Kaelus, taking point on Zathis's inspired idea, immediately acted. He channeled a significant, yet highly controlled, volume of his newly solidified Mid-Tier 8-Star Dragon Core energy. The resulting manifestation was the Aerial Observation Platform—a structure he had already used to save Zane and the others during the previous Eastern Territory raid.
A large, open-top carriage formed instantly around the Obsidian Phalanx, constructed entirely of densely compressed, solidified wind mana. Kaelus maintained the construct effortlessly, his core managing the skill with minimal effort.
"This is insane," Zane muttered, grabbing the railing as the carriage began to glide smoothly forward, running slowly over the dense forest. "I swear, I'm going to develop heart problems as long as I stay with you, Kaelus."
Kaelus then activated the skill he offered as the solution: Mana Sense. The mana supporting the carriage instantly projected a shimmering holographic table in the center. On its surface, a real-time, three-dimensional map of the Eastern Territory below them appeared, displaying environmental data and, crucially, mana signatures—the skill Kaelus used to find and exterminate the monsters from above.
"This is a non-elemental skill!" Sylva exclaimed, analyzing the function and the purity of the mana used for the projection. "Kaelus, this is the solution you mentioned! It detects the mana signature of monsters and people, allowing for ground-level reconnaissance without the risk of walking into an ambush!"
"Indeed," Kaelus affirmed. "But let's use this platform to scan the forest."
The holographic table was immediately flooded with countless pulsing red dots—the monsters.
"So the red dot is the monsters," Zane observed, leaning over the table. "They are so many. If we kill them all, we might get exhausted a few times before we reach the deepest part of Eastern Territory."
Kaelus looked at the swarm of dots below. The most logical, efficient approach was a wide-area strike. "I will kill them all from below."
He channeled a focused stream of Wind mana through the floor of the carriage, directing it precisely downward.
Kaelus Skill: Enhanced Wind Needle Rain!
Hundreds of thousands of minute, hardened wind needles rained down from the sky, precisely targeting all the monsters below. This time, the massive core power allowed the needles to strike with the kinetic force required to kill A-Rank and below monsters instantly.
Zane watched the map in shock as waves of red dots vanished the moment the invisible needles touched the ground. "That was a strong technique. Your mana density is unreal!"
"Let's move to Sylva's location while I maintain this skill," Kaelus decided.
The Phalanx watched in silent awe as Kaelus methodically massacred the monsters below. Kaelus maintained the Wind Carriage and continuously rained down the needle skill, yet he didn't feel tired at all.
Vara, still monitoring his health and mana signature, felt compelled to intervene. "Kaelus, you are continuously using big, wide-area skills. I think you need to consume those pills."
"I don't feel tired," Kaelus replied, his eyes on the map. "In fact, my mana reserve is still full."
A chorus of stunned realization swept through the carriage. "WHAT?"
Jian chuckled, shaking his head. "You are a monster, Kaelus."
Sylva, however, was staring intently at the Mana Sense map, her brow furrowed in concentration, more disturbed by an absence than the presence of energy. "In this mana scan skill, we can't still sense S-rank monsters," Sylva observed, pointing at the void in the dense red dots. "Is this skill incapable of detecting S-rank monsters?"
"No," Kaelus countered. "In fact, this skill can't easily detect E-rank monsters because of their low mana signature. The higher the mana signature, the more vividly they are detected by my Mana Sense."
Sylva's eyes widened. "Wait, so there's a possibility we haven't yet encountered—or even failed to discover—an S-rank monster?"
Zane frowned, looking out over the empty forest floor below them. "I don't get it. I thought we would discover S-rank or higher the moment we entered the Eastern Territory."
"It's a mystery," Sylva said, her analysis running on overdrive. "The density of the lower-ranked monsters is high, but the complete lack of S-rank is statistically impossible in this zone."
Suddenly, a theory solidified in her mind. "I am not sure," Sylva confessed, pointing to the glowing holographic map, specifically toward the northeast section of the canyon area. "But based on the pattern of the remaining monster trails, there's a massive concentration of red dots in this part of the map, but there's also a strange blank spot in that specific corner."
"Why there?" Zane asked, his voice now edged with caution.
"As far as we all know, the psychic link, the monster wave, and our last encounter all confirm there's a command system between monsters," Sylva explained. "The fact that there's a massive concentration of monsters and a complete void of signature—a wide gap of blank space—means there must be a higher rank monster there, possibly a SS-rank monster, actively masking its presence."
"The psychic link of monsters are so annoying that it will cause a monster wave, but the northeast part is a bad location for them as there's a canyon there," Zane observed, looking at the topographical data.
"A canyon, huh? So that confirms the higher rank monster is residing there," Sylva affirmed.
"Why is that?" Zane asked.
"Terrain advantage, Zane. Higher-ranked monsters will often occupy difficult terrain to defend their position or ambush prey."
"Kaelus, please expand your Mana Sense in this direction," Sylva commanded.
Kaelus immediately focused his superior, expanded Mana Sense in the direction Sylva pointed.
The Mana Sense map on the table initially showed nothing, but then it started to beep, slowly at first, then continuously became faster. The detection was building exponentially, confirming Sylva's terrifying hunch. The map was detecting a massive mana signature—a signature so large that it began to rapidly flood the entire mana sense map in full, overwhelming, terrifying red.
Sylva gasped, her face pale. "Kae-lus, wha- what rank is that?"
Kaelus's eyes narrowed, his voice devoid of emotion, confirming the terrifying reality of their mission. "Sylva, that's an SSS-rank monster."