MA: 94. Thirty Minutes Till...?

The path ahead was a treacherous one. There were no clear signs of danger aside from the surging wall of sand. Creatures who pranced around the green gardens appeared friendly at first glance, as did inconspicuous flowers that grew in the center.

“Get too close to that one and it’ll snap you in half.” Snow pointed at a dear-like creature that stiffly nibbled on the grass.

A poor furless deer wandered nearby. A pair of pincers emerged from the ground the moment they grazed the grass. They were torn in half, entrails flying across the garden as blades of grass greedily stretched upwards to lap it up.

“Ingenious.” Red’s eyes sparkled. “To use the enemy as bait. That’s what you’re doing too, right!?”

“These lumps are going to be used in case we find ourselves being chased by a Primi Alraune.” Snow then pointed at a white flower in the center of the garden. “Phenom of Contempt 731: Primi Alraune. Don’t wander too close to the grass. They’ll cut right through your boots.”

A normal person would have been horrified at the thought. But Red’s eyes glistened like a child on a trip to the zoo. Snow was partially her guide, and she educated her on the plethora of creatures that existed in the Languid Fault.

Many weren’t native. They were variants of already existing creatures, some as far as multiple Regions away. Fascination filled Red’s eyes, because that meant there was so much more to discover in this world.

And like a child, she couldn’t help but to constantly nag Snow. She tugged on her sleeve and would shout: “What’s dis? Why does it look so dumb/cool? Can I beat it? Is it tasty? Can we eat them?”

“If it’s you, then yes. You can eat them. Beating them? No chance. A Primi Alraune alone is level 85.”

“WEAKER THAN THE CACTUS!? Huh…? How the hell does that… No way.”

“If that’s surprising, then you haven’t heard of the Puff Puffs. We’ll see them one day if we ever make it to the snowy Regions. You’d fit right in. Lots of fighting up there.”

“Why give them such cute names if they’re so dangerous?”

“We call them Puff Puffs. But the language non-Blessed use directly translates to ‘Snowballs’. I guess they’re interchangeable.” Snow nodded to herself, shuddering at the mention of these monsters.

Red on the other hand had to rub her eyes like she was seeing things.

“Snowballs? And that’s any better?”

“Put it this way. You’re Fledgling Red.”

“I’m listening.”

“No one’s going to take you seriously with a name like that. Hold on. I’m still talking.” Snow diffused a Red that was moments away from throwing a fit. “But what if people knew who Fledging Red was? Suddenly, there’s weight to your namesake.”

“… I can’t become an Adventurer any sooner.” Red squirmed in place, excited by the prospect of being known by the world. “Hehe. Agate. You can be my secretary. When the world needs Fledgling Red, then you’ll forward their messages to me!”

“Secretary?” Snow murmured. “You mean like a Broker?”

“What’s a Broker?”

“Let’s just pretend they’re the same thing.”

*

Red didn’t know how to feel about respecting the boundaries of monsters that were supposedly stronger than her.

Didn’t Snow say that stats aren’t everything?

Is she telling me that a plump rat has more combat experience than me?

She glared at a bloated rat that rolled around the blades of grass. Its thick hide defended it from the grass. But its major disadvantage was that it could not see where it was going.

Suddenly, it sank into a hole hidden beneath the grass. Minutes later, its bones spat out in a membranous bag.

Though they were supposed to move quickly, they took some time to gather resources and sightsee. Birds with meter-long wingspans circled them overhead, waiting for them to succumb.

“They’re so big but they prey on carcasses. Sounds like Rockie.” Red jabbed. “Kill stealers. Don’t think I haven’t forgotten how your kind stole my milimilipeed!”

“Brrr.” Rockie rocked around, threatening to throw Red off balance.

“OI! Tch. Fine. Be like that.” She grumbled. “And careful! I’m gathering grass over here!”

She slashed blades of grass with her knife, collecting them like matured wheat. They were around fifty centimeters long and were barely thicker than an arrow shaft. But make no mistake, their sharpness was on par with a metal sword.

In fact, the grass clambered like steel rods.

Primi Alraune Whiskers

< External sensory organs used to detect suitable prey. Serves as a trapping organ. Its hollow structure allows the Primi Alraune to project an external stomach and begin digesting captured prey >

ATT : 30     MAG ATT : 0

< EFFECT: Bypasses up to 900 ATT DEF >

They were as light as a feather. But when thrown, they moved like weighted knives. She collected as many as possible since the Dimensional Storage was limited by weight, rather than volume.

It had been well over two hours since they arrived at the Languid Fault. It was noon now. Nightfall was set to arrive at 1800, so they had another six hours to go to cross the last kilometer.

Red flicked a finger across the tips of the blades of grass, cutting her thumb.

“Scary. They’re barbed too. Not designed to kill, but to maim and trap. Smart. Any advantages to eating prey alive?” Snow asked.

“Zero… Is what I’d say but we’re not normal. I like blood when it’s still warm. But I’m sure cooking your food is better for you.”

“It’s the taste, huh.”

“Yep. Also makes it easier to eat.”

Speaking of which, Red noticed a fresh bear carcass that was ejected from one of the holes in the ground.

It was far too large to consume whole. A jelly-like sack was still attached to the bear’s upper body. It struggled to release the bear, and second later, stopped moving entirely. It shriveled like salt sprinkled on a slug, twisting the bear’s body with an audible pop.

Gauntlet Bear

LEVEL : 65     ORIGIN : Animalia     HP : 6,400     ATT : 850     MAG ATT : 0     AGI : 35

“Free ATT upgrades! Can I!? Snow! Please! Can I eat it!?”

