《When Clouds Rain Red》


 Fuck Chapter Titles!

    The blows to his body ceased.


    It wasn''t like he minded them much. Harper knew he was in the wrong, but he couldn''t have cared less. His eyes, which had been previously bruised closed, felt... He wasn''t quite sure how to put the sensation: Free? Weightless? It wasn''t something he needed to question at the moment.


    His body feeling rejuvenated was the least of his questions now: Why look a gift horse in the mouth?


    The real question pestering him was focused on what was under him. Previously, he could feel the hard, smooth concrete of the prison floor beneath him. It was something similar to grass¡ªno, that wasn''t right. It was too sharp and stiff to be grass¡ªregular grass, at least.


    Harper''s eyes cracked open, his hands pressing against whatever was below him. The sky above him, visible partially through unique cyan floral, was a mesmerizing blend of purples, dark blues, and greys. He was certain it was supposed to be the night of wherever he was now.


    Getting hit too many times wouldn''t include this level of hallucination. Any brain damage would have been more crippling, and I still have five fingers dropping the foremost outlook of this being a dream or comatose state.


    Eyes trailing to the ground, below him, what appeared to be yellow grass. It was hard as steel, and laying atop it was similar to laying atop a bed of nails. Standing was a bit odd, the yellow grass not bending at all beneath his weight.


    Gazing around the forest, he decided that overreacting was the worst thing he could do in his current situation. In a new environment came with new threats.


    He needed to gather information.


    Taking this step by step. It''s certainly not Earth. The Aurora Borealis wasn''t visible within the region the prison was in or around. It wouldn''t cover the entire sky as it does now, either, especially with these colors.


    Additionally, the vibrant, bright yellow grass is further proof. If it were slightly prickly, dry, and duller in color, it would make sense. I could pass it off for dry, dead grass, but it is too fresh.


    Lastly, augmented reality is nowhere near this level of realism. It wouldn''t allow me to feel what I''m feeling now, smell what I''m smelling, taste the oddities in the air compared to what was standard on Earth.


    The amount of oxygen is nearly suffocating, yet my body feels soothed just breathing in. There''s something else in the air; it doesn''t appear to be any in the likeness of drugs; marijuana or shrooms would cause hallucinations, but not of this caliber. They wouldn''t cause healing of this speed either.


    My best bet is that this is another world. Questioning it at this point is akin to asking why I was saved from death. Though is getting used to a new situation like this, in a new world, better or worse than death?


    Snap


    Harper''s eyes shot toward the noise, honing in on the creature. It resembled a large pure white rabbit, with two sets of back legs and a long tail with a small blade on its end.


    His eyes widened; the odd rabbit was making his heart race. His fists clenched as he stared at the creature, its pure golden eyes looking back in curiosity and another feeling he understood well.


    Hunger.


    It was the rabbit that sprung first. Its speed was thrice that of a rabbit on Earth, and its mobility was on another plane.


    Then again, he supposed it wasn''t every day that he saw a rabbit bound off walls with its tail coiled in, ready to strike like a snake.


    It spanned the space of ten meters in less than a second before it entered his blind spot. Harper barely had the time to raise his arms, allowing his body to spin and fall as the rabbit pounced. The tail struck forward, spearing the air and snipping away some of his hair.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The rabbit was suspended mid-air, about to fall, but it was too late. Harper''s fist rose, a hook that crashed past the soft fur and into the flesh. The impact rocketed the large rabbit into a nearby tree, an audible snap as it struck.


    As it fell, its hind legs lay immobile on the ground as its front pawed at the area in front of it, its head shaking wildly as it cried out in pain and anger. Its lower half was paralyzed entirely as death slowly started to take the creature at a slow and painful death.


    Harper looked down at the creature as it clung to life, its deadly tail and powerful legs immobilized. A grin crossed his face, a predatory glint in his eyes as his feet brought him to his prey.


    Hand reaching down, it gripped the rabbit''s throat. Lifted from the ground, losing more strength every moment, the rabbit''s eyes pleaded for a quick death.


    Harper wouldn''t oblige.


    Grip tightening slowly, he watched the creature''s upper body squirm weakly in his grasp. Pressure increased slowly, and the visage of the rabbit''s life slowly left its eyes imprinted in his brain as his first kill on this new planet.


    Harper looked disinterested as the rabbit drew its last breath and dropped the creature. Though happy that he obtained his first kill, the speed at which he killed it annoyed him. It died far too fast.


    Clicking his tongue, he kicked the creature into a tree.


    It appears that the creatures are relatively fragile here. I shouldn''t have too hard of a time killing the creatures that live on this-


    His thoughts ceased, and his head unwillingly looked at his body, the night sky, and finally, the ground. It was out of his eye that Harper saw the creature. The last few neurons in his brain sent information as if a massive rabbit the size of his body landed with a humph on the hard yellow grass below.


    The pain finally began to register, burning hot for a split moment. It was then that everything went black.


    With a gasp, Harper shot upwards. His hands went to his neck, eyes shifting around wildly.


    He was sure he had just died. That was no illusion; the pain, though far too quick, was worse than when the guards had beat him. His hand reached towards his neck, feeling for a scar. It could be possible that this world had a far more advanced healing-


    No, if he had been resuscitated, he would be in a hospital now. Furthermore, he felt no scar.


    Harper looked down, and the scene was the same as when he had woken up. The same yellow grass, the same trees, the same sky, the same scents, the same feelings.


    Snap


    Harper''s head shot to the side. In front of him was the white golden-eyed rabbit. His thoughts raced to grasp what was happening.


    Gaze narrowing, he looked around. He hadn''t noticed the first time, never really focusing on what was above. They blended into the trees, their light sky bark and bright cyan leaves managing to camouflage them above him.


    As his body froze, his gaze matched the hundreds of pairs of golden eyes that bore down on him.


    They varied in size. The odd rabbit on the ground near him appeared smaller than the rest of the colony in the trees.


    They send out the runt, meant to be seen as easy prey. There is no doubt I died earlier; how and why I returned can be studied later. I don''t know how many times this will occur. This might have been my only chance. I need to go forward as if I won''t be revived again.


    Surviving a colony of cognitive, deadly, and systematic white rage rabbits takes precedence.


    An eyebrow rose as a screen appeared before him.


    [Quixroth System]


    Name: UnNamed


    Titles: Killer (Increased mental fortitude against taking lives, increases overall physical strength by 15%.), Transmigrator (Grants the other worlder a unique skill. Skill granted: Walking Tomb.), Ruthless (Every kill increases physical strength by 2.5% within a short time frame.), Poacher (Killing animal-like creatures satiates hunger equivalent to the creature''s size.).


    Skills: Walking Tomb (Passive- The other worlder is cursed never to remain dead. With each death, the other worlder will return 5 minutes prior to their death.), Killer''s Wrath (Active- 10% physical strength increase, 10% physical speed increase. Time- 3 minutes), Man Hunter (Passive- Physical damage to human and demon creatures is increased by 5%).


    Magic: (Select a magic attribute to wield.)


    Abilities:


    Health- 100% (10/10)


    Strength- 115% (8.05)


    Speed- 100% (7)


    Mana- 100% (15/15)


    It''s too big; it''s interfering with my view. I''ll die again at this rate. It can react to my thoughts, so what was it that motivated this system screen to appear?


    To his surprise, the screen disappeared. His mind ran over the words, settling on ''system.''


    The mere thought of the word brought it up again and sent it away once more. Quite the peculiar-


    Pain.


    To his lower right abdomen, two pairs of legs slammed into his body, rupturing organs on contact. Blood flowed up Harper''s throat and out his mouth, excruciating pain erupting from his stomach. His head was fuzzy, eyes unfocused as the rabbit creature opened its mouth in a hiss.


    It lunged, Harper far too injured to react. A bloody grin met the creature as its bladed tail struck.


    Harper sat up with a gasp.


    "Fuck."

 Shred The Damn TItle!

    Rolling his shoulders till he heard a pop, Harper picked himself up. Feeling the stiff yellow grass below his feet, he started to move.


    Harper didn''t want to look up; he would see them. All those weird fucking rabbit things. He didn''t notice them the first time he looked up since they had been camouflaged damn well. Knowing they were there now was quite nerve-wracking. It would send a shiver through his spine if he met eyes with all those shitlings.


    The runt of the colony would appear to the¡ªHe didn''t know the polar direction right now, but that direction.


    Setting a walking pace, his feet carried him away from the trap, just waiting to happen. Being a vicious killer didn''t mean he was a one-track-minded oaf who ran at a problem head-on till it solved itself.


    That was fucking idiotic.


    He needed to ensure he wouldn''t be in a time loop with murderous six-legged rabbits. Besides, it is quite embarrassing to get killed by these things twice.


    Snap


    Keep moving. Keep moving. Don''t look back. I can kill all these fucks when I''m more equipped.


    Thump


    Thump


    Thump


    "Damit."


    Ducking to the side and falling into a roll, Harper felt the runt impact with his leg. A scream erupted from his core, his eyes looking down at his leg turned twizzler. The leg was twisted a minimum of four times, blood pooling to his side and pieces of bone sticking out in shards and splinters.


    Seething, his lungs coming close to rupturing as they crashed against his ribs, Harper ripped off his shirt, its fabric thin and color light orange.


    Tearing the shirt and using it as a tourniquet, his mind raced.


    Why hadn''t the runt finished him off yet? Was it watching him struggle? Was it enjoying his pain? He understood the feeling, and having it reversed on him gave him an odd, gleeful, yet frustrating sensation.


    Harper grits his teeth, smiling as he scans the area. To his surprise, the rabbit creature had impaled itself with its tail.


    As painful as it was, Laughter erupted as he gazed over the runt. It likely killed itself when striking, his ''dodge'' throwing the little fucker just enough off course to stab itself at the base of its skull, likely severing the spine in the process.


    "Little fucking prick," he sneered, a crooked smile running across his face.


    THUMP


    Of course, after the runt''s death, one of the large, odd rabbits would kill him. Why did he even consider tying a tourniquet on his bleeding leg? It was a waste of energy.


    Harper let out a sigh and closed his eyes. The pain was quick, and once again, he didn''t have a chance for it to register.


    Harper sat up, coughing. He had accidentally been caught between trying to take a deep breath and his apparent gasp when he came back to life. His eyes watered a bit, a few more coughs running their course as his lungs recalibrated.


    Finally settling, Harper heard that annoying snapping  sound.


