"It's cooler than I remember."

Hans gaze around his surrounding. Golden sands filled his vision with the occasion cactus, and warm golden rays from the sun gleaming down on him.

So far, no monsters could be seen, although there was a large amount of vibrations underneath him. Their shapes feels familiar to him though he just couldn't place what exactly they were...Oh right, the sand worms that what those were.

He could go after them but frankly, there were way too many of them and were ginormous!

Hans wanted excitement, not dying. Also, he was here to explore the surface not go back underground. Hmm...It would seems that was approaching him from behind.

Shifting his body, he dodged a sneak attack, and retaliate with a punch, sending it flying. It skids across the ground, throwing up a cloud of sands before coming to a stop.

Tilting his head, Hans stared at the direction he send the unknown attacker in before chuckling, and began cracking his joints.

No notification came up which means his assailant was still alive. Which means they were at least on the level of the muscle rats. Which means they should at least give him a good warm-up.

The cloud of sands slowly settled revealing a mix between a grasshopper and a stag beetle, it having the powerful legs of a grasshopper, and the pincers of a stag beetle. Its body look as if it was wearing armor, shining exoskeleton covering most of its body expect for its wings and legs.

Notably, there was a small dent in the sides of its exoskeleton.

It stares at him and he stares back.

It then began chirping, nodding to itself and raise its head up and slamming it to the ground scattering sands everywhere before thrusting it at him, still chirping.

He stares blankly at him, unsure of what it was doing. Was this telling him that it was angry or was it greeting him? He didn't know, after all, he wasn't knowledgeable in the customs of cosplaying insects and there wasn't any emotion in its eyes as far as he was concern.

Seeing that he wasn't doing anything, the insect raise its head once more but instead of slamming it onto the ground, it let the sun shines off its pincers before chirping.

Wait. He think get it now. It's part stag beetle, its exoskeleton is like that of a knight's armor, and the strange ritual it was doing...

It was challenging him to a fight.

Bah, it had already started a fight with it sneak attacking him, so issuing a challenge was just a waste of time. Nevertheless, Hans smile and answer this challenge with him slamming his claws into the ground, blowing up a cloud of sands, and began clicking his claws.

The armored grasshopper chirps and shift into a battle stance, its powerful legs tense and ready to launch itself, its pincers positioned to face him, the sun gleaming off its armor.

Hans didn't take a battle stance, preferring to just stares at the insect while still grinning.

This was going to be fun.

It happen in an instant, the armored grasshopper launching itself, wings fluttering, with speed far faster than he thought it was capable off. He was barely able to raise his arm up to block when the insect slammed into him with force of a freight train, locking its pincers around one of his arm.

Hans felt the world shift as he was lifted off the ground and slammed onto the ground. He grunt before he hammered into the grasshopper-beetle with his free arm, however it refused to let go and repeatedly slammed him into the ground before letting go and leap away from him.

Hans was feeling pain he hadn't felt since he fought the scuta with his underside hurting like hell, and his left arms was covered in scratch marks.

The armored grasshopper hadn't gotten scot-free either, small dents littered the sides of its head. It regraded him wearily before tensing and once again launched itself with its powerful legs.

Hans had already started moving, shifting his body and readying to dash in order to dodge the attack. An attack that never came as the insect instead leap around him, kicking up clouds of sands, obscuring his vision.

It circle around him, moving faster each it moves, combined that with the clouds of sands, it was practically impossible to track the damn thing with it nothing more but a blur.

However, he did had a trump card up his sleeves, though he was hesitant to use it. But, this situation warranted it as this was mostly one of the only ways he could even react to the armored grasshopper and not get his shit kick in.

A few seconds was all he needed anyway.

He felt his face twist into a grin.

This was as fun as he thought it was. The adrenaline pumping in his veins simulating his body and brain making it all the better. He wasn't going to miss this feeling.

God, was he becoming an adrenaline junkie?

We can worry about that later.

Hans grunt, no need to be rude now, but you're right, we can worry about it later. He took a deep breathe, relaxing his body and focus.

Trying to track the speeding bug was pointless, outright impossible. Thus, he was using his other senses.

Countless vibrations travel throughout the ground produced by the armored grasshopper moving as such fast speed. However, he wasn't look for vibrations, no he was looking for the lack thereof.

Soon, the vibrations started to disappear and converge onto one spot.

