Start as a Spiritual Planter: I Have a Game Panel

Ram's fingers drummed restlessly on the steering wheel, his gaze flicking toward Mai. She sat in the passenger seat, her eyes sharp and calculating, dissecting every detail of the scene before them.

Around the clearing, different groups of mercenaries and professionals loitered, each armed to the teeth, but none making a move yet.

There was an uneasy calm that set Ram on edge. "What's the plan, Mai?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.

Mai's gaze never wavered, her tone steady. "Those soldiers by the entrance."

She pointed subtly toward a group near the far end of the clearing, standing in perfect, almost unnervingly precise formation. "They're not ordinary. Those are bio-mechanical soldiers—combat units from the Shadow Society."

Sid, leaning against the truck, his arms crossed, stiffened at her words. "So, the rumors are true," he muttered, his voice darkening. "The Shadow Society is really clearing out monster dens."

Ram's frown deepened as he adjusted his grip on the wheel. "If they've got those things, why do they need professionals like us?"

"They don't." Mai's voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp, analyzing the situation as if it were a complex puzzle.

"At least, not for the heavy lifting. The majority of professionals living in the Cyber Core district are directly contracted by the Shadow Society to undertake, one mandatory mission per month."

"Completing a 'C' rank mission is equivalent to fulfilling four mandatory missions, which has tempted a large number of professionals to accept these missions."

"But they're employing—independent professionals like us—to manage the clean-up. Moreover, the mission brief never mentioned a crucial point—there was no mention of submitting the Source Seed to complete the mission."

She paused, and thought of something as she continued, "which means, we compete for the Source Seed or not doesn't matter, as long as we survive till the end of the mission, it is considered successful."

Liam, who had been casually leaning against the side of the truck, his eyes half-closed in his usual carefree way. "So, we're their janitors," he said with a bitter chuckle. "Doing their dirty work while they handle the easy stuff."

Ram could hear the irritation in Liam's voice, but Mai was already one step ahead. She crossed her arms, her mind racing.

"Exactly. It's not just about the Source Seed. There's something else going on here, something we're not privy to. Look around—everyone's waiting, stalling. I'd bet they're expecting someone from the Shadow Society to show up and take the lead."

Ram glanced at Mai again, his voice low. "What do you think? Should we stick to the plan or bail before things get messy?"

Mai shook her head, her expression resolute. "We're not bailing. Even if we don't get the Source seed clearing out the monsters inside is enough to satisfy us, and we've already come too far to back out now. No one wants to enter the Void Space earlier than others and attract more monsters."

Ram, Su Mu, Sid, and Liam all nodded in agreement. There was no telling how this would play out, but one thing was certain—they needed to stay sharp.

It began two hundred years ago, when seven monster dens appeared randomly causing a large number of causalities to not just humans, but other races that live on Blue Star.

The initial stages of their appearance were shrouded in mystery, as no one knew of their existence, but all seven of them are referred to as 'Natural Disaster Grade' or above 'A' rank monster dens, they continue to exist to this day and are deemed forbidden zones.

Soon small towns and settlements were also attacked by waves of monsters, leaving destruction and panic in their path.

At first, they were hidden within deep forests, mountains, and even beneath the earth's surface, their presence almost undetectable.

It wasn't until much later that the true source of the monster outbreaks was uncovered—the Monster dens.

According to scientists, these monsters originate from large rune areas that began manifesting randomly across Blue Star following the reiki revival.

These special runes are typically concealed, acting as the catalyst for transforming an area into a monster den.

They spawn monsters at regular intervals, the frequency dictated by the strength of the creatures they generate.

Some say that these special runes, were generated by Divine Spirit Tree, they serve to absorb either positive or negative emotions around them, also referred to as 'Ideal Power' or 'Thought Power.'

These runes transform the Ideal power inside monster dens into various monsters, the larger the concentration of intelligent creatures gathered together, the higher the frequency of appearance of the Monster dens.

The stronger the individuals residing, the greater the level of monster lairs.

If left unchecked and not destroyed in due time, these runes have the potential to escalate into a disaster.

However, the emergence of monster dens also presented a significant opportunity for those who managed to clear them.

Simply put, they are like dungeons in games, by defeating the monsters or creatures spawned from monster dens within the radius of its core area, they will drop various cards.

Cards such as weapon cards, skill cards, resource cards, summoning cards, promotion cards, and various other rare cards are awarded based on the strength of the monsters defeated.

Some humans have even mastered the ways of harnessing these monsters to enhance their strength in diverse ways.

Energy extracted from these monsters, particularly harvesting cores or essences, has given rise to the creation of energy crystals, that are used as power sources for a range of applications, from machinery to advanced technologies.

Specialized farms cultivate controlled monster dens of low-level monsters for various purposes, like providing resources and many others.

"Stay close to the truck," Mai gave instructions, holding several storage capsules in her hand, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"We need to be ready for anything. If things go south, we use the chaos to our advantage. These bio-mechanical soldiers can act as a distraction, and we'll retreat into the forest. But until then, we watch. And we wait."

The group shifted positions around the truck, moving into more discreet locations, and blending into the environment.

Liam crouched by the front tire, still casual but with his eyes scanning the crowd more alertly.

Sid stood at the rear, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade, Su Mu, silent as always, took up a position nearby.

Ram on the other hand, except for Groot, hid both Ling'er and Ming Yue inside the truck. There's no telling

Minutes dragged on, the tension in the air growing thicker. The silence was almost deafening, each group of mercenaries waiting for something, or someone, to make the first move.

Then, the crunching of boots on gravel broke the silence.

From the far side of the clearing, a figure emerged: a tall woman with long blue hair tied in a ponytail, flanked by two heavily armed bio-mechanical soldiers.

She moved with calm, predatory grace, her cloak billowing slightly as she made her way to the center of the clearing.

Under the dim light, an air of authority surrounded her. A hush fell over the groups, and all eyes turned toward the newcomer.

Mai's eyes narrowed as she focused on the emblem on the cloak—it was one of the Shadow Messenger.

P.S. Note: Sorry guys, I've changed the previous concept of Skill Stones to Skill Cards from chapter 32.