    "Stupid fucking rabbits. Which egocentric scientist decided these disturbing little critters were a good idea?" Spinning to face the runt, he glared. It wasn''t very often on Earth that he had gotten angry at something he was trying to kill or something trying to kill him. The rabbit creatures, though, he could admit, were mildly irritating.


    "If everything on this planet is as annoying as these, I''m going to be giving that stupid fucking walking grave skill or whatever it''s called a run for its money."


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Thump


    Thump


    Thump


    The rabbit lunged, its tail speared out towards Harper. As the bladed tail stabbed into his palm, Harper clamped the rest of his hand around it.


    With a feral grin, Harper sidestepped the rabbit, using its long tail like a flail as he swung.


    The creature seemed to squeal in panic as its body was redirected, its momentum allowing Harper to whip it into a tree. A weak, high-pitched croak was the last audible noise from its throat at the contact.


    "Ha... Come back from that."


    THUMP


    One of the larger odd rabbit fucks came down to play.


    Turning towards the creature, a weak growl escaped its maw. Ignoring the pain, Harper ripped the blade out of his hand, glaring hard at the odd rabbit as blood trickled down his fingers.


    Gripping the tail of the dead runt, he stepped near the base and pulled. Tearing the tail of the dead creature, Harper wrapped it around the base of the blade.


    A makeshift weapon was better than no weapon.


    His reaction time was far slower than that of the odd rabbits, but they moved in a straight line while in the air and seemed only to be able to strike once with their tails while suspended. He could work with this.


    Harper''s eyes just barely caught the tensing in its legs, and hell, was he under-prepared for this creature.


    He was dead before he knew it.


    Harper gasped, sitting up. "I hate these fucking rabbits."


    Standing quickly, he began a brisk walk away from his current area. He didn''t want to be in this loop any longer.


    The farther he moved from his starting point, the faster he strode. Harper eventually reached a jog and then evolved into a run.


    Thump


    Thump


    They were already on the hunt against him. These little fucks were persistent.


    The hard, needle-like yellow grass below his feet made running quite difficult. Small, sharp pangs of pain followed each step.


    Despite the pain, Harper kept moving forward. He could see the edge of the woods and glimpses of structures farther past it.


    "Home free, you fucking-"


    Fwoo-


    Crack


    BOOM


    Harper''s face drained of blood, and the tree just ahead to his right exploded, expelling wood fragments at high speeds.


    Ducking down, falling into a half-assed roll, Harper desperately picked himself up. He was on the run again, his roll costing him speed and distance.


    He didn''t want what blasted that tree to bits to strike him. He didn''t want to restart again. He had barely been running for ten minutes. Restarting at the end of his escape would be a hell of a nuisance for him.


    Wait, I might still be able to get out of here. Think, bastard, think.


    System, Skills.


    Harper grinned, it worked as expected.


    [Quixroth System: Skills Page]


    Skills: Walking Tomb (Passive- The other worlder is cursed never to remain dead. With each death, the other worlder will return 5 minutes prior to their death.), Killer''s Wrath (Active- 10% physical strength increase, 10% physical speed increase. Time- 3 minutes), Man Hunter (Passive- Physical damage to human and demon creatures is increased by 5%), Physical Damage Resistance (Passive- Physical damage is reduced by 1%).


    Harper''s eyebrow rose at the new skill, but now wasn''t really the time to think about it. Dismissing the system screen, he tried out the skill.


    Killer''s Wrath


    ...


    Nothing happened.


    "Fuck, how do I get this shit to work! Activate Killer''s Wrath!"


    Still nothing.


    "System, Activate Killer''s Wrath!"


    That did the trick.


    [Quixroth System Notification]


    Skill "Killer''s Wrath" has been activated. Time Remaining: 2:59


    Strength- 132.24% (9.25)


    Speed- 110% (7.7)


    Though the boost didn''t look like much, it was far more than he had expected. His next step nearly threw him off his feet¡ªapparently, the additional ten percent strength increase also appeared to increase his body''s resistance.


    The sharp, hard yellow grass below his feet didn''t hurt as much as it had before. His speed increase allowed him to just barely keep his lead ahead of the murderous rabbits as they grew closer.


    As the forest edge finally came into view, Harper nearly shouted in victory. He had killed too many people with the same outlook, though, reaching the outside where they would believe they would be safe.


    The moment he left the forest, he bolted straight forward. The thumping slowly drowned out as he left the odd rabbits maneuvering through the trees.


    He didn''t stop until the skill wore off, with what looked like a medieval town still a good bit away.


    [Quixroth System Notification]


    Skill "Killer''s Wrath" has been deactivated. Unavailability Timer: 9:59


    A ten-minute timer till the skill can be used isn''t as bad as I would have thought. It still leaves much to be desired, but it''s livable.


    Quite content, he continued in a slow jog towards the town. He could hunker down for a bit. Attacking people as he entered the first town wouldn''t be practical.


    It was finally time to get some information about this new world.

 The Pananda Bananda Demands Chapter Title Sacrifices!

    Harper''s jog transitioned into a walk a few minutes after his "Killer''s Wrath" skill wore off. Judging by the visible distance, he would say he likely had another half hour till he reached the town.


    While he was on his way, hopefully without anything attempting to return him to sender, he wanted to check the magic portion of the system.


    System, Magic


    [Quixroth System: Magic Page]


    Magic: (Select a magic attribute to wield.)


    "I enjoy how it doesn''t actually show me- THE FUCKING OPTIONS!" Swiping at the screen, his action did nothing as his hand flailed through the intangible screen.


    "Hmm- Magic Options?"


    Harper scowled at the unchanged screen.


    "Magic... map?"


    "Still nothing? What the fuck do I have to do to see a fucking list of the- Oh."


    The word ''list'' apparently did the trick.


    To his surprise, there weren''t some mere five or six different elements. There was quite the armada of available attributes, including some elements, to be expected, but several other options, too.


    [Quixroth System: Magic Page]


    Magic: Attribute List


    1- Fire


    2- Water


    3- Earth


    4- Air


    5- Electricity


    6- Poison


    7- Holy


    8- Nature


    9- Mental


    10- Illusion


    11- Enchantment


    12- Necromancy


    13- Space


    14- Time


    15- Miscellaneous


    (Select a magic attribute to wield)


    Harper almost felt his jaw drop at some of the options as he read through.


    Space and Time magic?! Is there a catch to it?


    Wait. First, I need more information on the different types of magic. Are there certain spells available, or is magic more of an element that I can bend to my will? If it is control-based magic, I would imagine that it is related to experience and practice.


    Spells might be a bit tricky. I don''t want spells with a set damage amount; it would be best if they were mana-based. This would allow me to create more powerful spells by infusing more mana into lower-end spells.


    I need to stop theorizing and actually figure out what kind of magic it is.


    System, Magic, Fire


    Nothing.


    System, Magic, Fire, List Spells


    Still no luck.


    System, Magic, List, Fire...


    System, Magic, Fire, Spells...


    System, Magic, Fire, Page...


    System, Magic-


    Harper wasn''t sure how many times he tried to pull up a list of spells. This meant he couldn''t pull up a spell list, or it was control-based.


    Harper grinned.


    Scanning the list, Harper felt a pull towards poison; water was a close second, with air third. He could already tell these three would be far more powerful than they may seem compared to other attributes like time or necromancy.


    Harper had never poisoned someone to kill his old life; he preferred to brutalize his targets physically. This didn''t mean that he opposed the use of poisons; right now, poison magic would aid him most.


    He can''t play the long game; surviving won''t be possible without crippling enemies before they ever have the chance to fight. There is also an absurdly high chance that everyone and everything else can use magic. He was sure those murder rabbits used magic too, likely air magic. The invisible blast that easily splintered trees wasn''t something Harper wanted to encounter unprepared again.


    If those odd rabbits were on the lower end of the food chain in this world, Harper would need all the edge he could get. Luckily, he found a loophole earlier and intended to abuse it. Heavily.


    "System, Magic, Choose Poison."


    Nothing happened.


    "Mother fucker, work for me! System, Magic, Poison."


    [Quixroth System: Magic Page- Poison]


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Magic Attribute: Poison


    Choose the attribute Poison as your first attribute.


    [Yes]


    [No]


    "Yes."


    [Quixroth System: Magic Page- Poison]


    Magic Attribute: Poison


    The attribute Poison has been by ''UnNamed''.


    Poison Spells Available to ''UnNamed'':


    Stage I Poison Magic:


    + Poison Arrow


    Description: Fires off an arrow made of poison


    Mana Cost: 210


    Damage: 30 + &40& (1x 15 seconds every five hours)


    Harper looked at the mana cost, feeling defeated. Why did he feel like this was far higher than the initial cost of almost any other magic attribute? Just how powerful was this first spell? It was absurd, doing one hundred sixty damage every minute over four hours.


    This spell could kill him nineteen times over, including the initial damage.


    He didn''t like being stuck with a set damage amount, but this spell alone was well worth it. With this, he could probably take on those fucking rabbits... How would he kill the rabbits with this spell if he didn''t have enough mana?


    Actually, how did I kill those creatures in the first place? Something was weird; why were there health points? The rabbit killed itself by stabbing itself. Wouldn''t it have simply injured itself rather than dying?


    Is there a chance multiplier? Or is this more of a general amount of damage that it will deal, though hitting certain areas is always fatal... No, that wouldn''t make sense either; a far stronger creature likely would be able to take a lot more damage.


    Maybe it is more along the lines of creatures having vital spots, and the minimum amount of damage that spot can receive depends on the species of creature. I doubt the rabbit creatures would have perished if they had a higher minimum vital damage.


    Kicking his foot against the dying yellow grass in front of the short town gate, Riley held his spear as he watched the usually sturdy grass bend below his weight.


    Riley was a gate guard in the town of Bretchsong. Bretchsong wasn''t far from Tresten, one of the large cities in the Lireenan Empire. As a trade town, many travelers and merchants passed by, often spending time to rest or sell their merchandise.


    "Slow day?"


    Riley''s head perked up, swiveling as he turned toward one of the local bakery owners, Meras, who took a sip from a cup of tea he always seemed to have on hand. Riley visited the slightly older man''s shop every morning after his daily night shift. In return, Meras visited his daily regular and favorite customer. Meras'' words, not his.


    "Yeah, I don''t think we will have more than three people stopping in town today. It is always at its calmest before it storms. I would give it another fortnight, and I''m sure it will pick back up along with the upcoming annual Tresten Meren Berry Festival."


