Chapter 97: The Warrior Bunnies
⟦ STATUS ⟧
Name: Zac Godson
Level: 44 (+2) (D-Rank)
Age: 19
Race: Human
Title: None
Bloodline: Fallen (Unknown) (Partially Awakened)
Traits:
• Divine Aura
• Unmatched Charisma
Awakened Abilities:
• System (Unknown)
• Swordsmanship (SS)
• Lightning (S)
Technique:
• Heart Sword (SS)
Skills:
• Overdrive (D) (Growth-Type)
Info Points: 80 (-35)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
⟦ ATTRIBUTES ⟧
Strength: 90
Agility: 90
Physique: 90
Wisdom: 88
Unallotted Points: 16 (+16)
***
Zac looked at the System panel while walking through the crimson snowy wasteland.
Cold wind brushed against his face as crimson snow drifted endlessly around him, red flakes showering down from the sky.
A few hours had passed since he left the cave.
The fight with the ten second-years was still fresh in his mind. He kept replaying each moment, thinking about what he could have done differently and where he could have performed better.
[Reviewing past fights and thinking of better solutions is a good way to improve yourself. But that only works when the fight is actually on same level or higher level.]
[In this case, you’re just wasting your time.]
"Yeah, you’re probably right."
Zac continued walking. "But I have something else to ask."
[Go on.]
"Ten C-rank variants, and I only gained two levels. Just how much XP am I going to need to reach C-rank?"
He frowned slightly. "And what about the ranks above that? How much worse is it going to get when I try to reach A-rank or S-rank?"
[You can’t reach those ranks just by killing C-ranks. I can tell you that much.]
"I know. But I’m still D-rank, and I killed C-ranks, an entire rank above me."
Zac glanced at the panel. "What does that mean? When I’m A-rank, will I need to kill S-rank beings just to level up properly?"
[Stop being hasty and take things one step at a time. Plus, the difference between rank increases as you go higher and it’s especially true to A and S ranks.]
[Even though all ten of them were C-rank variants, rank alone does not determine how much XP you receive. It depends on many factors.]
"For example?"
[Race, for one. Although Earth has very few intelligent races, and humans make up nearly ninety-eight percent of the population aside from monsters, let’s leave race aside for now.]
[Then there is actual strength. A person’s combat capability matters in addition to their rank.]
The system paused briefly. [And more importantly, their fate.]
"Fate?" Zac frowned. "What does fate have to do with XP?"
[Let me put it this way, although I doubt you’ll fully understand.]
"How very encouraging."
[If you kill cannon fodder in the stream of fate, you receive the lowest amount of XP.]
Zac’s expression became strange.
[But if you kill someone who is not only stronger than you, but also has a strong foothold within the flow of fate, then you receive considerably more XP.]
"I still don’t completely understand." Zac rubbed his chin. "It sounds like something straight out of a cultivation novel."
[Fine. Let me make it simpler.]
The system’s voice became painfully patient.
[Those ten people you killed? Even if they had remained alive, the amount of consequence they would have brought upon this world was almost nonexistent.]
[To put it bluntly, the world barely cared whether they lived or died.]
[But if you kill someone with great potential, someone fated to accomplish something remarkable or at least memorable, then you receive far more XP.]
"So that’s how it works." Zac nodded slowly. "I think I’m starting to get it."
[Of course. The way I explained it, even a brain-damaged dog would understand.]
"Why does my standing in your eyes get lower every passing day?"
[It was never high.]
Zac ignored the system and continued walking.
The crimson landscape stretched endlessly in every direction. The snowfall had become so dense that after taking only a few steps, if he turned around, his own footprints had already vanished.
The system remained silent for a few minutes. Then it asked,
[So, where are you going now? Are we finally heading to the other side of the realm?]
"I don’t know." Zac kept walking. "I’m just going wherever my feet take me."
The system paused.
[You don’t know which way to go, do you?]
"Just say it properly. I’m exploring, okay?" Zac gestured toward the endless wasteland. "If I already knew the route and simply followed it, that would ruin the fun of exploration."
[It never ceases to amaze me how effectively you hide stupidity behind your vocabulary skills.]
Zac ignored the comment and kept moving.
