《Sacred Ground Administrator》


 1: Failure of A Hero

    [ Planet LSc-259-E-15 has stepped past 2 stars on the Cosmic Disassociated Civilization Scale. Commencing development sequence. Please, record what follows:


    1. The potential ceiling of all living creatures in contact is increased to Rank-2


    2. Dimensional gateway assimilation frequency is increased by 17.2%


    3. Restrictions of alien technology will no longer be applicable


    4. Restrictions on alien scouts will be lifted within six hours ]


    For the whole day, those seven sentences had occupied the screens of every active electronic device on Planet Nen.


    Unlike the first time something like this had happened, the masses were not in a panic. Nor were all the governments on the planet wondering whether to pull out their nuclear warheads to prepare for the sixth world war.


    Instead, every news outlet across the planet was churning out analytical articles and audio broadcasts, warning the population of twelve billion humans that the flow of history was about to undergo another massive shift.


    While listening to one such podcast from his two favorite history analysts, Euri was quickly cutting through a dense crowd on the sidewalk of one of the busiest streets of Peacock District.


    For the common people, it was rush hour, and for the dimension divers, this whole week would be filled with a hectic workload. The cosmic notice had gotten them all sprinting through the district day and night.


    The streets were packed with vehicles and beast rides. Shadowfoot Horses, Blood Wolves, Weightless Rhinos, Tank Bulls, and even a couple of Titan Elephants were visible in the block he was navigating through. Several winged beasts were flying overhead, carrying their superhuman owners to important sections of the district.


    Nobody in their wildest dreams would have thought that such a scene would be the reality even fifty years ago, when the Cosmic Civilization Development Bureau had made its presence known for the first time to their world and announced that their planet was about to enter the list of 1-star civilizations.


    Unable to bear the stink of sweat and waves of noise in the big street, Euri made the big mistake of slipping into deserted alleyways to take a shortcut to his neighborhood. And only when his eyes fell on the ongoing crime in a dark corner of one such alley did he take off the headphones and recall all the special bulletins about the skyrocketing crime rate in the cities since the cosmic notice had appeared.


    Three burly men wearing plastic masks had pinned someone to a wall. Two of them were brandishing knives at their victim, and one of those knives even had a trace of blood on it.


    "Let''s see what''s in this bag... Looks expensive, doesn''t it? What''s it made from? Snowcroc hide? That should fetch some money, huh?"


    The third guy was busy ransacking the victim''s possessions, it seemed. All three had their backs turned toward Euri, and he wasn''t stupid enough to make his presence known at a moment like this.


    Turning around silently, Euri began to trot away as fast as he could. Just as he was about to go out of earshot, he heard the third thug exclaim, "Oh, look! A pack of birth-control pills! You''ve been on them on regular, right, Missy? Awesome!"


    This was followed by a distinctly feminine shriek, and Euri''s quick steps faltered at that mental image.


    This was not the first time he had come across such an incident. Peacock district was a hotbed of crimes due to its lacking administration, and most kids in his neighborhood had grown up encountering all sorts of messy scenes in alleys, abandoned buildings, and the industrial plants near their homes.


    But the last time he had ignored a scene like that, he had found himself staring at the mangled face of a neighbor''s daughter on the evening news. He had not had the sincerity to confess to the weeping middle-aged man that he might have been able to save the little girl.


    Euri didn''t consider himself a good person, but he had lost weeks of sleep over that incident. In his mind, he had replayed the scenario thousands of times, bravely saving the girl in each simulation despite facing four armed, hardened criminals.


    And yet, now that he was faced with the same crossroads of fate, Euri''s feet didn''t move as fast as they had in his imagination. He didn''t rush over like a knight wrapped up in plot armor. In fact, his legs shook a little even as he turned around.


    "What if it''s someone I know?" He kept muttering to himself to suppress his protesting rationality. The cold facts told him that he''d be sending himself to death, or at least a beating that''d leave him crippled. If those three thugs were associated with any gangs, they were not going to leave his limbs intact.


    Fear was their greatest asset!


    Still, the half-censored face of that little girl refused to leave his mind, and the pressure of seeing something similar became the final push for his feet to move forward.


    Euri took off his backpack as the resolve set in. Although carrying sharp tools into school was prohibited, kids from sketchy areas never traveled unarmed. From a tiny inner pocket of his backpack, he pulled out the finger-sized bottle of acid he had stolen from the school lab a couple of days ago.


    A dozen milliliters of acid would probably be just enough to seriously hurt one of those three thugs. Obviously, he would have to target either of the two armed thugs. Then he could act like there was some residue left in his bottle to frighten off the second guy. If he ran, the third thug wouldn''t dare to stay!You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    The real trouble, however, would only begin from that point. Some people would definitely come looking to avenge their disfigured buddy.


    Clenching the uncapped bottle in one hand, Euri took out his miniscreen and started a video call in a chat group. This wasn''t an act to prove himself innocent if the law enforcement got involved. He just needed the thugs to think that many eyes were on them.


    As he came out of the corner of the alleyway and approached the group, he shouted loudly in a thick accent that would give off the impression that he was a visitor from a distant district.


    "Hey! There are people beating up a little girl! Heavens! I hope all of you are seeing this! Everyone, please report! Report! Report! You know my location, fans!"


    His impersonation of a livestreamer was not bad. The three thugs who had turned around aggressively became visibly hesitant to approach him. Behind them, a sickly-looking girl was visible, trying to put on her jacket in a hurry.


    "Although these guys are wearing masks, their physique seems distinct, right? Dear fans, please send some images to the police! The longer they stay in my camera frame, the better the chances of identifying them are!"


    Euri''s nasal, high-pitched voice ceaselessly echoed in the alley as he continued to spout bullshit, firmly planting the idea of escape into the minds of the thugs.


    However, he may have overdone the act a little, because the unarmed thug whispered something to one of his colleagues, who immediately rushed towards Euri brandishing the knife in his grip with animalistic ferocity.


    Euri immediately backtracked, hiding behind a pillar in the sharp corner of the alley. The moment his opponent rushed into view, he splashed the acid at his exposed throat and upper chest.


    "AAAGHH-Huh?!"


    Euri didn''t expect the thug''s reaction to being disfigured to be so underwhelming. In fact, it didn''t even look like he was feeling any pain. The initial scream seemed to have come out of shock.


    In a flash, a certain strand of thought surfaced in Euri''s mind. When he was stealing that bottle of acid, he had forgotten to check what the label on top of the bottle was. It could have been highly corrosive sulfuric acid; it could have also been edible organic acid...


    The thug had already recovered from the surprise. With two quick steps, he was face to face with Euri, and the knife in his hand was pressed into his neck hard enough to sting.


    "Give me the miniscreen."


    Snatching it from Euri''s hands, he dragged him back to that alley where the other two thugs were waiting. The girl was struggling tearfully as one of them tugged her around by her hair, calling her every derogatory name under the sky for trying to escape.


    "Oh, got him? Good! See, I told ya he wasn''t streaming! Fucking daredevil, eh?" Coming close, the unarmed guy kneed Euri in the stomach while the other thug held him still, leaving him bent over, gasping for breath.


    "But the video still reached a couple of people. Can''t take it back now, can we? His friends might circulate it," one of them said in worry.


    "Don''t bother. He''ll stop those friends himself... As long as he''s in the same position as us, hehehe!" The unarmed thug, who seemed to be the brain of the group, cackled maliciously.


    "Hey boy, ever fucked before? Well, you''re about to right now! Strip, strip! And you, slut," he turned around to face the crying girl.


    "Carrying around those pills and acting all pure, haha! If you want us brothers to be rough, just say it!"


    Euri, who was still heaving on all fours, was grabbed by the hair, and at that very moment, he sprang up like a coiled snake and slapped his half-closed fist on the face of the thug behind him.


    "Ow-! Son of a bitch!"


    A kick sent Euri flying towards the closest wall. That slap had naturally not been able to do much damage... initially.


    "Wait, Javi, look at my eyes! It hurts, dammit! Fuuucckk!"


    Euri had never let go of the vial of acid. While he was on all fours, he had smashed the vial and grabbed the biggest shard. The slap had been a ruse for its target spot¡ªthe thug''s eyes.


    The thug started to yell in panic when blood began to stream down from his punctured eyeball while Euri digested the pain of the kick and slowly started crawling towards the second armed thug, who was busy trying to strip the girl again.


    Just as he was getting ready to jump to his feet and strike at the hand holding the knife, Euri felt a searing sensation behind his head, followed by a dull thud that seemed to shake his entire being.


    And then the world went out of his focus. Euri struggled desperately to keep his eyes open, but the darkness covered his consciousness swiftly.


    When he regained his consciousness, he felt indescribably comfortable. The air was warm, the bedsheet under him was soft, and his body was like a ton-heavy frozen slab. For a minute, Euri couldn''t even open his eyes without feeling like it would take every bit of his willpower.


    A lot came back to him in that minute. How he had fought, how he had been knocked out, and then... how the hell was he alive?


    He heard the sound of someone making a ruckus outside the room, and the noise finally forced him to open his eyes. He was inside a hospital cabin, he realized. A pretty run-down one, with equipment that seemed long out of use.


    His head was wrapped up in thick bandage, but other than that, he couldn''t see or sense any other injuries on his body.


    Slowly, he managed to sit up on the bed. His miniscreen was right beside him on a table. A quick check answered the first question he had.


    He had been unconscious for six hours. It seemed that the thugs had not given him "extra care" after he got knocked out. Was it because they thought he was dead already?


    When he checked his messages, a flood of concerned texts greeted him, some from his classmates and some from his neighbors. The source of their concern, as it turned out, was a special bulletin covering the latest local crimes.


    A censored picture of a corpse with a slashed neck took up the screen the moment he clicked on the news link. An unidentified teenage girl had been robbed and killed by three assailants. A bystander who had recorded the whole thing was also injured by them in an attempt to erase evidence.


    The news article also mentioned how unenthusiastic the police were even after knowing that they had enough evidence to identify the murderers.


    Groaning, Euri was about to turn the device off, only to notice an odd detail at the corner of the screen. The application download bar was active, notifying him that the installation of [Sacred Ground Administrator] was a success.


    "...What the hell is that?"


    There was indeed a new icon in his list of installed applications. Euri didn''t remember downloading anything like this. Someone must have fiddled with the device when he was unconscious!


    Frowning, he tried to uninstall it. But when he clicked on the uninstall option, his screen went dark. A moment later, a loading screen appeared on it, with a message popping into view alongside the progress bar.


    [ The role of an administrator comes with great responsibility! A chosen one cannot forsake his role! Hero, please finish what you started, and protect the sacred ground from all evil creatures! ]


    "A malware-infested game?! Who the hell installed it in my mini?"


    Euri was just about to turn the device off manually, but just then, the loading screen was replaced by the cartoonish image of a young girl.


    She looked identical to the girl whose corpse he had seen on the same screen a minute ago.

 2: The Sacred Ground Seems A Little Empty

    Frozen on the bed, Euri''s mind raced as he compared the facial features of the girl on screen with the girl he had tried so hard to save. Other than the slight cartoonishness, this avatar was ninety percent identical to her.


    Even the hairstyle was the same!


    A text bubble appeared near the girl''s mouth while he concluded this. Unable to bury his curiosity, he read the whole thing.


    [ I am Sol-wa, the priestess of this sacred ground. I am the last layer of defense our pitiful sacred ground has. With your arrival, hero, I am sure this sacred ground can flourish once more! If you are sincere, the sacred ground shall reward you generously! So please, accompany me and take a look! I promise that you won''t regret it. ]


    With a click, Euri agreed to visit this sacred ground in this strange game. He had nothing else to do at the moment anyway. He had to wait for a nurse or a doctor to come to the cabin and explain the aftermath of the robbery and murder before he could decide his next course of action.


    It wasn''t like anyone in his home would be worried. Both of his parents were hooked on whatever the hottest drugs of the season were. His older sister, who lived in a different district for her studies, barely kept in touch.


    The scene on the screen transitioned into a simple, colorfully designed grove filled with trees and shrubbery. The art style was vibrant and detailed, refreshing Euri''s assumptions about the game.


    At the center of the grove, a well could be seen emitting puffs of green gas. Not sure what to do, Euri clicked on the icon of the well, and a task bar popped up.


    [ Sacred Ground Core: Vitality Gas Well ]


    [ Property: Emits a gas that improves the constitution of beasts chosen for nurturing ]


    [ Level 1 ]


    [ Upgrade? ]


    Although the upgrading option was grayed out, Euri clicked on it to see the upgrading conditions. There was only one.


    [ Beast Cores sacrificed: 0/100 ]


    In real life, beast cores were the hottest commodity on the planet since the day dimension divers had figured out how to use them. Kill a bronze-grade Rank-1 beast without damaging its core, and you can sell it for enough money to live lavishly for a couple of weeks.


    And bronze-grade beasts were the least powerful ones. The silver-grade mutated beasts, the gold-grade nightmares whose core could sell for as much as a million credits...You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Euri shook his head and shifted his focus back to the game. Since the well needed beast cores to level up, the game should have some functions through which he could earn these cores.


    However, he looked for a long time and clicked on every little icon on the screen, from the trees and shrubs to even the dark borders of the grove, but nothing gave him a pop-up related to any beast cores.


    In fact, the game was almost devoid of anything interesting save for a function he discovered while furiously tapping on the trees around the well.


    When he long-pressed on any of those trees, a popup would ask him:


    [ This tree is a part of the sacred ground''s protective formation. Removing it from its original position will break the formation and allow evil creatures to invade and rob the sacred ground''s resources! Beware! ]


    After analyzing the setup for a bit, Euri realized that utilizing this function could be the key to unlocking the mystery of this game. There could only be two endings.


    One¡ªthe sacred ground gets destroyed, and the game comes to an abrupt end. He could then consult a tech expert about this whole thing and perhaps remove whatever malware his device might have been infected with.


    Two¡ªthe evil creature''s invasion might not succeed, and its death could lead to unlocking deeper mechanisms in the game.


    Since he couldn''t see any point in continuing to fiddle with the featureless game, Euri repositioned one of the trees by a few units of distance in the game. The result was immediate!


    [ The heroic administrator has chosen to hunt his first beast! Priestess Sol-wa shall assist him! ]


    A tiny, cute animation of the familiar girl crawled out of the well and ran around it on all fours, touching the trees nearby. Every tree she touched turned red, and the puffs of green gas coming out of the well began to be sucked into those red trees.


    [ Sacred Ground Status: Hunting mode ]


    This message took up half the screen. But nothing else happened. After staring at the still image for more than a minute, Euri was forced to put it under his pillow in a hurry, because the noise of several footsteps was approaching the door to his cabin.


    A senior doctor who looked frail enough to be riding a wheelchair entered the cabin accompanied by two policemen. They were elated to see that he was awake.


    The old doctor proudly said, "See! I never need machines to predict the status of a patient. Told you two that he''s fine. Back in my days, we got a concussion like that every week! That''s why we grew up so tough! But these new generations....tcheh!"


    While he prodded the back of his head gently to check the stitched area, the two policemen fed Euri a story about how they were trying their best to catch the criminals by analyzing the video call''s contents. There was a really intriguing detail that had evaded Euri''s attention until now.


    "What do you mean the girl was unidentifiable? There was nothing in the database that matched?!"


    The population of Planet Nen might be large, but the apocalyptic events in the past fifty years had ensured that few communities could stay out of touch from certain government policies. Identification was one such policy. Not to mention, everyone had digital footprints.


    "Yes. There is no trace of her existence in any network or database. We''ve just checked the monitoring cameras near the crime spot. She didn''t appear in any of them. The thugs, however, were caught entering the alley in a couple of feeds. Unfortunately, they took a more secretive routes while escaping."


    The two policemen stayed in the cabin for a while, recording Euri''s account of the whole incident while interrogating him about more subtle details. Before leaving, one of them shook his hands with an appreciative look.


    "You may have failed to protect the girl, but you did the right thing. That was very brave of you."


    The other guy snorted in derision. "I''m of the opposite opinion. If you aren''t certain of a high chance of victory, never interrupt a scene like that. That''s just committing suicide with extra steps and a bit more pain. I know that this advice conflicts with my uniform, but we all know how the world works, don''t we, kid?"


    This triggered a bickering between the two policemen as they left Euri''s cabin. The doctor handed him a prescription package and informed him that he could leave after the next checkup in three hours.


    "Er...What about the bill?" Euri asked hesitantly. The old man chuckled.


    "One of the officers paid it off for you. Now lie down and relax. Your mini was going off the whole day from messages. Inform someone in your home to come over."


    Relieved, Euri laid back on the bed and took the miniscreen out as soon as the doctor left. The frozen screen now had a set of statistics on it.


    [ Invasion attempts: 2 ]


    [ Success:Failure: 0:2 ]


    [ Core depleted. Hunting mode has been closed ]


    Sol-wa appeared on the screen and gave a little dance, pointing at the Sacred Ground''s blurred image in the background.


    [ We have hunted two creatures today! Let''s check the spoils, Administrator! ]

 3: My Dog Is Cultivating While Im Playing Games

    There were two distinct new additions to the grove. Although the art style was rich in detail, Euri had to squint to decipher what creatures he was looking at¡ªa black dog and a red squirrel, both lying upside down near the mouth of the well, tied up under a layer of...tentacles?


    Euri clicked on the dog''s image, and a tiny window popped up over it, displaying:


    [ Scout Dog ]


    [ Rank- 0 lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.7 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Speed ]


    [ Cultivate/Extract ]


    The choice at the bottom of the panel left little to imagination. Feeling like he was slowly getting the hang of the game mechanics, Euri examined the red squirrel''s data.


    [ Thief Squirrel ]


    [ Rank- 0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.2 ]


    [ Special attribute: Camouflage ]


    [ Cultivate/Extract ]


    "What''s with the strange affixes? Scout, thief... What''s next, drug dealer?"


    Since there were only two available choices, Euri inevitably chose both. For the dog, which seemed to have a higher evaluation in terms of Physique, he chose the option to cultivate. The squirrel let out a tragic squeal when he clicked on the Extraction option on its window.


    [ Congratulations on choosing your first familiar, Administrator! ]


    Sol-wa''s head peeked out from a corner of the screen, wearing a bright smile. At the same time, the tentacles wrapped around the squirrel started moving like a python squeezing its prey.


    The squirrel''s body visibly dried up and transformed into a skeleton, as if all of its vitality was being sucked out.


    [ Extraction Complete ]


    [ 1 Rank- 0 beast core available ]


    [ Sacrifice/Consume ]If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Consume? How?" Euri had not expected an extra choice like that. He was planning to sacrifice this beast core to upgrade the well, curious to see where that led to. But now he couldn''t hold back his curiosity and clicked on the second option.


    [ Administrator! You''re so selfish! ]


    Sol-wa''s eyes turned tearful for some reason. Before he could figure out what went wrong, a scorching heat welled up inside his stomach, as if he had just eaten the spiciest dish from Uncle Shang''s restaurant.


    Euri jumped down from the bed and rushed into the toilet. His whole digestive system felt like it was on fire, not to mention the cramps in his guts that signaled an oncoming disaster!


    Half an hour later, the mini diarrhea subsided enough for Euri to feel that it was safe to come out. His psychological barrier had received a great dent in this period.


    What he had excreted for so long was not usual. At first, he had mistaken it for blood. But after seeing several liters of it come out of his guts, he was now sure that it was something else.


    In the back of his mind, he couldn''t help but consider a wild possibility. Did the beast core in the game manifest in reality inside his stomach?


    It was indeed an outlandish possibility, but the fact he based it off was that the actual effect of consuming a beast core was similar to this, or so he had learned from the internet.


    When ordinary humans ate a beast core for the first time, all of them had to deal with a quick, but explosive digestion disaster. The human body couldn''t easily adjust to the intake of such material.


    But judging by how much fluid he had passed outside, it didn''t seem like his body had been able to get any benefit from consuming the beast core.


    Euri stared at the miniscreen in his grasp and muttered in a daze, "If I take an attribute evaluation test and find any difference compared to my past reports, it''ll confirm the theory, won''t it? This game really can-"


    Stopping himself from voicing his suspicion out loud, Euri returned to his bed and started tapping on the screen excitedly.


    Practically speaking, Euri had never been particularly interested in the career of dimension divers, mostly because it was very costly to maintain, with no short-term monetary returns.


    A stable career in an ordinary corporate ladder paid more, and ordinary people didn''t have to deal with the horrific dangers the dimension divers braved.


    But if a mere game could facilitate the journey for him without involving him in any dangerous adventures inside broken spatial intersections, who wouldn''t take the opportunity with tears of happiness?


    "This must be a piece of alien technology. The cosmic notice said that from now on, our civilization is allowed to come into contact with such techs. Did I accidentally end up landing one so quickly? Who was the original owner? This girl?!"


    The dots began to connect in Euri''s mind one after another. The police officers had claimed that her identity was untraceable. If she was a traveler from an alien civilization...


    Euri stared wide-eyed at the miniscreen, where Priestess Sol-wa was dancing in a fixed, animated routine. She was no different from an assistant NPC in simulation games. What kind of mystery had he stumbled upon?


    Nevertheless, this seemed to be a massive stroke of fortune. He had to utilize it as long as he could, as much as he could!


    Deep in thought, he reexamined the state of the sacred ground. Even the squirrel''s corpse had disappeared by now. The tree he had displaced earlier was now back in its original position, supposedly maintaining a protective formation around the well. All the trees that had turned bright red were now back to their original brown and green palette.


    Next to the well, the dog was lying peacefully, taking deep sniffs of the outgoing green gas. No tentacles were tying it up at the moment.


    When Euri clicked on it, the previous data window didn''t appear. There was only a loading circle beside a notification:


    [ Cultivating: Speed ]


    There was no sign as to when this cultivation would end.


    "Ah, so only the special attribute is cultivable. Will the physique stat remain the same?" Euri couldn''t help but lament. If he knew this, he''d have chosen to cultivate the squirrel instead. Its camouflage ability was a lot more interesting than speed. And that affix [ Thief ] had to mean something, right?