    Meras nodded, Riley almost drooling at the thought of getting more meren berries from the next big trade season. Meren berries were absurdly delicious and incredibly sweet without being overbearing to one''s palate. They went perfectly into the seasonal pastries Meras made. He couldn''t wait for a new batch from his favorite pastry shop.


    "Can I expect you to spend an entire paycheck on my scones again?" Quipped the chef, raising a brow at the guard.


    "You bet. I wouldn''t miss your scones even if I were to die."


    The two laughed, and Riley laid his spear against the three-meter wooden gate that acted as the town wall. "You have to tell me the recipe for your new glaze or sell it in bulk. I need it."


    The pair laughed harder, and the baker shook his head.


    "Krezze bee dew is a bit difficult to get right now. My supplier recently got his hands on some of the bees that produce it, so he doesn''t have a real hive yet. I''d wait another three fortnights for his hive to grow, and maybe I can get you a small jar."


    "I''ll be looking forward to it."


    A comfortable silence followed their conversation, the soft ambiance of the midnight wind rumbling the yellow grass like quiet chimes extending across the plains. This was how most of his nights were. Riley would stand around and occasionally make small talk with Meras until his wife decided it was time to retire.


    Riley was content to do this for the next ten to fifteen years. He could, of course, go to Tresten or even the capital if he so pleased. He was an ex-adventurer who would be highly appreciated among the knight corps. He liked the little town of Bretchsong, the people who lived here, the baker he was a regular for, and his wife and two little ones who enjoyed the quiet, quaint town.


    After about thirty minutes, two or three small conversations later, the pair of men in their thirties allowed themselves to lean against the wooden wall. A figure appeared walking through the plains. It wouldn''t be long before they arrived, and they didn''t appear armed. To make sure, he activated his otherworlder skill-Judge and Jury.


    Judge and Jury allowed him to inspect an individual to some extent. The skill told him their current inventory, bypassing unique skills that usually could hide from simpler skills like Inspect or Appraise. He could see their human, beast, and demon kill count, current inventory, bounties or warrants for the target''s capture or death, level, and name.


    Gaze falling onto the incoming individual, Riley quickly rearmed himself with his spear. Digging the butt of the spear into the ground at his side, his eyes drew down slightly into a scowl.


    "Meras, get inside. Someone potentially dangerous is coming up. My skill can''t get a read on them." Meras was one of the few who knew how his skills worked in its entirety. He was also among the even lesser few to know he came from another world.


    Meras didn''t say a word, giving a curt nod before he took his leave.


    The individual took a short bit to arrive, greeting Riley with a polite wave and smile. Riley remained even more on guard, his eyes landing on the orange fabric clothing. He recognized it from movies from other countries in his old world. Inmate clothing, not to mention the now identifiable man, was quite built.


    "What''s your name, and what''s up with the inmate clothing?"


    The man''s face didn''t shift in the slightest, making it difficult to read him.


    "Evening, the name''s-"


    Riley raised an eyebrow, taking a moment to register what just happened. His lips moved as if he had said a name, but there was no sound. More than that, he had no level, and his skill didn''t even work on him properly.


    "Ahh, the clothing. I got it from another transcender on my way here. It was better than the nearly tattered rags I was wearing before. I didn''t care, and he was happy to trade out of the unwanted clothing."


    Riley didn''t want to believe it for a moment, but the man sounded honest. Every instinct in his mind was at a tug of war, unsure whether it was a lie or the truth.


    "What''s your level?"


    He didn''t want to get into more trouble than it was worth, though he doubted this would be the case. It didn''t hurt to be safe, however, even at a staggering level of seventy-four.


    "Level?" The man asked, expression emitting genuine, absolute confusion. "What do you mean, level? I have never seen anything about levels in the system."


    Riley paused for a moment, caught off guard by the statement.


    He doesn''t have a level? Is he fucking with me, or is he serious? Could this be why I can''t see his name, level, kill count, or warrants?


    Giving a slow nod, he pulled up his system and showed it to the man. Of course, he didn''t show his real system; he had a nice skill named Impersonator.


    [Quixroth System]


    Name: Riley Green


    Level: 14


    Age: 32


    Titles: Knight (Increases physical strength by 120%, increased physical speed by 75%, increases health by 75%.), Transmigrator (Grants the other worlder a unique skill. Skill granted: Walking Shield.), Brave (Increases overall mental fortitude, increases physical strength by 30%, increases physical speed by 10%.), Good Samaritan (Increases speed by 30%, increases health by 20%, increases mana by 20%.), Protector (Increases physical strength by 30%, increases speed by 30%, increases health by 90%.), Poacher (Killing animal-like creatures satiates hunger equivalent to the creature''s size.).


    Skills: Walking Shield (Passive- The other worlder is harder to kill to save others. Increases physical strength by 50%, decreases physical speed by 30%, increases health by 215%), Slash (Active- Deals 190% damage on the next attack. Use- 3), Mountain (Active- Decreases speed by 50%, increases health by 90%.), Warrior (Passive- Increases physical strength by 40%, increases speed by 20%.).


    Magic: (Hidden)


    Abilities:


    Health- 500% (60/60)


    Strength- 370% (33.3)


    Speed- 185% (14.8)


    Mana- 120% (64.8)


    "This is my system. See my level?"


    The man looked at him as if he had three heads. "What? I don''t see anything."


    Riley really didn''t understand what the hell was going on.

 The Dog Ate The Fucking Chapter Title...

    Acting was something that Harper never had thought he had a problem with.


    He had always believed he was terrific at the skill. His last bit of luck had managed to nearly convince the man before him with an accidental spark of potential talent and his little skill. Law enforcement had never suspected him, not that they had any reasons. He killed at random, leaving behind nothing to track him. When someone asked him about the string of murders, it was out of his opinion on the matter, and his ability to remain calm and appear unrelated to the deaths in any form was the root of his flawed disposition.


    The guard before him didn''t appear gullible; he would not fall for his words again. It was apparent that the acting skills he held so much pride in from his previous world weren''t as applicable here. The killer had never had any actual experience with interrogations or so much questioning from the police in his previous world. Thus, his acting skills were entirely in his head.


    Harper didn''t have amazing acting skills. He could act enough that people who weren''t looking for a serial killer wouldn''t notice him as he lived his daily life.


    His acting was Okay at best.


    "What? I don''t see anything."


    Even without the information, he could have ascertained from learning about this guard''s ''level,'' stats, titles, abilities; Harper knew this guard was a fucking unit and a half. No amount of meager hand-to-hand and knife experience he had would save him if he tried to attack this man. And the bare minimum of not knowing, at least however far behind, left him uneasy.


    Sighing, the guard looked like he was about fed up. Confusion, annoyance, and nervous anger that he had done terribly to conceal. He was visibly not in the mood to deal with him, or even gaze at him for that matter.


    If Harper thought those damn murder rabbits were fast, he had to think again.


    The twirl of the spear had been impossible to register, nor the action of the weapon being thrust through his chest. It all occurred within the time it took to blink. Harper''s blood was pooling to the ground below him, a grin splitting his maw as he gazed into the guard''s eyes.


    The guard''s eyes twinged with far too much suspicion than Harper had hoped for. "You have too many unknowns," he said.


    Harper understood well; he had no resentment towards the guard. He was doing his job, and Harper would revive five minutes prior anyway. He could find another entrance to the town and hoped to high hell that it wasn''t someone else who came from Earth. It would be another nightmare, especially if he couldn''t get some new clothes on his person.


    "Can you make it quick?"


    The guard hesitated for an instant; then, a spearhead impaled Harper''s heart.


    <hr>


    Gasping, Harper''s eyes teared up as he stumbled forward. It was a miracle that his legs didn''t fall out from under him as he revived. Was revived the right word; he was not too sure. Resurrected? No, still not right. Whatever it was, he decided he could think on it later. Harper had a mission, and considering the town was far larger up close than from afar, he wanted to believe the trek to another wall entrance wouldn''t take an hour or two.


    To his dismay, it took four.


    Roughly the same size as the previous gate, the guard stationed here was undoubtedly a pushover. He was not a pushover for Harper right now, for obvious reasons. Still, a beer belly, scraggy long beard, half-lidded eyes, and the tip of his unmaintained longsword haphazardly resting on the ground were easy indicators.


    A curt nod was his greeting to the guard; his eyes lingered momentarily. The stench of booze rolled off the lazy bastard in a haze, and his posture left Harper wondering how the wind had not yet toppled him.


    Three-fourths of the way past, the guard spoke. "You goin'' somewhere?" He had to take two steps to turn towards Harper, a sleazy, unfocused grin on the man''s face. "No identification, weird clothes, no weapon or cart. You ain''t no guilder or merchy."


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    Harper turned towards the fat guard with a fraction of the effort.


    "Don''t got anything on me; this is the first town I''ve been to. Here to get identification."


    "No identification, no entry."


    "I don''t have any identification, only the clothes on my back."


    "So, ya saying ya don''t have access to the world order?"


    "The system?"


    "Ahh, otherer speech."


    The fat bastard sighed, his shoulders managing to slump lower. "Ya know how to open yur world order? If ya can show it to me, I''ll get ya to the guild house. They''ll allow ya to stay the night if ya do a quest in the morn."


    "That works for me. How do I show you my sys- World order?"


    Doing what the previous guard had done, he waved his hand to do what Harper assumed was the act of showing one''s world order. "Ya gotta wave your hand in the direction you want to show your world order and activate it using World Order, show."


    Nodding, Harper did as the fat bastard confirmed.


    <hr>


    Walt scratched his head; he had never seen something like this. What was the World Order doing, and why did it show this for the otherer? He''d never seen something like this in his fifty-two years of life.


    [Quixroth World Order]


    Name: UnNamed


    Level: UnKnown


    Age: UnKnown


    Titles: Blocked


    Magic: Blocked


    Abilities: Blocked


    After agreeing to bring UnNamed to the guild house, Walt led the way, remaining on the side of caution. Leading the obscure individual, one of the few otherers in this town came to mind. Riley.


    Riley''s World Order would only ever say Hidden, never Blocked. He was honestly stumped, but a deal was a deal. Even if he didn''t get any information on the otherer, he wasn''t wearing anything, and he doubted he was powerful. Regardless of this, the guard wanted to warn everyone. This individual was extremely dangerous due to the fact he lacked any details in his world order.


    He wasn''t dangerous now, but he was a potential disaster in the making.


    Everyone in this world grew at different rates. Some could rise above level one hundred in less than a year... He had seen it himself, another otherer who had arrived forty years ago. It''s been over a decade since he had last met the individual, now a king of his own nation.


