<u>Chapter Fifty-Four</u>


    Jenny killed the rabbit by flicking her wrist and sending an orb of viridian power at it. The creatures were not the adorable, fuzzy kind of rabbit that she might have gushed over once, but rather the kind straight out of your nightmares. With a twisted, pale horn, and beady red eyes glowing with malevolent hate. Their fur was matted, ripped out in places, and they would open their mouths in sickening hisses.


    Not cute at all.


    But they were good experience.


    [You have killed a Horned Rabbit Level 15 and have advanced to level 20]


    Jenny might have clapped her hands or even smiled at the message once upon a time. Instead, all she felt was a sense of grim satisfaction. She was closer to her goal, but it was a single step upon a path that stretched onward towards the horizon and beyond.


    Closer. But still so far away.


    She sat down to consolidate her gains, trying to ignore the weight in her heart. Sometimes, in between building, her Dad would take her out to the forest like this to just admire nature. She would ask questions, and he would answer, and then she’d ask to sit on his broad shoulders where she felt safe.


    She wouldn’t be able to do that anymore.


    The days that passed didn’t make the pain any easier to bear. People tried to comfort her, particularly Andrea, but she just didn’t care. The life had been sucked from her world, and the only way she felt she could get it back was by killing Ambrose.


    At the thought, her heart beat like a drum, fire blazed behind her eyes, her fists clenched. It was his fault. She wasn’t stupid, she knew that it wasn’t entirely Ambrose’s fault, but certainly a lot of the blame could be laid at his feet.


    He would pay for that.


    But it wouldn’t be soon. Jenny needed power, first. Which meant training her new class, and skills. She brought it up now, wanting to check her progress.


    [Name: Jenny Smith


    Race: Human [E-Grade]


    Class: Witch [Epic]


    Level: 25


    Skills: [Spellcasting-Rare], [Ritualism-Epic], [Inspect-Common]


    Constitution:


    Strength: 30


    Intellect: 30


    Wisdom: 30


    Willpower: 25


    SC:0


    Attributes:0] This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    She was progressing, though progress was slow. Andrea had started something she referred to as the “Tutorial Program,” and part of that entailed putting low level creatures in a cordoned off section of the island. An array covered the section, preventing the creatures from escaping, and even if they did somehow get out, the Swords of Avalon were more than capable of dealing with them.


    She had expected to have to sneak in, but Andrea was supportive of her coming out here, something about “Venting her frustrations.” As if she expected her to forgive Ambrose after killing enough monsters.


    She snorted, kicking a rock with her shoe. It skipped over the ground, settling on a patch of grass.


    Even while he was away, Ambrose''s presence could be felt on the island. People talked about him, asked after him, felt safe with him. He was powerful, there was no question about that. He possessed a strength that felt all encompassing, overwhelming.


    She wasn’t sure she would get enough strength to challenge him, especially because he likely grew stronger by the day. She wouldn’t give up, she would keep progressing until she caught up.


    No matter the obstacle. Today, that meant bunny monsters. She stood, brushing off her jeans, and looked at the corpse of the bunny. Her ritualism skill required guts from the monsters she killed, but she could create nifty items from them, like hex bags. Hex bags could have a variety of effects, none of them very good.


    The skill also allowed her to speak to spirits of the recently departed. She had tried talking to her Dad, but he had been gone for too long.


    She had thought about trying to place a hex bag in Ambrose’s house, but he was never home, and he was a higher grade than her, so she very much doubted it would work. Part of her worried about her deal with Misaq as she used a knife to skin the bunny, depositing its innards into a bag of holding she had inherited from Dad.


    Her Dad hadn’t trusted the devil, and so she had been reluctant to. She hadn’t forgotten that day after arriving on the island. The devil had caused her to hurt, somehow, but nothing else really mattered to her beyond revenge.


    Even her own life.


    She spent the next few hours depleting the monster population. Andrea had purchased an array that made them respawn, so she wasn’t too worried about that. No other kids came out here.


    All the better for her.


    After a hard day, she returned to the group home, passing kids that whispered as she passed.


    “There’s that weird girl. I think her name is Jenny?”


    She ignored them as best she could, going up to her room for a shower.


    At her desk, she chronicled the day''s events, her gains, the items she had collected, and her goals for the next day after school. She briefly considered ditching, but then Andrea would come looking for her, and that wasn’t a confrontation she wanted.


    People kept trying to get close to her, and she wouldn’t allow it. People who got close, died. So long as they thought her an unpleasant, angry little girl that was rude to them, they would leave her alone and live.


    It was the best thing she could do for them, really.


    After journaling, she did her homework.


    Then she would go to bed and begin the process anew tomorrow. It was a grindy existence, but every gain was worth it. No other kids wanted to be doing what she was, and she couldn’t understand that. To them, she was the abnormal one, but to her it was the opposite.


    This new world was all about strength.


    Those with it survived while the weak perished.


    She would never be weak again.


    _______


    Andrea Pender met with Tina in her office. The younger woman looked bored, as if she would rather be fighting something.


    But her news was interesting.


    “This could really work, if we approach it right.” Andrea said.


    Tina shrugged,


    “I will leave the politics to you, just tell me what you need, yeah?”


    Andrea nodded, glancing out the window.


    Jenny was walking back from the tutorial area. Tina noticed as well, and her bored look transformed into one of sympathy,


    “She carries a heavy burden, that child.”


    Andrea turned to look at Tina,


    “Something tells me you can relate.”


    Tina smiled,


    “That obvious, hmm? I can, indeed.”


    “What do you think about talking to her?”


    Tina was shaking her head before she finished speaking,


    “She has only one goal in mind. I can see it in her eyes. Talking will do no good at this point.”


    Andrea frowned, watching Jenny go into the group home.


    She sighed, because she had other matters to consider.


    Mentally, she wished Jenny would find healing, and then she dismissed the girl from her thoughts.


    Business awaited. The pressing kind.


    The kind that could cost lives if she didn’t attend to it.