    Shifting his focus, he clicked on the well again, eager to reread its data seriously. Until now, he had treated the whole thing like a game he was being forced to play. But that diarrhea had changed his whole outlook on life!


    Surprisingly, there was extra information accompanying the original data.


    [ Sacred Ground Core: Vitality Gas Well ]


    [ Property: Emits a gas that improves the constitution of beasts chosen for nurturing ]


    [ Level 1 ]


    [ Core Depleted State: Effects of the vitality gas will be greatly weakened for the next twelve hours ]

 4: A Civilization Hooked On Rapid Development

    Since the police weren''t particularly interested in pursuing the murder case, Euri naturally didn''t face any obstacles in getting a release slip from the hospital after deciding that he had gotten enough rest. The head injury would keep him stuck in his home for a couple of days, but simple medication was all it required.


    His pockets were emptied after buying the necessary pills and hiring a three-wheeler. Half an hour later, he was back in his home, knocking on the door repeatedly, knowing nobody was going to answer easily.


    After a couple of minutes, his mother opened the door and let him in, eyes abnormally bright and black stains around her lips giving her a ghastly look. This was the usual routine for both of his parents recently.


    Do your mindless factory job for nine hours straight, buy some groceries and two tubes of black foam, come home, have dinner, then stuff the drugs up your veins to feel what they called ''absolute peace''; then wake up ten hours later, just in time to head out to the factory.


    Other than the fact that they were drugged out of their minds half the time he spent with them, Euri didn''t have many complaints. Most of his friends, especially those in this rough neighborhood, had it far worse.


    Black Foam was fairly tame and cheap among the list of the drugs available in the corners. Some doctors even prescribed it for neurotic patients in extreme cases.


    As usual, he retreated into his tiny bedroom after a quick dinner. His parents didn''t even ask about the bandage on his head. Absolute peace was their only area of interest, not miniscreens, news, or entertainment networks.


    Reclined on the bed, Euri turned on his miniscreen and entered the game. It had been four hours since he exited the application. But there were no visible changes in it. The dog was still cultivating peacefully, the loading cycle on its stats window showing no signs of completion.


    Since the well''s data said it was in a depleted state for now, affecting the quality of the vitality gas coming out of the well, the dog''s cultivation session should probably take a long time. He had no idea what the criteria for improving [Speed] were and how the game was going to digitize it comprehensively.


    The timer for the well''s depleted state still had more than seven hours left. There was nothing else to do in the game, so he could only close it and shift his focus to something else. And he did have some ideas that needed a fact check. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Entering an obscure network surfer tool, he began to collect information on several topics. First of all, he needed to understand the ins and outs of consuming beast cores.


    This was a rabbithole of urban myths and shallow articles that made him scroll with intense focus for a whole hour. Although the information in the surface web was filtered by governments and stakeholder corporate giants, his prior understanding was still refreshed. The key aspects were not easy to hide.


    Beast Cores had a very wide and versatile range of utility. From awakening mutant abilities to making medicine, from taming and cultivating pet beasts to running bimolecular research, the scope was only getting bigger every day.


    So many different types of cores had been discovered until now that there was no way to keep track of any comprehensive classification guidelines.


    Directly consuming a beast core was indeed a rather selfish thing to do, he came to learn. This ruined a majority of the core''s potential utility. Any industry professional with relevant tools could extract ten times more utility from it compared to the benefits to the human body from one beast core.


    On the other hand, consuming beast cores in large numbers was the only way to become a ranked superhuman. It was the main reason why only relatively rich families had been able to nurture most superhumans in these fifty years.


    Several government-funded projects across the globe were claiming that they''d soon be able to develop serums from the beast cores to awaken mutant abilities in humans. This innovation could reduce the wasteful method of superhuman nurturing to a great degree.


    On the topic of aftereffects of beast core consumption, Euri could not find much. Diarrhea, fever, nervous shock, and many more problematic reactions were listed among the possibilities.


    If the beast core was too powerful, for example, a Rank-1 gold-grade beast core, it could even directly kill the consumer if his body was unfamiliar with beast core consumption.


    The beast core that had manifested in Euri''s stomach was a Rank-0 core. Rank-0 beasts had no subdivisions among them, and they weren''t much different compared to ordinary beasts of the same species. For them, having a beast core was already a sign of maturity.


    But statistically speaking, the chances of developing a mutant ability after consuming a Rank-0 core were almost 0%. Perhaps if he ate hundreds of them, something might click....


    "Looks like there is no need to get a checkup for latent abilities. But I should get a normal one just to make sure there is no adverse affect on my body from the consumption process."


    Euri spent the next half hour looking for any news article, national or international, that mentioned anything related to alien techs, or malware that might be linked to such mysterious sources. But other than urban myths and rumormongers, he found nothing reliable.


    A little disheartened, he turned the miniscreen off and drifted off to sleep, anticipating the changes he''d see in the game tomorrow morning...


    The next morning, the first thing he did after turning off the alarm was to click on the icon marked as [ Sacred Ground Administrator ].


    Sol-wa''s doll-like face greeted him as usual, this time with a comically large smile reaching both of her ears, eyes crinkled and nostrils flared. She was pointing emphatically at the well, with the text bubble beside her face showing:


    [ The Sacred Ground Core is back to full power! You can commence normal operations as you like, Handsome Administrator! ]


    Euri eagerly checked the data of both the well and the dog. The [ Depleted State ] notice was gone from the well''s status window, and the dog''s data had a new addition:


    [ Cultivating Speed ]


    [ Cultivation Checkpoint estimated in 1.5 hours ]

 5: No Dogs Under Heaven, No Dogs Above Earth

    Approximately ninety minutes later, reclined on his bed again on a full stomach, Euri logged into the game and checked on his first familiar.


    [ Scout Dog ]


    [ Rank- 0 lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.7 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Speed (1) ]


    [ Cultivate/Extract ]


    The only change after the cultivation session was the numeric marker beside the special attribute. Euri couldn''t help but feel disappointed a little.


    "I waited a whole night for this? It just shows that I''ve let the dog cultivate for a single session? How am I supposed to determine the effects of cultivation?"


    For a moment, he was tempted to satisfy his prior curiosity about the upgrading process of the well of vitality gas. He could still have the dog killed and sacrifice its core...


    "No, no, no, since I''ve already invested time and resource into this familiar, there is no need to get rid of it before testing out its full potential. It''s not as if anything''s going out of my own pocket except a few minutes of the day."


    The dog in the game had no idea that its owner''s gambling tendencies had just averted a big danger for it. It was pacing around the grove in a curious gait, checking the grassy ground, the trees, the well... Wait, was it taking a piss on the well?


    Amazed, Euri watched the animated dog take a leak for a couple of seconds before Priestess Sol-wa jumped out of the well and bonked it with a stick; her cute face warped in anger.


    A few text bubbles rapidly flickered through the screen, where phrases like ''idiot poop-eaters'', ''evil creature'', and ''no dogs under heaven, no dogs above earth'', were visible.


    "This interaction is so fun and detailed! They even included animations for it! The alien game development industry must be nuts!"


    In a good mood, Euri made his routine checkup on every icon in the game, rereading every data window before deciding on his next course of action.


    "Let''s open the hunting season again!"


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The moment he moved one of the trees near the well, the familiar warning popped up.


    [ This tree is a part of the sacred ground''s protective formation. Removing it from its original position will break the formation and allow evil creatures to invade and rob the sacred ground''s resources! Beware! ]


    After he ignored the warning and placed the tree several units away, Sol-Wa stopped bonking the dog and began preparing the sacred ground for the ensuing hunt. All the trees she touched turned red, and tendrils of green gas were siphoned away by those trees in a frenzy.


    "Maybe the consumption speed of these trees forces the well to produce vitality gas beyond its capacity... That could explain why it ends up getting temporarily depleted after a while. Powered up by the gas, the trees, or the tentacles under the ground, hunts the greedy creatures that try to invade the grove for a chance to cultivate!"


    Euri felt like he had figured out the game''s mechanism accurately. Seeing the [ Hunting Mode ] initiation message blocking the view of the grove again, heavily blurring the view of the grove, he could only wait for the hunt to end.


    The wait wasn''t long. About twenty minutes passed before the popup disappeared.


    [ Invasion attempts: 2 ]


    [ Success:Failure: 0:2 ]


    [ Core depleted. Hunting mode has been closed ]


    "The same as the previous session? Or is it something else? Maybe the Sacred Ground can only defend itself twice before the vitality gas well gets depleted..."


    This theory could be confirmed after a few more attempts at hunting beasts. So Euri wasn''t in a hurry to jump to a conclusion yet.


    After checking the state of the grove, he was surprised. He had assumed that the Scout Dog would be another layer of defense for the sacred ground. But it was actually cowering behind a tree with its tail tucked, holding two paws over its head in despair. And the creatures that had terrified it like this were...


    A couple of black rats one-third of its size.


    Speechless, Euri once again considered extracting the dog''s beast core for the benefit of the vitality well. Sol-wa''s slogan, ''No dogs under heaven, no dogs above earth'', suddenly seemed reasonable.


    Shifting his focus back to the rats that had been tied up by the tentacles coming out of the soil, he went through their data window.


    [ Scavenger Rat ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.25 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Hyperosmia ]


    [ Brawler Rat ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.3 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Combat Instinct ]


    "...What the hell is this?"


    The first rat''s stats could still be considered normal. Euri had read before that many rat species had a powerful sense of smell. But since this rat had a special attribute of the same category, its sense of smell was probably even stronger than most rats of its species.


    Nevertheless, what was up with the second rat? A brawler? Combat instinct as its special attribute? If he let it cultivate, what might it transform into?


    In his mind, a ridiculous scene manifested. A six-foot-tall humanoid rat wearing boxing gloves over its front paws, flexing its biceps and shoulder joint as it oiled itself up for a mixed martial arts tournament...


    Good heavens, he needed to see this for himself! He needed to nurture this rat!


    That meant if he wanted to test the beast core sacrifice mechanism in the game, he could only sacrifice the first rat. But when he clicked on the [ Extract ] option on its data window, Sol-Wa popped into the screen and grabbed the loading circle, trying to stop it from spinning.


    [ Stop, you curious Administrator! This is the only beast in this sacred ground right now that can help us identify secondary resources! It is not a wise decision to let it die! ]


    "Oh?" Euri''s eyes lit up. "There are secondary resources as well? Awesome! It looks like I''ve stumbled upon an expansion route! Now how do I develop it?"


    Sol-Wa could obviously not hear what he was saying. Anxious, she snatched the rat up from the tantacles and disappeared inside the dense trees and shrubbery encircling the well. Unable to see her figure, Euri tapped furiously on those areas, zooming in, attempting to displace them like the trees closest to the well, but nothing worked.


    Scanning the whole area of the grove, Euri did some mental math to calculate how large it might be in real life. If the size of the well and the clearly visible trees were ordinary, then the total ''active'' area of the sacred ground was no more than 4000 square meters, barely the size of a sports'' field.


    What other resources could she find here by relying on the frog? Euri had no idea, but he had a lot of time in his hand to wait patiently and watch it unfold.

 6: Secondary Core

    Since the vitality gas well was depleted from the second hunt, Euri let the useless Scout Dog and the Brawler Rat cultivate jointly. Both of them sat beside the well and sniffed in the green tendrils peacefully.


    There was no other function in the game that he could try out. So Euri exited the game and spent a while scrolling through entertainment networks, daydreaming about the potential of the game in the back of his mind.


    Since beast cores from the game could manifest in reality, what about the beasts themselves? They were no less useful than their cores.


    Was there any way he could summon them by his side and participate in Dimension diving, or Dueling Coliseums, or even take mercenary commissions for jobs in dangerous territories nearby?


    He could even sell the beasts if he needed money. Any Rank-1 beast with a useful ability was worth 3-5 times as much as its core, depending on how docile it was towards humans. Even a Rank-0 beast that had developed a specific ability could be sold for a decent price.


    He wouldn''t need to attend school anymore if he could just sell one beast per month through this game.


    "Tch~ even if the extracted cores could manifest outside my stomach, I wouldn''t need to worry about money again in life. I have to repeat the consumption method a few more times and see if it''s possible to bring the beast cores outside the game without letting my body digest it."


    Just about an hour later, while he was casually checking into the game to see how the dog and the rat were cultivating, he received a notification in the game. A new colorful icon was visible in a corner of the grove, where nothing could be seen except a canopy formed by densely packed trees.


    "Secondary Resource!" Euri''s eyes were glowing in excitement, having figured out the reason. Sol-Wa had disappeared in this part of the grove with the Scavenger Rat!


    After clicking on the mysterious icon, he was presented with a big data window.


    [ Sacred Ground Secondary Core: Ambrosia Pool ]Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    [ Property: After receiving the sacrifice of beasts, beast cores, and common foodstuffs, it can produce ambrosia, which can help improve the Physique of beasts and keep them well fed. Without regular feeding, the beast familiars shall not develop loyalty towards the Sacred Ground! ]


    [ Level: 1 ]


    [ Current Production: 0 units ]


    [ Produce? ]


    "So Physique can be improved?! Fuck yeah!" Euri was ecstatic, to say the least. But when he checked the production condition and discovered how heavy the required investment to produce ambrosia was, his enthusiasm waned a little.


    "One unneeded beast, one core, one set of common food items... I have none of these in stock at the moment."


    Gazing at the dog and the rat in deep meditation, Euri felt relieved that they didn''t need feeding three times a day. The dog was here for more than fifteen hours, and it didn''t seem hungry or weak. Maybe the vitality gas could keep their hunger in check while he waited for the stock to accumulate.


    Another detail he noticed was the lack of an upgrading option for this ambrosia pool. Since it was labeled as a Secondary Core, perhaps its abilities depended on the main core, the gas well.


    Meanwhile, Sol-Wa reappeared on the screen, holding the rat over her head like a prized treasure. The rat also stared back at him with large, pitiful eyes, holding both of its front paws in a gesture of begging.


    [ Kind Administrator! See what I was talking about? Scavenger Rat is very useful? Can you not kill him? ]


    As if it could also read the words in the text box, the black rat nodded repeatedly, appearing very sincere.


    [ At least don''t kill it until another scavenger rat wanders in ]


    The rat immediately looked down at Sol-Wa''s face when the second text box appeared. If rats could form human expressions, it would have looked dumbstruck.


    "Haaah, they designed the game mechanisms so thoroughly. Isn''t this just a method of indirect tutorial that doesn''t make the player feel like he''s being forced?"


    Euri liked it. So Scavenger Rat was spared. But instead of heading out for another discovery, it ran towards the vitality gas well and sat beside Brawler Rat, trying in vain to cultivate. Without Euri''s authorization, unfortunately, it would never succeed.


    Since he was feeling grateful to the rat, Euri decided it was an appropriate reward to allow it to cultivate as well. So he opened Scavenger Rat''s data window....Only to receive a small shock.


    [ Scavenger Rat ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.28 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Hyperosmia ]


    [ Cultivate/Extract ]


    "Wasn''t its Physique 0.25 points the last time I checked? It increased by 0.03 units. That can only happen here if..."


    Euri''s eyes flickered towards the Ambrosia Pool. The current production there was 0 units. Didn''t this mean the rat had eaten up everything inside before letting others know about the pool?


    Little Sol-Wa, you''ve been scammed by the rat''s innocent face!


    Chuckling, Euri clicked on the [ Cultivate ] option and closed the game. His mood had improved after seeing that direct increase of 0.03 points in terms of physique.


    If there was an option in the game to extract ambrosia out in the real world and consume it like the beast core...


    Gazing at his thin, reedy body, Euri clicked his tongue. Maybe becoming a superhuman wasn''t as far away as he had previously assumed! He didn''t need to wait for an ability to awaken through devouring numerous beast cores. He could just improve his body through the ambrosia!


    "I wonder what the requirements are to be counted as a Rank-1 lifeform in the game. The cosmic notice claimed that the current ceiling for our race has been raised to Rank-2. So can I ascend into a Rank-2 lifeform by relying on this game?"

 7: I Missed The Scholarship, So What?

    The difference in stats between Scavenger Rat and Brawler Rat, both of whom looked identical to each other, hinted at another unspoken aspect of the game¡ªno two creatures may be the same, even if they were from the same species, or the same group.


    Euri didn''t think this was necessarily a bad thing. He had a feeling that the affixes for these creatures had a bigger role here than what he could perceive. As long as the same affix appeared on multiple creatures, he wouldn''t need to worry about having too many subdivisions among his future army of beasts.


    Since the core had another ten hours left to recharge itself, and all three of his beast familiars were cultivating, Euri couldn''t mess around in the game anymore. He logged out and started simulating the future pathways in the game on a piece of paper, hoping to identify the route with the maximum benefits under minimal time.


    His parents wouldn''t be home until the evening. And the school wasn''t going to chew him out for missing a day. Studies weren''t exactly the biggest priority for most people of his category in society. In this respect, Euri was quite different from his friends and associates.


    He had little attraction towards exciting careers, fame, or the thrill of exercising power and influence over others in the unsavory lines of work that swallowed most young men around his age in this part of the district.


    The only reason he was pursuing a corporate career was because he could find a job there that wouldn''t keep him occupied 25/7. Just like his parents, he could clock in and out daily while spending the rest of his time in some relaxing hobby, or even simply sleeping.


    In the afternoon, he received a call from a classmate he was on good terms with.


    "Euri, is your head injury too severe? Why did you skip school today?"


    "No, what''s wrong?" Euri could sense the anxiety in his tone.


    "Did you forget what day it is? We''re scheduled for the diploma scholarship test! You''re gonna miss out on the opportunity to become a superhuman!"


    "....Ah shit, I totally forgot. Fuck my luck." Euri cursed profusely for a while, but his face held no countenance remotely close to lament. Rather, he was grinning while eyeing his miniscreen, where the icon labeled as [ Sacred Ground Administrator ] was clearly visible. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    After consoling him for a bit, the classmate said the test was about to start in fifteen minutes. Euri wished him good luck and put the comcell down, only to see another incoming call a minute later. This was from a close friend of the same neighborhood.


    "Euri, my man, where are you at? Shouldn''t have skipped today, man. Something important is on schedule today!" Jaakie''s voice was so loud that Euri had to hold the cell a couple of inches away from his ears.


    "Jaakie! Didn''t think you''d be so eager for scholarships, brother! Do you even know what topic they''re gonna test you on? You haven''t even bought half of those textbooks yet."


    "...What scholarship? There''s a test today? Shitface Shenna never mentioned that in the chat! I''m going to beat that son of a skunk up someday, man, I swear!"


    "Yeah, yeah, as if you''d be grabbing a scholarship if the class rep informed you one year in advance." Rolling his eyes at this buddy who was boasting things like this every day, Euri couldn''t help asking, "If it''s not the scholarship you''re so eager about, what else did I miss on today''s schedule?"


    "The protection fees, man!" Jaakie sounded apoplectic. "Baldy Bennet is in our class today. His boys and girls are collecting like a bunch of crazed zombies. And he''s definitely not in a good mood either.


    "I told him you got beaten up badly yesterday, and it pissed him off even further. You''re under his protection, after all. That''s like a slap to his face. Told me he''s gonna send someone down by your house this evening. Tell''em who did it. You wouldn''t let that beating slide, right?"


    Euri considered the idea, truly tempted. Baldy Bennet might come off as a low-level thug because of his fee collection habits in school, but that was just due to his age.


    His father was a well-known figure in the nearby communities, a man who knew how to make trouble and solve trouble without troubling the law enforcers. Bennet was following his father''s shadow even in the school he was being forced to study.


    "I guess he can at least help me learn their identities," Euri said in the end. "Taking the revenge is another matter. Those guys are also probably members of a big party, judging by how reluctant the police seemed in pursuing their tracks. Baldy Bennet might not agree with what I want to do once I get them in a sweet spot."


    "Hmm? What do you mean?" Jaakie was confused. There were very few things Baldy Bennet might not agree to when it came to exacting revenge.


    "Nothing. Let''s see how things turn out first. You go ace that test, my man."


    "Wait, Euri, were you serious about the test? There really is one schedule today?" Jaakie asked in panic. Snickering, Euri cut the line immediately.


    The rest of his day passed by without incidents. Euri ate, took his medicine in time, and exercised a little, which left his head with a dull throbbing. But since winter was coming, he didn''t want to leave any muscle area untapped. The aching after irregular exercises in winter was too damn annoying.


    By the evening, the Sacred Ground Core was recharged to its regular capacity again. Scavenger Rat managed to reach his cultivation checkpoint very quickly once the vitality gas started coming out at full power.


    But Brawler Rat, who had been cultivating for a longer time, took another whole hour before ending the session.


    Clearly, their ability to cultivate was not similar. Or perhaps the variable factor was the nature of their special attributes.


    [ Scavenger Rat ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.28 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Hyperosmia (1) ]


    [ Brawler Rat ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.3 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Combat Instinct (1) ]


    Scout Dog, however, showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. There wasn''t even any notice of the estimated time for his next checkpoint. Ignoring its existence, Euri chose to trigger the next hunt, and Sol-Wa jumped out of the well to bonk the dog awake from its stupor.


    Watching the cutely drawn animation, Euri couldn''t help but laugh.


    "Hahaha, this girl sure holds a grudge, just like me!"

 8: How Do I Sue Alien Game Devs For Breach Of Privacy?

    [ Invasion attempts: 2 ]


    [ Success:Failure: 0:2 ]


    [ Core depleted. Hunting mode has been closed ]


    "The lack of failures in these invasion attempts seems strange. How strong is the defense mechanism of the sacred ground? Maybe a Gold Grade Rank-1 or a Rank-2 creature would be able to dismantle the tentacle barrier and rob this place."


    Euri naturally did not want to see that happen. But seeing every invasion attempt being foiled was making his mind itch, as if the prospect of being robbed was a teasing possibility constantly hanging above his head. He did have some curiosity towards seeing the outcome of that route.