    Rin was an extremely emphatic king. Kind, gracious, and fair, with a mean streak for getting everything he wanted for his kingdom.


    Rin''s kingdom wasn''t perfect, but Walt considered it as close as it could get. Food was available on every table, schooling was provided to every child, and money was easy to earn. Lastly, entertainment was few and far between, one of the best positive impacts of the presence of otherers.


    It was a paradise, for the innocent, at least.


    The guard''s thoughts moved back to UnNamed, hoping to Reius that he wasn''t like Rin regarding his growth rate. He already gave him an uneasy feeling, but he supposed it was better to keep an eye on the likely low-level individual. UnNamed was potentially dangerous in his previous world, but Quixroth wouldn''t be nearly as forgiving. Walt knew the dangers of this world and how tame other worlds were in comparison, thanks to his conversations with hundreds of otherers. UnNamed will not last long in this town, his town.


    Walt would make sure of that.


    <hr>


    Harper was talking with the guard on his way to the guild house. The guard seemed distracted by his thoughts, seemingly unaware he was actually conversing with him. Harper didn''t care; he had his own thoughts racing.


    Everything was on the fly; he had no plan and still lacked the details to make any. Hopefully, the guild house would hold valuable information about this world. That was if he had the time to gather information. The guard, still smelling of booze, his posture appeared to improve. He was on his guard, just as much if not more cautious of him than that of the previous guard.


    That made this man dangerous; he wouldn''t fall for his acting. Acting he was quickly learning wasn''t as effective as he believed it was. Arriving at the guild house now, if the guard remained lost in thought, would be a miracle. Surviving the night would likely leave him with an eye over him till he left the town; if he is lucky, it would only be in this town. Harper wasn''t sure how fast information spread in this world.


    Flashing his eyes at his surroundings, Harper wanted to scan as much of the town as possible. He needed to imprint the entire layout into his memory. One thing that Harper had total confidence in was his memory. It was photographic; he could recall almost every memory of his lift to the second. There were spotty areas, but only when he had gotten a little too drunk.


    Quickly reproducing the streets he had seen, a building far larger than any others came into view. It was wider than it was tall, not that its height was anything to scoff at. From its front, it was on par with the face of a small supermarket. Counting the windows going up, it was three stories tall, a little shorter than the four and five-story buildings on either side.


    The guard remained to his rear the entire time, so Harper opened one of the large, wood double doors. Entering with the drunken guard behind him, his eyes fell upon a lone receptionist, mid-yawn.


    "Oh, Walt. Good evening, who''s the newcomer." Harper''s brow raised slightly. So that was the guard''s name, good to keep that in mind,


    "Yeah, another otherer. He''s... Unique. Need to get him a tight room for tonight, I''ll deal with him in the morning."


    Nodding to Walt, the receptionist turned to Harper. "So, newcomer. What''s your name?"

 I Waterboarded Harper In His Own Blood

    Walt saw his mouth move, but the words didn''t come.


    Even the ability to read lips didn''t aid him, though it might be due to his intoxication, not that it had ever limited him like this before.


    Gazing flickering towards Lilly, the woman he had put into the receptionist position two years prior, he looked at UnNamed with an amount of confusion that he shared, not that he showed it.


    And, of course, he wouldn''t show it. Walt was a fantastic actor; he had to be, in his opinion. If he didn''t deceive everyone around him, it would defeat the surprise of his fighting style and skills. It was his second-best ability, one which he acquired a literal skill through the World Order.


    While the skill didn''t have a set level that increased its efficiency, something that was a bit odd in his opinion, a few other things he didn''t understand were why there was no indication of when he would reach the next level, why it only took using a single spell ten times for you to unlock the next spell, and why titles and skills were so absurdly random that they could occasionally make even the overwhelming strength of magic seem minuscule.


    These weren''t important right now; what was important was his instructions to Lilly. She hasn''t dealt with many irregularities, ones in which they needed to use the ''tight rooms.''


    Tight rooms were rooms that were connected to a person through a skill. The skill of choice could differ, though the two primary skills were room-based for viewing or skill nullifying. The latter was a somewhat rare skill, often in the possession of skilled trappers, interrogation specialists, and slave traders.


    A short conversation he didn''t catch drew his attention, a watchful gaze lingering on UnNamed. "I can get him a room, Walt. Mind waiting here to speak after?"


    Nodding, Walt turned towards the irregularity. "Don''t give Miss Lilly o''er there any trouble, alright." He didn''t word it as a threat; he had already allowed himself to slip up slightly due to the abundant confusion. His main task now was to gain UnNamed''s trust, in a way.


    Walt didn''t need to be all buddy-buddy with the man, but he needed to ensure that he wasn''t seen as a threat any longer. The less of a threat he appeared to be, the more chances UnNamed would slip up instead, and then Walt could kill him with proper evidence. He wasn''t as impulsive anymore, unlike that Riley.


    If this irregularity had wound up at his gate instead, without a doubt, he would have been killed. Riley was extremely protective of this town; someone with so many unknowns would have been cut down where he stood.


    "I won''t," UnNamed replied, walking behind Lilly on his way up. Though he doubted the irregularity would do anything, Walt didn''t hear any fluctuation in his words. It didn''t hurt to lay on the side of caution, even if UnNamed had subpar deception skills.


    Lilly returned quickly, giving Walt a brief smile. "He is quite the individual. Inspect didn''t show me anything, I see why you wanted him in the tight room." She let out a long sigh, her smile disappearing as she leaned against a wooden beam at the corner of the reception desk.


    "I don''t trust him, but I''m also not the kind to execute someone, even a serial killer otherer, without proper evidence. I will keep an eye on him, though, so we shouldn''t worry."


    Lilly gave him that look after dropping his drunken speech act. "I know you felt that bloodlust, too, Walt. How long do you think you can keep a leash on him until he tries to hurt someone?"


    Walt let out a short, amused huff. She didn''t even consider the idea that this irregularity could kill anyone in this town, even in all of Quixroth at that.


    Walt thought, humming as he put a finger to his bearded chin. We might not have to. We might be able to both get rid of him and use him to our benefit. Otherers like him tend to enjoy killing anything with some level of intelligence, so we could send him after vepis."


    "Haha, send him after what? The harescourge?" Lilly quipped, with a brow raised amusedly. Removing herself from the wooden beam, she made her way over to the quest board. "They are overbreeding, so it is not out of the question."


    "That could work... They are pretty intelligent."


    Walt seemed to be thinking it over for a moment, trying to determine the possibility that UnNamed could survive a colony of harescourge. "Yeah. Alright, the harescourge should be good. The spawn are likely less accustomed to killing, so they won''t be as dangerous for a little bit. The knights and older harescourge among them will be the main threat, and I doubt any brood mothers will make any appearances."


    Lilly shivered visibly. "I hate brood mothers. No matter which beast it is, the brood mothers are terrifying. Especially the harescourge. They are far too dangerous compared to the brood mothers of other vepis species."


    Walt understood Lilly''s fear of the creatures. For one of the weaker creatures in the world, the harescourge brood mothers could tend to be in the upper echelon among the masses of vepis. As far as he was aware, there wasn''t a brood mother in the forest near the town, but things could always change.


    <hr>


    Harper woke up slowly, an uneasy feeling having made it very difficult to fall asleep.


    Gazing around the room, there was nothing out of the ordinary. He had looked out the lone window on the left side of the roof a dozen times last night, trying to find anyone who might have been watching over him, but there had never been anyone there.


    He wouldn''t disregard the feeling, but he would put it off for now; it wasn''t here anymore.


    Harper removed himself from the bed, which was far more comfortable than anticipated. Then again, considering there were other people from Earth and possibly other worlds like him, it would be understandable that there was a level of technological advancement.


    The killer left the room, walking down the hall on the third floor and down two staircases. Arriving on the lower floor, the large area was booming with life. Adventurers and merchants littered the floor, conversing, eating, and drinking. It was now that he realized there was a bar inside the guild hall, one which he hadn''t seen last night. There appeared to be a pullout wall or something of the sort that separated the main room from the bar area.


    "Oi."


    Harper looked to the side, meeting a muscled, angry-looking bald adventurer with the typical armor you would expect in a manga. The adventurer was taller than him, with dark grey eyes, a beer mug, and a large battlehammer strapped to the man''s back.


    "Are you new here? I don''t recognize you or the weird clothes. You an otherer? Where you come from? Need any help with becoming an adventurer? If there is anything-" The man was halted as he was shoved to the side.


    "Sorry about Hawk, there. He''s a bit intimidating in appearance, but he is really nice." A woman with a relatively low voice said, another adventurer, no less. She had dark orange hair tied up in a large, long, single braid that fell over one of her shoulders. She had similar armor to the now-named Hawk and a battleaxe strapped to her back.


    She stuck out her hand, expecting a handshake. "The name''s Nemmy, what about you?"


    Harper accepted the handshake, thinking about how to reply. It appeared that no one could understand him trying to say his own name; something about the system prevented people from hearing it.


    "You can call me Bravo." As a kid, Harper enjoyed the old cartoon with the buff, blonde, pompadoured fool. The character''s catchphrase always made him laugh when he was young, but he wouldn''t be caught dead laughing at it now¡ªnot that he could anymore.


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    "Bravo, eh?" She asked, nudging his side. "Not an alpha?" She joked as Hawk popped back into the conversation.


    "Hey, Nems. Don''t give the new guy a hard time." Hawk''s angry-looking demeanor and genuine kindness in his voice would take Harper a while to get accustomed to, presuming he would allow himself to in the first place.


    "Move over!" Nemmy argued, pushing back against Hawk. The pair continued to shove against each other, one trying to be helpful while the other tried to be petty.


    Harper slowly backed away, glimpsing around at the other adventurers. They all seem desensitized to them, far too familiar with their eccentricities.


    His retreat was ineffective; however, Hawk had already noticed his recent absence. Harper cursed under his breath as a hand landed on his shoulder.


    "Don'' ''ry and resis ''em. I''s no'' wor''h de effor''." Harper looks towards the voice, coming to face a slightly older, well-armored adventurer with a bright, pleasant smile. "Dey don'' unders''and de idea of personal space."


    The new adventurer''s armor was all plate, garnished with colorful yet simple designs. A two-handed long sword was strapped to his side in a sheath on a reinforced belt. A dagger and two dark green potions were on the opposite side of his waist. A helmet was cradled in his arm, his short blonde hair and amber, nearing red, eyes available for all to see.


