Bloodsteel Horizon
Episode 9 — The Evolution Hunt
Current Level: 103
Evolutions: 1 / 150
Mods: Target Lock Mk. I, Overcharge Burst, Precision Strike, Rift Breaker Rounds, Bulletstorm Core (Unlimited Power Tier I)
Currency: $120,000
Rift Arrival — Bloodglass Plains
The Rift spat Kael into a wasteland where the ground shimmered like shattered ruby underfoot. Massive jagged crystals jutted from the plains at angles, each humming with a faint magical resonance.
Heat waves rippled in the distance, distorting the shapes moving toward him. His HUD struggled to process the readings.
HOSTILE COUNT: 12+
CLASS: Evolution-Tier Beast Pack
AVERAGE LVL: 105–115
Kael cracked his neck. "Guess the warm-up's over."
First Kill — Obsidian Mauler
The first to reach him was a four-legged brute with armor like volcanic rock, each step cracking the ruby-glass ground. Its claws scraped sparks as it roared.
LVL 105 — Obsidian Mauler
Kael's Target Lock flared red along its knee joints. He slid left, firing short bursts into the weak points. When it faltered, he loaded Rift Breaker Rounds — two into the chest, one into the skull.
The Mauler collapsed, shattering a nearby crystal spire.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 106
Second Kill — Bloodfang Drake
The air shifted above him — a crimson-scaled drake dove, mouth open in a roar that rattled his bones.
LVL 107 — Bloodfang Drake
Kael sidestepped the dive and fired upward, rounds tearing through its throat. The beast crashed into the ground, skidding past him. He didn't hesitate — Overcharge Burst into the skull ended it instantly.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 109
Third Kill — Riftclaw Apex
From the side came a predator that looked like a cross between a panther and a scorpion, tail tipped with a glowing stinger.
LVL 110 — Riftclaw Apex
It struck fast, tail lashing for his chest. Kael rolled under, coming up firing into the belly. The Apex shrieked and swiped at him — he ducked, planted a Rift Breaker Round into the stinger, and watched the explosion tear half its body away.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 112
The Swarm Closes
Nine more Evolution-tier monsters circled the plains, cutting off escape. Kael's HUD mapped them all — aerials, ground brutes, fast strikers.
He breathed out.
"Time to feed you."
⸻
Bulletstorm Core — Full Release
Kael triggered Bulletstorm Core.
His guns roared to life, the barrels glowing bright gold. Muzzle flash became a constant beam of death, bullets spraying in perfectly controlled arcs.
He moved like liquid fire, weaving between attacks, cutting down two airborne Ravagers before they could complete their dives. A charging Ironhorn Titan lost both legs before it hit him, collapsing in a cloud of dust.
Fourth Kill — Ironhorn Titan
LVL 113 — Ironhorn Titan
Three seconds of sustained Bulletstorm fire tore through its chest plating, leaving a smoldering hole.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 115
⸻
Fifth Kill — Crystal Fangbeast
The Fangbeast lunged from behind, crystalline teeth snapping inches from his neck. Kael spun, planting both guns under its jaw and letting the unlimited fire chew through skull and spine.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 118
Sixth Kill — Emberjaw Serpent
The serpent coiled around a crystal spire, mouth glowing with molten heat. Kael leapt to another spire, firing down into its head until the molten glow sputtered out.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 121
⸻
Power Surge — Weapon Evolution Phase 1.5
As the last seconds of Bulletstorm Core ticked away, his guns changed.
The golden runes flared brighter, shifting into sharper, angular patterns. Ember-like sparks floated from the barrels with every movement, and thin trails of magical energy linked the weapons to the plating along his arms.
A new HUD notice appeared:
Weapon Evolution: Resonance Stage Achieved
• Passive Effect: All shots deal +20% armor-piercing damage.
• Aesthetic Upgrade: Magic circuit lines now channel visible energy during sustained fire.
Kael grinned. "Now we're talking."
Seventh Kill — Shadowbeak Harrier
A massive black-feathered raptor dove from above. Kael didn't move — he simply angled both barrels skyward and held the triggers.
The Shadowbeak exploded in midair before it reached him.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 124
Eighth Kill — Twinmaw Ravager
The Twinmaw was a hulking beast with two snapping heads, both lunging at once. Kael strafed right, pouring fire into the left head until it dropped, then pivoted to finish the second.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 127
Ninth Kill — Riftborne Colossus
The ground shook as the largest of the pack — a thirty-foot armored titan — closed in. Its hands were like siege weapons, each step a quake.
LVL 128 — Riftborne Colossus
Kael fired everything he had left in his magazine — then triggered Bulletstorm Core again as the cooldown hit zero.
A golden hurricane of bullets tore into the Colossus. Armor peeled away in chunks, magical core exposed. One final Rift Breaker Round through that core detonated it from within.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 130
Aftermath
The Bloodglass Plains were littered with smoldering corpses, shattered crystal, and rivers of molten beast blood.
Kael's HUD scrolled:
Levels Gained: +27
Current Level: 130
Evolutions: 1 / 150
Currency Earned: $48,000
Total Funds: $168,000
His guns settled into their new form, the magic circuits along their length pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. Every squeeze of the trigger now carried a faint rumble in the air, like distant thunder.
Somewhere beyond the horizon, the Hunter Net would already be screaming about this fight — and Evolution-tier packs would no longer be the rarest thing sent after him.
Kael rolled his shoulders and looked at the next Rift forming.
"Alright… send the next wave."