    Shaking the intrusive thoughts out of his mind, he checked his third hunt''s haul.


    [ Dread Spider ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.1 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Aura ]


    [ Thief Dove ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.15 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Speed ]


    Neither had particularly impressive stats. But at least the Spider had something new and unique. Considering its affix, the aura was probably related to spreading fear among its opponents. Unfortunately for the spider, the tentacles didn''t seem sentient enough to feel fear. All six of its limbs had been stretched to the limit, leaving it dangling like a helpless chunk of flesh.


    After considering his options for a while, Euri decided to extract the Dove''s core. This time, instead of choosing the [ Consume ] option, he sacrificed it to the Sacred Ground''s Core¡ªthe gas well.


    [ Beast Cores Sacrificed: 1/100 ]


    For a moment, nothing else happened, and just as Euri''s disappointment was about to mount higher, Sol-Wa appeared on the screen, kicking away the notification box and bringing one of her own into view.


    [ Congratulations to the Administrator for choosing to be selfless and contributing to the Sacred Ground''s Development Program! Sol-Wa has made a good choice! ]


    The cute priestess danced across the screen, throwing kisses at him in exaggerated gestures. Euri''s eyes got narrow as he recalled the similar notifications during the start of the game. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    The game repeatedly implied that Sol-Wa had chosen him to play this game. But the incarnation of Sol-Wa he had met in real life had been murdered so easily in a random alley. Did she really die? And what motive might she have for forcing him to play the game?


    He needed to dig a little deeper before coming to a conclusion. There was definitely something worth investigating here. And Euri wasn''t so naive as to believe the alien (possibly) makers of this insanely advanced technological wonder of a game would have no hidden agenda behind forcing someone from an underdeveloped civilization to participate in it.


    [ You''ve earned the approval of the Sacred Ground''s consciousness! Please accept your reward and utilize it well! ]


    A little shocked at the revelation that there was another hidden entity observing his administration of the sacred ground, Euri waited for the reward package to drop. But nothing showed up even after five minutes.


    Thinking it was a gift that might have manifested in real life somewhere near him, Euri was about to search his whole room with a torch. But then he noticed a tiny new icon on top of the screen that he had never seen in the game before. It seemed to resemble those skill trees in role-playing games.


    His excitement returning like a boomerang, Euri clicked on the icon, and the entire view of the grove was replaced by the new data window.


    [ Administrator Profile ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 1 ]


    [ Special Attribute: - ]


    [ Familiars: Scout Dog, Brawler Rat, Scavenger Rat ]


    [ Administration Skill: - ]


    While seeing his evaluation in the game like the beasts he had been taming were shocking enough due to the implications it carried, Euri couldn''t move his eyes away from the last stat. It was lit brighter than the other lines, inviting him for a click.


    [ Initiating Search For Available Administration Skill... ]


    A brightly colored, round roulette appeared on the screen. It had three layers. The small inner ring, the mid sized middle ring, and the dominant portion taken by the outer ring. The name of skills written on these rings were all blurred. But he could at least see that each layer contained three skills.


    [ Using Blessing Token...]


    The roulette board started spinning by itself, but only the inner ring moved. It didn''t take a genius to guess that he''d get one out of those three smaller skills. A moment later, the spinning came to an abrupt stop and one-third of the inner ring lit up. The blur effect on the skill''s name disappeared.


    [ Congratulations to the Administrator for acquiring his first ever skill: Shepherding! ]


    Sol-Wa appeared for a moment in one corner of the screen to shower him with applause. But Euri didn''t have the opportunity to watch the whole animation. A searing pain jolted through his head, almost similar to the strike that had knocked him out yesterday. The pain lasted for about ten seconds, and that was enough to make a cold sweat come out of his back.


    When the pain subsided, a series of memories flashed across his mind, as if he were recalling a dream he had just had. In this dream, he had spent a month learning how to communicate basic gestures to a dog and a rat. By the end of the month, both animals understood his simple instructions after several attempts.


    "So not only those extracted beast cores, but also pure knowledge can be transferred and manifested into reality. Neither my stomach nor my brain is inaccessible to the makers of this game. Should I be worried or not?"


    Euri closed his profile window and blankly stared at the grove. The dog was lying down near the well with a look of yearning on its face, just as usual. The Brawler Rat was busy beating up the Scavenger Rat, mostly resorting to choking and full-body ramming¡ªthe most basic skills in physical combat.


    Dread Spider was still tied up by the tentacles. And until he allowed it to cultivate, it seemed unlikely that the tentacles would let it go. So Euri clicked on the [ Cultivate ] option on its data window. He didn''t expect that this action would invite another pang of pain in his head.


    The dream sequence forcibly added to his memories was now longer, and he could distinctly recall instilling the knowledge of basic gestures to a spider now, alongside the dog and the rat!


    "This means, every time I acquire a new beast familiar, I''ll experience this transmission of knowledge from the game because of my administrator privilege... But why does it have to be so painful?"


    Clutching his head, Euri hurriedly concluded his remaining routine in the game and went to swallow a couple of pills ahead of schedule.


    The effects of the game on him were getting stronger and stronger, and he couldn''t decide if it was a good thing or not.

 9: Stranger Danger

    Euri forced himself to try to sleep for the entire afternoon, and only after the residue of the headache fully went away did he open his eyes. His parents were about to return home anytime now.


    Just as he took the miniscreen in his hand, thinking about entering the game again, the doorbell rang. Through the keyhole, he could see only one silhouette standing outside. And it looked unfamiliar.


    "Who is it?" Euri asked as he picked up the inch-thick metal rod meant to be used in such situations. Break-ins, robberies, and other crimes of the same alley were routine around here. Almost every home had been visited by thieves a couple of times.


    While growing up, Euri had learned to be cautious against such scenarios, just like every other child in these areas.


    The outsider replied in a muffled voice, "Son-Bennet sent me for a checkup. Heard some troublemakers broke the rules. He wants to resolve the matter for you."


    Well, at least Baldy Bennet has a sense of duty! The protection fees he had handed over for years weren''t in vain!


    "Give me your chatbox code. I''ll send you a video I took when I encountered them. Their faces are clearly visible there. That should be enough for identification, right?" Euri was still not willing to open the door.


    Even if this guy was Bennet''s man, he had the identity of a street thug. Without judging his character, it would be unwise to invite him in and create a potential vulnerability for himself.


    "Wow, I traveled three miles to look for you, and you''re not even going to offer me a drink?"


    Bang!


    Euri jumped back warily upon hearing the man punch the door violently. The outburst of fury was too sudden. He was too stunned to reach a quick decision.


    "You know what? I ain''t leaving without dinner, boy. So you can keep it shut if you want, and forget about Bennet''s protection, hah! Treating us like shit and wanting us to help your bitch ass..."


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The man''s rage-filled monologue gradually turned too vulgar to listen to. Euri''s mind raced, filtering out the noise from outside.


    From asking for a drink to asking for dinner¡ªthis man clearly had no intention to leave easily. He''d probably also ask for some ''fees'', since Euri hadn''t paid his due this month; or a place to crash in for the night.


    Euri had seen similar scenes play out in many households, especially those near the headquarters or gathering spots of big gangs.


    Give an inch and be ready to sacrifice a mile¡ªthis was a common outcome of exchanges with people like this. The thug knew he had an advantage over Euri, and he was going to make full use of it with various demands that bordered unreasonableness, unless Euri could turn the advantage redundant.


    To deal with unreasonable people, one had to be just as unreasonable. Euri swung the metal bat a couple of times to get used to its weight. A few hits in the knee, two in the sternum, and several crushed toes should not be deadly.


    After knocking the man out, Euri could contact Bennet himself and tell him that there was a misunderstanding here that led to a fight. Bennet would never think that any of his chicken schoolmates would dare beat up his man for no big reason. So this guy''s accusations later on wouldn''t be taken seriously.


    But just as Euri was about to unlatch the door and unleash his frustrations on his unsuspecting target, he heard his father''s voice outside.


    "Hey, brother, are you looking for someone? I think you got the wrong address."


    Euri''s fingers clenched harder around the handle of his weapon, his nervousness spiking.


    "Oh no, I definitely have the right one. Just talked to the kid inside. He has run into some trouble in the streets. Are you his father?"


    The man''s voice had turned a lot softer. It wasn''t difficult to determine the shift in his plan. He wasn''t going to resort to a show of force to enter this house, not when he was outnumbered.


    "Euri? Ran into trouble?!" His mother''s concerned voice sounded from a distance. He could hear the subtle glee in the man''s tone as he replied.


    "Yes. Did you not see him come home yesterday with a big wound on the back of his head? Three outsiders were trying to assault a girl near Simaar Lane, and your son intervened. Our boss appreciates the bravery, so he wants to resolve the future troubles that might arise for your kid."


    Telling the story in such a frame was a very good psychological tactic to soften up his parents. The positive approach and detailed information would make them lower their defenses. He could reveal his real face as soon as they made Euri open the door.


    Sure enough, within a minute, Euri''s father was ringing the doorbell and yelling at him at the top of his voice to let them in. Euri knew he would not be allowed to go through with his original plan. For now, he could only wait for the thug to take off the disguise.


    He opened the door, and all three adults squeezed into the gap at the same time. While his parents berated him for intervening in something that was clearly not within his capabilities, Euri stared at the thug placidly, being on the receiving end of a similar calculating look.


    Not too tall, a bit of muscle, knuckles that looked like they saw blood regularly, probably in his mid-twenties, and a non-descript face¡ªthis guy was not an opponent Euri could handle in a proper fight. Sneak attack was where his only chance lay.


    After making Euri spill the whole story and getting a copy of the video of the encounter, the thug asked to use the washroom ''before he left'' and Euri''s mother unwittingly fell into the trap by asking him to stay for dinner out of politeness.


    Euri had to escort the man to the toilet, and just before closing the door on Euri''s face, a vicious look returned on the man''s face as he whispered, "Nice family you got here, boy. I think I''m gonna come over more often. What do you think? Keep that front door open for me, okay?"


    As the door of the washroom was banged shut, Euri''s frightened expression disappeared. He had been hesitant up until now regarding how to deal with this nuisance. Now, he had come to a decision.

 10: Im Not Stuck Here With You, Youre Stuck Here With Me!

    Inside the washroom, the man pulled out a comcell and sent a text to an anonymous ID.


    "Here are a few pictures of the kid. The descriptions also match."


    A reply came almost immediately.


    "They''ve confirmed it. It''s him. You know what to do."


    The man''s face turned a little nervous. He took a glance at the closed door of the washroom and quickly typed.


    "Do you want me to interrogate him myself? Or do I just inform you after they''re taken down?"


    "They''re? Who else is in the house? Don''t contact me if you can''t ensure that there will be no variables. It''s not just us who''ve been commissioned for this, remember? We can''t even leave digital tracks."


    The man became even more nervous, but after thinking for a moment, a flash of inspiration appeared on his face. He gritted his teeth and wrote back.


    "There are only two adults, both long-term addicts, by the looks of it. How much of a variable can they be?"


    "Then take down all three by any means and make sure they won''t make a noise. I''ll be nearby, waiting for the clearance. Leave the interrogation to me."


    Assured, the man pocketed the comcell. After leaving the washroom, he spent the next forty minutes making small talk with the father of the target, reeling him into a conversation about underground drug supply chains.


    The mother and the son were busy cooking dinner, which he''d spike with a heavy dose of sleeping pills, he decided. After dinner, he could just spend a few minutes smoking while watching them all close their eyes one by one.


    Would his partner kill all three of them? He couldn''t help but wonder. He had never seen that guy act so serious about a commission. The share he''d been promised was also considerably larger than usual.


    They had killed people for far less before. To erase evidence, making a whole family disappear was not unusual. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    A pity, he thought as he eyed the woman arranging the dishes on the dining table. Maybe he could have some fun before the interrogation of the boy ended...


    While wandering around the table, he successfully spiked two of the three dishes after taking a scoop on his plate, and just as he was about to drop the chemical on the third one, he saw the boy walk out of the kitchen abruptly. He pulled his hand away fast, but judging by the sharp look he was given, the boy might have noticed it.


    Fortunately, his suspicion was not enough to voice any accusations. The man felt his heart calm down as the boy shrugged and loaded up food from both of those dishes without any worries.


    The dinner continued without any interruptions except one¡ªwhen the boy groaned that he had forgotten to take medicine for his head injury, and ran to his bedroom for it.


    The man was about to ask what was taking the boy so long, but he suddenly felt like speaking would take too much effort. The food was so tasty and fulfilling that every mouthful made his body shiver from the taste, spreading a distinct sense of relaxation and laziness in his limbs.


    Mmm, this house was so nice and quiet, just the kind of peaceful atmosphere he needed after running around doing errands the whole day. He hadn''t felt such a pleasant feeling gushing inside him in years. And the intensity was only growing!


    Wait, something was wrong! Why-


    He opened his eyes, realizing in dulled horror that he didn''t remember closing them. Both the husband and the wife sitting near him were looking at him with bleary eyes, with the addled smile of an addict getting his hit plastered on their faces.


    He recalled the type of drugs the father said they preferred, and his confusion-filled fear would have welled up higher had another surge of forceful calmness not soothed his nerves.


    Yes, so what if he had accidentally taken some Black Foam? He was enjoying this so far, wasn''t he? There was no reason to give in to unreasonable panic and break the peaceful atmosphere here.


    The noise of someone stepping into the room took his attention for a moment. The boy had returned, holding a two-foot-long rod in his grip. Their eyes met as he stepped closer, his expressionless face giving away nothing.


    "It''s so quiet and calm here. Why don''t you get yourself a good nap? You need one, don''t you?" The boy said, looking at all three of them.


    The man wasn''t sure who he was addressing, but the father and the mother of the boy nodded obediently and staggered to their bedroom. They seemed used to the routine.


    "Should I follow them?" The man spoke out his thoughts with much effort.


    "No need. I''m here to help you sleep." The boy raised the metal rod and swung it down on top of his head.


    The next thing he realized, he was sitting on a rusted metal chair in an unfamiliar spot, tied up with thick ropes, with a headache that could split a skull. Looking around, he realized that this was probably an abandoned housing project.


    The walls were half-done, the windows were just gaps between walls, and the moonlight outside was just enough to illuminate the distant lights of the city.


    It took him about ten seconds to guess where he was. This was where the hilly region near the city began. Some real estate corpos were trying to expand part of the city in this direction for years. The projects were massive, and mostly deserted at night, making it an ideal spot to commit certain crimes.


    He himself had beaten a young guy¡ªa loan defaulter to near death here, after the sharks were done torturing him.


    Confusion disappeared. Fear set in. The man looked straight ahead at the darkest corner of the floor where he was being held captive, where the sole source of light was an active comcell.


    A face could be vaguely seen hovering over its screen. His fear turned into pure terror as memories began to flood in upon recognizing that face.


    "Your partner doesn''t seem to know my exact address. He''s very concerned about why you haven''t informed him whether you''ve taken me and my family down yet."


    The boy stepped out of the mass of darkness and loomed over him, and gentle moonlight shone on the blood-soaked metal rod in his hand. Placing its jagged tip on one of his eyelids, he spoke impassively.


    "Tell me, how should I respond?"

 11: A Thorn To Pull Out A Thorn

    "Well, that was easy."


    Euri pulled back his metal bat, pulling a tissue out of his pocket to wipe his hands. The man lying at his feet was already unconscious from the beating, and the man tied up on the chair ten meters away looked like his soul had flown away.


    It had turned out to be a fairly simple task to fool the thug''s partner in crime into rushing over to this deserted area. Euri had just relied on the comcell to send him a flurry of texts, making up a story about how the thug had been attacked by another group interested in the same thing he had been commissioned for. He had then taken the boy hostage and escaped towards the hills.


    Trusting the texts, his partner in crime had arrived in this building, and the next thing he knew was the pain and surprise of having a rod hit the back of his head from a dark corner.


    "Look, kid, it was just a simple attempted robbery, okay?" The man on the chair pleaded desperately.


    "You don''t need to go this far, kid. He might already be dead, or dying. It''s not worth it to mess with our people over a small issue like this, trust me! They''ll come for you!"


    "You weren''t acting under Bennet''s father''s orders when you came over to my house today. Do you think I don''t realize that? I read your messages. This robbery was a private commission by an anonymous party. Even your stupid friend here doesn''t seem to know much except that he has to interrogate me about... unusual incidents that I may have experienced recently, or any strange device I may have found somewhere."


    Euri''s expression couldn''t help but turn strange. This just reaffirmed his suspicion about the source of the game in his miniscreen. Some hidden faction out there already knew about its existence, and they knew that it had landed in Euri''s hands after his encounter with the girl in the alley.


    To erase this threat for good, he had to cut off the source of all information that could be traced back to him. If the pursuers of his secret had even the most basic understanding of its worth, they''d never give up! The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    While the rest of the population has to bet on their life to dive into dimensional gateways and face hordes of dangerous creatures to gather resources to develop themselves and contribute to the civilization''s overall growth, anyone who possessed the game in Euri''s miniscreen could lie idle in their home and become stronger than most of them by clicking a few buttons and watching cute animations.


    How could anyone knowing such a shortcut be willing to give up chasing after it? Euri was a nobody! Killing him and taking away this opportunity would be so easy! So convenient!


    After wiping off all traces of blood from his skin and clothing, Euri left the building in a hurry.


    "Hey! At least untie me, man!" The thug''s scream echoed behind him. Under the frustration, Euri could hear his glee and relief. He was more than happy at being left alone. The fact that he hadn''t been given the ''metal bat treatment'' like his friend was a miracle!


    Thirty minutes later, while the thug was busy tearing off his bindings using the edge of an unfinished wall, he heard Euri''s footsteps returning. The expression that twisted his face at that moment was really interesting, Euri felt.


    Like a man who believed that he had overcome an addiction, only for the strongest withdrawal seizures in his life to follow right after.


    Despair clouded his countenance as Euri pulled out a fruit knife from a pocket. However...


    "Still stuck here? Take it and get the fuck out with your friend. Never let me see you two again."


    Euri tossed the knife to the dumbfounded man''s lap, and the fire of hope was lit once more in the thug''s heart when he saw Euri pass by him and disappear in another section of the housing project. Confused, he hurried to tear off the rest of the ropes binding his limbs to the chair.


    A minute later, just as he had finished freeing himself, he heard another series of footsteps near the staircase, this time far louder and heavier. Clutching the knife, he nervously watched the floor welcome half a dozen men who seemed to be in the same line of work as him.


    Several of them wore clothes soaked in blood, and their heavy breathing, soaked foreheads gleaming under moonlight were clear signs.


    The leader of the group, holding a stack of online currency cards that they must have just snatched from someone, scanned him up and down and stared for a moment at the knife in his hand. A terrible idea took form in the thug''s mind at that very moment.


    The boy hadn''t given him this knife to allow him to escape! This knife was to give him just enough time to cut the ropes and then face these pursuers as an armed foe!


    Who were these people? That was not hard to answer. These men were just another group of thugs who had come to the hillside for unsavory purposes. As for the reason why they were all chasing after the boy, anyone wouldn''t want a witness of their crime to escape, right?


    "Helping that little rabbit buy time? Very brave!" the leader said, sneering. "But if you think the knife is gonna scare my men off, you''re in trouble!"


    "Wait, I don''t- I can explain-"


    He wasn''t given the chance to speak further. Punches, kicks, and flying bricks came at him from three directions. Adrenaline kicked in from pain, and his explanation was lost in frenzied attempts to protect his vitals.


    Two floors on the other end of the square-shaped housing project, Euri watched the shadows converge on the lone thug as his blood and screams hit empty walls. He looked down and swung his metal bat with a sigh.


    "Should''ve done it myself..."

 12: Shepherd of The Night

    After seeing two corpses being stuffed under a massive heap of industrial garbage, Euri snuck out of the projects very carefully. He had shown himself to those thugs intentionally, so that he could bait them into doing the dirty job for him. But he didn''t want to be seen by anyone now.


    Now, the only remaining trace of Euri''s connection to the dead girl was the case file in the hands of the police. For Euri, accessing those files to remove his identity was impossible. But he knew he had to try it once before his anonymous opponent could dig it up.


    Vowing to visit the police station the next day, he returned home under the shroud of the night. A slight sense of guilt tried to gnaw at his consciousness. But he suppressed it easily by imagining the consequences of letting that invader''s plans succeed.


    Before entering the apartment, he toured the surrounding area for a while alongside the group of old nightwatchmen from the neighborhood. He needed some company to shrug off the goosebumps on his skin. He wasn''t going to get that at home.


    The old elders loved this job, because it was one of the few ways they could still be of use to the community. Most people here earned their bread through hard physical labor. Having the frail folks at home strolling the streets and alleys at night was beneficial for everyone.


    They weren''t expected to fight off criminals if they encountered any. Their job was to whistle, scream, and make a ruckus to wake up everyone nearby.


    "Heard you got jumped the other day, grandson," one of the old men said amidst their small talk. Everyone was looking at Euri''s bandaged head curiously.


    This question seemed to have been on the tip of their tongue for a while. But Euri didn''t want the incident to spread. So he changed the story.


    "It was actually just a scuffle between some friends from school. Things got a little out of hand. The rumors you''ve heard are exaggerated because of those damned news articles. Those reporters could hear about water being boiled and make a movie out of it!"


    "...Oh! We were really concerned for a while. I even wanted to go visit your home. But the stairs kill my back every damn time..."


    The grandfatherly men nodded among themselves and changed the subject. It wasn''t entirely because they believed what he told them. They were just wise enough to read between the lines. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    After returning home and cleaning up the dishes stuffed with Black Foam, he locked himself inside his bedroom and logged into the game. He had a lot of experiments planned since experiencing the twists and turns in the previous session.


    First of all, the Administration Skill- [ Shepherding ] required some testing. But all four of his beast familiars were busy cultivating. Since the vitality well was still in its recharging phase, he couldn''t see any chances of any of them having a quick breakthrough.


    Staring at the lazy and cowardly Scout Dog, Euri recalled the memory sequence of training it in his mind. What was the command for getting its attention again?