    Far more prepared than the erratic pair behind him now.


    "Greb, don''t steal our catch!" Nemmy nearly shouted, concreting that she was quite the dramatic individual.


    Harper felt the woman grab his arm, dragging him back from the somewhat pompous-looking adventurer. "Hawk and I can help you out, alright. You don''t have to go along with the money bags there."


    Rivalries were fairly routine here, apparently.


    <hr>


    Lilly had been notified that the irregularity was coming down and watched for UnNamed to appear. He was down to the quest hall within the minute, and Lilly kept him in her view.


    To her entertainment, two of the most energetic and quirky adventurers pulled him into their shenanigans. Thankfully, the pair, despite how their lower-end armor appeared, were considered high-level.


    Last Lilly had checked, Nemmy had been at level fifty-two, and Hawk was at level Sixty. The two were experienced adventurers capable of using second-tier magic, though Hawk might have finally reached third-tier. She would have to ask the next time.


    The next adventurer to make contact was Greb, another experienced adventurer. His level was in the high fifties, not far behind Hawk. His interaction with the irregularity was short-lived, interrupted by a jealous Nemmy.


    Lilly had almost laughed.


    She needed to get UnNamed and set him up for a quest. The faster UnKnown was killed by something outside and removed from her lovely town, the better. If they have no evidence, why not set up the danger to remove itself?


    Sliding out from behind her receptionist''s desk, Lilly scanned the quest board until she found the harescourge quest. With a smile, hidden darkness lingering within, she yanked it off the wall, intentionally ensuring the rank designation, which was a 3. Nodding and pocketing it neatly, Lilly glided through the flurry of excitable adventurers and conversing merchants.


    Arriving at UnNamed, the man looks less than happy with Nemmy, still grabbing his arm.


    Nemmy was like that, a little too physical with everyone.


    Too many men have felt led on by her actions far too often, having to learn the hard truth that she wasn''t interested. UnNamed seemed uncomfortable with the contact, not that the man had shown it much. She was excellent at reading people, one of the more prominent reasons behind Walt''s tendency to drop his drunken act around her.


    "Miss Nemmy, please release the newcomer. I have some business with him."


    Nemmy looked over at her, frowning slightly as Hawk shrugged. "What kinda business you got with Bravo here?" The bald man questioned enthusiastically.


    "Ahh... I want to send him out on an easy quest in return for spending the night upstairs." Lilly replied with a disarming smile. "Nothing I believe that Bravo won''t be able to handle on his own. After setting Bravo up here, I can get you and Nemmy for a follow-up quest."


    Hawk nodded, grinning as his teeth almost seemed to sparkle, almost appearing approachable.


    Almost.


    UnNamed, or ''Bravo,'' as he was calling himself, wasn''t given a choice. She gave a knowing smile toward the man, signifying he needed to follow.


    Giving a short farewell to the pair, Bravo followed behind her toward her receptionist''s desk.


    "They are... Interesting."


    "Yeah, but they are good people." She might have put a little too much emphasis, but Bravo didn''t seem to catch it. That or he didn''t seem to care if he had.


    Bravo followed Lilly back to her receptionist''s desk, not nearly as smoothly as the woman who ghosted through the crowd. Lilly waited for the irregularity to emerge, not needing to wait long.


    "I will get straight to the point- I don''t intend to allow people to get free nights in. It will set a precedent that I don''t need." Lilly pulled out the quest sheet. "In return, I want you to take on a quest."


    Walking back around, putting the small distance of her desk between them, she laid the quest sheet down for Bravo to view.


    "I want you to go hunt some creatures named harescourge. They aren''t very strong, and I will give you a small loan to grab some basic armor, clothes, and a half-decent weapon." Lilly explained, pulling a small pouch of coins that Walt had placed there last night.


    "Ah, you don''t know the money conversion of Quixroth, do you?" She questioned, looking down at the bag that Bravo was in the action of grabbing.


    "No, getting swindled for lacking the information would be unfortunate."


    Lilly nodded, pulling out a silver chip from the pouch with a purple gleam. "I don''t know who named them, but it is easy to remember each. We have four main tok types." She laid the silver chip on the desk, followed by a bronze chip with a blue gleam, an odd red chip with a yellow gleam, and finally, a gold chip with a cyan gleam.


    She laid them in an order: bronze, silver, red, and gold. She put her finger on the bronze first, going down the line. "This first coin is called a Tok, the next is a Fi-Tok, this third one is a Mi-Tok, and the last is a Pi-Tok."


    As Bravo nodded, paying close attention, Lilly continued. "Three toks can usually buy you a mug at your local pub. I''ve had my fair share of otherer''s; in their terms, it''s about a pint''s worth per mug."


    Bravo gave a slow nod. Lilly continued.


    "A fi-tok is worth roughly ninety toks. Two can buy you a full barrel at a pub, and three can buy you an effective short sword. Mi-toks are worth fifty fi-toks, and even one of those can buy you a complete set of armor fit for someone at level thirty."


    As Lilly named them off, she watched the irregularity. She didn''t want him to steal any of the more valuable toks. Of course, she watched the nearby merchants, too, the greedy fucks. They were often better thieves than the adventurers.


    "Pi-toks are worth thirty mi-toks, and one can buy you a two-story building." Taking the tok, mi-tok, and pi-tok, she put them back under the desk, replacing the fi-tok in the pouch. "This pouch has fifteen fi-toks."


    Sending a stern look to Bravo, Lilly continued. "By the fortnight''s end, I want seventeen fi-toks... That''s about a thirteen percent interest rate."


    Bravo looked at her carefully, trying to judge her for the huge interest rate. Then again, it wasn''t that demanding, considering he was given a loan in a new world and asked only to get two more fi-toks in return. The pay for the harescourge quest was two fi-toks per harescourge anyway. Even if the irregularity managed to kill nine of these, he could pay back the loan in its entirety, presuming he spent all fifteen.


    "That works for me. How many of these harescourge quests can I take at a time?" Bravo inquired, raising a brow at her.


    Lilly felt a smile pull at her lips.


    "It''s a quest that is based on the number of harescourge you hunt. They aren''t hard to kill; they are one the more fragile vepis. The problem is the speed at which they reproduce and their power. As you otherers call them, the harescourge are glass cannons."


    Bravo paused a moment, and then it appeared in his eyes. That excited bloodlust, so prepared to hunt and kill for his amusement. Worst of all, his eyes didn''t show any derangement. He wasn''t mentally disturbed like many others she had met before, killing because they weren''t alright in the head. He was just a twisted bastard, worse than most vepis you can find.


    It made Lilly sick.


    <hr>


    Harper had bought a cobaltine one-handed long sword. The sword had cost an astonishing eight fi-toks, which he had haggled down from ten, promising to become a regular. A promise he intended to upkeep. The blacksmith, Frag, had crafted his new blade remarkably well.


    The metal, cobaltine, made the sword sharp, durable, flexible, and light. From what Harper was told, it wouldn''t break unless he fought any vepis above rank eleven or level forty.


    The killer didn''t know what ranks were, as he was not told the rank of the harescourge he was going to kill. Somewhat annoyed, Frag had explained there were twenty-five ranks of vepis. The higher the rank, the faster a vepis could rise in rank, thus making them more formidable.


    While higher-rank creatures were generally more dangerous, lower-rank creatures could often be stronger if they had lived long enough or had been born with a higher capacity of level faster. Harper was promised that his cobaltine sword would be efficient against harescourge; the spawn and drones were rank three, while the slightly armored knights would stand at rank four.


    For armor, he didn''t intend to buy any. If he could return from death, what was the point of armor? Still, the blacksmith had convinced him to purchase some heavy armor from ferrumite. Ferrumite was a dense metal. Heavy and quite durable, though not as durable as his sword. Still, he could guess it was almost as durable as steel.


    The armor he had bought from the blacksmith was a light-plated chest plate, covering a large area over two formed sheets of metal on either side, though it was thinner than Frag typically made it. He also obtained light pauldrons, gauntlets, and grieves. This had cost Harper another six fi-toks, leaving him at one.


    Harper considered Frag a good acquaintance. He wished to visit again, especially because he promised low repair rates.


    Harper''s last fi-tok went into some new cheap clothes and a pair of shoes that would protect his feet from the most basic of shit. They were not at all made for going on battle-involved quests, but they would suffice.


    Now, Harper was heading towards a forest he had been in not even twelve hours earlier.


    He should have known.

 Harper Wants To Unsee Harescourge Sex

    Snap


    Harper wasn''t even one hundred steps into the forest when a runt appeared in front of him, gazing at him curiously. He wouldn''t trust this little fucker for a moment, immediately dashing forward.


    A demented squeal erupted from the small harescourge as it hopped into the trees. Intense anger showed in its eyes, betraying the feigned curiosity it displayed prior.


    Darting around above, its four rear legs made small imprints in the trees as it bounded off them. Its speed was increasing, becoming more erratic as Harper quickly halted his charge to wait for the creature to come to him.


    His hair rose on the back of his neck, and his body froze momentarily at the realization that something was coming. Jumping back only a couple of feet, a blast appeared where he was prior.


    A small round impact replaced where he once was, a bead of sweat rolling down his neck. Those fucking Harescourge were terrifying.


    Air magic had been the last thing Frag had warned Harper about. The Harescourge were some of the best at second-tier air magic, notably their use of the spell Air Shot.


    The issue with air magic was that, while it was invisible, it was the easiest to feel. The pressure change in the air as an Air Shot blasted forward sent the target''s body on alert, and only those aware of the aspect of air magic in the first place would realize this.


    Last time, he was already running and far more on edge, too unfocused and unaware to understand. Now, he could feel it, sense it.


    Harper''s hair went up again, his body shivering as he rolled to the side. He glared at the harescourge, which had taken a moment to hiss at him on a tree as the blast of air slammed into his previous position. The harescourge continued to rocket in the tree tops, the colony hidden even higher as they observed him.


    With a screech, the harescourge finally attacked, its maw open with small sharp teeth open, its tail hidden behind its body. Harper stepped forward, unsheathing his sword and performing an upward slice.


    As his sword moved, so did the runt''s tail, its body shifting slightly as the blade flew straight. The bladed tail flew by his sword, stabbing at Harper''s pauldron. In return, Harper''s sword cut the harescourge runt halfway down the middle, killing it on contact.


    Blood poured from its body, drenching Harper with its guts spilling down the sword''s blade. He swung his sword once and flung some of the blood off, deciding it was clean enough.


