CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 97 – LIGHT AND FLAME

Chapter 97 – Light and Flame

The jeep surged forward with a lively engine growl, weaving boldly between the monsters. Maybe it was the constant honking and flashing of the high beams, but—

The monsters didn’t dare approach. They hesitated, retreating cautiously.

Captain Adonis spoke up.

"Nice to meet you all! I’m Captain Adonis from ARC!"

His voice was bold and confident.

Too lively for someone who’d supposedly gone missing.

Adonis quickly turned the wheel, taking a sharp curve with minimal deceleration. It was like riding in an F1 car—the centrifugal force tilted the jeep sharply, but he adjusted with perfect control and kept speeding forward.

It was divine driving.

Lykan, who had never ridden in a car before, and Luke , whose Agility stat was still low, both turned pale.

Meanwhile, Jhin ’s eyes went to the headlights on the front of the jeep.

They were different from standard headlights.

More than the honking or the vehicle itself—things unfamiliar to monsters—it looked like the light itself was affecting them.

He could tell from the way the monsters screamed when the beams hit them, as if it pained them.

What was that light?

Noticing Jhin ’s suspicion, Adonis proudly explained.

"It’s their weakness. These bastards are like undead—they’re vulnerable to light."

The Goblin Orb was an artifact for controlling souls—a goblin’s relic.

And undead typically had a basic weakness to light.

Considering the cause, it made sense.

"But we had to experiment to figure that out."

Jhin had tried using light before too—he’d shined his phone flashlight at monsters plenty of times. So he knew.

Just light alone doesn’t cut it.

Was it the intensity

of the light, then?

"They only react to sunlight. Nothing else works."

"...Sunlight?"

So that was the secret behind the unusually bright headlights.

They were solar-powered.

Adonis pressed both brake and gas as he took another corner with practiced skill.

"I actually saw you all earlier while scavenging for this thing in daytime Bey World. I even spotted Millie first. You can’t imagine how shocked I was! If I had to describe the feeling, I’d need an entire night to—"

But he couldn’t finish.

THUD!

The jeep lurched suddenly—something had landed on top of it.

Adonis nearly lost control but quickly realigned the steering wheel.

"I didn’t expect anything to withstand sunlight..."

Millie checked the side mirror—and saw it.

A monster perched on the roof, sword drawn long in its hand.

"It’s him!"

SCREEEECH!

The blade drove down, cutting through the jeep like paper.

It sliced clean through the middle seat, barely missing anyone, before being yanked back up through the roof.

Through the gap, they could see a terrifying face—A Peculiar.

Millie fired straight upward in response.

KIAAAAGH!!

It screamed as the shots landed, but it wasn’t enough to knock it off.

The blade drove down again—this time stabbing Luke ’s shoulder.

Blood sprayed. Luke let out a pained cry.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Millie kept shooting, but A Peculiar held firm.

Adonis swerved wildly, trying to shake it off—but it didn’t work.

"This thing won’t

fall off! What even is that?!"

Millie clicked her tongue sharply.

"It’s Jhin ’s doppelgänger—what do you expect?"

"...Please don’t call it that. Ugh. Captain Adonis? Can you stop drifting for a second?"

"Huh?"

"I’ll finish it off myself."

Rolling down the window, Jhin launched himself up—vaulting onto the roof of the jeep in a fluid, acrobatic motion.

He could feel the peculiar’s gaze tracking him—those deadly eyes locked on his every move.

The sword came for him.

CHAAAAANG!

Jhin deflected it, frowning at the surprising strength of the grip.

Quickly adjusting, he calculated his next move.

’Better to eliminate it here than just knock it off.’

The thing had grown stronger in just a short time.

A Peculiar had a trait—it grew stronger by devouring souls.

They couldn’t afford to let it get any stronger.

If it went berserk again, they all knew what would happen.

So Jhin made his decision—he’d end it now.

Fortunately, he had an idea.

’Sunlight was its weakness, right?’

The most difficult thing about the monsters here had been that each one had a different strategy.

But if there was a shared weakness...?

Jhin grinned.

’Then all that’s left is to apply it.’

He ducked beneath the next incoming thrust, then grabbed the creature’s wrist and twisted.

A Peculia rlost balance, flipping forward and crashing through the windshield—landing hard on the jeep’s hood.

It stabbed into the hood to keep itself steady.

Jhin followed—jumping down onto the hood as well.

A Peculiar began climbing back up, reaching for the roof.

Jhin stared at it coldly.

"You’re getting on my nerves. Time to disappear."

He grabbed its head—and dragged it right into the jeep’s solar headlights.

Sizzle—

The smell of burning flesh hit his nose as fire bloomed across the perculiar’s face.

KIIIIAAAGHHHH!!

It screamed in agony as its body began to unravel—breaking apart.

The souls it had devoured scattered upward like embers, and the monster disintegrated.

And then—

WOOOOONG.

The escaping souls shimmered—and one by one, were pulled inward...

Into Jhin ’s inventory.

"...Hmm."

The place they arrived at was a twisting underground tunnel—the central zone of the ride called "Meteor Express."

After disembarking in the dark, they followed Adonis through a staff-only corridor.

"You’ve been hiding out here all this time?"

"Let’s call it a tactical hold position."

As they descended, they felt signs of life in the shadows. People.

They hurried over on quick feet.

"Captain? Are you all right?"

"I’m fine."

"No, sir! What about Miss Millie?!"

"...?"

Millie, who had just stepped down, gave an awkward smile as a dozen eyes focused on her.

Flashlights clicked on, and finally, their faces became visible.

"Thank god everyone looks okay."

It seemed the entire team of the supposedly missing Captain Adonis was safe.

They were battered and bruised, but no one appeared to be in immediate danger.

They breathed sighs of relief.

"We thought something awful had happened to you, Miss Millie... my heart nearly stopped."

"How did you even end up in here? Our nation almost lost one of its greatest treasures."