    Hesitantly, Euri put his mouth next to the miniscreen''s audio input slot and shouted in a muffled tone, "Ghaghagha!"


    Before he could feel embarrassed about it, he saw the dog open an eyelid and look around in confusion. He had observed this dog during cultivation before. It never paid attention to any distractions, and unless the sacred ground itself forced it, it was not easy to move it away from the well of vitality.


    "It worked!"


    Excited, Euri followed up with several more commands, even going as far as making pointed gestures at the camera of the miniscreen. The dog''s tail began to move right and left, the head mirroring the same rhythm, clearly no longer interested in cultivation.


    Grinning victoriously, Euri ordered to walk around the grove by itself and check for threats. The dog looked reluctant, giving forlorn looks at the tendrils of vitality clouding over the well. But it obeyed the instructions nevertheless and rushed into the dense woods at a speed Euri had never seen it move.


    Euri turned his focus on Brawler Rat. In his dream of training the rat, he had not had much success. This little guy had a temper, and whenever it got frustrated, it tried to challenge Euri to combat. The regular defeats meant nothing to it!


    Hearing Euri''s comical squeaks, Brawler Rat broke out of its reverie and punched and kicked in all four directions in a panicked frenzy. Only after fully regaining its bearings did it realize that the commander was nowhere to be seen.


    But the rat still listened. When Euri signaled for it to give him a show of combat skills, it charged at Scavenger Rat and rammed it in the stomach. Dragged out of the cultivation session, the latter tried to fight back passively, but the skill gap was too wide. Brawler Rat knew moves that it couldn''t even comprehend!


    After separating them, Euri gave instructions to the tame-natured Scavenger Rat to go look for more resources. It looked relieved that it didn''t need to stick around Brawler Rat. Just like Scout Dog, it disappeared underneath a shrubbery-filled region of the grove.


    The next experiment was with Dread Spider. After making it run in circles around the well and execute a couple of dance moves he had taught it in the dream, Euri let it return to its cultivation in peace.


    After all, it was the weakest among all of his beast familiars. That 0.1 score in Physique evaluation was the lowest he had seen so far.


    Euri opened his data window as the Administrator and tried to explore the skill roulette. But it refused to show up. Clearly, he needed to get the sacred ground''s blessing once more to acquire another skill.


    "Should I sacrifice all the hunted bests to the gas well from now on? Will that be enough for more blessings?"


    Although the previous blessing had come from such a sacrifice, Euri doubted that the next one would come so easily. There were 99 beast cores left to give to the well before it leveled up. But the skill roulette contained only 9 skills in total. Perhaps he had to sacrifice a large number of cores to gain the next skill.


    "I can''t sacrifice so much, not when I am in such a perilous situation in real life. I need to amass a little strength first before thinking about this goal."


    Euri looked at his physique evaluation, which showed a score of 1. If he could brew ambrosia through that secondary core and consume it himself, could he improve his physique?


    If beast cores could be transferred from the game to his stomach, why not ambrosia?


    "This will be my next goal." He decided firmly.

 13: Rapid Changes In The Sacred Ground

    Throughout that night, Euri''s shallow sleep was interrupted by several in-game updates.


    [ Scout Dog has discovered a hidden passage leading outside the sacred ground! ]


    When he saw this message on the screen, he finally realized the true potential of this lazy beast. That affix finally made sense!


    Euri hurriedly searched the rest of the grove for the new discovery, and found a gray icon at the very border of the explorable area. Scout Dog''s face was barely visible right next to it, swimming in plants taller than his head.


    The icon, however, only provided a disappointing message.


    [ Opening dimensional passages comes with many deadly risks and requires a higher level of authorization. Please try after improving the sacred ground and your administration authority. ]


    "What a scam!" Euri was incensed, realizing his slumber had been interrupted for nothing. Ordering the dog to return to its cultivation, Euri went back to sleep in a bad mood.


    [ Scavenger Rat has discovered some edible fruits! ]


    This was the second message to wake him up. Euri tried to sacrifice these fruits to the Sacred Ground''s Secondary Core, the Ambrosia Pool.


    [ Common Foodstuff received: 3 units ]


    Seeing the acceptance message, he tentatively clicked on the [ Produce ] option, and the reply, although expected, still disappointed him.


    [ Two other types of raw ingredients required ]


    "Beasts and their cores, right? I''ll run the next hunt in a couple of hours," he muttered after glancing at the clock and then returned to his sleep.


    The next time he woke up, the sun was about to rise at any moment. The in-game message informed him that Dread Spider had its breakthrough just now. Its special attribute¡ªAura¡ªhad reached level 1...whatever that meant.


    Perhaps last night''s experience had too profound an impact on his nerves. The frustrating feelings of weakness and constant fear were certainly not easy to suppress. At that time, in the heat of the moment, adrenaline had helped. But now...Stolen story; please report.


    Brawler Rat and Scout Dog were absorbed in their cultivation sessions. Although the gas well was back to its peak power, neither showed signs of breaking through. After rolling around the bed for a while, Euri triggered the next hunt and instructed all four beast familiars that if the tentacles failed to suppress the invaders, they had to go and help!


    Scout Dog and Scavenger Rat seemed frightened by the prospect. But Brawler Rat was already punching the air in excitement. Dread Spider showed no reaction, but Euri had a feeling that its aura would be more useful than the rest of the beasts here.


    Euri had no way to observe what happened during the time hunting mode was activated, so he left his bedroom and made preparations for an early breakfast.


    After what happened yesterday, he knew that hiding in his home would be unsafe. Anyone with access to police records could track him down here. Most adults in the building would be out for work during daytime, and that meant Euri had almost zero protection if he stayed here.


    At least in school, he''d be in a sea of kids his age, surrounded by friends. Strangers wouldn''t be able to just bust their way into a classroom to kidnap him. He only needed to be extra careful on his way to and from the school.


    Just before heading out for school, the hunting mode came to an end, and Euri hurriedly examined the results. As usual, two beasts had been successfully caught while trying to enter.


    [ Angry Rabbit ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.4 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Fearlessness ]


    [ Scavenger Bat ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.35 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Echolocation ]


    For a moment, Euri could not decide what to do with these two newbies. If Angry Rabbit''s fearlessness wasn''t something special, he had no reason to nurture it. On the other hand, Scavenger Bat was of no particular use to him now, not when he had another scavenger searching every inch of the sacred ground with its upgraded sense smell.


    After thinking for a bit, Euri ordered his four beast familiars to drag the rabbit to the Ambrosia Pool. It struggled violently, of course. If not for Scout Dog''s strength and Brawler Rat''s ferocious bites, it might have succeeded in killing the other three.


    [ Raw ingredients detected. Assessing conditions...]


    A little surprised, Euri watched a new notification appear, giving him two options.


    [ Select ingredient: Beast Body/Beast Core ]


    "Why can''t I choose both?" Euri wondered aloud, dumbfounded. Did this mean one beast could provide only one type of raw ingredient?


    To further the experiment, he chose to sacrifice the Beast Core, and the popup was replaced by a new message.


    [ Beast Core Received: 1 (Rank-0) ]


    The Rabbit had stopped moving in the tiny pool the moment he had sacrificed its beast core. But the pool didn''t seem interested in its body. Euri could only order the familiars to drag it out of the pool and bring in the Scavenger Bat.


    [ Raw ingredients detected. Assessing conditions...]


    [ Select ingredient: Beast Body/Beast Core ]


    Although the beast core option was visible, it was gray in color, signifying its unavailability. Euri still clicked on it a few times in frustration before sacrificing the body of the bat.


    [ Congratulations to the hardworking and smart Administrator for collecting all three ingredients for producing Ambrosia! Let the upgrades begin! ]


    Euri waited hopefully for another blessing. Maybe this time, he could acquire the skill of summoning the beast familiars to the real world, just like powerful superhumans who dominated the era!


    After another wave of disappointment, Euri sighed and clicked on the [ Produce ] option and saw a small loading bar appear. Unlike the cultivation sessions of his beasts, there was a timeframe assigned to it¡ª15 minutes.


    Just as Euri was about to order his beasts to return to cultivation, he noticed a tiny, glowing dot near the Ambrosia Pool that hadn''t been there earlier. With a click, the mystery was cleared up. It belonged to the sacrificed bat.


    [ Rank-0 Beast Core ]


    [ Sacrifice/Consume ]


    Euri didn''t need another mini-diarrhea when he was about to head out for school. So despite the temptations, he chose to sacrifice the beast core to the gas well.


    [ Beast Cores Sacrificed: 2/100 ]


    Watching Sol-Wa dance on the screen in appreciation of his selfless efforts, he waited for the Ambrosia Pool to finish production.

 14: Baldy Bennet Backtracks

    [ Sacred Ground Secondary Core: Ambrosia Pool ]


    [ Level 1 ]


    [ Current Production: 3 Units ]


    [ Current Ingredients: - ]


    [ Allot/Consume ]


    As soon as the production ended, Euri saw the number of productions turn 3 from 0 units. Considering he had put in a total of 3 units of fruits, 1 beast core, and 1 beast body, he concluded that the ambrosia output had been spread across the highest number of units.


    If he had put in only 1 unit of fruit as a raw ingredient, would the output be only 1 unit of ambrosia? If the number had been higher, for example, 7, would the pool produce 7 units?


    Was there a dilution effect as well? All these questions required in-depth observation and testing. But now it was time to harvest his rewards, and so Euri put all those thoughts aside to tap on the [ Consume ] option.


    The game even gave him the option to select how many units of Ambrosia he wanted for himself, making it convenient to take 1 unit only as an experiment. A moment after the confirmation, Euri felt a slight heaviness in his stomach, as if he had just drunk a glass of ice-cold water.


    The coldness didn''t spread anywhere, nor did it give him diarrhea like he had feared. Instead, like ice melting away and losing its coldness, the sensation in his stomach disappeared.


    "Half an hour...Can any physical change manifest so quickly? Should I go get myself tested?"


    Euri was timing the whole thing. As soon as he felt the last bit of iciness fade away, it occurred to him to check his profile in the game. He had forgotten that his profile had a stat for his physique as well!


    [ Administrator Profile ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 1.01 ]


    [ Special Attribute: - ]


    [ Familiars: Scout Dog, Brawler Rat, Scavenger Rat, Dread Spider ]


    [ Administration Skill: Shepherding ]


    "An increase of 0.01?" While ecstatic that it had worked, Euri inevitably ended up calculating his future according to this growth rate.


    Even if he sacrificed half the beasts he could hunt each day to make ambrosia, he could improve his physique by 0.01 each day, and that meant, to reach 2 points in terms of physique, he had to repeat this process 100 times!


    Even if he used up every beast to enter the sacred ground from now on, it might still take more than a month to reach that stage. And this was with the supposition that his scavenger rat could find common foodstuffs at least once a day. Euri doubted it''d be so easy.


    "Still, an improvement is a blessing, no matter what. I just have to see whether this increase has any relation to its source creature. If the beast''s core was of a higher level, if the beast''s physique was stronger than mine, maybe the ambrosia could increase my stat by more than just 0.01! I have to keep testing!''Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    There was also the matter of ascending to a Rank-1 lifeform. Euri knew that a good portion of the superhumans leading their civilization had reached Rank-1. Although no organization was allowed to reveal the details to the public, rumors and data from research labs were always getting leaked by cybercriminals.


    As far as he understood, to be considered a Rank-1 lifeform, one had to have at least one superhuman ability, which, in his game''s language, would be a Special Attribute stat. Most superhumans also displayed higher than ordinary strength, speed, and thinking capabilities.


    Those among them who had brought over beasts from their adventures beyond the dimensional gateways were even able to command their beasts as easily as Euri did in the game.


    Euri had read in one deepnet forum that certain highly experienced superhumans were able to fuse with their beasts and transform into nearly unkillable hybrid creatures. To them, wiping out a large team of armed forces was as easy as wiping their ass.


    "I wonder if such abilities would be available in that skill roulette..."


    Daydreaming about a day where that happened, Euri consumed the remaining two units of Ambrosia, and watched his physique stat reach 1.03 points.


    Before leaving home, he spent a while inspecting his body in the mirror. There were no discernible changes, but the wound on his head did feel somewhat less sensitive compared to one hour ago. Or it could just be his imagination playing the placebo trick on him.


    His journey to the metro circuit took a bit longer than usual, as he wanted to make sure nobody was going to find easy success in tailing him. He went through two malls, three densely packed intersections, and even changed his clothes once and put on a mask before blending into a large group of schoolmates near a toilet stall.


    From that point, he was always in the middle of a large group of kids his age, all wearing uniforms. Nobody with ill intentions was going to approach him till the metro stopped near the school campus. Euri was just breathing his first sigh of relief after entering the campus when he felt a rough hand land on his back.


    Turning around, he found himself face-to-face with the troublemaker of his class¡ªMekyle. This guy considered himself a close confidante to Baldy Bennet, chasing after him like a dog whenever he wasn''t in class.


    "You need to come with me for a minute. Someone wants to see you," Mekyle said, putting an unnecessary emphasis on what he thought was an element of mystery.


    Trying not to roll his eyes, Euri followed obediently. He would have sought out the baldy anyway. They had a lot to talk about, especially regarding what happened yesterday.


    Bennet, as usual, was sitting outside the cafeteria with a few ''friends'', trying to copy his father''s habits by forcing himself to drink red tea every couple of hours. Seeing Euri appear in the corner, a big smile formed on his face for some reason.


    "Euri, right?" he said in a fawning tone while pulling a chair out for him to sit face to face.


    "I heard about your unlucky encounter. Rest assured, as long as I can track down the perpetrators, they won''t get off easy! I''ll make sure all of them end up wearing a thicker bandage!"


    Sitting across the table, Euri''s eyes bore into Bennet''s pair. The man Bennet had sent to his house yesterday to collect information had not returned. Bennet should be aware of this.


    So what was with this strange politeness? He didn''t talk like this even with the teachers...


    "I thought about sending a guy to your house when I heard about it from your friends," Bennet said.


    "But this incident is hurtful for the image I''m trying to cultivate. So I thought it''d be better if I met you personally for the discussion."


    Euri''s gaze sharpened further. So he was denying sending anyone to his house. Did he really not do it? Or was this a trap?


    Either way, Euri knew the optimal choice was to admit the truth.... Or at least admit the part where he appeared innocent. So he immediately put on a surprised countenance.


    "What do you mean, big brother?! A guy already came to my house, saying you sent him! I even gave him a video I took of those guys. Are you saying he was an impostor?"


    The smile disappeared from Bennet''s face as quick as a lightning flash. He took a sip from his cup and replied, "Did they, now? Someone claimed he was my agent and tested you? My, my, I fear he might have been a friend of your assailants, Euri. He must have come to see whether you had enough evidence on your hand to track them down!"


    Bennet''s acting was pretty decent, even better than Euri considering certain professional aspects. But that was where he made the mistake.


    This style of faking honesty was too inconsistent with Bennet''s usual speech pattern. This guy usually cursed someone''s mother every three sentences. It was evident now that he had prepared a script for this conversation. But the scriptwriter was not familiar with how Bennet treated his schoolmates.


    But that was none of Euri''s business. Since Bennet wanted to disassociate himself from the incident, Euri could just let him do so. Bennet hadn''t ordered that man to attack Euri''s family.


    But the fact remained that Bennet''s man did attack him. And Euri wasn''t going to let go of this golden opportunity to use Bennet''s ''guilt''!


    Leaning over the table, he stared at the bald young man impassively and said, "Do you think I handed over the evidence without verifying who sent him? Do you want to know what he did after I gave him the video, Bennet?"

 15: Jaakies Wish

    Euri could sense several figures appearing at his back with a threatening aura. After all, he had just challenged the authority of their leader, calling him a liar.


    But Bennet waved them off, meeting Euri''s placid gaze with an equal calmness.


    "Go on, then. Tell us what happened afterwards."


    So Euri fed him the narrative he had prepared for this very meeting. In this story, Euri had been forced to entertain the thug until dinner. But after dinner, a call from someone broke the ''peace''.


    The thug had robbed his parents'' cash savings and left in a hurry. Euri speculated that it might have been a creditor''s call.


    "...How much did he rob from your house?" Bennet asked, his eyes flashing with deep suspicion.


    "About twenty thousand," Euri shrugged. "Give or take a couple. If you don''t want another slap on your reputation, try to remedy this fast. Just contact your guy and tell him to return the money."


    Euri knew Bennet''s calls wouldn''t reach the thug. Bennet, judging by his calculating face, might also have guessed something about the thug''s fate.


    "I''ll see what I can do-"


    "Twenty thousand is a lot of money for my family, big brother," Euri said, his tone returning to its respectful shell.


    "I have never missed paying protection fees. But I still got beaten up. I have tried to cooperate with your unruly men, but I still got robbed. If you''re going to be so dismissive about the whole mess, then..."


    Threatening those who banked on others'' fear was never a good idea. So Euri did not voice the full sentence. But Bennet acted like a snake with its tail under someone''s foot. In a flash, Euri''s collar was grabbed, and-


    Smack! A backhand changed the direction Euri was facing. The resounding noise hushed the entire cafeteria.


    More than a dozen students were dining there, and several small groups were hanging out nearby. Almost everyone focused their attention on the two of them. Several miniscreens were activated, probably taking videos or contacting the disciplinary office.


    His nose burning, Euri turned his face back towards Bennet and presented the other cheek.


    "Yeah, yeah, beat me up. I''m sure that will convince me and everyone who knows me to pay you protection fees next month."If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Bennet backhanded him again, but this time the force was a lot softer. Releasing his collar, he gestured at Mekyle. "Take this motherfucker behind the cafeteria. Teach him some manners."


    For a moment, Euri was tempted to fight back with the three underlings who had just grabbed him from behind. But he reconsidered.


    Something didn''t seem right. Bennet''s father was influential, but it wasn''t to the extent where Bennet could act so high-profile inside the campus with everyone watching.


    This was just a scaring tactic to let the audiences understand the consequences of taking a rebellious tone with his authority.


    Sure enough, instead of beating him up after dragging him to the deserted backyard of the cafeteria, Mekyle began to lecture him in a kind tone.


    "Look, Euri, I see you guys in my class as my brothers. I don''t want to beat you up any more than you want to get beaten up. Bennet just got pissed because of your tone. Trust me, he''ll resolve the problem for you once his head cools down. Just don''t let him see you on campus for the next four or five days."


    It was a good tactic, Euri thought. On one hand, Bennet could strengthen his notoriety over the campus. Euri''s absence would also make it easy for them to explain this little scuffle in their own way.


    Then, if Bennet did help Euri take revenge, or at least ''compensate'' him with some money, Bennet''s image would be awash with a layer of positivity.


    The psychological impact on Euri, the stepping stone at the moment, would also not cause a big problem once that happened. But none of them probably realized that Euri had gotten a good grasp of their scheme. And the compensation he might receive was entirely made up...


    Mekyle attentively collected information about the three unknown thugs and noted down the total monetary loss Euri had suffered, including the medical expense. Then he even escorted Euri to their classroom after his fellow brothers loudly informed Bennet that Euri had been taught a good lesson on humility.


    Unfazed by the sympathetic looks he received on the way, Euri entered his classroom and immediately noticed something odd.


    The students were divided into two distinct groups, one crowding the front of the room while the other spread across the back of the class. Everyone in the former group looked excited, some smiling ear to ear. In contrast, those in the back looked like they had missed out on a lottery by one digit.


    The truth, as it turned out, was not far from that. The moment Euri tracked down his buddy Jaakie, the mystery was cleared up.


    "After that surprise test yesterday¡ª" Jaakie began, only to be interrupted.


    "It was a surprise only to you, but sure, go on."


    Giving Euri an incensed look, Jaakie continued. "We got the results and discovered that the trust fund that''s financing this scholarship project declared that they''d take anyone with a score over 60%! Can you believe that? Just 60%!"


    Euri felt a little regretful. That benchmark was too damn low. Even Jaakie might have gotten that much, if he was given a month to prepare.


    "What was this scholarship about, again?" he asked, eyeing the thirty-something students chatting giddily at the other end of the room.


    "Diploma courses, attribute testing, opportunities to volunteer for safe experiments, and for those who excel there, they are even willing to provide internships in dimension-diving stations! And then there is..."


    Jaakie listed off several more opportunities so fast that it seemed he had memorized an entire leaflet. While some of them sounded a little sketchy, Euri knew most students here wouldn''t turn down anything on the list.


    This was a public school meant for the poorest students of the district. Their prospects after passing the final year were bleak. Forget becoming a superhuman, even ordinary jobs weren''t easy goals for them.


    "So those guys up ahead are the ones who crossed 60%?"


    "Yeah." Jaakie clicked his tongue. "You can almost see the smug superiority leaking out of their eyes. Even started making fun of the rest of the class in group chats. God, I wish someone smacked some humility into them. Just imagine how they''d feel if this scholarship program got shut down..."


    Euri wanted to smack the jealousy out of his buddy, recalling the unpleasant experience just half an hour ago. But the class teacher suddenly burst into the room, face all red, clothes messy and sweaty as if he had just fought with someone.


    Facing the surprised students, he rearranged his clothing and declared loudly, "Students, I regret to inform you that the scholarship program from yesterday''s test has been canceled. The project has instead chosen Yellow Sun School to select another batch."


    Dumbfounded, Euri turned to look at Jaakie, who was holding a palm over his wide-open mouth.


    "Fuck! Don''t tell anyone what I wished for just now!"

 16: From Heaven Down To Earth

    After snooping around near the principal''s office for a while, several disheartened classmates brought in a more in-depth version of the perfunctory explanation given by the class teacher.


    The J. J. Foundation was managed by a trustee group that had a few internal conflicts in the past, and the principal of their school, one of the trustees, eventually had to pick a side in this conflict.


    However, the other side held more sway over the grantor of the trust, and after convincing him that Principal Seriqe was involved in certain corrupt practices in managing his funding, they managed to snatch away the entire scholarship project.


