After the spaceship had landed, Stan made his way over to meet the rest of the crew. Without wasting time, they immediately began their work, preparing to assess the planet's environment. The team quickly ran several tests, including checking if the air held enough oxygen to support human life and if there were any toxic substances in the atmosphere that might pose a risk.
When all the tests were finally complete, the results were surprisingly positive. The planet's air was breathable, much like Earth's, and free of any harmful toxins. Even the climate was pleasant—both warm and cool at the same time, creating a balanced atmosphere. One unexpected detail was the lack of a visible sun in the sky, yet there was still light.
Looking around, they noticed that most of the surrounding landscape was blanketed in snow and ice, though patches of greenery, almost like rainforests, appeared in some areas. Despite the icy surroundings, the temperature remained mild and comfortable, a mystery they couldn't immediately explain.
The only downside of the planet, which might be difficult for regular humans to handle, was its gravity—it was twice as strong as Earth's. Thankfully, everyone on the team was at an advanced Paragon stage, so they barely felt the difference in gravitational pull.
Stan climbed to the top of a cliff made of ice, gazing out across the strange, vast landscape. Moments later, Graham joined him, standing by his side and sharing the view. "So, we managed to break through that barrier," Graham said, his voice steady as he looked out over the land.
"Yeah, but I feel like something's off," Stan said, his gaze still scanning the landscape.
Graham turned to him, eyebrows raised. "What do you mean?"
Stan looked thoughtful. "You mentioned some flying beasts were spotted leaving the planet's orbit before, right? But since we arrived, we haven't seen a single sign of them."
"We're still scanning for life forms," Graham replied. "So far, we've only detected plants and a few tiny particles in the air. But we did find some fossils, and they're still being examined."
"Maybe your energy scared them away," Graham added with a slight smirk.
Stan didn't respond right away. Instead, he closed his eyes, trying to sense the peace energy in the environment around them. He wanted to confirm if the cloud layer covering the planet was indeed caused by peace energy, as they had suspected.
As he concentrated, his senses grew sharper, picking up on subtle vibrations in the air. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, his expression changing. There was a cold, intense focus in his gaze—a hint of killing intent.
"Wow... hey, did I do something to offend you?" Graham asked, noticing the intense, deadly look in Stan's eyes.
"No... something's coming. Something big," Stan replied, his face tense.
Graham looked puzzled. "Really? As I recall, you're a Stage 6 Paragon, and I'm a Stage 8 Paragon. My senses should be sharper than yours, but I can't feel anything."
Stan's expression grew more serious. "Alert the others. They all need to be ready for a fight."
Graham didn't question him any further. Sensing that something was truly wrong, he quickly relayed the warning to everyone. Soon after, several drones were dispatched in different directions to survey the area.
It didn't take long for reports to start coming in.
"Sir... from what the drones show, there's a horde of beasts heading our way," one of the operators informed them. Moments later, more reports confirmed the same sighting from multiple directions.
"A beast horde?" Graham muttered, thinking it over. "I've heard of these before."
He looked over at Stan, explaining. "Usually, when one beast becomes stronger than the others in a certain area or portal, it somehow influences the rest to attack together. They usually do this by fighting and defeating the other beasts, drawing the survivors into a single, organized force."
"How hard are they to deal with?" Stan asked.
"Pretty tough," Graham replied. "A beast horde usually consists of lower-stage beasts, but their sheer numbers make them hard to handle."
"What stages of beasts are in this horde?" Stan questioned further.
Graham looked over at one of the men monitoring the drones. By now, Graham had returned to the ship, while Stan remained on the mountain. Thanks to the Pendragon system, they could communicate as if they were standing right next to each other.
"Sir... from my view, the scanner picks up auras of beasts mostly in the 6th to 7th stage," one member reported.
"Mine shows 6th to 8th stages," another member chimed in.
As the reports continued to flow in, they confirmed the same. The beast horde had many 6th- to 7th-stage beasts, with a few 8th-stage beasts mixed in, all charging toward the ship.
Despite the impending attack, there was no sense of panic among the group. About 200 faction members had arrived on the planet, but only half were fighters. The rest were programmers, healers, and support staff.
They were clearly outnumbered by the beasts, but there was no sign of panic among them. Everyone was busy getting ready to face whatever was approaching. Weapons were checked, positions were taken, and eyes scanned the horizon, each person bracing for the fight.
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed from the sky. Every head snapped upward, and a huge, scarred lizard with two massive wings came into view, swooping down toward them.
"A dragon?" Graham muttered, frowning as he watched the creature dive toward them with incredible speed.
Before it could reach them, the lizard was suddenly hit by something mid-air, which sent it tumbling off balance. The massive creature crashed onto the ground with a thunderous impact, dirt and rocks flying up around it. As it struggled to regain its footing, Stan appeared on the lizard's back, gripping it firmly.
"You're no dragon!" Stan shouted as he seized one of the creature's wings with both hands. With a fierce pull, he tore the wing from its back. Then he leaped off the lizard, landing heavily on its head and crushing its skull with a powerful stomp.
Stan had spotted the beast from the cliff where he was standing. For a moment, seeing such a massive creature had made his heart skip, but he quickly realized it wasn't a true dragon, only a creature resembling one. Without hesitating, he'd leapt off the cliff, aiming straight for the lizard, and had taken it down in seconds.
But there was no time to celebrate. Soon, more roars filled the sky. Looking up, they saw a wave of similar creatures pouring down from above, their roars blending into a terrifying chorus.
"A horde from the sky? I've never seen a horde attack like this!" Graham said in shock. But his words were barely heard as the creatures reached the ground, each one ready to strike.
Without delay, everyone sprang into action, each fighter engaged in battle. Weapons clashed, beasts snarled, and the air was filled with the sounds of combat as they fought to hold their ground against the relentless wave of beasts from the sky.
Luckily, the winged lizards were all stage 6 beasts, while the humans were all stage 7 and 8 Paragons. It didn't take long for them to finish off the beasts. The area was now a mess, littered with beast bodies and dark blood splattered everywhere.
"Heck… The land beasts haven't even arrived yet," Graham said, wiping off some of the sticky black blood that had splashed onto him.
"They're close—very close," Stan replied. After the air attack, most of the drones had been destroyed, so they'd lost sight of the approaching land beasts. Stan had only his instincts to rely on now.
"You can feel them? I can't sense anything," Graham said, glancing at Stan with a puzzled look.
"You…?" Stan didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure if Graham was joking or serious.
"My Qi…! I can't feel my Qi!" a member suddenly shouted, his voice filled with panic.
"What do you mean you can't feel your Qi?" Stan asked, stepping closer to the man.
"My sea of consciousness… It's full of mist. I can't see my Qi core, and I can't use it!" the man replied, his voice shaking as he struggled to explain.
Hearing this, everyone quickly checked their own sea of consciousness. Each of them closed their eyes, focusing on their inner core, but what they saw only made their worry deepen.
"Something's wrong with this planet," Graham said, his face growing pale. "My sea of consciousness is also filled with this strange mist, and I can't feel my Qi. Maybe that's why I can't sense the beasts coming."
The mages among them checked their mana cores and found the same thing. When Stan examined his own, he noticed an unusual amount of peace energy within him, but it was separate from his Qi core and other cores, almost as if it didn't belong to him.
"Are any of your weapons working, at least?" Stan asked. They all tested their weapons, but after a few attempts, each person shook their head. The weapons were as useless as their Qi.
Right at this moment, when they needed their powers the most, something on this planet was preventing them from using any of it.
For the first time, a look of worry appeared on everyone's face. They exchanged uncertain glances, realizing just how vulnerable they were without their powers.