Flames danced and coiled around them, but it didn't feel like an attack.
Instead, the Trampler beneath them, though struggling less and less, seemed to be gathering power—its presence swelling steadily.
"Grrr…"
Soon, the Trampler's resistance died out completely. To Silver Wolf's surprise, the flames covering its body appeared to have fused right into its form.
It had completely transformed into a monster wreathed in blue-green fire.
You'd never guess this thing used to be an elite unit of the Antimatter Legion.
"...Hold up, wait a minute—since when could you do something like this?"
Silver Wolf was genuinely thrown off. She floated circles around this new flaming creature, analyzing it from every angle.
After a thorough inspection, she realized this Trampler hadn't weakened at all. In fact, thanks to Sylvia's modifications, it had likely gained entirely new abilities.
"You just controlled it for a bit and now this monster's yours?"
Silver Wolf watched as Sylvia retracted her threads, yet the creature remained docile, standing still and awaiting Sylvia's command.
Seriously, dude.
Where'd you pick up a trick like this?
You've got skills like this and you didn't even tell your buddy?
"How'd you do it? Is it a Path ability? Some kind of magical item? What's the principle behind it—does it work on machines? What about carbon-based life forms?"
Limited by her current processing power, Silver Wolf couldn't dig deeper all at once.
But Sylvia's display had thoroughly sparked her curiosity.
At this point, forget Herta—even Silver Wolf herself couldn't resist wanting to study just what other miraculous skills Sylvia might be hiding.
"...Are you a curious kitten or something? How should I know the principle? All I know is, anything that can be ridden, I can control like this."
While answering Silver Wolf's questions, Sylvia also took a moment to feel out her first mount.
Once the riding skill activated, it wasn't just assimilation—it felt like an extension of her own body, responding to her will as if they shared a mind.
Sylvia had just been testing whether she could capture a Doomsday Beast, but the results turned out even better than expected.
Without saying a word, just a thought from Sylvia, and this flaming centaur-like creature was already charging full speed toward the monitoring room.
Silver Wolf quickly followed, her tiny hands gripping the Trampler's head.
The flames gave off no intense heat—instead, they felt warm and pleasantly soothing to the touch.
"This direction's the monitoring room. You can command this thing without even speaking? That's incredibly handy."
Silver Wolf felt a twinge of envy. If she had a skill like this, she wouldn't need to go through all the trouble of hacking firewalls half the time.
Just take a seat in the cockpit, and the whole machine would be hers.
"I haven't really used it much before. The skill's more useful than I thought."
"Tsk tsk, if Herta saw this, she'd definitely want to study you even more."
Silver Wolf didn't dwell on it further. She wasn't much of a researcher, and while curious about Sylvia's abilities, she didn't need to dig to the root of everything.
She just found it fascinating and practical.
"She can study me if she wants—as long as the payment's right."
As long as it wasn't about examining the Fullbottle alone or some other outrageous project, Sylvia didn't mind being studied if the compensation was sufficient.
"..."
Silver Wolf fell silent for a moment before it dawned on her:
"Buddy, don't tell me you're planning to use this as a way to ask that woman Herta for a puppet?"
"Worth a shot, right? Nothing to lose. Ah, we're here. Oh? There's someone inside—maybe you should step back for now?"
In just those few moments of conversation, Mount No.1 had already carried Sylvia to the monitoring room entrance.
Coincidentally, Arlan was right inside, hadn't gone anywhere, and from the looks of it, he really was doing fine.
Silver Wolf naturally noticed the person in the monitoring room and clicked her tongue.
"Your luck's something else."
With that, she dissolved into a stream of data and returned to the phone.
Sylvia rode swiftly toward the monitoring room door.
Through the glass, Arlan was clearly visible inside, already in a combat-ready stance.
The creature beneath Sylvia looked quite different from the usual Antimatter Legion monsters, and the flickering flames made it hard to see clearly.
Because of that, Arlan didn't immediately spot Sylvia on its back.
That left him hesitating—whether to engage or hold back and observe a bit longer.
Whoosh—
The fiery hooves landed lightly on the ground, yet sent waves of flame rippling outward.
Sylvia swung down from the mount and was about to head inside when a cautious voice suddenly came from behind:
"Who are you? And this creature… what is it?"
"ROAR—!!!"
Though swiftly tamed by Sylvia, Mount No.1 was still, at its core, a Trampler from the Antimatter Legion.
Its obedience to Sylvia didn't mean it wouldn't turn ferocious when someone posed a threat to her.
Clang—!
The instant Sylvia turned, a spear clashed fiercely against a fiery forehoof.
A dark-haired man held his spear before him, shifting his footing in quick, light steps to disperse the impact as he retreated.
Meanwhile, Mount No.1 stood firm, raising its massive longbow.
Seeing the newcomer, Sylvia recognized him at a glance—wasn't this the little Dragon?
She raised a hand and gave a light wave. Immediately, Mount No.1 obediently dissipated the flaming arrow on its bow and even toned down the flickering flames covering its body.
Dan Heng watched the scene without a word, maintaining a defensive stance, his spear tip not rashly aimed at the newcomer.
"I was asked by Asta to come and find someone. Who are you?"
"You were also commissioned by Station Head Asta to help?"
Dan Heng seemed slightly surprised but replied:
"I'm Dan Heng, from the Astral Express—a Nameless. I was also entrusted by Station Head Asta to locate Arlan from the Security Department, who's lost contact."
As he spoke, Dan Heng even pulled out his phone, showing his communication logs with Asta.
Oh, playing it straight like that?
Sylvia had expected more back-and-forth with someone as reserved as Dan Heng.
So she also took out her phone, displaying Asta's contact info.
With that, the two temporarily reached a consensus.
At the same time, the monitoring room door slid open.
Arlan emerged, clearly moving with some difficulty.
He'd already recognized who both of them were.
One was a guest invited by Station Head Asta, reportedly requested by Madam Herta herself.
The other was a Nameless from the Astral Express.
If these two started fighting out here, it would be trouble.
So Arlan, injuries and all, forced himself out regardless.
Fortunately, Sylvia and Dan Heng hadn't come to blows, which let Arlan breathe a sigh of relief.
"I can confirm it—Miss Sylvia, Madam Herta's guest, and Mister Dan Heng of the Astral Express, you were both invited by the young… by Station Head Asta."
"Arlan, are your injuries alright?"
With Arlan's assurance, Dan Heng naturally lowered his guard. He put away his spear and stepped forward to support Arlan, who was struggling to walk.
"I'm fine, nothing serious… Were you both sent by Madam Herta to support the station?"
"Alright, enough talk. Get on and let's move."
Sylvia waved a hand, cutting Arlan off, and gestured for Dan Heng to help Arlan onto Mount No.1.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.