    Now, the benefits of the project would be given to Yellow Sun School''s final year students, as the director of that school was in the other faction''s cohort.


    "Rich people and their absurd games... Did they even think about the feelings of so many participants who won the scholarships yesterday?"


    "Aren''t they afraid of being investigated for malpractices?"


    "Don''t they fear an ill reputation?"


    After the class ended, Euri listened to the naive exclamations of his lamenting friends without a word. As someone interested in a corporate career, he had a shallow understanding of the matter, but it was already higher than most students here.


    The trust fund had done nothing illegal, and the little administrative irregularities that might be born from their preliminary investments in this school could be taken care of with a few calls and lawyers'' meetings.


    For a project that had multi-million credit funding, even a compensation figure at hundred-thousands wouldn''t be a big issue. The trustee faction who took it over would pay for it gladly.


    Everyone knew that these projects were filled with misappropriation of funding in various phases. Euri doubted that Principal Seriqe had lost the project just due to such accusations.


    "Also, did you hear that those smug assholes from Yellow Sun School had the audacity to challenge us?" A guy in the back shouted, slapping his table emotionally. Jaakie gave him a suspicious look and leaned over to whisper to Euri. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "That guy didn''t even pass the test yesterday. Why the hell is he riled up?"


    Others did not care about his motives. They cared more about what he had to say.


    "What challenge? When did that happen?" The crowd of students swarmed towards the back of the class.


    "Hahaha! It looks like you guys don''t have enough connections to be aware of this. Some of us had already guessed that a conflict between our school and Yellow Sun School was approaching. That''s why I didn''t even try to ace that test!"


    "Who are you kidding? You haven''t gotten a 60% score since enrolling in school." The class monitor, who had an excellent memory, ruthlessly cut in. But it wasn''t enough to deter the other guy.


    "You can say whatever you want, Shenna. I understand you must be feeling more frustrated than the rest of the students here. After all, you''ve always dreamt big. But big dreams don''t seem interested in accepting you, hahaha!"


    "Ignore him, just tell us how you knew."


    "And what is this challenge even about?"


    The crowd pressed him to elaborate, but he shook his head decisively, putting on an air of mystery.


    "I''m telling nobody! Hmph! I saw how you guys made fun of us after getting a good score on that test, riding high on your cloud of daydreams. Keep daydreaming about those beautiful futures, hahaha!"


    Everyone seemed to be considering whether to beat the information out of him, but he was too busy gloating at them to discern the crowd''s rage. Fortunately, the entrance of another teacher for the next period''s class saved his back.


    As they were seated pretty close, Euri heard several students still trying to coax him. The guy told them he could sell the information for a modest payment, which killed their interest as well.


    "Another failed entrepreneurship venture, tsk~ tsk~. This guy wants to sell a product to poor sods who don''t even need it. What did he expect?"


    Clicking his tongue in disapproval, Euri focused on the lecture that was about to begin.


    In the middle of the lecture, his miniscreen vibrated, and Euri logged into the game to see what was going on. Priestess Sol-Wa was standing near the ambrosia pool with her hands on her hips, staring back at him angrily.


    [ Wasteful Administrator! How could you let a good piece of resource like this get spoiled? If Sol-Wa didn''t warn you, you''d not even realize your mistake, right? ]


    "What did I do?" Confused, Euri zoomed in towards her and discovered a shrunken rabbit corpse lying at her feet.


    Then he realized, after extracting the beast core of this rabbit to produce ambrosia, he had been so frustrated by the pool''s refusal to accept the body that he had just ordered his familiars to throw it away.


    "Dammit! Why didn''t I think of this? If the ambrosia pool didn''t accept the corpse before because it already accepted its core, can''t it accept the corpse now? The core has already been used up!"


    Slapping himself in the forehead, Euri broke Scout Dog out of cultivation and ordered him to return the rabbit''s corpse to the ambrosia pool.


    [ Raw ingredients detected. Assessing...]


    [ Due to the ingredient''s bad quality, it cannot be used in creating ambrosia. Rejected. ]


    "...." Euri scratched his head, feeling enough regret to slap himself a few more times. But then he noticed the dog take a curious bite out of the rabbit''s neck.


    "Ah, I forgot that these familiars can eat as well."


    It was extremely difficult to communicate with the dog in the quiet-ish classroom. Euri noticed several interesting glances from his classmates while barking at the audio slot of the miniscreen.


    The dog let him know that it did feel like taking a few more bites, although its interest wasn''t very strong. So Euri invited the rat duo and Dread Spider to come over for a feast.


    He also tried whispering to Sol-Wa, even though she never seemed to hear him, unlike the beasts. As expected, when he asked whether she wanted to share the meal with the four beasts, she ignored him.


    Recalling her temper, he suddenly felt thankful that she didn''t hear him. Otherwise, she might just crawl out of the game to bonk him.

 17: The Twin Beast Puzzle

    The police station was right next to the metro circuit near his house, making it convenient for Euri to visit the officer in charge of his case. The young officer recognized him almost immediately.


    But the conversation that followed was not pleasant.


    "You do understand that you''re the only living link we have in this case, right? If we let you withdraw yourself from it, those three murderers are never getting convicted. That shaky video on your cheap camera won''t survive the legal jargon any capable defense attorney can pull out. Without you, all we have is secondary evidence."


    Euri shook his head and raised a finger to interrupt the officer''s disgruntled tirade.


    "First of all, even with my involvement, I highly doubt you''re going to be able to catch them. The further this drags out, the higher the chances are that they come for me and my family. I don''t want to be the victim of your incompetence."


    The rage surfacing in the officer''s eyes wasn''t enough to deter Euri.


    "Where was your enthusiasm in the last fifty hours? If you''re not going to put your heart and soul behind catching those criminals, how can you even hold that morally superior ground to lecture me? I''m not breaking the law by withdrawing my name!"


    The officer laughed at his face in anger.


    "Not directly, but you''ve already given your account of the incident once. The report cannot be erased without a court order. You have to appear in the court and explain yourself even if you want to withdraw."


    Euri wasn''t certain how much of that answer was true. But he didn''t have the money to contact a reliable lawyer to ask for advice. Feeling troubled, he could only leave the station.


    After returning home without a hitch, he immediately logged into the game. As expected, the sacred ground core was back to its full power. He immediately turned on the hunting mode, and an hour later, the results were in.


    Two creatures had been caught by the tentacles, unsurprisingly. But this time, they were a little different. Until now, the creatures that had tried to invade the sacred ground could be considered ordinary.


    But the two massive centipedes rolling on the ground under the tentacles were anything except ordinary. They were almost as large as the dog! The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    [ Giant Centipede ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.6 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Growth ]


    Both centipedes also had the same stats, which was also a first for him. He had gotten creatures with the same affix before, or of the same species, but never together, and certainly not clones of each other.


    Euri chose to let one cultivate, but instead of rushing over towards the gas well, it shot towards Dread Spider, clearly intending to land a blow. Euri had no chance to interrupt at first because his head felt like it was going to split apart as a series of memories stormed through his mind.


    These centipedes were almost impossible to tame, he realized. In that memory sequence, he had spent a whole month getting slashed and bitten by them without managing to teach them anything substantial.


    After recovering, he saw that the spider was still alive. As per his older instructions, the dog and the rats were trying to fight the centipede. Combined with Dread Spider''s aura ability, the centipede was repeatedly getting distracted, its all-out attacks always ending in failures.


    But one mistake was all it would take to break the balance. So Euri instructed the four familiars to guide the centipede towards the ambrosia pool. He couldn''t keep such violent creatures in the grove!


    Soon, the centipede was tricked into landing in the pool, and Euri immediately chose to use its body as a raw ingredient. The beast core, a shiny black piece of rock, fell outside the pool, rejected.


    Euri considered his options. He could keep this core for another day''s ambrosia production. But there was no telling when he could actually use it. Unless Scavenger Rat discovered more food in the grove, even the current round of production wouldn''t get started.


    The other two options were to either sacrifice the beast core to the gas well, or consume the core himself to see if he had the luck of a lottery winner. Some statistics did say one in a hundred consumed cores of the same type was bound to awaken some ability in the human body.


    "Wait, back when the ambrosia pool accepted those fruits as common foodstuffs, it accepted all the fruits and divided them into 3 units. Could it be that if the ingredients are of the same type, only then the pool accepts multiple units?"


    Euri recalled the acceptance notifications of the beast cores and beast bodies he had given to the pool until now. All of those messages included how many units were being accepted!


    Excited, Euri dragged over the second centipede using the same tactics. This time, Brawler Rat almost got killed. Had Scout Dog not braved a bite from the centipede, the rat would be dead for sure.


    The moment the second centipede landed on the pool, Euri''s fingers went into overdrive.


    [ Detected raw ingredients. Assessing...]


    [ Select Ingredients: Beast Body/Beast Core ]


    Sure enough, both options were open for choosing, even though he had already deposited the previous centipede''s body into the pool.


    Without hesitation, Euri chose both options, and then brought the previous centipede''s beast core back into the pool. This time, there was no rejection. The pool simply assessed it as another unit of raw ingredient.


    Now, the pool had 2 units of beast core and 2 units of beast body. As soon as some common foodstuffs could be found, the final ingredient slot would be filled, and ambrosia production would start!


    "What a strange set of requirements! The same beast''s body and core aren''t compatible by themselves, but if there are two beasts with the same stats, they''ll be accepted if I mix them up! Is this a bug in the algorithm? Or is there some deeper meaning here that I''m not getting?"


    Nevertheless, this was a good development for him. So he sent Scavenger Rat to look for more food like yesterday, and let the other three familiars return to their cultivation in peace. The rat gave the well an unwilling look before disappearing under the shrubs.


    Both Scout Dog and Brawler Rat were injured. Sol-Wa herself climbed out to check up on them once they reached the pool. Seeing no extra message criticizing him for endangering them, Euri felt oddly relieved.


    Dinner that night was peaceful. Before taking their usual dose of Black Foam, his father said, "That problem you ran into... Has it been solved? Anything you want me to know?"


    "It''s fine. They''re already working on it. I just need to meet the other party and have a good chat. There will be no more problems after that."

 18: This Game Is Too Realistic

    At the final hour of that night, two things happened simultaneously. The sacred ground core recovered from its depleted state, and Scavenger Rat returned with a stack of red leaves, which were assessed to be [ Common Foodstuff ] by the ambrosia pool.


    Euri had a sneaky suspicion that the rat had discovered these edible things a long time ago, and had been busy filling its own stomach in secret. The only reason it had shown itself was to be allowed to cultivate under the higher quality gas.


    When he communicated this suspicion to the rat, it vehemently denied the accusation. But Euri still threatened it, recalling how it had absorbed the leftover ambrosia in the pool after discovering it. The rat could definitely not be trusted in such matters.


    [ Sacred Ground Secondary Core: Ambrosia Pool ]


    [ Level 1 ]


    [ Current Production: 4 Units ]


    [ Current Ingredients: - ]


    [ Allot/Consume ]


    Once again, his theory¡ªthe number of ambrosia units produced would be equal to the highest number of ingredients of any one type¡ªwas confirmed. This time, the number of units the red leaves had been divided into was 4. And the production of ambrosia had also reached 4 units.


    "Logically speaking, the beast cores should be the most important ingredient in producing ambrosia. The last time, there was only 1 beast core, spread across 3 units. This time, 2 beast cores have been spread across 4 units. Shouldn''t that make this batch of ambrosia better in terms of quality?"


    Wondering to himself, Euri clicked on the consume option and felt his stomach fill up. For safety''s sake, he never consumed multiple units at once.


    Half an hour later, feeling the intense coldness in his guts go away, he checked his profile in the game.


    [ Administrator Profile ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 1.04 ]


    [ Special Attribute: - ]


    [ Familiars: Scout Dog, Brawler Rat, Scavenger Rat, Dread Spider ]


    [ Administration Skill: Shepherding ]


    "Still 0.01 points for one unit of ambrosia? What the hell! Doesn''t this mean I suffered a loss by depositing two beasts as a set? If I had used them separately, I might have been able to eke out 0.03 points for each production! I just needed more leaves or fruits..." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    There was no use in slapping himself now. He could only take it as a lesson learned the hard way.


    Feeling like he had spent too much brainpower on an erroneous theory, Euri consumed the remaining three units of ambrosia one by one. Two hours later, when he checked the profile again, he was in for a surprise.


    [ Physique: 1.08 ]


    "So there WAS a little deviation! Four units of ambrosia took me up by 0.05 points! The game just doesn''t bother showing it!"


    That extra bit of improvement, spread across four units of ambrosia, might be too little in the game''s perspective, but to Euri, it was a significant landmark, because it proved that he had actually been on the right path of analysis earlier.


    "It looks like I don''t have to waste time trying to maximize the benefits of each ambrosia production attempt. There indeed is a dilution and concentration effect in the production process. If the ingredients are of higher quality or quantity, the output will be better as well."


    The increase of 0.05 points in a span of two and a half hours did not feel as invisible as his first intake of ambrosia. When he looked in the mirror, the signs of an enhanced physique appeared prominent.


    The muscle definition and mass around his limbs, the sudden outburst of energy in his joints, the disappearance of the slight gut...


    Had this been the goal of a natural transformation, Euri would have had to hit full-body exercises regularly for at least eight weeks!


    "This might be difficult to explain..." Euri thought of his friends in school and got lost trying to come up with an explanation for the rapid enhancement of his physique.


    The next time they were going to see him, his physique might be nearing 1.2 points. They would definitely notice it, sooner or later.


    Done with his tasks in the game, Euri activated the hunting mode and got himself some extra sleep to avoid dozing off in school.


    Although Mekyle had warned him not to show up at school for the rest of the week, Euri knew how unsafe he would be in his home during the daytime. So he''d definitely return there today, and if Baldy Bennet''s boys had a problem with that, he could test the improvements of his physique directly.


    After all, what better test was there than dishing out punches and getting punched back? Combat was the field where physique mattered the most. And Euri had been in enough of them to stop fearing a beating.


    Besides, the drama with Yellow Sun School and J.J. Trust Fund was too damn juicy. He didn''t want to miss it!


    By the time he woke up, his parents had left for their shifts. While eating cold leftovers in a hurry, he logged into the game. Another successful hunting session, two new beasts captured. And these two had pretty interesting stats.


    [ Fortress Mantis ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.3 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Living Armor ]


    The mantis was about twice the size of the rats, and covered in a pitch-black, tar-like layer of skin that the game assessed as an armor. Euri guessed that the ''living'' part might be referring to the possibility that the armor could grow alongside the mantis.


    He had Brawler Rat punch the mantis a few times in several parts of its body. But the strikes didn''t even seem to elicit any painful reactions from it. The entirety of its focus remained on getting out of the barrier of tentacles.


    The second creature caught in that barrier was a very small green snake. It had an even more interesting affix to its name.


    [ Saw Serpent ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.5 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Bonesaw ]


    True to the description, its spine contained a series of bone spurs that stuck out on both sides of its body. The spurs had to be pretty sharp, because this was the first time Euri saw the tentacles being damaged while suppressing a creature.


    The spurs moved in tandem with the violent contortions of the snake''s tangled-up body, cutting deep into the tentacles wrapped around it. Some tentacles had already been fully severed. Even the giant centipedes hadn''t managed to inflict this much damage on the tentacles.


    "No one''s going to be able to drag that one to the ambrosia pool," Euri thought, looking at his current familiars. Maybe attempting to tame this one would be a better idea. He did need stronger familiars to deal with future threats.


    So he chose the [ Cultivate ] option for the snake and ordered the four familiars to lure the mantis into the pool. For some reason, it turned out a lot easier this time. As soon as Dread Spider approached the freed mantis, it tried to escape like its life was on the line.


    Watching the insect being pressured from three sides to run towards the ambrosia pool, Euri''s eyes narrowed.


    "Is Dread Spider''s aura extra effective on smaller insects? Or is it the result of cultivating its special attribute¡ªAura, under the gas well?"

 19: Our Principal Has Main Character Syndrome

    Euri had to take a headache pill before leaving home. The training memory transplant process for Saw Serpent left a dull ache that refused to go away.


    "I have to be more careful with choosing beast familiars. These headaches can''t be good for my health. Frequent experiences may lead to irreparable damage."


    Making a mental note to be more cautious and choosy in the future, Euri spent the whole journey massaging his head and looking up methods of treating migraines on the internet.


    When Mekyle saw him striding into the classroom, his expression turned quite unsightly. For a moment, he looked tempted to stir up a scene, but he stopped himself after considering the bigger picture.


    The news of Euri being ''taught a lesson'' had already spread across the campus. Coupled with Euri''s earlier misfortune, people''s distaste towards Bennet was at a peak. The next rumor to go public could not be something even more negative.


    As soon as Euri took his seat, the latest updates about the scholarship project drama reached his ears. Jaakie''s wild descriptions weren''t quite believable, but Euri realized that almost everyone in the class was discussing the same story.


    "Last night, at a five-star hotel in the Jade-neck Sector, the whole upper management of J.J. Foundation held an emergency meeting! Principal Serique was even involved in a heated duel there. Get it? Not a fistfight; I''m talking about duels between superhumans, involving beast familiars!"


    "...Okay, but what was the result? Why did you stop before the important part?" Euri asked, grabbing Jaakie by the neck. Jaakie took his voice down a notch as he glanced around them, as if afraid that someone might hear the confidential news he was about to leak.


    "No one is sure what transpired, but he was basically thrown out of the meeting chamber by bodyguards! I heard the cleanup cost reached nearly 500,000 credits! I have a cousin who works in that hotel. He told me that the dueling spot is permanently ruined!"


    Destroying a dueling spot was quite a difficult feat. Those stages were built to withstand damage. Unless one was using Rank-1 Silver Grade beasts at their full capacity...


    But then again, why would the hotel authorities allow that level of duels in their premises? The law didn''t allow superhumans to fight wherever they wished. They had to follow numerous regulations in areas populated by ordinary humans. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Then? Was there any official explanation from any side?" Curiosity burning, Euri started shaking Jaakie by the collar.


    "You bet there was! It even made the headlines! Haven''t you checked the local news networks this morning?" Jaakie said while trying to extricate himself.


    "And what have you been watching at home, man? Your arms are stiff as hell!"


    "Ah, that''s just post-workout stiffness. I''ve been getting beaten up too frequently these days. The least I can do is to toughen myself up!"


    "Good, good, good," Jaakie said, looking impressed. "For a moment there, I was afraid that you wanted to fight back and get yourself killed. Glad to see you haven''t lost your marbles."


    "What was the official explanation?"


    "J. J. Foundation will have a new board of trustees. It seems like the faction opposing our principal won the war. Although the names weren''t explicitly mentioned, the reports said that Serique''s faction was pretty much driven out of the board, resulting in the violent duel."


    Euri chatted with several other classmates to get a more grounded version of the incident. The class monitor, Shenna, actually corroborated with Jaakie''s narration, claiming that he had relatives close to Principal Serique who had told him the same thing.


    "I didn''t even know that the principal is a superhuman. He always seemed so down-to-earth and harmless in the school meetings. Apparently, when he was being thrown out of the hotel by security, he challenged the top brass of that foundation that he''d produce a batch of superior superhumans from his school within the next year. The representatives from Yellow Sun School even accepted it!"


    "Grown-ass men acting like they''re leading a movie, my God...."


    Shaking his head, Euri returned to his seat. While he was suspicious that the depth of the matter went beyond what it appeared to outsiders, he also understood that being in a position of power did not make people smarter.


    They could make irrational, emotional decisions that could be just as stupid as an addict thinking he could quit anytime he wanted to.


    Just then, his miniscreen vibrated, and Euri saw a new notification from the game. Logging in, he saw something he had been waiting for a long time now. Scout Dog had reached his second cultivation checkpoint!


    [ Scout Dog ]


    [ Rank- 0 lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.7 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Speed (2) ]


    The first breakthrough had come in about fifteen hours, he recalled.


    This one came after more than two days of cultivation, including some brief gaps. Logically speaking, the next one shouldn''t be more delayed than a week, or ten days, at most.


    "But how many breakthroughs does it need to become a Rank-1 creature?" Euri fell into deep thought as he considered all routes.


    Since Rank-1 beasts tended to be stronger than any ordinary creature of their species, it was needless to doubt that this dog''s physique had to go through a few enhancements.


    The pool of ambrosia could take care of that need easily. On the other hand, he still had no idea what effect its special attribute would have on its evaluation as a lifeform. Did he need to cultivate that attribute more?


    Or would just feeding the dog ambrosia till it crossed a certain limit be the faster path?


    "Fuck no, I need ambrosia more than the dog does. I''ll just let it cultivate and see how many times it can break through before a qualitative change big enough to impact its evaluation happens."


    Since Scout Dog had broken through, it meant the other four familiars would break through soon as well, except for Scavenger Rat. That little guy was constantly on the prowl for [ Common Foodstuffs ] under his orders.


    In retrospect, he realized that he shouldn''t have killed Scavenger Bat. With two scavengers taking turns supplying ingredients, the production of ambrosia would have been a lot faster.


    Praying to the heavens for another scavenger beast within the next few hunts, Euri logged out of the game.

 20: The Greatest Feature Ever!

    Scavenger Rat discovered another batch of edible material from some corner of the grove that evening. Since Euri had already deposited the beast core and body of the Fortress Mantis from the last hunt, another batch of ambrosia was produced, consumed, and digested by the time the metro reached his home station.


    Those two units of ambrosia took him all the way to 1.1 points according to the Physique evaluation stat.


    "Am I only ten percent stronger than before?" Euri couldn''t help but wonder.


    Maybe it was because his body had been enhanced too quickly, because he felt like his strength had at least doubled. There was an illusion of power in the way his muscles moved and reacted to stimuli.


    He took a detour to the chamber of the neighborhood doctor and had his. bandage removed. The doctor made an interesting comment on the state of the wound¡ªthat it was healing way faster than normal.


    "Have you been taking any special medication? Or have your injuries always healed this fast? I have only ever seen such recovery speed in superhumans!"


