Exo Seeker: The Strongest Human Woke Up In The Future!

Kael opened his eyes and instantly felt the cold air brush past him, making him shiver slightly. Then the smell of death assaulted his nose, as if trying to drive him away from this place.

Looking around, he saw dead trees surrounding him. There were no leaves—only bald trunks, withered and pointed toward the ground. Some uprooted roots stretched out in one direction, as if the trees were trying to crawl away from the earth, drawn toward something unseen.

Kael looked down and saw fog covering the ground. He moved his feet, and the fog around him dispersed, revealing the lifeless soil beneath—dry, cracked, and devoid of energy.

Then the White Prime turned his gaze upward, staring at the night sky where dark clouds had gathered, hiding the moon and blocking its brilliance from touching the land.

Perking up his ears, Kael heard faint rustling and distant wailing, but when he turned toward the sound, all he saw were the dead trees swaying in silence.

"Spectre-type Fissure…" Kael muttered, his face and tone serious.

He already knew this was a Fissure filled with ghosts, so the eerie atmosphere didn't surprise him. Even a hundred years ago, he'd dealt with a few of these—one of them being a ghost that could swallow an entire city like candy.

Thinking about ghosts and how to deal with them, Kael glanced at the equipment he'd brought with a sigh.

A sniper rifle stolen from a dead Primer, a handgun, a High-Frequency Sword borrowed from Trey, plus grenades and shield tubes on his utility belt. He hadn't forgotten to bring Energium Shards either—necessary for using his Skill and its various applications.

Kael wasn't a woman, but thanks to his utility belt, he could carry a surprising number of practical items.

"Fortunately, I bought some bullets," Kael muttered, checking his handgun and Pulse Sniper Rifle. "But unfortunately, this won't be enough to kill a first-grade Spectre-type Behemech."

There were many kinds of Spectre-type Behemechs, but the most common were the Ghost Behemechs.

They appeared human in shape, but their bodies were transparent—and bullets were useless against them. Physical attacks passed straight through, making them some of the hardest Behemechs to deal with. That was also the reason this Blue Fissure wasn't very popular—most avoided it altogether.

However, despite their ghostly nature, they weren't invincible. There were ways to kill them, which was why this Fissure hadn't had a Breakout yet—brave Primers who entered could still eliminate the Behemechs inside.

Kael glanced at his Energium Shards before walking in the direction the tree roots had been pointing.

As he walked, he removed the bullets from his handgun and sniper rifle, then took out one Energium Shard from his belt. Carefully, he began rubbing each bullet against the Shard, stopping only once they were all coated in the dark particles that shimmered off the crystal.

The particles glinted faintly as Kael studied one of the bullets. Satisfied, he nodded and slid them back into the magazine.

He still had spare bullets hidden in his pocket and utility belt, though he decided to coat them later—after he confirmed his theory about the Energium Shard.

When he learned this was a Spectre-type Fissure, he immediately came up with a plan to kill the ghosts using only what he had. Kael wasn't about to waste money on specialized ghost-hunting weapons, even if Bach and Milan had offered to get him some before he said goodbye.

So, using his knowledge and past experience dealing with Spectre Behemechs, Kael chose to rely on something he hadn't tested yet—his Energium Shard.

As Kael walked, he actively looked for the Behemech, but so far, he only heard faint wailing sounds.

"I'm probably still inside the safe zone," Kael muttered as he took a step. But as his words fell, a loud whistling sound suddenly came from his right.

Without even turning to look, Kael rolled to the ground. The sound of his equipment clanking against each other echoed in the still air.

Looking up, he saw a white figure flying between a few dead trees before it darted toward him at high speed.

It had long white hair, wrinkled sagging skin, and a body draped in a flowing white dress. The Ghost Behemech's deep red eyes glinted dangerously under the night sky, and when it opened its mouth, rows of razor-sharp teeth were revealed.

As it closed in on the White Prime, it brandished its clawed hands. Sparks flew as its nails scraped against one another.

Kael didn't lose his composure. He raised his sniper rifle—and without even using the scope—fired just as the Behemech closed in, mere feet away!