    Harper didn''t want to get the sheath all bloody later.


    It would smell.


    Looking at his pauldron, Harper smiled. The armor was a good option in the end; an impaled shoulder would have cost him. Between the time it would have taken to remove the spearhead, and the aspect of fighting injured would have been detrimental to his hunt.


    Twelve more sets of feet began to move; it was difficult, but he could just barely hear it. His gaze rose, seeing three of the fuckers above squealing furiously.


    As pissed off as they made him, a grin split his face.


    The first seemed to fly down, its feet bounding towards Harper. Sidestepping, he brought his sword up in an upward slash, missing the harescourge entirely.


    He would need to work on his accuracy.


    When the harescourge landed, it was far larger than the previous runt, and its feet spun it around to rocket towards Harper. He cursed, jumping to the side, the harescourge''s side hitting him and flipping him. Harper landed hard, coughing but thankful the armor took most of the vepis'' impact. Standing back up, the harescourge was already back up in the trees, jumping around with the other one-


    Harper spun, rushing towards the closest tree and putting his back against it. One of the three fuckers was missing. It was to his left, Harper''s unarmed side. Jumping forward, transitioning into a roll, he heard the harescourge crash into the tree, cracking it.


    Harper winced at the near-deafening sound, looking up to see the harescourge about to bounce off the current tree right into him. "Oh, you cunt!"


    Rolling again to his left, he stepped up and slashed as the vepis pounced. His blade bit into the creature''s side as its tail struck, stabbing into his chest plate. With a whine, the creature rammed into the nearest tree behind him, the tail following close behind, whipping Harper sideways as it dislodged violently from his armor.


    Two down... And satan knows how many of these fuckers remain.


    Harper''s attention returned to the two still jumping around in the trees. They were moving too fast for him to watch effectively, but still, he would try.


    His eyes scanned, waiting.


    Two.


    Two.


    Two.


    One!


    Rushing to another tree, he scanned the area.


    The crack of the tree he was clinging to made his blood run cold. Attempting to fall to his side, he failed as the tree exploded into massive shards and spears of wood. The wood didn''t breach his armor, but his head and the way the armor unpierced armor caved in his chest ensured that little nugget of hope was smothered.


    Harper gasped, heaving for air as he looked around, realizing he was only a few steps into the forest. Not even five minutes had passed yet, restarting all of his progress. A growl hummed in his throat, glaring forward as he went further into the forest again.


    Once more, that fucking runt was staring at him, judging him. Trying to decipher if he was considered prey or otherwise. Harper would ensure this little fucker knew it was the latter.


    Intentionally allowing his guard to fall, he slowly walked towards the harescourge runt, smiling at the creature. His acting failed in the face of the harescourge as it wailed at him, golden, beady little eyes bulging in outrage at Harper''s insult towards its intelligence.


    It was a disgusting display.


    The runt sprang from its position, springing off three other trees until it was to Harper''s rear. A shrill and demented shriek erupted from its maw as its speared tail struck. The killer, his hand already around the hilt of his sword, drew, side-stepped, and slashed.


    A spray of blood was Harper''s reward, the runt falling to the ground with a thump, a weak cry escaping it. Turning to look at the harescrouge, the vepis was now missing its left frontmost leg, received a deep gash along the side, and the deadly tail it utilized rendered useless, now bisected.


    Leaving it there to die would make dealing with the two that now dropped from the treetops easier.


    Turning towards his newest annoying adversaries hissing at him, Harper swung the blood off his sword.


    They dashed.


    One bounded towards him, attempting to ram him back as the second had moved to intercept.


    These little shits are even more intelligent than I previously anticipated. To think they could set up chain attacks like this, it''s exciting.


    Ducking down, falling to the ground, the harescourge flew over him. One of its feet nicked him, shoving him slightly. Not enough to have done any damage.


    Harper stood fast, grinning as the first strike toward the intended chain was interrupted. The first backed off momentarily as the second landed above on the nearest tree. Screeching, it darted down, torpedoing down upon Harper.


    Backstepping, Harper swung his sword forward blindly, striking the harescourge weakly as it came down. Hissing, the vepis struck with its speared tail, ignoring the superficial injury.


    Spear struck ferrumite, nicking it and bouncing off. The harescourge let out a weak, confused, and angry squeal. Taking advantage of the angered state, Harper performed a side slash, opening the creature''s guts. With a dying wail, it jumped sideways as blood waterfalled out of its wound, rolling twice before stopping.


    The first screeched again, watching its brethren die and Harper wiping the blood off his sword on the newest corpse. Hurdling towards Harper in a reckless rage, the creature ricocheted off trees till it met the killer of its kin.


    Harper felt the air change as it charged, rolling to the side and once more as two blasts of air struck the ground. He felt sweat roll down his body, and his eyes flicked up to locate the harescourge. It had disappeared from sight, but he could still hear it coming from his left. Turning to face it, the vepis was far too fast to escape. Harper swung in the general direction it was coming from, and missing flew over him.


    Hair raising, Harper''s eyes widened as an Air Shot was fired at him, too close to dodge.


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    Once again, left at two kills, Harper''s body exploded as the air blast made contact with his dome, unfettered as it crashed through him and struck earth. Bone, viscera, and blood coated the nearby trees and forest floor, the harescourge letting out a victorious wail.


    Harper gasped, coughing as he fell to his knees. The phantom pain racked his body as bile came up through his throat.


    Unlike all the other deaths so far, none of them had been as overwhelmingly gruesome and painful as that. Taking a moment to allow his beating heart to slow, blurring tears trekked down his face in his misery.


    Falling back onto his ass, he looked up at the sky through the edge of the forest. He''d gone back further. This fight had been even shorter than the last.


    Huffing, deciding to allow his beating heart to aid him with the adrenaline running rampant through his body, Harper made his way into the forest again.


    And again.


    And again.


    Attempt twenty-four.


    Snap


    Harper was finally able to maintain a five-minute fight against these annoying fucks. Starting, he chucked his sword, the runt wholly unprepared as it flew through the air and struck its lower body. It sunk into flesh, and the show began.


    Squealing, the harescourge tried to flee. The intruding blade locked its legs in place, the runt reeling in pain, letting out another squeal as bone scraped against cobaltine.


    In the injured, incapacitated state, the vepis was, Harper moved. Eyes excited with unrighteous fury, he soccer-kicked the runt''s head with a spine-chilling snap.


    It fell over dead, and Harper gripped the hilt of his sword, ripping it out of the runt. A weak, airy hiss left its body, lungs deflating as any remnants of life left the creature. Looking up, the army of harescourge above glared at him, three dropping down to deal with their intruder.


    Harper didn''t wipe the blood off or swing the sword to clean it this time. It cost time, and he had already accumulated three deaths by attempting to do so.


    The first to attack crashed into Harper, pushing the killer back a meter as he wheezed. Rolling his shoulder and sliding past the harescourge, Harper spun and slashed down on its spine. The creature whined, and then Harper ripped the sword out of the oversized vermin, leaving it paralyzed.


    Side-kicking the ribs of the vepis, they caved in, killing the creature on contact as the bone punctured heart.


    The sound of the following two was fast, leaving no opening as they appeared to Harper''s sides, coming in at angles and speeds that would prevent him from escaping with his back against the dead harescourge. Their plans were foiled, though, as Harper hurdled the corpse, ducking behind.


    Harper was launched but not injured as the two harescourge crashed into the corpse. Rolling but also losing his sword, Harper swore. Standing up and turning towards the furious vepis, he activated Killer''s Wrath.


    Dashing forward, Harper kicked the corpse again, knocking over the two harescourge, stunning them. Hurdling the dead vepis once more, Harper threw a punch down on the closest harescourge. His fist met hide, tearing through, elbow lengths in and reaching the internal organs. Opening his fist inside the beast and reaching for the closest solid object, he crushed it.


    As the harescourge expired, Harper tore his blood-coated arm out, grinning savagely at the recovering harescourge to his side. It hissed, shifting quickly as its tail struck, only for it to bounce off the metal of Harper''s pauldron. A single step put Harper in range, and then grieves met the skull of a confused and angered harescourge. Like the runt, its neck snapped, the vepis falling over dead.


    Sounds of over five more harescourge registered, and Harper rushed to retrieve his sword. As he ran, his hair rose. Ducking and rolling to his right, the blast of air hit. His hair didn''t fall, and he rolled back to his left.


    The new blast threw Harper into a tree, a few of his ribs cracking at the massive impact. Coughing, he shakily stood against the tree, grinning maniacally at the seven new harescourge that wailed at him, their mouths opening to unnatural lengths in their attempt at intimidation.


    Harper flipped them off in return.


    Three of them dashed, stopping just outside of his range. The trio shot their tails at him; one cut his thigh, the second bounced off his chest plate, and the last narrowly missed his head and got stuck in the tree behind him. The first two retreated, the remaining three taking their places, following the same procedure.


    Four tails flew, earning three clangs and a wince. A wound to Harper''s upper arm. It was another cut, deeper than the previous superficial injury to his thigh. They were probably all spawn, too young to aim their speared tails effectively, so he was getting away with a lot right now. A cut to his arm was nothing. He could go on.


    Retreating, the four switched out with the other two harescourge, the last still squirming to yank its tail from the tree behind him.


    Harper decided he would help.


    Gripping the base of the bladed tail, he tore the organic matter from the inorganic, arming himself.


    Hunkering down as his hair rose, the tree behind him blew to pieces, once again throwing him from his position. To his misery, he was farther away from his sword now, though now just barely in range of the harescourge with a damaged tail that was freaking out.


    Lunging and swiping with the stolen spear tip, the vepis squealed. It wasn''t a large wound, but his slash was enough to stun it. His next lounge was transformed into a tackle, dodging two more tail spears.


    How are they so fucking persistent? Never mind, I''m pretty persistent myself. And this isn''t their twenty-fourth attempt at fighting me in their experience.


    Still, they are growing even more difficult to deal with; seven is a fucking lot. The most I''ve had before this attempt was five, and even that felt like overkill.


    Suppose it''s natural for someone to learn the long, fun, and extraordinarily tedious method of dealing with them. The more I kill, the more they send to overwhelm me. It''s a fucking endless horde mode in a video game.


    Harper stabbed the injured harescourge he was pushed up against. He didn''t bother counting the number of stabs; he just wanted to ensure it was deceased. He wouldn''t get the chance to know if it was still dead of his own volition, though, as his hair rose on end again.