    "You guessed it right!" Euri told him in an impressed tone. "My injuries heal pretty quickly, but this one is an even more extreme case, truth be told. I think the doctor who dressed the wound misjudged the damage there. It wasn''t that bad to begin with."


    Returning home, he immediately looked up the research made on superhuman physiques. The articles available to the general population barely seemed to scratch the surface of the mysteries.


    Euri was certain that he was only seeing the tip of the iceberg. The practical nurturing methods of superhumans and beast familiars were precious assets. The rapid rise of super corporations and the emergence of clan systems among the rich had only exacerbated the issue.


    It wasn''t as if no one cared about the problem. The stable governments around the planet undertook projects on massive budgets, hoping to produce superhumans at the grassroots level. Training courses, expedition funding, scholarships¡ªevery method was being tried.


    Even the scholarship drama in his school was a result of these efforts. Many private organizations, like J. J. Foundation, undertook privatized projects copying the government''s efforts for various tax benefits and lobbying opportunities in the bureaucratic fields.


    There were also some extremist organizations, fueled by the age-old revolutionary idea of reducing wealth gaps in society; except now they wanted to distribute to the general population all the resources, secrets, and opportunities to become superhumans.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Their ideas sounded good on paper, attracting countless followers. But just as it happens with any extreme idea, those who pursue it resort to unsavory methods to spread their influence and prove themselves to be a threat to many establishments, sometimes often spiraling into utterly destructive devices.


    For a commoner like Euri, navigating on the path of superhumans was thus not easy. Even the internet was filled with traps, false data, and rabbitholes of conspiracy better left unexplored. He had to verify all available information from multiple sources, which left him with little results.


    "So superhumans have to undergo specialized physical and mental training to maintain their improved stats. Without regular training, not only will their physique deteriorate, but there is also a small chance of falling sick to alien diseases!"


    Euri''s fear only subsided after deeper research on the web, discovering that the maintenance training regimens weren''t anything outlandish. Aside from some suspicious-sounding breathing techniques, most of it was just modified versions of regular exercises.


    Euri spent the rest of the evening planning an exercise schedule for his fast-improving body. He had to factor in the fact that every week, his physical attributes were likely to undergo a considerable leap. The schedule had to be flexible and varied.


    The next couple of days passed in a blur of tranquil developments. Nothing too amazing happened in the game; nothing too shocking happened in the real world. The waves of excitement and dread set off by the third Cosmic Notice slowly faded from the lives of the common folks. Routines all over the world got back on track.


    On the seventh day after becoming the administrator of the sacred ground, Euri stumbled upon his next in-game discovery, a pretty significant one at that too.


    [ Sacred Ground Core: Vitality Gas Well ]


    [ Property: Emits a gas that improves the constitution of beasts chosen for nurturing ]


    [ Level 1 ]


    [ Beast Cores Sacrificed: 11/100 ]


    [ Core Depleted State: Effects of the vitality gas will be greatly weakened for the next 11 hours ]


    Euri had read the same data in this stat window so many times that he had almost ignored the changes this time. But that number in the last line had caught his eye, and left an explosion of ideas in his mind.


    "I wasn''t wrong to keep investing in the upgrade route of the gas well!" Euri roared ecstatically, jumping inside his bedroom like a rubber ball. This was truly worth celebrating!


    He had assumed that depositing more beast cores inside the well would beget him more ''Blessings'' from the sacred ground. The skill [ Shepherding ] alone was making things so convenient for him inside the game. The remaining eight skills on that roulette had to be equally amazing, if not better.


    But after depositing more beast cores, no such blessings had come, dampening his anticipation. Still, Euri had continued dumping more beast cores in it, the main reason being that he had no other use for these cores.


    Scavenger Rat''s supply of ingredients hadn''t been consistent over the last couple of days. Euri had only managed to consume two more batches of ambrosia, whereas the number of beasts caught during hunting modes was twelve, counting the two caught half an hour ago.


    Most of these beasts had pretty unimpressive affixes and attributes, and Euri didn''t want to turn them into his familiars. He feared that the brutish, painful process of memory transplantation would damage his brain.


    But the ambrosia pool''s ingredient slots were clogged because of the slow production rate. That meant Euri had no other choice but to sacrifice most of the beast cores to the vitality gas well. And now, the quantity of sacrifices has eventually led to a major change!


    "If 11 beast cores can reduce the timespan of the depleted state by 1 hour, then shouldn''t 99 beast cores reduce it by 9 hours? If that''s the truth, then I will be able to open up hunting mode every three to four hours soon!


    How many beasts a day is that? How many cores?


    I''ll have enough beast cores lying around to even directly consume in large numbers, finally awakening superhuman abilities!"

 21: Bloodfly Clan

    [ Administrator Profile ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 1.12 ]


    [ Special Attribute: - ]


    [ Familiars: Scout Dog, Brawler Rat, Scavenger Rat, Dread Spider, Saw Serpent ]


    [ Administration Skill: Shepherding ]


    In one week, Euri''s strength had soared to a distinctive height. He could lift the heavy desk in his bedroom with much more ease than before. His sense of balance was also leagues better now.


    As for the other physical attributes like speed and stamina, Euri had no way to test them accurately. But he was already preparing to keep records of his current capabilities, using the alleyway behind his home for full-speed sprints and lifting stone slabs as weights.


    Had he not started exercising daily, he would have never realized how far his body had actually improved. Although the increase wasn¡¯t drastic, he was already as good as his peak form back when he used to accompany a fat friend in the local gym regularly.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one improving at a ridiculous pace. Inside the game, four of his five beast familiars were cultivating more than 20 hours a day. Except for Scavenger Rat, all of them had reached their second checkpoint in cultivation.


    Any day now, the most dedicated of the five, Scout Dog, would break through to the third checkpoint. Euri was eager to see if that would lead to a significant change, but he didn¡¯t hold much hope.


    After discovering the time reduction mechanism of the vitality gas well, Euri was in a jubilant mood. He spent that entire morning throwing around a bucket-sized concrete slab in the alley. He even had an audience here¡ªthe elderly neighbors who had nothing else to do in their empty homes.


    ¡°Young men these days aren''t as tough as they used to be... But keep that up, grandson!" One old man shouted while smoking through a homemade pipe.


    ¡°I remember when I used to lift fifty-kilo boxes like they weighed nothing. You''re almost ten percent as good as I was back then," another grandpa said from a wheelchair. His wife showed up behind him with a displeased face.


    ¡°How come you could never lift me then?"


    With a scowl, the grandpa answered, ¡°When I said fifty-kilo boxes, I was talking about your lunchboxes-Ow! Oooh!"


    Euri averted his eyes from the tragic scene of domestic abuse and skipped out of the alley.


    While leaving for school, he noticed a message from Mekyle in his comcell. His heartbeat immediacy skyrocketed upon opening the full text.


    [ Bennet has their identities. Don''t skip school today. Take it from me, personally; think about how exactly you plan to get back at them. Don''t waste Bennet''s time. ]


    Euri stared out of his window at the distant cityscape, his gaze vacant. He knew exactly how he planned to get back at them. But first, he had to interrogate those three fuckers about Sol-Wa''s lookalike. Now, it depended on how Bennet arranged the whole thing.


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


    ¡°I just need their identity and location. It''d be best if no one else was involved in our encounter."


    Quickly downing his breakfast, Euri jogged to the metro circuit with a preoccupied mind. His introspection was only broken after reaching the campus and noticing the highly unusual atmosphere around the main entrance.


    More than a dozen expensive-looking cars were parked in front of the gateway. Several uniformed men were walking around them, stony faces scowling at the students who stopped by to stare in wonder.


    Inside the campus, the noise of a large gathering could be heard from the administration building. Hesitating for a moment, Euri decided to go in to see what was going on.


    Just as he had suspected, the source of the trouble turned out to be the principal himself. His luxurious office, taking up an entire floor of the building, was filled to the brim with both insiders and outsiders.


    Among the outsiders, there was a group that was bound to leave an impression. Semi-formal clothing made with top-notch material and design, confident posture and gestures that spoke of experience, and the focus everyone else in the room gave to them¡ªthese made it clear that they were the center of this ruckus.


    Facing them at the other end of the desk, Principal Serique''s oily face projected nothing but rejection.


    ¡°Come on, Serique, you''re no fool! You understand what made the old master change his mind so abruptly. So why are you escalating the matter into something even bigger and worse?"


    They seemed wary of revealing too much, speaking with vague terms. It was evident that had it been up to them, this meeting would have taken place in a private chamber.


    Their bodyguards were repeatedly trying to push the audience out of the room. But the faculty members weren¡¯t willing to give in, not on their own campus.


    ¡°Don''t think I don''t know who voted against me in secret, Mr. Esenel," the Principal said quite loudly. His words had an immediate effect on not just the one he had replied to, but the entire cohort of visitors. Their troubled, but patient looks turned unsightly.


    The middle-aged man, who Euri assumed was Mr. Esenel, spoke after a long pause.


    ¡°Since you know, I won''t hide my intentions. You can still save yourself if you switch sides. The boss isn¡¯t asking for much; just cut off your contract with the Helios Clan."


    Serique laughed, face full of ridicule. ¡°Cut off that contract? What then? Who gets to explore Golden Bull Gateway after that happens? Just say you want to force me to sell that favor to your people, hahaha!"


    ¡°Yeah, keep laughing while you can." Mr. Esenel stood up slowly. ¡°You should investigate a little and learn who our backer is. Don''t crawl back to us after you understand who the Helios Clan has offended."


    The bodyguards pushed off a dozen people to create enough space for the group to leave. But-


    ¡°Oh, I know!" Principal Serique''s reply paused the entire group on their momentum-filled departure. As they turned around, incredulity showing on their faces, Serique brought up a name even Euri had heard of.


    ¡°The Bloodfly Clan, ranked third on the global assessment panel this year, rulers of eleven districts, carrying the legacy of Imperator Visius Bloodfly."


    The more titles Serique added, the more complex the visitors'' countenances became. It was as if they could not believe that despite knowing his opponent, Serique was adamant in his stance.


    Mr. Esenel opened his mouth to say something a couple of times, but in the end, he flashed the principal a twisted smile and left with his partners in tow.


    Soon after, Euri and his fellow students, who had come to witness the drama, were kicked out of the office by the grumpy faculty members. While most students headed to the classroom, Euri hung around the entryway, looking for Bennet''s toadies. He knew he wouldn¡¯t find them in classes.


    About fifteen minutes later, just as he was about to give up, he saw another group of vehicles approaching the gateway. These cars weren¡¯t as flashy as the previous batch, but the uniformity and discipline they moved with was striking.


    Euri watched the cars enter the campus uninterrupted, which was even more unusual. Not even the Principal himself had been given the luxury of driving inside the small campus. The group that had just left hadn''t been able to violate the rule either.


    Yet the guards looked totally unconcerned, as if they had been ordered to not block them. Curious, Euri followed the trail of the cars and found himself back at the administration building. The number of bodyguards who poured out of these cars was three times as many as the previous group.


    Together, they pretty much blocked anyone from peeking at their employer. Euri only managed to catch a brief glimpse of a woman dressed in a white suit walking up the staircase leading to the principal''s office.


    Hesitating for a while, he approached the least menacing bodyguard among those blocking the building''s entrance and said, ¡°Hey, big brother, can I ask who you guys are?"


    Smiling down at him kindly, the guard replied, ¡°I''m Oboi, triple star protection specialist! I studied at Eon Star Academy! This right here is my best buddy Donny! He studied..."


    Dumbstruck, Euri listened on for a full minute before realizing that he wasn¡¯t about to get the answer he wanted.


    ¡°Er, I mean, who do you represent? Who''s your employer?"


    The bodyguards nearby, who had been hiding their smiles until now, burst out with uproarious laughter. Euri had to spend a lot of effort to not let the embarrassment show on his face.


    ¡°Hahaha, you have quite an innocent face, boy," Oboi said, still grinning. ¡°But are you just as stupid inside? Did you think I didn¡¯t realize what you were asking for? I''m not allowed to say these things!"


    Annoyed, Euri shed the harmless, ingratiating look. ¡°Big brother, how about this? I''ll take a guess, and if I''m correct, you can just nod."


    Raising an eyebrow, the jovial guard agreed to the challenge, and immediately, Euri voiced his suspicion.


    ¡°Bloodfly Clan."


    Oboi''s grin disappeared.

 22: First Test of Enhanced Stats

    Oboi considered himself a master at his profession. And this wasn¡¯t a notion solely conceived by him; his colleagues, family, and associates frequently supported it.


    After all, how can a bodyguard be more dedicated than him? When he accepted a contract to protect a client, he practically became the client''s guardian angel. From the client''s toilet schedule to their networking activities, be it open or hidden, offline or online, he dug out every detail, analyzed them with the mindset of a lifelong enemy, and took not just preventive measures, but also set pitfalls and traps to erase any threat for good.


    Whether his clients permitted such a breach of privacy was never an issue to him. He got the information he needed regardless. But ever since he had been employed by the Bloodfly Clan to protect a couple of rising stars, this morally grey practice of his had been facing obstacles after obstacles.


    This clan was a major shareholder of several megacorporations, and they had fierce competitors in every district, every superhuman circle, and every business field. Naturally, the lifestyle they maintained was somewhat secretive. The age and gender of the clients further complicated the work.


    Being a new recruit to the team, Oboi had very little opportunity to proceed with his wanton research on his clients. The little info he could salvage from his new colleagues was of no use to him.


    In fact, his colleagues were just as good as him at this job, leaving him feeling like a useless addition to the team.


    Most of his duty time was spent standing outside meeting rooms and training chambers. He wasn¡¯t even trusted by the miss to stand inside. He could only find creative ways to have fun with whoever was nearby.


    Teasing this young student who had seemingly approached him out of curiosity was just another one of such instances. Noticing how annoyed the boy got at being teased, Oboi''s enthusiasm spiked further.


    You want to play guessing games with this daddy? Hahaha! I will leave you just as confused as that casino casanova who tried to make moves on the miss last week!


    ¡°Bloodfly Clan.¡±


    Those two words sent a wave of electricity across his giddy mind. Pupils shrinking back into full focus, Oboi took a second to survey the kid from head to toe from the footing of an enemy.


    Slim, maybe a little malnourished build that gleamed a silver of rough upbringing; a visible patch of wound above his head, stance too relaxed to enter combat, gaze not ready to perceive sudden strikes, hands positioned too open to counter or defend, no bulging pockets, no wires under the cheap clothing...This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    If this kid was an enemy, he was just a pawn being used as a distraction. He probably had no idea what he was doing; just a follower of simple orders.


    Oboi exchanged a very brief glance with two of his colleagues who had reached the same conclusion, and their movements immediately fell into a synchronized regulation.


    Being the closest to the bait, Oboi would have to handle the interrogation; his colleagues would handle the internal communication, and those who had followed the miss inside would handle the neutralization.


    Taking a step forward to shield the colleague who was sending warning signals to every unit, Oboi asked the boy in a calm tone, ¡°How did you reach that conclusion?"


    A look of delight appeared on the boy''s face as he replied, ¡°You didn¡¯t deny it! It must be the truth, then!"


    ¡°Mind explaining why?" Oboi asked again.


    ¡°Well, in my experience, in such a game, if I manage to catch the opponent unprepared, a majority would react with a blank pause before denying it. The second most probable reaction is to not answer at all and instead turn aggressive. The third most..."


    Oboi listened on as he started explaining basic psychological manipulation tactics in corporate negotiation scenarios for almost half a minute before realizing that just as he had made fun of the kid''s question a minute ago, he was the one being made fun of now in return.


    Leaning forward, Oboi stretched out his hand at the fastest possible speed while the boy was blabbering on. He didn¡¯t even manage to react, unsurprisingly. This boy was clearly no fighter.


    Oboi''s hand landed on his shoulder and gripped his collar. Then he tugged¡ª


    The balanced stance he had adopted for a chokehold was sent into disarray because even after tugging with all of his strength, Oboi had failed to draw the boy close enough.


    ¡®Am I fighting someone physically as strong as my colleagues? Impossible!''


    Oboi wasn¡¯t a superhuman, nor a martial arts champion. His skill set was limited to taking down opponents with surprise attacks and avoiding direct confrontations. But dealing with a kid from slums shouldn¡¯t be out of his league! Not by techniques, nor by strength!


    So why did it feel like he was fighting a full-grown adult?


    No problem. Since he couldn''t tug him over, he would close the distance himself.


    With a long step forward, Oboi placed his body to the boy''s left, neutralizing the threat of being struck effectively from that side. While the boy struggled to detach the hand gripping his right shoulder, Oboi kicked at the side of his left calf to destabilize him again.


    Only, his kick failed to connect. The boy had seen through his plan and retracted his leg in, avoiding the kick by millimeters.


    Caught off guard and off balance, Oboi''s left hand turned into a claw, releasing his shoulder and grabbing his ears. But at the same time, the boy made an amateurish counter by planting his left elbow on Oboi''s solar plexus.


    Ha! Without gaining enough momentum, that stick-thin arm cannot possibly-


    ¡°Hngghhh!"


    The pain wasn¡¯t strong enough to leave him dazed, but Oboi still winced at the unexpected power behind the elbow strike. He tugged hard at the kid''s left ear, making him yelp in far more pain.


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fucking stop it! What the hell is wrong with you, man?!"


    One of his colleagues slid in beside them, and the boy immediately shut his cursing upon seeing the flash of a silver barrel under his fist, raising his arms up in a motion of surrender.


    ¡°I''ll ask for the last time," Oboi spoke again. ¡°Who told you we''re employed by Bloodfly Clan?"

 23: Obois Redemption?

    Provoking the bodyguard wasn¡¯t Euri''s intention...originally.


    But then, a sudden idea had come to his mind. He was very curious to learn how much his body had truly changed in terms of combat capabilities. This was a crucial piece of knowledge for his near-future plans.


    1.12 points¡ªwhat did this truly represent? Was it enough to bulldoze his way through ordinary people with combat experience?


    Since he needed to pick a fight to know the answer, why not these guards? Unlike random thugs in the streets, they''d not go overboard. They wouldn¡¯t fight desperately. They might not even take him seriously as an opponent.


    It was just the right opportunity to test himself! And so, seeing how his accurate guess had left the guards shaken and suspicious, Euri used their wariness to provoke them further, finally leading to this five-second-long scuffle.


    And he had lost, terribly lost. But he knew his past self wouldn¡¯t have made it past the first two moves from Oboi. That enhancement of 0.12 points was the equivalent of three extra seconds of survival.


    ¡°Who told you we''re employed by Bloodfly Clan?" Oboi asked, all hint of mirth gone from his face. The second bodyguard''s gun wasn¡¯t even necessary here.


    Reining in the pain of having his ear grabbed and twisted, Euri tried to navigate through the confusion.


    ¡°I can answer that, but I have to ask first, how much do you know about the strife inside J.J. Foundation''s board of trustees? Because that''s where my explanation begins."


    ¡°It doesn''t concern you what we know. You just need to answer the question.¡±


    Had his ear not been in the risk of being torn off, Euri would have retorted with equal arrogance. But now he could only swallow the insults and give a quick explanation.


    ¡°There''s been lots of rumors in the school that our principal, one of the ex-trustees, had some disagreements with some people, which displeased the founder of the trust. Just before you guys appeared here, people from that trustee board visited the principal and made some wild claims, targeting his current assets, from what I understand.


    ¡°Among those claims, the most significant one was that our Principal''s patron, the Helios Clan, had offended the Bloodfly Clan. Now the Bloodfly Clan is indirectly supporting those guys in harming the interests of Helios Clan through our Principal."


    Instead of being persuaded by his truthful answer, Oboi sneered and tugged harder at Euri''s ear.


    ¡°Ridiculous! Just because you heard that the Bloodfly Clan has ill will towards your principal''s patron Clan, you directly assumed that they''d come to visit him in secret? Wouldn¡¯t it be more logical for the Helios Clan to arrive to provide support to your principal? We even copied their style while coming down here! There is no way you guessed it all by yourself! Who clued you in?"


    ¡°...Brother, I don''t think you understand how secretive movements work in these areas. A dozen uniformed cars and thirty bodyguards don''t mean anything here, except that the ordinary people must avoid getting in your way. Helios Clan, Bloodfly Clan... It''s all the same to us."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    His answer this time must have been more convincing, because Euri noticed the bodyguards exchanging quick looks. Oboi relaxed the grip on his ears and asked, ¡°So nobody told you to approach us? And your guess was just a result of accidentally picking the right one between two options?"


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Can you let my ear go now? I got classes to attend, big brother!¡±


    He was finally released after requesting so pitifully. Rubbing his ear and suppressing his grievance, Euri hurried off to his classroom.


    A red-haired, grizzled old man slowly hobbled out of one of the cars and came to stand beside the flabbergasted bodyguards.


    ¡°Your way of dealing with an emergency is rarely so amateurish, Oboi. What went wrong?" he said between raspy heaves, as if uttering every word was painful for him.


    Oboi held his gaze on the distant jogging silhouette and replied, ¡°Frustration. I have been unable to contribute to the team for too damn long. Once a chance appeared, I was too eager to show off. My deepest apologies for the mistake, Sir."


    The old man snorted and silently hobbled back into his car. Oboi''s colleagues started flashing him impressed gestures the moment the car''s door shut close.


    ¡°No remarks means no criticism!"


    ¡°He liked that!¡±


    ¡°Looks like someone''s getting a renewal of their contract!¡±


    But Oboi wasn¡¯t distracted by the praise. He knew that there was an issue everyone here was consciously avoiding in order to not hurt his ego.


    But it would be brought up later, certainly. If not in front of him, then behind him.


    Why did it take him so many moves to neutralize someone who wasn¡¯t even a threat? It had taken him unusually long to defeat an ordinary, underprivileged student! Not to mention, he had won by relying on a dirty move...


    What if that kid had truly been sent by an enemy? Would Oboi even be able to suppress a real opponent?


    Oboi opened his mouth to explain himself, multiple times, too. But he could not put into words a reasoning that wouldn''t leave his dignity in shambles.


