Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1143: Beam of light

The set of relics could become a crutch, hindering her potential for individual development and skill refinement. It was the same thing that he avoided at the start of his second life.

Rain believed in the significance of continuous effort, dedication, and perseverance in honing one's skills. The relics were powerful tools, but they shouldn't replace the hard work and discipline required for personal growth.

After a couple of hours, it looked like Sakaki filled his database of that language and Isa also learned everything that she could learn from the scorpion people. Thanks to that, she looked really lost in thought.

"May I?" Sakaki asked. "Or do you want to explain the whole history about the end of this world?"

"I am fine. You can go on," Isa said.

In the world of the scorpion people, the last hundred years marked a tumultuous period in their history. For centuries, these inhabitants had lived in tribes, seeking shelter within caves due to the harsh weather conditions that limited their ability to multiply. Their history, though not extensive, was shaped by the constant struggle for survival in a difficult environment.

Eighty years ago, a mysterious event began, triggering a cataclysmic shift in the ecosystem. All life forms on the planet underwent a drastic mutation, transforming into ferocious beasts with insatiable appetites. These mutated creatures, driven by an instinct to consume everything in their paths, including each other, brought chaos and destruction to the once-stable tribes of the scorpion people.

The mutations were swift and widespread, leading to the emergence of new and formidable species. Among them, giant centipedes became a prominent threat, terrorizing the inhabitants and wreaking havoc across the landscape. The centipedes, known for their insatiable hunger, devoured both plant life and other mutated creatures, growing larger and more menacing with each conquest.

Fifty years ago, the once numerous giant centipedes began to experience a decline in numbers, signaling a change in the dynamics of the mutated ecosystem. Surprisingly, the centipedes ceased their cannibalistic behavior, but the reason for this shift remained unknown to the scorpion people.

In the same period, the planet faced another growing menace—intensifying dust storms. The already challenging weather conditions escalated, with powerful dust storms sweeping across the land. These storms posed additional threats to the survival of the tribes, further complicating their struggle against the mutated creatures.

Amidst this turbulent period, the scorpion people endured countless hardships, adapting their lifestyles to the evolving challenges. The emergence of Rain and his group from another world brought both hope and uncertainty to the scorpion people, as they faced the formidable task of understanding and combating the forces that had reshaped their world over the past century.

"That is all," Sakaki said.

"... That is very different from how things played out on Earth," Rain furrowed his eyebrows.

"How is that knowledge useful to us?" Asche said.

"For one, we can say that different planets experience different cataclysmic changes," Sakaki explained. "We can also say that we will grow in power if we devour those creatures safely without losing our minds in the process. That needs some research, though. A lot of it."

The mission hadn't been a waste of time. They had learned several ways to get stronger. While the whole process wasn't certain, at least they gained a lot from it, and they probably will be able to decrease the number of losses in the next missions.

The group began to prepare to leave that planet while they were preparing to take the corpses of the fallen warriors, soon enough, they found a bunch of the scorpion people emerging from the sand at several points… they only saw muscular men before, but now they could see a bunch of people.

Kids, women, even the elderly… they looked happy and they also began to wave their hands at them when they were about to move.

"They sure opened up to us pretty fast…" Jori said. "And we just had to kill the monsters that forced them to hide for their lives."

"... Maybe we should have left them with a bit of our knowledge," Roan said while he watched the people from the sphere domain that Rain created. "In a few hundreds of years, they would become a force to be reckoned with… even if they couldn't help us now, they would be able to help others in the future."

It seemed that Roan was getting softy as he aged. His perspective on aiding the scorpion people didn't reflect his seasoned and pragmatic outlook as a warrior. Throughout his military career, Roan had cultivated a calm and focused demeanor, always mindful of the fact that time and resources were valuable commodities, especially in the pursuit of their primary goal: overcoming the threats.

While the group had indeed restored the scorpion people's home planet, Roan recognized that this act, while commendable, didn't directly contribute to their primary mission. He understood the necessity of prioritizing actions that would have a more immediate and tangible impact on the group's overall objective.

The decision to withhold advanced knowledge from the scorpion people stemmed from Roan's belief that diverting resources to long-term outcomes, such as empowering the locals to eventually help others, could compromise the group's efficiency.

In the face of imminent danger, Roan remained committed to making choices that directly advanced their mission, ensuring the survival of their group and the protection of their worlds.

Before long, the domains turned invisible, and then they left the atmosphere of that planet… the sand storms were getting weaker and weaker, even though less than a full day had passed since the death of the monsters. While the group headed to the Star vessel, they began to think that they would have to head to the area where the cargo disappeared… the next mission was already pretty much decided.

Just like they were thinking of that… a beam of light suddenly came from the endless expanse of space and hit the yellow and gray planet, passing through it completely.