained serious as he scanned the path before him. He sent out his stacked waves instinctively, sweeping the area in an optimized grid. Every bounce of each wave was measured and processed in his brain. Every drop in frequency and amplitude. Every tiny detail was accounted for, painting an electromagnetic landscape of the space around him. It was quiet for a while until he detected an irregularity in a wave bouncing back. But he didn't stop his pace.

As the object moved—fast to the eye but clear as day to his EM waves—Alonso tracked it effortlessly. The challenge wasn't in detection but in physically reacting to it. His body took time to move, and with such a narrow window, each swing of his sword had to be calculated and prepared beforehand. But if he accounted for all the variables—starting position, initial speed, air resistance, and gravity—and directly extrapolated its trajectory, then it was no longer a threat. It was just an orb.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. His blade moved to a precise position and remained static. The worm, already airborne and unable to alter its path, flew straight into it. The horn was barely deflected as the blade skimmed through it, slicing the worm's body nearly in half. As the worm landed on the ground behind him, it quickly disappeared, leaving an orb in its place." You're right as always, Houston. Every element in this space is a variable.

Being social was never my strength, and I don't think it ever will be. But …" He stayed still, calculating. Then, with a swift motion, he moved his blade to the left. Another worm had launched itself toward his thigh, but his blade intercepted it, slicing the creature in half before it could reach him." Physics and math are." He crouched down and picked up both orbs. Stage 1 - 1. 034% Stage 1 - 1.

040%" Game theory dictates that in a non-cooperative game scenario, the Nash equilibrium often requires maintaining collaboration only as long as it maximizes individual payoff. The moment it ceases to be advantageous, defection becomes the optimal strategy."" Now, don't get too cocky, Alonso. First, we don't even know if this is a non-cooperative scenario. And second, showing all your strength will expose your own weaknesses."" All? Who said anything about all, Houston?""

Well, just now you killed two worms mid-air by barely moving. And a while back, you told Abhijit you devised a time-measuring system using your heartbeats. If those two things don't give away your current potential, then what does?"" You're asking as if you didn't already know, Houston. And yes, the key word is current. I've already got an idea on how to move forward from my present state. Maybe you could stay quiet and help me with that."" That idea is completely crazy.

The trial and error it's going to take is obscene, and our knowledge of anatomy isn't exactly comprehensive."" No hurry. We can start with an alpha version. As we get more orbs, our computational capability and wave control will increase, so it should get easier as we go along."" Well, if we can pull that off, then… this trial might just become boring." Abhijit finished absorbing the orb from the single worm that had attacked him.

"That was… amazing," he exclaimed to Alonso, his voice attempting to convey awe while subtly masking a hint of wariness.

"Well, I kind of found a trick to more easily finish these ugly bastards," Alonso replied casually.

"You see, if you detect the origin of the disturbance and, based on its initial movement, predict where they'll attack, you can pre-position your blade, and they'll just run straight through it."

"Predict the attack location? But that would take a lot of battles against them to get used to it and gain the necessary experience. Besides, they don't all move at exactly the same speed."

"Well, if you remember a bit of physics from high school, you could probably skip the data accumulation process," Alonso said, moving forward and leaving Abhijit frowning.

"Okay, let's keep going. I think we're getting closer to a nest or something. If you can't handle it, just walk slightly at the back." Abhijit stared at Alonso as if he were a completely different person. His tightened grip on his sword, and followed him, intentionally leaving a couple of steps between them." The worms at the front, an unpredictable Abhijit at the back. You sure know how to put yourself under pressure, I will give you that.""

Plenty of orbs up front, plenty of data to refine my technique, and someone behind who would think twice before starting a fight. Sounds good to me, Houston." As they moved forward, the attacks became more frequent, going from one worm per minute to one every couple of seconds. But each one fell with the precise placement of his sword, and he continued stacking more orbs, though their effect had diminished significantly. Stage 1 - 1. 045% Stage 1 - 1. 049% Stage 1 - 1. 052% Stage 1 - 1. 054% Stage 1 - 1.

055% Stage 1 - 1. 056% Stage 1 - 1. 068% It was almost effortless. Even when the interval between attacks shortened to less than a second, he handled it with ease. But then, he noticed it—two disturbances at practically the same time. He remained calm, his blade steady as he held his breath. Closing his eyes, he slightly crouched, his sword arm stretched to the side. He swung his sword. Two sharp sounds echoed. Two orbs lay behind him.