    So he decided to make up one!


    ¡°Fuck! My stomach was giving me hell since I woke up. Didn''t realize it was gonna affect my combat effectiveness so horribly... I''m sorry, everyone. I screwed up, and the consequences could have been terrible."


    Shaking his head in dismay, he clutched his stomach and expressed great disappointment in his performance before anyone else could.


    ¡°Come on, Oboi, you weren''t that bad," Donny said in a consoling tone.


    ¡°Yeah, kid was pretty fast. Good reflexes on these street rats, I''ve seen it before. No shame in surprises, bro," another guy followed up. Now the undertone in the group had undergone a subtle shift. Elated, Oboi waved a hand as he began to walk away from the group.


    ¡°I''ll be taking a break for a couple of hours. Make some adjustments to the outer formation, guys."


    Leaving them simmering with his ashamed reaction, Oboi began to tour the campus lazily. It was quite lackluster and shabby even compared to other public schools. So it wasn¡¯t long before he ended up in the only spot of the campus that wasn¡¯t crowded to the brim¡ªthe cafeteria.


    But before he could step inside, he noticed the familiar face of the boy in one shadowy corner, surrounded by several students whose appearance revealed volumes to Oboi''s experienced eyes.


    One bald kid in particular caught his focus almost immediately. As someone who had been working in Peacock District for nearly a decade, Oboi knew all the faces and names a protection agent needed to know. This bald brat''s father was one of them, albeit being pretty low on the list.


    What was the relationship between these two boys? Oboi''s suspicion came back like tidal waves. It couldn''t be a coincidence! Was he sending back information to the baldy''s father?


    Eyes narrowing into slits, Oboi hid behind a large pillar and started tracking their lip movements.


    ¡°Faceless Gang... Secret commission... Twenty thousand credits... Info leak... will sell... Too ambitious... Projects... Backstab... Murder... Many gangs are eager..."


    Although the reading he got wasn''t exactly comprehensive, Oboi was shaken to the core. He could string those keywords together and clearly see how large the threat looming over his clients was!

 24: Deep Waters of Corporate World

    After tracking down Bennet inside the cafeteria, Euri went over to talk business. But the baldy seemed pissed for some reason. He wasted quite some time yelling at people over calls while Euri stared at his shiny head blankly.


    Throwing his comcell away after a particularly heated argument, he finally turned his focus on Euri.


    ¡°You''ve had enough time to think about how you want to get back at them, right?"


    ¡°Sure." Euri shrugged. ¡°Just give me their identities and location. As long as I can locate them, I''ll consider us even."


    Bennet''s face darkened. ¡°Consider us even?"


    One of his cronies pointed a finger at Euri and elaborated on their bossman''s response.


    ¡°You retard, does the boss need your consideration?"


    ¡°This is about protecting his image. Those three fuckers messed with the wrong gang!" Another crony declared.


    One of them had a sinister look on his face as he leaned by Bennet''s ear and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, ¡°Boss, I think this kid just implied that you owe him this, and unless you give him what he wants, he''ll hold a grudge against you!''


    Euri was once again tempted to start a fight. He had a lot of punches, kicks, and wrestling moves to dish out on these guys before they could truly get even. Seven years of their casual bullying had made every ordinary student in this school harbor some degree of grudge.


    But he quickly caught himself midway through the decision. It seemed that the newfound strength was getting to his head.


    ¡°I''m sorry, I''m sorry. Let me rephrase it. If you could help me, Bennet, I''d be very grateful," Euri said before Bennet could start yelling again.


    But Bennet shook his head, and Euri''s heart sank.


    ¡°You need to listen to my findings first before you make any decision. You live in a... rough neighborhood. So you should be familiar with the organizations that control those peripheral areas of Peacock District. Have you had any run-ins with the men from Faceless Gang before?"


    Euri couldn''t recall any such name. Hesitant, he said, ¡°No. Are you saying those three assholes are members of this Faceless Gang?"


    ¡°Yeah, just as I expected," Bennet sneered.


    ¡°There is a reason why you haven¡¯t heard of the gang. It''s sort of like a secret association of members from all the gangs of this district who share a certain belief, if you know what I mean..."


    Seeing Bennet wink at him emphatically was a bit of a shock, but the surprising news he had delivered was even more impactful. Euri had to reassess the feasibility of his plan of revenge once again.


    His opponents weren¡¯t just members of a gang; they belonged to a huge cult too?!


    Bennet''s implicit hint wasn¡¯t lost on him. If it was an ordinary cult, then he wouldn¡¯t have brought it up. The cults that mattered in this age were those connected to alien creatures,  outsourced from the alien planes beyond the dimensional gateways. The powers they worshipped could physically manifest anywhere, provided the requirements were met.


    ¡°How powerful is this hidden association? How''s their relationship policy? If something happens to those three guys, what kind of retaliation should we expect?"


    One after another, Euri fired away the questions rising in his heart. Bennet''s eyes twitched at the last one, and he scanned Euri from head to toe as if he was seeing him properly for the first time.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°They do their best to maintain secrecy, but not when it comes to displaying their power and influence. Like I said, they have men in almost every organization out there; big gangs, local groups, underground establishments¡ªeverywhere. People have been targeting them since their emergence, but that usually results in gruesome deaths and missing reports."


    ¡°If all the bigshots took action together¡ª"


    ¡°They did try," Bennet said before Euri could finish. ¡°But there are too many of them, and they grow like weeds on fertile land. Peacock district has a registered population of over fifteen million. Half live in the Peacock''s Tail¡ªthe slums. Thirty percent of that half are associated with gangs directly or indirectly. It''s impossible to put a filter on all of them.


    ¡°Over time, even the top dogs had to accept that a secret network will always exist among their men. As long as this network isn¡¯t being used against their interests, they have to pretend not to care."


    ¡°Damn..." Euri leaned back on his seat, dispirited. ¡°So there''s no way to take revenge for the beating I suffered?"


    ¡°I didn''t say that," Bennet said, a shrewd grin making its way to his face and lighting up the fire of hope in Euri''s heart.


    ¡°The thing is, when an organization grows big enough, there will always be disagreements and internal conflicts within it; if not among the top brass, then among the grass-feeders. Same goes for Faceless Gang. They have people from numerous other gangs who are openly fighting over interests all the time. So even when they discard these identities to pray together to their alien overlord, some dirty motherfuckers are scheming against their fellow worshippers."


    Suddenly leaning forward, Bennet whispered, ¡°And I have managed to contact those who are scheming against your assailants through a secret commission that cost me twenty-three thousand credits. Since you claimed that one of my guys robbed about the same amount from your house, don''t let me catch you mentioning it again!"


    ¡°...Of course, absolutely, my mouth is zipped." Euri nodded like a chicken. Back then, he had dropped that lie casually to test Bennet''s attitude. Seeing Bennet talking about the debt so seriously made it hard for him to not burst out laughing.


    Maybe in return, he could tone down the thrashing he''d give Bennet one day.


    At that moment, one of Bennet''s cronies spoke up again, running two steps ahead of his boss as usual.


    ¡°Also, maybe you''re too retarded to get this, but boss doesn''t want any more info leaked about your run-in with those thugs. It''s for everyone''s benefit if this incident gets forgotten. You don''t want to be tracked down as a suspect after taking revenge, do you?"


    ¡°I understand. But are you absolutely sure that your contacts will sell out the identities and locations of all three targets?" Euri asked eagerly.


    ¡°They''re too ambitious to care about three worthless assholes from the gutters. Don''t you worry about my side. You have other shit to be worried about, such as how and when you want to go after them, whether you can handle it if there''s an emergency, and if you get caught, what to say, what not to say..."


    Bennet pretty much threatened Euri to keep mum about their cooperation for the next couple of minutes, going as far as giving him an oddly specific percentage of how many bodies buried in the abandoned housing projects near the hills belonged to snitches.


    ¡°Speaking of projects, did you see what was going on in the principal''s office this morning? I wanted to go myself, but...er..."


    It was well known that the only guy Bennet feared in the school was the principal himself. Due to the overwhelming number of complaints against him, the principal had begun a practice of punishing Bennet wherever and whenever he saw him nearby.


    In a corporate design, if Bennet was the asshole General Manager, then Principal Serique was the tyrant Director.


    Euri then spent a minute explaining the climatic scene in the administration building, naming the Bloodfly Clan directly as a small act of vengeance for the ear twists.


    ¡°Bloodfly Clan..." Bennet revealed a cowed look. ¡°Those guys are even more brutal than any eager gangs that want to earn some infamy. People who cause trouble for them get backstabbed by their own business partners, or get straight up murdered out there during dimensional expeditions."


    Not particularly shocked, Euri said, ¡°The Principal isn¡¯t an idiot. I doubt the Bloodfly Clan came here to intimidate him. From the very beginning of this whole Scholarship project drama, it was clear that something deeper than the leaked news was happening. It''s unlikely for the founder of that trustee board to fall out with Mr. Serique over allegations of misappropriating funds."


    Bennet cast a sharp look at him. ¡°You know something?"


    Euri shook his head. ¡°Just a guess, man. I''ve seen similar incidents play out in many big companies. Usually, it leads to exploiting some loopholes in business contracts by staging these dramatic public scenarios."


    Seeing how confused Bennet looked, Euri stood up to leave. ¡°Who knows, maybe the Bloodfly Clan is in cahoots with the trust''s founder, baiting Helios Clan into making some rash decisions after seeing the plight of their staunch supporter, Mr. Serique."

 Chapter 25: Euris Aim In Life Is A Little Unusual

    That evening, Scavenger Rat finally broke through its second cultivation checkpoint. Now all five of his beast familiars had reached this level, and at least two of them were closing in on the third level.


    Curious to test whether the upgrade of Scavenger Rat''s special attribute, Hyperosmia, would have any effect on the rate at which it discovered common foodstuffs, Euri ordered it to go on a prowl.


    The eleven-hour countdown of the core depletion state was about to end soon. Euri couldn''t afford to waste an extra minute in making use of the hunting mode.


    While he was busy digging into some obscure forums discussing the rise of large cults around the globe, Euri''s comcell buzzed.


    ¡°Jaakie? What''s up?" Euri could hear loud but indistinct chatter on the other side of the call. Jaakie''s voice sounded garbled, as if he had been yelling for some time.


    ¡°Just as I suspected! Euri, you oblivious moron! Check the school bulletin, dammit!"


    Jaakie cut off the call immediately. Had his tone not been jubilant, Euri would have assumed that he had run into major trouble.


    The moment he searched up the school''s official website, he realized what had gotten his buddy so worked up.


    [ As unforeseen circumstances have resulted in the cancellation of the scholarship project for the final year students, the school authority has arranged a new diploma opportunity for them, sponsored by Red Sea Labs. Further details will be published after the finalization of the full contract. ]


    Euri''s eyes narrowed. He typed ¡®Red Sea Labs'' in the search bar and skimmed through the results, noting down several names and titles. Soon, a brief peek into these names formed a pattern.


    ¡°Sixty percent of shares of Red Sea Labs belong to shareholders who are either members of the Bloodfly Clan, or are superhumans from vassal families endorsed by the Bloodfly Clan. Surprise, surprise..."


    He had expected something big to happen since that clan''s visit. But he hadn''t imagined that it would come into effect so fast. Didn''t this mean that the foundation for this new project was laid down way earlier?


    His comcell rang again, and by now, Jaakie seemed to have calmed down.


    ¡°Euri, I''m going to attend cram classes every day from now on. The regret I felt after missing out on the earlier scholarship made me realize... No matter how unrealistic it is to dream of becoming a superhuman as a commoner, I will never be able to let go of this obsession. Even if the chances are near zero, I have to try."If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Euri doubted that Jaakie was the only one who felt this way. The path and potential of a superhuman appealed to human instinct much more intensely than any other ordinary career choice. Even he used to have such dreams before waking up to the harshness of reality.


    A safe corporate job was actually much better! Not to mention, he now had access to cutting-edge alien technology that was constantly strengthening him beyond the means of superhumans!


    ¡°Good luck, brother," he said with full sincerity. ¡°Never seen you this serious about a test. If you want a suggestion, I''d say you shouldn''t limit your studies to textbooks. Focus on those extracurricular books on logic and psychology that nobody ever bothers to read. I''ll send you some links to some topics by tonight. Check those out as deeply as you can in a limited timeframe."


    ¡°...What? Why?"


    Euri snorted. ¡°Haven''t you checked out the background of this Red Sea Lab that''s sponsoring the diploma? They specialize in the research fields of clinical psychology and emerging mental disorders among superhumans. What do you think their recruitment process will entail?"


    ¡°....¡± Jaakie didn''t answer, but Euri could still sense him muttering expletives. Clearly, he wasn¡¯t willing to study more than the basics.


    ¡°Jaakie, you''re not stupid enough to think they''re recruiting poor students to provide them careers, are you? Come on, it''s a self-serving company! They want research subjects who won''t cause legal trouble, desperate volunteers who understand what they''re getting into, and pupils who don''t need to be taught everything from scratch. If you don''t present yourself that way, you won''t get selected. But yeah, this is just my guess, after all. It''s up to you whether you want to follow the suggestion or not."


    ¡°Are you going to study the same materials?" Jaakie asked with a big sigh.


    ¡°No."


    ¡°...What the fuck do you mean, no? Then why are you advising me to do it?" Jaakie fired up instantly.


    ¡°I am not changing lanes to pursue some shady diploma in hopes of becoming a superhuman, Jaakie. You know what really interests me. My chips are on desk jobs inside skyscrapers. So why should I bother?"


    ¡°You were actually so serious about wanting to become a corporate slave, Euri? Why did it always seem like you just liked to joke about it?" Jaakie was flabbergasted.


    Coughing awkwardly, Euri cut off the call. He had indeed started out on this goal through jokes. Even he had never thought he''d end up  being a little fascinated. And now, the game infesting his miniscreen had sealed the deal for him.


    Why brave endless dangers in alien worlds when you can earn the benefits of the adventure while sitting inside a luxurious office, playing an idle simulation game, and being paid for every hour?


    Toxic work culture? Management hassles? Tiresome, boring work? Hahaha! He''d take them all instead of dealing with a Rank-2 Lava Mammoth, and he''d feel no regrets in making the choice.


    Half an hour later, the sacred ground''s core returned to its recharged state, and Euri immediately activated hunting mode. By the time his mother declared dinnertime, the hunt was over and the spoils were under due process.


    This time, two crows had been caught. Both had the same stats and the affix¡ªShadow.


    Their special attribute was the ability to blend into darkness by absorbing all light falling on them. Euri had no use for such a creature at the moment. So he deposited them both inside the ambrosia pool as ingredients.


    Now, it was up to Scavenger Rat to return with a good harvest and provide Euri another massive boost of physical attributes!

 Chapter 26: Euris New Job

    Scavenger Rat proved his worth by depositing another batch of ingredients in the pool by the next morning. Although there were only two units this time, among all the familiars Euri had cultivated so far, this little guy was the only one returning the investment with profit.


    To conserve common foodstuffs for later use, Euri wanted to try using only one unit of the current batch against the two units of beast core and beast body.


    But the ambrosia pool refused to move into production mode this way. After several attempts and experiments, Euri had to accept the rule that at least one unit of common foodstuff had to be matched with one core and one body.


    His regret over wasting the ingredients in the past spiked higher than ever. He had even used three units of common foodstuffs against single-unit ingredients once! What a loss!


    ¡°At least I discovered this optimization route quickly." He could only console himself this way, shuddering at the possibility of never experimenting with the production of ambrosia and wasting innumerable ingredients.


    After consuming the two units of ambrosia produced this time, Euri''s Physique stat now stood at 1.17 points.


    ¡°0.05 points from two beasts, again? Is this number fixed for all types of beasts? It was the same back when I put two Giant Centipedes into the pool. Those creatures have nothing in common with the Shadow Crows I used for this batch. Looks like I need to experiment more radically whenever I get a haul of twin beasts."


    When Euri looked at himself in the mirror that morning, he could clearly see the difference between his physique from a week earlier and now. The enhancements were a lot more defined. Even an outsider would probably notice how much his body was swelling up if he didn''t take any precautions.


    The latest hunting mode also contributed one beast core to the gas well and one incomplete set to the ambrosia pool. There was a frog with an interesting affix this time, but Euri couldn''t see any benefits to rearing it in the near future.


    After a lighter set of exercises meant to brush up the sore muscles from yesterday''s heavy training, Euri was about to head out for school as usual. But he realized that neither of his parents had gotten ready to leave for their shifts yet. It was rare to see them at home past eight in the morning.


    ¡°You got an off day at work?" he asked his father, who was lazily reclined on the living room sofa, staring at empty air above him like a paralysis patient.


    ¡°...No."


    Euri didn¡¯t really care what the answer was. He was just trying to make conversation while getting ready for school. But then he heard his father add to the reply.


    ¡°Got laid off. No more morning shifts."


    Euri turned around at lightning-fast speed, staring at his old man with a serious look.


    ¡°And mom?"


    ¡°Same. Quite the coincidence, if you ask me. We don''t even work under the same management."


    While his words suggested clarity and suspicion, his tone held no energy. It was as if even if he came to learn that the two of them had been fired over some unfair grounds, he wouldn¡¯t give a shit.


    ¡°What did you get fired for?" Euri couldn''t hold back his curiosity and frustration.


    ¡°Didn''t ask. The manager didn''t seem interested in letting the conversation grow. Just shoved me out of the building, and I found your mother in the same situation on the other end of the block."


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Euri chewed on his tongue for a long time before muttering, ¡°Must have realized it''s not good for the productivity chain to employ addicts."


    His father''s dead gaze turned sharp for a very brief flash. Euri was almost hopeful that the insult would ignite something in him. Even if he got beaten for it, he wouldn¡¯t mind as long as the reverie of Black Foam addicts could be broken.


    But the lanky middle-aged man''s sickly countenance mellowed out again, extinguishing Euri''s hope.


    ¡°Yeah, you could be right." He simply admitted it. ¡°But nothing can be done to remedy it now. If they had given me a warning, at least..."


    ¡°You wouldn''t have quit drugs, either way." Snorting in disdain, Euri picked up his backpack. Before leaving the house, he warned them not to entertain any visitors who might claim to be looking for him.


    ¡°Is this about that problem you ran into..."


    Euri interrupted his mother halfway through the nagging.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it. It''s almost solved. Just a week or so left to make sure that no more troubles come out of it. You two should be more worried about what to eat next month. Don''t forget how much a tube of Black Foam costs either!"


    Neither of his parents appreciated the snide remark, but they had the same worries. They couldn''t reprimand him for getting worked up.


    Euri walked out of the apartment, fists and teeth clenched, breath coming out long and venomous, and a heart that yearned to explode.


    It would be best if he started looking for a source of earning. Relying on his parents would not be a good idea. There was a high likelihood that they wouldn''t land a job until they quit the addiction.


    Instead of rushing to the metro circuit, Euri made a detour around the neighborhood and met up with some friends one by one. These guys were about the same age as him, but due to unfortunate circumstances, all of them had quit their studies and started doing odd jobs.


    Their line of work was the only convenient way to guarantee quick and safe income each working day. So Euri didn''t hesitate to let them know his intentions.


    ¡°Bro, if you don''t get engines, I can''t help you out. Even if you had a basic idea..."


    ¡°Euri, plumbing work isn''t as simple as going inside a well-furnished kitchen and pushing some pumps. You need to work for a while before you become a pro and get regular calls."


    ¡°I can put in a good word for you to my boss and teach you how to paint. But it''s boring work with long hours, and right now, we''re working on the outer walls of a fifteen-floor project. You sure you can hang on to a rope for twelve hours and paint walls?"


    ¡°Euri, my brother, trust me, you don''t wanna go down into the tail-zone sewers. You can, but you don''t want to. It pays well, but I wouldn''t wish it on even my worst enemy, man."


    Most of his friends were willing to help, but the problems they warned him about made Euri hesitate. He still had to attend school half the days of a week. Few day job syndicates paid well to such loose workers, especially not newbies.


    While his resolve was starting to waver, he met a slightly older guy whom he had always known to have a somewhat shady network. He had gotten arrested more than a dozen times over petty charges, and usually bribed his way out every time.


    Euri couldn''t help feeling downhearted when he made the same request again. He doubted this guy would offer anything lawful. The worse thing was, Euri would probably accept it if it wasn¡¯t too amoral.


    One morning full of bad news was all it had taken for him turn to this path.


    While every other friend had avoided asking why Euri needed a small job, Aemon simply scanned him from head to toe suspiciously.


    ¡°Looking a little intimidating, little Euri, aren''t ya? Mind telling the story?"


    ¡°What story?" Euri was left confused.


    ¡°You''re supposed to be graduating from school in two months, right? Doubt you''d come to me for a job unless it was an emergency. What, your parents got into some debt? I can help if it can be solved with violent means-"


    ¡°No, not debt. They lost their job," Euri admitted honestly.


    ¡°Then why the fuck can''t those grown-ass adults go look for another damn job?! Why are they sending out their son, who needs to study¡ªOh, right..." Aemon trailed off, staring at a group of homeless people under a polythene shade nearby.


    ¡°Black Foam, right?" he said awkwardly.


    ¡°How did you know?"


    ¡°One of my bros see''em on regular while they buy supplies,¡± Aemon replied vaguely, and changed the subject. ¡°Anyway, if you really need some quick cash to ensure that you can at least make it to your exams well-fed, then I can sponsor you for a... Well, it''s not exactly a job. But it''ll pay, and judging by how much you''ve been working out, you''ll soar through that shit."


    ¡°...Do you want me to rob someone? Beat someone up?" Euri was getting wary, very wary of the long, calculative looks Aemon was giving his limbs and torso.


    ¡°Nah, you aren''t skilled enough for that pro stuff, little Euri. Let''s see... Slim build, smaller frame, but that''s just highlighting the shape and size of these muscles. And your knuckles don''t seem too green for a fight either. Eyes and lips are not very welcoming... Just perfect!"


