SSSSS-Rank: Negative Leveling

The sun rose, its light spilling over the rocky plains. The cart continued its steady, jolting journey north. Luthra had been driving all night, his body running on fumes.

[Warning: Host's stamina is at a critical low. Continued operation without rest will result in decreased cognitive function and combat effectiveness.]

'Shut up, I know.'

"Hey, Luthra. You look like a zombie."

Rebecca was chewing on a piece of dried meat, her expression unusually serious.

"Are you going to fall over? If you fall over, I can't drive this thing."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Your face is all pale. You should sleep."

'This kid is surprisingly observant when she's not being annoying.'

He pulled on the reins, and the horses slowed to a stop. The cart creaked as it settled.

"Alright. I'm going to sleep."

He jumped down from the driver's seat. He pointed to the back of the cart, where the five bounty hunters were still tied up and unconscious.

"You watch them. If even one of them wakes up or moves, you wake me up immediately. Understand?"

Rebecca hopped down from the cart, puffing out her chest.

"Leave it to me! I'm the best guard in the world! No one gets past Rebecca!"

"Just wake me up."

He walked a short distance from the cart and simply lay down on the hard, rocky ground, using his arm as a pillow. The information from the system swirled in his head. His family, a bunch of liars cleaning up their own magical messes. His own power, a possible gift from some cosmic being who was a total asshole.

'What a joke. My entire life was a joke.'

He closed his eyes. Sleep did not come easily, but exhaustion eventually pulled him under.

---

Rebecca sat on a large rock, her small legs swinging back and forth. She had a sharp stone in her hand, which she was idly scraping against another, larger rock. The sun was getting higher in the sky.

It was really boring.

She looked over at Luthra, who was still sleeping. He had not moved at all. Then she looked at the five men tied up in the back of the cart. They had not moved either.

'This is the most boring adventure ever.'

Suddenly, there was a groan from the cart.

Rebecca stopped swinging her legs. Her eyes snapped toward the sound. The boss was stirring. His eyes fluttered open.

He blinked a few times, trying to focus. He saw the ropes binding him, then he saw the small girl sitting on the rock, staring at him.

His eyes widened slightly. He opened his mouth to speak, a low, raspy sound coming out.

"You… little rat…"

Rebecca did not run. She did not scream for Luthra. She just tilted her head, a strange look in her eyes. She stood up from the rock and walked slowly toward the cart, the sharp stone still clutched in her hand.

"Hey, mister."

The boss grunted, straining against the ropes. "Untie me… I'll give you anything you want… Money, power… just get me out of these ropes before he wakes up."

Rebecca stopped right next to the cart, looking down at him. She was so close he could see the dark bruise still mottling her cheek.

"You know, you hit me really hard."

The boss froze.

"I didn't mean to… I was just angry…"

"My dad used to hit me like that, too. All the time."

She raised the sharp stone in her hand.

"You know what I did to him?"

The boss stared at the sharp rock in the girl's hand and he instantly started to sweat.

"I-I'm sorry, okay? I was wrong. Let's just talk about this. I have money, a lot of it. I can make you rich."

'you little shit, just wait until my mana recharges, I will turn you inside out.'

Rebecca just looked at him, her face blank. "My dad had money, too. He used to buy a lot of expensive alcohol with it."

She took a step closer, raising the rock.

The boss's eyes went wide with panic. "Wait! Please! Don't—"

She brought the sharp rock down on his forehead. It made a dull, wet sound. He grunted, his body jolting against the ropes. She did not stop. She brought the rock down again, and again, and again. She kept hitting him long after he had stopped moving.

A man tied up next to the boss, who had been woken by the commotion, started screaming. "What the hell are you doing?! You crazy little bitch!"

She stopped hitting the boss. She turned her head slowly and looked at the screaming man. The front of her ragged shirt was now dark with blood. She dropped the rock and walked calmly over to a storage box at the front, where the bounty hunters' weapons were. She took out the heavy wood-cutting axe.

It was almost as tall as she was.

She dragged it back to the cart.

The second man's screams turned into panicked sobs. "No! Stay away from me! Get away!"

She did not say anything. She lifted the heavy axe with both hands, her small arms straining with the effort. She swung it downwards.

It was a clumsy, awkward swing, but the heavy iron blade landed on the man's chest with enough force to silence him permanently.

The other three men were all awake now, their faces full of pure terror. They struggled against their ropes, shouting and begging.

"Please! We'll do anything!"

"Let us go! We won't tell anyone!"

She ignored them, walked to the third man and raised the axe again.

---

Luthra's eyes snapped open.

He had been dreaming about a white fox and a sky full of falling stars. He sat up, shaking his head to clear the lingering fog of sleep. The sun was high and hot. It must have been hours.

'Shit, I slept for too long.'

He looked over at the cart and froze.

The five bounty hunters were still tied up but they were no longer alive. The ropes, the floor of the cart, and the ground beneath it were soaked in a dark, sticky red. It looked like a butcher's workshop.

He stood up slowly.

'What the fuck happened here?'

He saw her then. Rebecca was sitting on the same rock as before, her back to him. She was holding the blood-soaked axe across her lap and was methodically wiping the blade clean with a piece of old rag. She was humming a quiet, tuneless song.

He walked toward her, his steps completely silent and stopped right behind her.

"Rebecca."

She did not flinch. She just stopped humming and cleaning the axe. She turned her head and looked up at him, her eyes clear and calm.

"You're awake."

"What did you do?"

She looked from him to the five dead men in the cart, and then back to him, a hint of confusion on her face. She pointed a small, bloody finger at the cart.

"They moved. You told me to wake you up if they moved."

She paused for a second, then added.

"I didn't want to bother you. You looked really tired."

'what the hell?'