Hans opens his eyes, [Danger Sense] blaring in his mind, and activate [Slow Down]. The world slows down and Hans dashes immediately out of the way of the armored grasshopper slowly turning his head toward it.

The grasshopper was standing stills, legs red hot, and in a blur, it disappear and rush by Hans, barely missing him. However, when it moves it created a shockwave so large that it send him sailing through the air.

[Dash - Lv. 1] Leveled Up!

He crashed onto the ground with an oof before scrambling to get up just in time to dodge another strike from the armored grasshopper, who notably had steam coming out of its legs, as it flew by. Hans groan as his head pound against his skull, it still hurts using the skill though it was most likely for the best judging by the shockwaves the grasshopper generated.

[Slow Down - Lv. 1] Leveled Up!

At least it leveled up. That was a silver lining.

Hans, ignoring his headaches, turn toward the armored grasshopper who was shaking its legs. He dashes straight at it and threw his claws at it only to hit the ground as the bug hop out of his way. He then narrows his eyes as he tense himself as he whirl around raising his arms.

The grasshopper rammed into him, once again wrapping its pincers around one of his arm. Hans knowing what was about to happen, shot forward his tail, and had it wrap around the armored grasshopper, applying pressure as he introduce his claw into its face.

The insect let a strangled chirps but held on and try to lift him up, as Hans on his ends, try to yank it off his claw with his tail while still squeezing it and attacking it with his free claw. It waver as its exoskeleton was starting to crumple but Hans felt himself being lifted up, with his feet inches from the ground.

Suddenly, with a loud creak, the grasshopper's pincers snapped off as Hans lifted it up in the air and gave it a taste of its own medicine and slammed it into the ground with all his might.

Again, and Again.

Then he felt a sharp pain in his tail, and with alarm, he threw the grasshopper to the ground, letting go of its as he brought his tail in for a closer look. Several of the segments on his tails had cracks on them in which blood trickle out of. Hans pulled out the pincers that was stuck in his claw before dashing toward direction he threw the grasshopper in only to see that it had disappear.

He glances around at his surrounding with weary eyes before snapping to his left and threw a punch. He found himself being pushed back, but regain his bearing quickly and began to dashes before he felt his instinct warning him of something causing him to stop in his track.

Glancing at his surrounding revealed nothing, there were vibrations but they were faint, his senses was still warning him of something but the armored grasshopper was nowhere in sight.

Right? Left? Behind? No, way, above!

Hans turn his head up to see a familiar grasshopper in the air, wings fluttering, with its legs aimed directly at him.

"Shit—"

Hans crashed into the ground as the grasshopper's legs shot forward like bullet being launched out of a gun, throwing sands and rocks everywhere.

The grasshopper landed next to him and moves to hop away before it notice something wrong, something very wrong.

Hans lift himself up, cackling with laughters, and spewing out mouthful of sands. However that wasn't important. What was important was the fact that in his grasp was the grasshopper's legs.

"Hahaha! Oh, this is so worth the headaches." Hans held his claws out for the grasshopper, giving it a closer look at its detached legs before snapping them half. "Nothing without your legs, huh?" He taunts, grinning.

The taunt didn't register in the grasshopper's mind as it stares at its legs and in its eyes Hans finally spotted something in its eyes.

Fear.

Wing out and fluttering, the grasshopper moves using its remaining legs trying get away from him. it was futile as Hans lunge forward and slam it into the ground and ripping its wings off, cutting off any ways for it to escape.

He thunderously hammered into its head, watching as its exoskeleton crumple under his claws, the once proud armor of the grasshopper reduced to scraps and blood.

You have slain [Armored Grasshopper] - Lv. 7!

You Have Leveled Up! [Sandstream Scorpion - Lv. 7 —> Lv. 8]!

Its head flew off its body with one final punch dropping to the ground, spilling brown blood onto the coarse sands.

It’s corpse now look like a dried up raisin, Hans muses. He then raise an arm and slam it down on a jackalope that tried to ambush him.

You have slain [Jackalope - Lv. 6]!

Heh. Dumb bitch.

It didn’t even try hiding it’s presence, if it did, then it was horrible at it. Absolutely pathetic.

Hans turn his gaze at the armored grasshopper’s corpse.

It was more than a warm-up more a workout. That was a compliment that he could give.

Especially since it gave quite the warm welcome.