The sharp crack of the gunshot echoed through the forest, followed by a piercing shriek.

The Ghost Behemech was blasted backward, flying through several dead trees before managing to stabilize itself mid-air.

Meanwhile, Kael glanced at the glowing particles drifting from his rifle's barrel, mingling with the smoke.

"So the Energium Shard works," Kael muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Energium Shards were something Kael had only recently learned about. But thanks to the Exo-Primeval's vast resources, he had seen countless items—some small, some massive—that could shake entire planets.

Some of those items functioned similarly to Energium Shards but were far more powerful. They could enhance a Skill's strength directly, not just enable its use. However, Kael, being an Exo-Primeval at peak strength, never needed to rely on them—though they did leave an impression.

Using that knowledge, Kael decided to test the Energium Shard as a way to kill a Ghost Behemech.

Spectre-type Behemechs were notoriously annoying. They could pass through solid objects, rendering physical attacks completely useless.

But they still had a weakness—true energy-based attacks.

Kael didn't have any such attacks in his arsenal. His Pulse Sniper Rifle didn't count either, since it only used pulse energy to accelerate projectiles. It didn't emit actual energy on impact, making it useless against Spectre-type Behemechs. So the White Prime had to find a cheap and practical solution to deal with these ghost-like monsters.

Fortunately, he had brought along an energy source—the Energium Shards.

Energium Shards were consumables used to recharge a Primer's Energy Reserve. Normally, a Primer would inhale the released energy after crushing the shard, letting it surge through their veins. But Kael was using it differently.

Spectre-type Behemechs didn't care how full a Primer's Energy Reserve was. Only attacks made of pure energy could harm them.

These shards were, essentially, raw energy—and by repurposing them, Kael found a workaround. By coating his bullets with Energium particles, they became energy-based attacks upon impact—capable of damaging Spectre-type Behemechs.

Seeing that his method actually worked, Kael smiled as he aimed his weapon at the incoming Ghost Behemech again.

He pulled the trigger, and the bullet fired out with a flash of light. The Ghost Behemech didn't dodge, letting the bullet pass through its body—or so it thought. The moment the bullet made contact, the Energium coating flared, then exploded, blasting the Ghost backward!

Letting out another shriek of pain, the Ghost glared at the human with its deep red eyes. Then, as if it hadn't learned its lesson, it charged once more.

Kael smirked and raised his sniper rifle, this time using the scope. His vision zoomed in, revealing electrical wires exposed on the Behemech's chest—sparking and flickering between transparent and solid.

"You're dead," Kael said, pulling the trigger.

The bullet split the air, trailing particles in its wake as it flew toward the Behemech's chest. In the next second, a small explosion lit up the air, with the Ghost at its center.

Fire and smoke engulfed the Behemech, and the sound of metal clattering to the ground echoed around the forest.

Kael watched the rain of scorched Behemech parts, hoping to spot a Growth Orb. But even after all the pieces had fallen, there was no orb to be found.

"Bad luck," he muttered, shaking his head. Then he glanced at the sniper in his hands. "Bring me some luck."

Now that he had solved the problem of how to kill Spectre-type enemies, it was time to start hunting—be it humans or Behemechs. At that thought, a sharp glint passed through his eyes, his killing intent surfacing.

Kael adjusted his equipment and started walking. The one he just killed was a Second Grade Behemech—the weakest type found in Blue Fissures. Although he had taken it down with just three shots, that was thanks to his excellent marksmanship.

If it had been an average Blue Primer, they probably wouldn't have landed a single shot. And even if they did, they'd be dead before they could take a second, he thought, heading in the direction the trees were pointing, eyes alert for more Behemechs.

Now that he was here, he intended to make the most of it—by killing as many Ghost Behemechs as he could and collecting as many Growth Orbs as possible.

However, there was one issue—he hadn't brought a backpack. At most, he could carry two or three orbs. Bringing any more would mean holding them in both hands, which no Primer in their right mind would do while inside a Fissure.

"Hopefully, someone dumb enough is there to offend me so I can take their Storage Device," Kael muttered.

He continued walking for a while until he heard another ghostly cry. Kael licked his lips and quickly followed the sound.