    Jumping into a roll, the body popped. Harper was covered in blood, blinded as it caked his face. His tongue was overwhelmed by the taste of iron, and the crimson liquid assaulted his nose. Breathing became difficult, and all he could see was black and red, as blurry silhouettes of the harescourge that morphed in his tainted view.


    Clang


    Clang


    They were striking at him again with their tails.


    Swiping with his stolen blade, Harper desperately wiped at his face.


    The third and forth struck home, biting into his leg and forearm. Harper fell forward, his neck falling onto the spear tip in his hand, the weapon slitting open his throat.


    Blood poured down his fist, draining his body of blood as his already limited vision faded faster. He could barely feel it when a harescourge landed on his leg, shattering it and fusing his limb with the yellow grass and dirt.


    As his vision went dark, the sensations still lingered.


    Only for a moment, though, but it was enough to feel the ground shake. The massive form of whatever had landed sent shivers of fear down his spine.


    Harper gasped, gulping down air. His eyes strained as he took in the seafoam green sky that shone through the spotty canopy above. That last one was terrifying, but there were advantages to death.


    Dying so many times was slowly increasing his resistances.


    From the first time he woke up in this accursed forest, he thought only his physical damage resistance would increase. To Harper''s excited astonishment, he received four other resistances. Blunt damage resistance, thrust damage resistance, air magic resistance, and impact resistance.


    Blunt damage resistance diminished the efficiency of all strikes that would leave bruising, the crushing or breaking of bones, unarmed strikes, or the damage dealt by unsharp weapons. The issue with resistances, or the advantage rather, was their tendency to be vague. Blunt damage resistance included damage from bladed weapons that have struck armor, regardless of whether they had broken through his protection or not. Of course, this also included the damage a fucking harescourge did when ramming into flesh or armor.


    Thrust damage resistance diminished the efficiency of all straight single-point strikes, fine-pointed strikes, or any kind of thrust, including weapons and even punches. Harper had learned it also included rams, as it counted them as a wide, straight, single-point strike. This meant that if someone were to jab him with a blunt weapon, he could resist up to his current resistance.


    Air magic resistance was the easiest to explain, as it diminished the overall effects and damage of air magic.


    Impact resistance was Harper''s favorite by far in dealing with harescourge. Impact Resistance diminished the effects and damage of attacks that caused internal damage, attacks that moved him, and torpor. Not only that, it made him sturdier. He could become a walking tank, capable of taking impacts and remaining standing.


    The unholy screaming of a harescourge drew his attention. A trio fell from the trees, the runt dead at his feet, its neck craned backward with protrusions of its spine ripping through flesh, spinal fluid spurting and bubbling from the fatal wound.


    Harper gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly he cracked his knuckles. A sadistic smirk split his face, eyes narrowing at the overgrown rodents.


    Swiping his sword across the air in a mocking invitation for the vepis to attack.


    They obliged fervently, wailing with hellish perseverance.


    <hr>


    By the sixtieth return, Harper could take up to three full charges. His one-hundredth allowed him to withstand a single Air Shot. The one-hundred-fortieth allowed him to tank any full charge, and his two-hundred-tenth made him near unshakable to the invisible blasts from Air Shot.


    Still, he managed to die time and time again.


    Why had he allowed himself to die a final total of three-hundred-eighty times to these fucking miscreant harescourge?


    Resistances.


    Every fucking time he got hit, his resistances increased bit by bit. Not only that, but he also obtained a new resistance after hitting 70% physical damage resistance.


    Pain resistance was an absolute hell-send. Unlocking pain resistance after his two-hundred-fifty-third attempt made the next one-hundred-twenty-seven tries far easier. He could barely feel the pain now. In his opinion, the harescourge had become overwhelmingly weak, their attacks doing no damage unless they barraged him with Air Shots.


    Even then, his abilities increased, too; his strength and speed slowly grew as he fought. It seemed that having a level didn''t plateau his ability to increase basic stats. Hard work seemed to do the same, and he guessed that leveling just made the abilities shoot up a number of points at each increase.


    With such a broken, abusable curse as Walking Tomb, he wouldn''t need levels to grow stronger.


    Gasping, Harper revived. His eyes burned with excitement, glaring at the nine harescourge that shook fear and rage. Over sixty of their kin littered the floor as corpses, and the constantly gasping threat seemed unphased by their attacks.


    Harper leaned forward, foot pressing against the tall yellow grass. His newest skill, an evolution of Killer''s Wrath, which he acquired after his one-hundredth use: Genocide.


    Receiving a three-hour, one-hundred-twelve percent strength boost and ninety-seven percent speed boost at the cost of a two-day cooldown, which reset at every other death, Harper was a monster. On top of activating this skill, the title Ruthless currently had him at a two-hundred-twenty-six-point-eight percent increase.


    To Harper''s surprise, titles could also grow as Ruthless had risen from a two-point-five strength percent increase per kill to three-point-six percent. He was a monster in the making, rising fast in strength in a seemingly short time. Of course, he didn''t believe he was invincible, though he would absolutely get his shit kicked in by the adventurers at the guild house and that guard.


    There was a limit to how strong he could become fighting these fucking harescourge, and he believed he was close to reaching it for now. He has seen and heard a massive one, only once each. Those hadn''t reappeared yet, and he was certain he was glad.


    No matter how much abuse he could take from these smaller harescourge, that massive one could, without a doubt, flatten him. The short-lived presence he felt from the creature was suffocating, and even now, he was, without a doubt, positive it would have the same effect.


    Harper rushed the nine, his blade swiping at an almost acceptable, self-taught, experience-obtained level of swordsmanship. Two were cut down almost immediately, one split in half horizontally and the second having shifted enough to throw off his strike enough not to cleave it in two.


    Still, the creature died, falling as it showered its surroundings in blood. The remaining seven dispersed, circling him in the trees. They wanted to hunt, and so did Harper.


    "System."

 Walt Drinks Toaster Water

    The screen appeared. It was bright, vibrant, and in the fucking way as always. Harper wished it wasn''t as annoyingly view-obscuring.


    [Quixroth System]


    Name: UnNamed


    Titles: Killer (Increased mental fortitude against taking lives, increases overall physical strength by 32%.), Transmigrator (Grants the other worlder a unique skill. Skill granted: Walking Tomb.), Ruthless (Every kill increases physical strength by 3.6% within a short time frame.), Poacher (Killing animal-like creatures satiates hunger equivalent to the creature''s size.).


    Skills: Walking Tomb (Passive- The other worlder is cursed never to remain dead. With each death, the other worlder will return 5 minutes prior to their death.), Killer''s Wrath (Active- 33% physical strength increase, 29% physical speed increase. Time- 5 minutes.), Genocide (Active- 112% physical strength increase, 97% physical speed increase.), Man Hunter (Passive- Physical damage to human and demon creatures is increased by 5%.), Physical Damage Resistance (Passive- Physical damage is reduced by 82%.), Blunt Damage Resistance (Passive- Blunt physical damage is reduced by 73%.), Thrusting Damage Resistance (Passive- Thrusting physical damage is reduced by 70%.), Air Magic Resistance (Passive- Air magic damage is reduced by 59%.), Impact Resistance (Passive- Impacts are reduced by 64%.), Pain Resistance (Passive- Pain is reduced by 31%).


    Magic: (Poison)


    Stage I Poison Magic


    Abilities:


    Health- 95.88% (16.3/17)


    Strength- 941.75% (105.48)


    Speed- 197% (19.7)


    Mana- 100% (15/15)


    Harper didn''t have to look long; he just wanted to see what his current stats were, and damn were they quite high. The strength boosts appeared to stack rather than add together, increasing his overall strength by leaps and bounds.


    Spinning on the ball of his foot, Harper threw a punch into a nearby tree. His gauntlet rattled as the sky-blue bark cascaded into the wood beneath, blowing out the other side. A gaping hole was left in the tree, and sap and water quickly began dripping into the new hole.


    Cra-ck


    The tree couldn''t handle its own weight, bearing down on the two small supports that were the remainder of its base. The trunk, with a second large crack, began to tip. As it passed the center of gravity, it crashed into a nearby tree, bouncing off and catching an unsuspecting harescourge off guard.


    Seven harescourge dropped down to six.


    Harper felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. The killer turned and slashed as an Air Shot came into contact with his sword. The blast of air shook the blade in his hand, and his arm tensed as the ball of condensed air burst. The pressure pushed him back half a step, the weapon refusing to quit resonating in his hand.


    Thump


    Released from his hand in a chucking motion, a demented wail escaped the landing harescourge. It fell, dead, with his sword now laid askew on the ground, out of reach. While the tool made exterminating the vepis easier, it wasn''t necessarily required. Harper had more overall unarmed kills, though most of the currently deceased harescrouge were slain with his cobaltine blade.


    With five remaining, it was eerily quiet. He couldn''t hear them jumping around in the trees any longer. Gaze trailing up, Harper swallowed hard.


    Above him, staring down as if curiously observing a neat insect, a gargantuan creature hugged a tree. Golden, silver-speckled, beady eyes stared at him, not even registering him as a threat.


    This thing was a rank three vepis?


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    Harper fell, his breath escaping him as the creature remained still, just staring at him. Those two to three minutes of still-stricken terror passed like hours, not a single wisp of air entering or leaving Harper''s lungs.


    Its mere presence seemed to freeze the air. Not even bugs went towards this forest''s apex predator. The size made bears on Earth look like wolves, with legs more powerful than industrial pistons and an overwhelmingly sharp, speared tail that sliced even the air.


    Every milligram of this creature was made to kill.


    Harper could feel his lungs begin to beg for air, his brain trying to deal with the dwindling oxygen in his state of despair.


    Then it moved, Harper, freezing even more if possible as if any movement would incite the creature into striking him down as Harper had done with so many of the harescourge he had previously slaughtered. His heart raced, pounding against his ribs.


    It slowly turned around, climbing up the tree''s sky-blue bark, hiding its massive frame in the cyan leaves above.


    Harper didn''t move for another few moments, only breaking his frozen state when he could no longer deny himself the ability to breathe.


    Dropping onto his back, heaving for air, his lungs overextending themselves for precious oxygen after that experience. His body was cold, shivering.


    I think I''m done for today... I''ve already hunted more than I need.


    Several minutes passed before the otherer finally had the strength to stand again. His body wouldn''t stop shaking as he began to tie the dead harescourge together with a thick, durable twine he received from the receptionist. There was a lot, the amount intended to be used to wrap up a couple of vepis multiple times to ensure they wouldn''t escape the binding. With what Harper had been provided, he could only tie the legs of the harescourge together, and even then, he had to lay some on top of others as the length was lacking.