***
On the opposite side of the realm, within the bluish hellfire wasteland, Marty, Daniel, Shobin, and Adrian had also made steady progress.
After their encounter with the A-rank horned beast on the first day, all four had become far more cautious about the summer and winter realms.
Once the eight-hour reminder they had set went off, they regrouped at the rendezvous point.
During his search, Shobin had discovered a wide cave large enough for all four of them to stay in for the remainder of the week.
Adrian, of course, complained.
According to him, the cave was disgusting and completely unacceptable for someone of noble standing to sleep in like a primitive.
The others immediately informed him that he was free to leave whenever he wanted, provided he no longer wished to remain alive.
With no other option, Adrian reluctantly accepted his new primitive residence.
Since they had already known they were being sent into a prison realm, they had prepared beforehand. Food, water, portable lamps, cooking equipment, blankets, and other necessities were all stored inside their inventories.
Those supplies made surviving in the realm considerably easier. Apart from living inside a cave, it almost felt like an enjoyable camping trip.
Except, of course, for the part where an A-rank horned beast had nearly chased them to death on the first day.
After settling in, they began hunting beasts ranging from E-rank to D-rank individually.
Whenever they encountered a C-rank beast, they would team up as a duo to kill it before searching the surrounding area for more Mend Stem Sprigs.
Because of Shobin’s repeated insistence, they also tested the stems on the second day. When the stems genuinely proved useful while opening meridians, Marty stared at Shobin suspiciously.
"I didn’t know you had instincts this good." His eyes narrowed. "Or is it really instinct? Did you read about this somewhere?"
Shobin avoided answering directly and immediately changed the subject.
The next day, Daniel asked him again how he had known the plant might be useful. Unable, or perhaps unwilling, to give a proper answer, Shobin simply said, "Can we not talk about it?"
Daniel studied him for a moment. Then he nodded. "All right." He respected Shobin’s privacy and did not press any further.
From the second day onward, the four of them settled into a consistent routine.
One person would cultivate inside the cave while another stood guard. The remaining two would venture into the wasteland to hunt beasts and search for more Mend Stem Sprigs.
Then they would rotate.
Day by day, they continued to open and consolidate their meridians while steadily adding more herbs to their stock whenever they found them.
And by now, all four of them had opened at least nine meridians.
***
Back in the Crimson Snowy Wasteland, Zac continued wandering aimlessly.
Since he had already opened all twelve of his meridians, and most of the beasts he encountered were low-level creatures that gave him barely any XP, he no longer bothered hunting them.
Whenever a beast crossed his path, he would either scare it away with his Mana or kill it quickly before continuing on his way.
Most of his time was now spent simply waiting for the punishment period to end. Unfortunately, that also meant most of his time was spent talking to the system.
[We could still visit the bluish region, you know.]
"I’m trying to find a way there."
[Well, you could always ask me for directions. I might even give you a discount.]
"No, thanks."
[That’s a shame. Don’t you have any adventurous spirit?]
"I do. That’s why I keep walking."
[And yet, for the last few hours, we’ve seen nothing but stray beasts and an endless amount of red snow.]
Before Zac could reply, his steps suddenly stopped.
He turned toward the distance and heard faint sounds of fighting echoing through the wasteland.
Clang!
Clang!
A roar followed.
Zac immediately narrowed his eyes. "Is someone fighting out there?"
[Finally. Something different.]
[Let’s go and take a look.]
Zac turned toward the sound. Lightning flickered faintly around his legs as he accelerated through the crimson snow, heading straight toward the source.
The closer he got, the louder the commotion became.
Roars!
Multiple roars echoed across the wasteland as metal clashed against claws and hardened flesh.
Zac climbed over a jagged ridge and stopped at the top. Below him was a cluster of caves carved into the side of a crimson hill.
Several E and D-rank beasts surrounded one particular cave, desperately trying to force their way inside. There were at least twenty to thirty beasts gathered around the place.
But the number of beasts was not what shocked Zac. It was what stood between them and the cave.
Four enormous ’bunnies.’
Each one towered nearly nine to ten feet tall, dressed in warrior-like attire and wielding weapons in their hands.
Zac stared at them in surprise.
"Really?"