NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Ranked 1st in Idiocy
In a large, poorly lit room, a giant bipedal beast tore through a boulder, shattering it into dozens of pieces with a single strike before exhaling heavily.
"As expected. This technique is powerful, but…" He mused, seeing that the arm he used to smash through the rock was bleeding profusely, causing the teal fur to be dyed red. He was lucky it wasn't broken.
"The recoil is too much." He scoffed, gathering the pieces of rock together so they didn't make a mess.
"I'll need to readjust my strength."
Turning to his other training partner, another boulder, this one significantly grander with a rope tied around it. He prepared to strike it with all his might, much like he did with the other, until a set of hurried footsteps caught his attention.
A few moments later, a distressed wolf with a similar fur color barged through the cloth-covered door frame.
"M-my liege! Trouble!"
The large beast looked at his visitor.
"Aciea? What's wrong? What happened?"
"The- The! The life flames of Drukal and Aesa have gone out… They- They've… My sister and her husband have been killed while looking for the one who felled the triplets." Aciea said.
Stepping closer to the door, where the light of the early afternoon sun could bask in his radiant, muscular form, the giant man-like wolf's eyes widened.
"Drukali and Aesa? Weren't they just [Promoted]? Who did it? Was it those damned monkeys?"
The distressed wolf shook his head.
"We don't know, sire. I ran here as soon as their life flames flickered out! It's safe to assume so since it was near their territory."
Staying silent for several seconds, the giant wolf let out a loud "ROAHHHHAHHHR!" The wind that followed grabbed Aciea and sent him out of the building before the prior slammed his fist into the massive rock.
The rock, however, was unmoved. The thatch wall behind the rock, however, was not.
"Damn it! Who dared kill my, the great Gravana's subjects?! And while our main forces are out negotiating with those tree-loving bastards. Aciea, how long until they return."
The gale wolf Aciea, as shaken up as he was, hurried back inside the building.
"A-a week at minimum, sir."
"Send scouts! DO NOT ENGAGE! Report back to me when it's discovered who killed my people report back to me."
"Y-yes!"
…
…
"Ahahaha."
Feeling the blood of the deceased wolf that was made to be a tree ornament drip down on her, Alchemy couldn't help but laugh.
"Not… Even… Close… Ba-by." She continued.
If she didn't laugh, tears would be streaming down from her eyes from the fear of losing her life.
Despite this arguably being the second time she was this close to death by those wolves, the real danger of the situation only really hit her now that she'd spent a night in this world.
However, she felt a wave of satisfaction that overwhelmed the fear. An excitement that she couldn't figure out.
At the same time, the Thornskirmishers huddled around her, ready to protect their leader from the still-injured.
{Mother! The battle isn't over yet! Get up! That animal will attack any moment.}
In response to their words, Alchemy nodded, forcing herself up, nearly losing her balance immediately.
Breathing heavily, she looked at the injured deer. With a glance, she knew. The deer calf had no energy to fight. Not only was it still bleeding out, it was clearly having trouble even breathing with such severe injuries.
'The wolves were chipping away at the deer for nearly 15 minutes. Just how durable is this thing?' She hummed inwardly before speaking.
"What a ballsy move," Alchemy commented, coughing up some blood.
'If I kill a rare monster, won't I get even better rewards from that than the quest? Why would you move to save me in that instant? For revenge?'
The [Rare] modifier meant that this creature was a subspecies of its race, most likely born from a mutation, and would drop rewards to equal how rare it was, signified by the number of plus signs after the word.
A [Rare++] monster would surely have amazing drops, even at a low level. But this near-death experience of hers made her curious about something.
This was her reality now, not just some game. If she didn't acknowledge that after how real all this pain felt, she'd deserve to be pronounced braindead. Honestly, she didn't know how she could get up and continue despite the pain. Maybe it had something to do with her being a [Prospect], or perhaps her willpower was always this good and was never tested.
Whatever the case was, since this wasn't a game, why should the game's limitations bind her?
"Status."
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Alchemy switched the view to the newly acquired second page by changing the panel.
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"Oh… Yeah, I'm definitely ranked 1st in being an idiot. Although I suppose I wouldn't be a Verminae main if I weren't."
Taking a few steps forward, the deer calf tried its best to slink away.
{Mother! What are you doing?!}
"Oh, quiet down. Can't you see the poor thing is defenseless right now?"
{It might just be pretending! It did precisely that to the wolf! It's playing you.}
"Your logic is sound, but I'm only alive because it did that. If you're so worried, just be ready to protect me. On the other hand, if you're going to keep chirping pointlessly, bring the wolf bodies to Sylvan Carvers."
That shut the Thornskirmishers up.
'That being said. I'm going to do something REALLY stupid. God, I hope this works.'
Walking closer to the young deer, Alchemy pressed on her [Miracle Generation] skill.
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"Don't worry, little one. My little ones won't hurt you. On the contrary, you'll die if nothing is done. How about you let me help you out? As thanks for saving my life."
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