    It was a long, slow, and careful trek back to Bretchsong. The entire stringing and returning process took a painstakingly long two hours.


    A new guard manned the station at the gate where he had died yesterday. The guard just stared at him dumbfounded. Harper wasn''t stopped as he walked through the guard, stumbling back and trying not to get dragged along with the army of corpses.


    Harper was too drained to pay attention to the guard''s reaction, continuing his march till arriving at the guild house. Balling his fist, he slammed on the doors, waiting with a half-dead face for someone to open the doors for him.


    His knock was answered by a pale merchant, eyes widening at the haul. Quickly, they opened the second door, turning around.


    "An adventurer has arrived with a large harvest of harescourge; everyone, clear a path for him to get through." Gathering the attention of the scattered adventurers, they looked upon Harper in amazement.


    "Hey, Bravo!" Harper''s head slowly rose to meet the voice to be greeted by Nemmy. "That''s a hell of a score. Need help bringing it up front?" She asked, slapping his back heartily.


    "Hey, Lilly!" said the receptionist, who was already looking on in astonishment, some of the color draining from her face. Look at the new guy''s catch. He''s a natural." Nemmy beamed, throwing her shoulder around Harper''s neck and digging the unfocused individual into her side.


    Far too physical, just like the last time.


    "Yeah-"


    "Most new otherers almost always die when trying to kill harescourge, right?" She blurted, the receptionist''s face paling further.


    <hr>


    Lilly was already expecting Bravo to die in the forest. (Funnily enough, to her expectations, Harper had died plenty of times.)


    She thought that even if he did survive, Bravo would return by the skin of his teeth, having caught at most two. No, the murderous bastard had massacred them, coming back exhausted but not injured in the slightest. Her plan... Her and Walt''s plan had fallen through.


    Finding another way to kill him wouldn''t be hard, but the issue comes down to Bravo realizing that they are trying to get him killed on a quest. Lilly kept herself from biting her nails, keeping her face neutral and excited.


    Replying to Nemmy sub-consciously, Lilly thought about potentially setting up a chance encounter between Bravo and Riley. He was far too paranoid after having kids with his wife, doing damn near anything to ensure their safety. Without a doubt, Riley would kill someone like Bravo if he was given any reason.


    A newcomer and otherer with murderous eyes and the ability to hunt tens of harescourge as their first quest was far more than enough to warrant his culling of the irregularity. She could get Walt to initiate it; he was better at scheming than her, anyway.


    "What the hell is all the ruckus?" Speak of the demon, Lilly looked over at Walt, who was trying to mind his own business at the bar. Additionally, she wasn''t sure how she missed how loud it had gotten. There were even more adventurers than there had been before.


    Lilly eyed him and then Bravo, who had come in with a large number of dead harescourge. Walt followed her gaze, dropping his mug. The mug hit the bar stand, spilling draft as it clattered to the floor.


    Walt stood, walking over to Lilly, stressfully running his hand through his hair. "By Reius, how did he manage that?"


    Lilly didn''t have an answer for that.


    "How many do you think he killed? I know it is more than most can hunt below level forty, and even then, it''s in a pair or a party." Walt fell onto the support beam connected to Lilly''s desk, huffing.


    Still lost for words, the receptionist just nodded to her benefactor.


    Silence passed over them, lasting a little over a minute as they watched adventurers and merchants hounded Bravo. They would deal with him when the vultures were done.


    "Sixty-three, sixty-four, sixty-five, sixty-six, sixty-seven," Walt wiped his face with his hand, trying to wrap his mind around how an otherer new to this world managed to pull off such a feat. Even he couldn''t do this till he hit level twenty, and he was a special case.


    Lilly, to his side, wasn''t looking any better than before. The growth rate was absurdly high. Walt''s mind sailed back to Rin, his blood running cold.


    He might need to put his morals aside.

 Backlog? What Backlog!

    Riley was a bit surprised when Lily asked him to come to the guild office to discuss an issue from an earlier incident last night. She usually went to Walt regarding guild issues, him being the vice-guild master. He was often the last person she would confide in.


    Having no reason to procrastinate, Riley immediately made his way to the guild house. He ignored everyone, not even bothering to activate Judge and Jury, even if there was a new face. He was too tired right now; he had just woken up not even thirty minutes ago. Even as paranoid as he was, the likelihood of him being a problem after being allowed in was low. The other guards weren''t ignorant...


    Or at least most of them weren''t. Walt would allow nearly anyone in if they did not have an active warrant for their capture or death.


    Even then, Walt was a fantastic judge of character. If someone of questionable intent were to enter, he would keep them in line, watching them like a petrivor.


    Riley was at the door of the community guild house office before he knew it, opening the door to meet Lily. His eyes fell upon Lily, the woman sitting at a large desk, and then he moved to Walt, who was leaning on the far wall next to the window.


    Riley''s eyes narrowed.


    "So, what''s got the both of you on edge?"


    Lily slid an off-white, nearly yellow piece of paper toward him. "We had an otherer, who we commissioned to do a quest, pull off the near impossible."


    Riley nodded, taking the paper and looking it over. His eyes lingered on the number¡ªsixty-seven harescourge.


    "So, where does the problem lie? An exemplary newcomer adventurer isn''t worth calling for me; I want you to get to the point."


    Lily didn''t speak; she sat back further into her chair as Walt stepped forward. "The problem is that this individual is, without a doubt, a serial killer. We don''t have any proof, and you know my morals will prevent me from killing without proper evidence. I want you to use Judge And Jury on him, find out what he''s done, then kill him." He bit, his voice icy and cold. The bastard just didn''t want to get his hands dirty.


    "He goes by Bravo," Lily added, sounding quite irritated.


    "Like the cartoon show or the phonetic alphabet?" Riley muttered to himself, scratching at his neck.


    Neither of the natives knew what he was referring to, but that didn''t matter much.


    "Regarding the sixty-seven harescourge, this quest was completed within hours, and it was his first quest. He arrived with nothing but the clothes on his back and killed all those with minimal gear he bought with loaned funds and returned with no effective injuries." Lily slammed her hands on her desk, glaring up at him. "He has no level, abilities far too low compared to what he is capable of, and all his skills and titles are blocked. He''s dangerous."


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    Nodding slowly, Riley felt uneasy. "How long till you think he will strike?" His gaze flicked to Walt, the older man shrugging.


    "Can''t be too sure. The idea was to have him die in the harescourge quest, and then he managed to kill more than most adventurers at level thirty could. It will depend on how long we can manage to keep him occupied with vepis. Even then, allowing him to kill vepis unchecked will be detrimental too. It is possible his otherer title granted him a skill that allows him to adapt to kill. It wouldn''t be the first time we saw a similar skill- I doubt you have forgotten Francis, that fucking nut."


    Riley chuckled, shaking his head. "How could I? He was at least rank fourteen, not the fastest, but he still leveled up quickly. He was difficult to kill with so many active skills with no time limit. Those claws and the rock armor were a bitch to deal with."


    Walt nodded, his features grim. "I''m at least eighty percent positive he is above rank nineteen. And unlike Francis, I think Bravo relies on resistances. He likely leans towards using passive skills, though I wouldn''t doubt he has an active one for damage dealing. That or a very powerful title, if not one of both."


    "Do you think his resistances are high enough to withstand any of my attacks?" Walt laughed, looking at Riley, catching his cold glare. He stopped, realizing Riley was serious.


    "No, he won''t be able to handle any of your attacks. I can guarantee that. Just ensure he doesn''t get away when you go for the kill. If he got any stronger resistances, he might become an actual threat and not just a potential threat." Walt looked down at Lily, who had remained silent for the time. "Anything you would like to add before we send Riley out on this private quest?"


    Lily nodded, taking a deep breath. "Don''t make light of what I am about to say, but I don''t think he follows our rules. The world order isn''t acting right with him, so even his health might behave differently from ours. I suspect it''s why he survived all of the harescourge."


    Riley leaned forward, "Go on."


    "I don''t believe his body registers damage the way ours does. It''s only in theory, but judging by the damage his armor took, the damage a harescourge deals along with its magic and his health ability... Getting hit doesn''t deal damage to him as it would with us. I think it is based on the physical condition of his body, not the health count." She stood, staring at him with caution. "Be careful, and don''t let his health- What do you call it?"


    "Stat."


    "Don''t let his health stat deceive you."


    Walt put his thumb to his chin, humming lowly as Riley gave a slow nod, thinking.


    "Isn''t that a double-edged sword, though?" Lily nodded, though she was still insistent.


    "He will likely die before it hits zero, but it doesn''t mean he still can''t use that against you. It''s more dangerous not knowing the point at when he will die and when he won''t." Riley could see what she meant.


    "Also, he could have suffered a lot of damage and still live if he hadn''t been hit in vital spots. So that''s something else to watch out for." She continued, about to go on a little longer, until Walt laid his hand on her shoulder, glaring down with a harsh realization.


    "Do you think it''s possible that he can cause others to act in the same fashion? Thus, how he was able to kill so many harescourge. He wasn''t dealing damage to them. He was inflicting wounds."


    Walt now looked worried, slowly gripping as Lily yiped in pain. Quickly letting go, he apologized. Looking back up to Riley, he was growing pale. His overwhelming seven-hundred-forty base health stats would be rendered useless.


    He had absolutely no room to make mistakes because if he did, he could really die.


    "I think Bravo''s threat just went from potential to immediate."


    Riley and Walt both agreed fully. Bravo was dangerous and needed to be dealt with.


    It''s too bad none of them knew the irony that their plans to deal with him would only strengthen him.

 Bullshit Squared

    Due to unforeseen circumstances, I am unable to produce chapters at my previous pace. However, I''ll be writing through a proxy to provide content to tide you over until I can resume at my usual speed. I hope you''ll remain patient and continue reading as I release new chapters.


    I look forward to fulling returning soon.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

 Better Late Than Never

    No, I''m not continuing just yet. I''ll resume once January starts. So, two days, Yay! I plan to start some actual smart shit known as drafting instead of going off no script like a dumbass.


    So yeah, expect shit to go in a little bit more of an- idk... Something. I''m watching anime atm, been occupied by the month of the Toradora rewatch and doing after streams following the daily episode.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Hope everyone who reads this is excited for this bullshit. If I can get the drafts going quick and set up to tell an actual story, then hopefully we can have something fun and shit.