“Go ahead. Just watch out for the Bone Vultures.”

“The birds…?”

Her eyes trailed upwards where a band of eight massive birds came nosediving towards her rightful meal.

“Hey… HEY! THAT’S MINE!”

They didn’t view her as a threat. Their upper beaks descended upon the carcass like guillotines, shredding it apart with relative ease. The sheer power of their beaks should have been enough to scare off what they thought was a pitiful human.

Mocking caws rang as they watched her through their tiny eyes, which sat in the center of a giant eye socket.

Bone Vulture

LEVEL : 50     ORIGIN : Animalia     HP : 550     ATT : 5     MAG ATT : 0     AGI : 45

But the moment they turned their heads away–

“CAWWWW!”

“THAT’S NOT YOURS!”

–One had a blade of grass embedded into the side of their throat. Because their neck was so thin the reactionary recoil caused their head to rip right off. It flew in Red’s direction, and she grabbed it, spun, and used the momentum to hurl it back at the ribs of another.

[Debilitate]. This dealt a measly portion of damage to the Bone Vulture. But its primary effect of crippling the target’s movements manifested as shattered bones.

< Observation Level 1 >

< Bone Vulture >

< Scavengers of arid Regions. They refuse to engage in combat against living targets. But will attempt to defend sources of food >

< Great Observation Level 1 >

< Species | Avian >

< The bones of Avian organisms tend to be on the brittle side. Physical RESIST and ATT DEF are typically low. Weak against crushing and blunt-force trauma >

< “You can use [Punch] here to gain Levels! And watch out for their talons! They’re going to try to grapple you!” >

Red threw additional blades of grass as the birds, crippling their movements. The head of one raised upwards, attempting to crush her the moment she entered their attack range.

She trusted Snow and kept her gaze on its talons rather than the beak. As she had warned, the talons attacked first.

“A feint!” Red giggled.

She enjoyed the thrill of the hunt.

Straightforward enemies weren’t fun at all, unless they were really strong!

She slammed her forearm against the bony protrusions along the bird’s legs, resulting in a satisfying snap. Its wings flapped, the wingbeats causing her to skid away as it attempted to escape.

“Oh no you don’t!”

“CAWWWWW!”

She threw a bundle of bladed grass. They spread out like the pellets of a shotgun and peppered the bird. Seconds later, it crashed onto the bear with a mangled thud, crushing its fellow Bone Vultures for good.

“No one steals from Red!” She stood triumphantly over their bodies. “Snow! Can we start a fire! Can we cook them!?”

“BWA!” Three Paw emerged from the shadows of the carcasses, nodding his head eagerly with a tongue lolling out of his mouth.

“I’ll never stop being surprised by how you fight.” Snow silently praised her.

She meant it. Few could fight at the same level as Red. The question was how far she could go. Suddenly, she felt a warm, fuzzy leg press against her back. It was Rockie. It stared up at her with its beady eyes as it made an adorable face:

( OOOOwOOOO ).

This face said: “If only you had seen her fight the [Unknown].”

“I can’t translate that one.” Snow pat its head. “Sorry. I don’t have enough levels in [Bestiary Transcription] yet.”

[Bestiary Transcription] was a Skill that allowed one to interpret the language and body language of animals. This was an inherent Ability of magical species, such as the Elves, or the plant-based Verdanians who also had the [Whispers of Fauna] Ability, which allowed them to communicate with plants.

This was how Snow could understand Three Paw and Rockie.

“Proud of her, aren’t you? Not scared that she might actually eat you one day?”

“Brrr~”

“You wouldn’t mind? Haaah. Cherish yourself a little.” Snow giggled.

A feast was upon them.

And Red had new stats to gain!

< Stats from the Gauntlet Bear gained >

< Stats from the Bone Vulture gained >

ATT : 800 -> 830     AGI : 40 -> 42

All seemed well in the most unlikely of places.

But unbeknownst to them…

Something sinister was brewing at the furthest end of the Languid Fault.

A shadow loomed across the Central Forests.

The sun was partially blocked behind the Nexus.

Indeed.

“Snow. Can I ask you something?”

“Mhm~ Go ahead.”

Red pointed up at the fading sun.

“What happens when the sun goes behind the Nexus?”

The cooked bird wing fell from Snow’s fingers. Her face turned pale as she followed Red’s finger.

“That… What…?”

“Snow?”

She began flicking through the pages of her diary with greasy-ridden fingers, desperately searching for a page.

Then, her eyes widened like she was staring death in the face.

“I forgot… We’re three months ahead. We’re in the Last Solstice. That means…!”

She saw it. The shadows looming in the horizon.

It swept across the world as the Languid Fault rumbled.

“1430…”

Her breaths became labored. In no time, she was already scrambling onto Rockie’s back and extending a hand to Red and Three Paw.

“HURRY! START RUNNING TO THE WALL!”

Red didn’t ask until she was aboard Rockie’s back. At once, they were making a mad dash to close out the final kilometer.

“Snow – What’s going on! Why is it becoming so dark all of a sudden!?”

Finally, Snow answered her with bated breath.

“The Second Night. Parts of the world will experience a Second Night because of the position of the sun and the Nexus! We’re in that zone during this time of the year–!”

//////// < WARNING > ////////

The Second Night

< On the eve of the first night, let the first seal fall. The rider in white shall bring forth the great cleansing. On the eve of the second, let the next seal break and unleash the rider in red. May your days and nights be coated in eternal red >

“–The Second Night begins in thirty minutes!”