    ¡°For what?" Euri almost wondered if he should back out right now.


    ¡°I want you to look just as pissed as you do right now, and help me collect some overdue debt. That''s all," Aemon said with a goofy grin.

 27: The Taste of My Vegetables

    Euri didn''t find the offer particularly attractive. But he knew that at the moment, his only asset was his brute strength, and Aemon was perceptive enough to see that.


    ¡°If it involves violence¡ª"


    Aemon held up a hand to cut him off. ¡°You''ll just be there to make up numbers. We don''t hand out money to people who might wipe us out of existence. The most intense it can get is a couple minutes of wrestling down a debtor trying to escape. You can''t even do that?"


    Sighing, Euri agreed to the deal. Aemon accompanied him to the metro circuit and introduced some fellow debt collectors he would be seeing frequently soon.


    ¡°I''ll give you a call if suitable work comes up. We get two or three visits assigned each week from the boss. So be ready to head out at any time."


    Those were Aemon''s parting words as Euri got onto the train.


    Half an hour later, Euri stood outside his school campus, staring in stunned silence at the spectacle under construction. Banners were being hooked over entrances, flags were visible on top of every building, and the rarely used auditorium was getting a proper makeover.


    The colorful banners sported welcoming notes and motivational quotes for ¡®participants'' and ¡®sponsors''. Some banners directly mentioned Red Sea Labs, thanking them on behalf of the school for their generous offer.


    All the flags had the same design; rectangular red background, with two right-angled triangles at the center, facing each other and taking the appearance of open wings.


    It seemed that the kick-off of the new program would be quite ostentatious!


    In the classroom, he got more info from Jaakie and Shenna. Apparently, a massive truck had arrived early in the morning to deliver a set of packages so large that each had to be carried into the buildings by more than a dozen men.


    ¡°They''re assembling an absolute unit of a machine in one of the unused classrooms,¡± Shenna said, having seen it himself.


    ¡°Man, I hope it won''t be used to test things not under our control,¡± Jaakie grumbled.


    ¡°Our parents aren''t superhumans. How could we have any special attributes or affinities like those geniuses they brag about in the news?¡±


    His concern was probably from the minor trauma they all had received during childhood, when government-affiliated tester organizations had come to the slums to discover special humans.


    Ever since the first cosmic notice had declared that cross-dimensional gateways were going to be used to assimilate their world with the ¡®Real Human Civilization'' that reigned over the macrocosm, countless research projects had been financed to find out the differences between those superior lifeforms of mankind and them. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    It was said that many superhumans had already encountered humans from other planets in the alien planes beyond the dimensional gateways, and some governments around the world now knew what the distinctions were.


    Many big clans were allegedly capable of producing offspring whose genetic uniqueness gave them special attributes, being categorized as superhumans from birth!


    Euri had even read articles about how this next generation of superhumans was slowly going to create a greater divide between the ordinary humans and superhumans who had cultivated themselves into power and prestige. Poisonous, regressive concepts like purity of blood, lineage, and nobility were going to take over society under a better format, with tangible proof to boot.


    The entire day went by with Euri feeling as absent-minded as his fellow students, albeit over different reasons. Most of his classmates were constantly peeking out of windows and corridors to watch the rapid preparation for the soon-to-be-held announcement event.


    Even after the classes ended, most of them didn''t leave right away, hanging out around the campus to watch things progress. Euri, on the other hand, hurried to catch a returning train.


    As expected, his parents were home. And judging by their countenance, both had taken a hit of Black Foam not too long ago, probably right after lunch. Euri gloomily stared at each of them for a couple of seconds before entering his bedroom and locking the door.


    There was a knock on the door an hour later.


    ¡°Euri, come help with the dinner.¡±


    Grudgingly, he followed his mother into the kitchen and started chopping vegetables, putting a lot more force into the movements than required. If a gourmet tasted these in a meal, they''d be perhaps able to sense the frustration and unwillingness of the cook.


    The clacking noise made his mother glance at him wearily several times.


    ¡°...You know, your father and I went out after you left for school.¡±


    His chopping slowed down.


    ¡°We haven''t been on a proper date for what... seventeen years? Yeah, seventeen. The daylight in the late morning, the streets, the atmosphere¡ªeverything felt so alien.¡±


    Sighing, Euri resumed his work at full speed again. He would be turning seventeen pretty soon. Did she have to specify the timeframe?


    ¡°After the date, we thought we should go to the factory and ask our overseers for an explanation. Your dad was very insistent on it.¡±


    Euri''s knife lost its speed again, and the shape of the chopped vegetables began to grow erratic.


    ¡°Turns out, both of our overseers were pretty much forced by their superiors to lay off the two of us. Even they don''t have an explanation for it.¡±


    Euri looked up at her from his corner, eyes narrowing.


    ¡°So your dad made a big ruckus and forced his way into the Director''s office, demanding to know why only the two of us were targeted in particular. Although we couldn''t find the Director himself, his son told us that we aren''t qualified to know or demand any answers. When your father protested, he was beaten up by the security. That boy was just a little older than you, but the filthy things he said to the two of us were enough to make me drag your father out of the factory.¡±


    His mother wasn¡¯t subtle while wiping off the wetness from her eyes.


    ¡°So I hope you won''t be as rude to your dad as you were this morning.¡±


    His mother returned her attention to the stove immediately, but Euri stayed still for a long time before resuming his task of cutting vegetables. This time, the pieces were chopped up with absolute precision.


    If a gourmet tasted these pieces in a meal, Euri doubted that they''d sense the malice and fury of the cook.

 28: Who Wrote These Shitty Game Rules?

    After a quiet dinner infused under a subtle atmosphere, Euri retired into his bedroom, head hung low the whole time. It wasn¡¯t that he was ashamed of his behaviour in the morning. In fact, he didn''t think he had done anything wrong. If a father could beat his son for their bad habits, then why couldn''t it work the other way around?


    He had only spoken some unkind words. Nobody in society could be beyond criticism, right?


    Rather, Euri was concerned with his internal reaction to the story his mother had told him.  He had never held much love or respect for either of his parents. Both of them had destroyed their lives with their own hands.


    As far back as he could remember in his childhood, his parents were drugged out of reasons whenever they had free time to spend. His distaste towards their lifestyle was anything but mild. This wasn¡¯t even the first time he had seen them be bullied at work, facing injustice, or get discriminated against. Never had he been so riled up and ready to cave someone''s skull in as he was tonight.


    ¡°Reasoning, reasoning, what are you...?"


    Pacing around in his small bedroom, Euri went through a long session of introspection, trying to analyze what was so different this time.


    ¡°It has to be the power that''s getting into my head, shifting the way I see the outside world. After being a powerless shrimp my whole life, I''m starting to treat everyone as inferior as I used to be, now that I''m in a better position. Punching has suddenly become less of a desperate move and more of a test to me. I am starting to lose my apprehension of real violence, because I keep envisioning myself as the victor.


    ¡°This is not a good thing, but it is written in human instinct, and my upbringing is only exacerbating the issue."


    A vibration from his miniscreen made him stop walking. Picking it up, Euri stared at the game''s logo suspiciously.


    ¡°Is mere gain of strength so effective in changing someone''s personality? Or is this game actually interfering in the way I think and process information now? If it''s capable of planting false memories, then it certainly should be capable of false emotions, right? Emotions are much easier to manipulate than memories!¡±


    Once again, Euri weighed his options. If the changes in his mentality really went too far, he could just chuck this miniscreen away in a river. It couldn''t make him keep playing it!


    ....Or could it?


    Shaking his head in dismay, he logged in and checked out what the notification was about. It turned out to be the alarm for the sacred ground''s gas well, informing him that it had been fully recharged. Except for Scavenger Rat, the other beast familiars were cultivating around the well attentively.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    The advantages of reduced recharge time were really showing. Throughout the last week, he hadn''t always been able to hit two hunting modes in one day. After the twelve hours of recharge, his experiments, ambrosia production, the beasts'' cultivation time, and each hunting mode took up quite some time too.


    But since the recharge time had become an hour less, he could easily fit two hunts into each day, including processing the results and experimenting.


    Not willing to waste a minute, he activated the hunting mode for the second time today and watched the screen freeze as usual.


    However, no more than two minutes later, he discovered the miniscreen buzzing again. Usually, this meant that the hunting mode had concluded. But why did it only take two minutes?


    The shortest period Euri had seen a hunt last was more than thirty minutes. Even after he had dumped a dozen beast cores into the gas well, this timeframe hadn''t gone down. And he didn''t expect it to, either. The sacred ground was not an active hunter. It had to wait for beasts to enter its defense line.


    Could it be that upgrading the gas well''s quality was affecting the frequency at which beasts would invade the sacred ground? But how could the leap be so large and illogical?


    ¡°Coincidence, perhaps," he concluded, and clicked on the screen to see the outcome. What appeared there stunned him again.


    [ Invasion Attempts: 105 ]


    [ Success/Failure : 0/105 ]


    [ Core Depleted. Hunting Mode has been closed. ]


    ¡°What the fuck?! One hundred and five?!"


    It made no sense, just like the illogically quick conclusion of the hunting mode. In a hurry, he pulled up the view of the sacred ground. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.


    The wall of grayish tentacles that protected the grove from all directions looked like someone had sprayed them with green paint. But there were no beasts stuck amidst the barrier.


    After circling the entire barrier in confusion, Euri zoomed to the maximum setting to inspect the green paint, and discovered that the color was actually the result of numerous tiny green bugs resting on the tentacles!


    No, ¡®resting¡¯ wouldn''t quite be the appropriate description. He noticed that many of these bugs looked sticky despite the cartoonish imagery. The tentacles had the ability to secrete viscous fluids too, it seemed.


    These bugs had the appearance of locusts, but their wings looked too short to support flight. Euri clicked on one of them to inspect its stats window.


    [ Infinity Locust ]


    [ Rank-0 lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.03 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Infinite Forms ]


    ¡°Infinity, huh? That''s not a bad affix. The special attribute surely has to be something incredible...¡±


    Euri''s interest was piqued. But he couldn''t shake off the suspicion that something was wrong here. Since his introduction to the game, he had never seen so many creatures trying to invade the sacred ground at once. Then what was so special this time?


    He clicked on another bug''s information. The stats looked the same. No matter how many times he repeated this, the result didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°Is it sheer luck? Or have I overlooked something?¡± Nobody could answer Euri''s questions.


    Shrugging, he could only accept the fact that all the rules he had assumed about hunting mode till now were erroneous. Nevertheless, a windfall was a windfall. He couldn''t complain.


    ¡°One hundred and five beasts! That''s enough to level up the gas well in one go! Or I can use them all behind ambrosia production! Since they all have the same affix and stats, all of them can be deposited together!"


    But when he chose to sacrifice one of the locusts to the gas well, a strange notification popped up, extinguishing his exhiki


    [ No beast cores detected. Sacrifice failed ]


    A bad premonition grabbed Euri''s heart.

 29: Crazy Discoveries

    ¡°I fucking knew it!¡±


    Euri bounced on top of his bed in frustration, hitting his head repeatedly on the bedframe.


    He had hit the sacrifice option ten times in a row, and every single one of them had given him the same output.


    [ No beast cores detected. Sacrifice failed. ]


    No wonder the sacred ground had been able to trap more than a hundred creatures in one hunt! None of them were powerful enough to make the tentacles spend enough effort behind them!


    To the tentacles, trapping so many locusts was just equivalent to trapping two normal Rank-0 beasts who had complete cores. This seemed to be the only explanation he could produce from the information he had in his hands.


    ¡°Are these damn locusts not high enough on their evolution chain to produce beast cores? But they aren''t ordinary creatures either! They have special attributes! How does this work?¡±


    Even as he said that, he recalled how he himself was proof that these rules of climbing the ladder of power could be stretched and twisted. Normal humans couldn''t improve their physique without gaining a special attribute first, but he was doing it every day!


    Scratching his head furiously, Euri thought for a while and started clicking on each and every locust carefully. He''d press the sacrifice option, watch the popup, and then move on to the next locust.


    Twenty, thirty, thirty-seven¡ª


    [ Rank-0 Beast Core deposit +1 ]


    [ Beast Cores Sacrificed: 15/100 ]


    ¡°Got one! That means there''s more here!¡±


    Hope trickling back into his heart once again, Euri focused his full attention on the task.


    On the eighty-fourth sacrifice attempt, another locust was devoured by a tentacle as thin as a thread, and the deposit of beast cores into the well went up again.


    The third and final one came at the very last attempt. Euri made a mental note of this number, making a hypothesis that if the invading beasts were weak enough, then each hunting mode could trap more than two beasts.


    Now Euri still had a hundred and two locusts left to deal with. As Scavenger Rat hadn''t returned yet with a haul of common foodstuffs, Euri could not deposit any of them inside the ambrosia pool either. The stock there had to be cleared first. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Euri''s situation was like a man with all the money in the world, but all the shops were closed, and he couldn''t spend a single credit.


    ¡°Can I even open up hunting mode again without endangering all these delicate locusts? If another beast runs into the tentacle wall, it''ll crush them all in the struggle.¡±


    These locusts were still a huge mine of resources for him now. The amount of ambrosia he could produce by using them was absolutely monstrous. If he risked killing them and ruining their bodies, he would have to return to the previous routine of waiting half a day for new beasts to roll in.


    ¡°Let''s run a test first, even if it''s risky for me...¡±


    Euri ordered the four familiars to continue with their cultivation, took a deep breath, and chose the [ Cultivate ] option on one of the locusts.


    His [ Shepherding ] skill came into immediate effect as a searing burst of pain in the back of his head nearly rendered him unconscious. When the aching went down enough in intensity for him to process information again, he realized that he had been rolling on the bed for more than five minutes.


    ¡°The first time I felt the pain of memory implantation, I had three beast familiars. The pain at that time was a lot more intense compared to the later instances of attempting to bond with single beasts. The only exception was that time when I tried to bond with the Giant Centipede...¡±


    He remembered distinctly that the memories of training a Giant Centipede had brought a worse wave of headache. It was nearly comparable to the first one. Yet, when he compared the pain of bonding with this locust to any of those past instances, none of them came remotely close!


    If he analyzed all of these incidents, some patterns gradually began to form!


    If bonding with a single beast was equivalent to pain at level one; bonding with a beast that had a twin resulted in pain at level two; bonding with three different beasts produced pain at level three or more; and bonding with a beast that had one hundred twins accompanying it begot him pain at level ten or above!


    ¡°The only explanation behind this could be that when it comes to beasts with twins, the rules of bonding are different from bonding with single beasts. Could it be...¡±


    Euri stared at the miniscreen, having reached the most obvious conclusion, and tried to command the locust which he had just bonded with.


    According to his memories, these locusts had a level of intelligence just as low as those Giant Centipedes. He had not managed to instill any discipline in it except recognizing his identity as its feeder.


    So Euri mimicked the sound he''d make while calling over the locust for feeding time. However, the locust wasn¡¯t the only one that became excited upon hearing the call. One hundred and one other locusts also went nuts, screeching creepily as they tried to extricate themselves from the tentacles.


    ¡°So it can be hypothesized that there is another implicit rule in using the [ Shepherding ] skill. If multiple beasts have the same affix and stats, then bonding with one of them is the same as bonding with all of them!¡±


    Euri''s excited mind began to race. This was another milestone in his exploration so far of the mysterious sacred ground. It opened up paths he had never even considered before.


    ¡°What would happen if in the next hunt, more locusts invade the sacred ground? If all of them have the same affix and stats, will the [ Shepherding ] Skill take effect automatically?¡±


    Wouldn''t that make his headache a near-permanent thing? The more beasts he bonded with, the higher his risk of being attacked by sudden headaches would be!


    ¡°The rules can''t be so unreasonable. No, I have to run more experiments and figure out the exact details, understand where the line is, and learn not to cross it!¡±

 30: Dont Worry, I Just Want To Talk To Him

    Euri ordered Scout Dog, Dread Spider, and Brawler Rat to grab a few locusts from the tentacle barrier. Alongside the locust he had bonded with, he took them all to the center of the grove, where the gas well was emitting the precious cultivation resource these beasts were after.


    His bonded locust was already in the midst of cultivation, as he had allowed so in its stats window. However, the other locusts kept screeching and rolling on the ground, expressing their frustration at not being allowed to do the same. The tendrils of gas seemed to be actively avoiding entering their bodies.


    But when he clicked on the [ Cultivate ] option on one of these locusts, this aversion effect was canceled immediately. It opened its mouth and sucked in large mouthfuls of gas, its wings vibrating in excitement.


    More importantly, no aching in the back of his head came to assault his nerves.


    Euri breathed a sigh of relief at this discovery. So his authorization as the administrator actually meant something. The implicit rules wouldn''t undermine his control or will!


    ¡°This is a great loophole. I can command, or at least communicate with, the twins of any of my bonded beasts, but that doesn''t give them the privilege my bonded beast familiars have. Maybe this is an indication of how things would proceed if more locusts enter the grove later on. They would not leave me with another headache session unless I chose one of them to cultivate...¡±


    The rules were so hard to decipher that he could never be sure until he could see the results firsthand, multiple times.


    ¡°I wonder if this Shepherding Skill has the same effect in real life. Should I start looking for people''s beast familiars that look close to mine? If my commands actually work on them...¡±


    Feeling like he was getting ahead of himself with the imaginary scenarios, Euri stopped and focused on the game again. None of these 101 locusts had a beast core, as of yet. From his understanding of alien beasts with the potential of cultivation, the creation of beast cores in their bodies was more or less an automatic process engraved in their genetic build.


    So there was a high possibility that these locusts were just too young to be manifesting beast cores. Several of their comrades had already done it. They could too. He just had to wait and nurture them.


    Euri dedicated ten more minutes to this task, allowing each and every locust caught by the tentacles to cultivate. The ¡®senior¡¯ of the cultivators, Scout Dog, looked quite unhappy at the fact that he now had to share the cultivation spot with these bugs.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Brawler Rat, Dread Spider, and Saw Serpent had other ideas. They stared at the army of locusts with visible greed in their gaze. Euri knew what they were thinking. He was thinking the same thing.


    In case these beasts didn''t get anything to eat for a long time, they could treat this army as the emergency ration!


    Another benefit of nurturing these locusts was the in-depth understanding he''d get about the exact process through which alien lifeforms below Rank-1 formed their beast cores. Although humans weren¡¯t capable of manifesting cores before ascending to Rank-1, this knowledge and experience could greatly benefit him!


    ¡°If only I could use the vitality gas alongside these beasts...¡±


    Euri went to sleep with jealousy burning his heart. The spectacle of more than a hundred beasts meditating in peace was not easy to shake off from the mind.


    He woke up in the middle of the night to another piece of good news. Scavenger Rat had returned with a nice haul of wildfruits, perfectly acceptable as common foodstuffs. Euri deposited them to the ambrosia pool very cautiously this time, stopping the moment the notification of one unit of raw ingredient being accepted showed up on the screen.


    Judging by the number of fruits left, he could use them for another batch of ambrosia tomorrow. Reaching 2 points on the Physique evaluation stat wasn¡¯t far away!


    Giving Scavenger Rat the opportunity to rest and cultivate for the night, Euri used up the current deposits in the ambrosia pool. Half an hour later, his profile in the game displayed a Physique stat of 1.2 points.


    ¡°A jump of 0.03 points from one unit of ambrosia? That''s a first!¡± Recalling the frog he had deposited in the pool this morning as an ingredient, Euri thought that it made sense.


    The frog was huge, almost the same size as Scout Dog. Its Physique stat and special attribute had also been distinctive among all the beasts he had hunted so far. Had he not been wary about the headache, he would have definitely kept it around as a familiar.


    ¡°If this isn¡¯t a result of rounding up figures, then it can be assumed that stronger beasts provide better results in terms of enhancement when used as ingredients for ambrosia. But that frog was still a Rank-0 lifeform. What kind of increase in stats would I get if I concocted ambrosia by using  Rank-1 beasts?¡±


    Smiling to himself while dreaming about getting so lucky someday soon, Euri fell asleep again. As it was the weekend, he didn''t have to go to school the next day.


    After waking up late, he found the house empty. A note on the dining table said, ¡°Your father and I are leaving to look for a job. May not be back before sunset. Don''t wait for us during lunch.¡±


    Euri''s mood turned sour, and as soon as he realized that his good mood had been ruined by something perfectly reasonable, something he had even vocally wished for, his heart turned gloomier.


    For some reason, the vision of his parents wandering in the rough, smog-soaked streets of the industrial regions of Peacock District caused a distinct discomfort inside him.


    ¡°Fuck it. As long as the hardship affects their addiction, it doesn''t matter if they suffer a little. Nobody around here has it any better...¡±


    After breakfast, reclined on the couch, Euri turned on his miniscreen and almost as if by reflex, opened up the network surfer search bar.


    Then simply out of sheer curiosity, he typed in the name of the factory his parents used to work in. The list of upper management there wasn''t difficult to look up.


    ¡°Who was Director again? His son is close to my age, Mom said. What school did that ill-mannered mutt graduate from? Any Superhumans in the family?¡±


    Euri was simply doing this to satiate his curiosity. If he came across these guys someday in the future, he could politely inquire about the actual reason behind his parents'' layoff.


    Of course, if the other party refused to act politely, he wouldn''t mind fixing their attitude.


    For some reason, imagining that scenario in particular cut down much of the discomfort Euri had been feeling since seeing his mother''s note.

 31: Where Do I Buy Infinite Possibilities?

    Euri''s parents returned quite late, looking exhausted and covered in soot. The good news was, both had managed to land a job. The bad news was, it was one of those hazardous duties in a fuel refinery.


    The payment wasn''t anything to boast about either. Euri knew for a fact that most people who worked in those fields ended up spending half of their earnings on medical treatment.


    ¡°Neither of you are fit for that sort of work. Don''t go back there tomorrow. Look for something else,¡± he said at the dinner table, watching their sickened complexions. But going by the dry look his father gave him, he had probably underestimated the troubles they had gone through to get this one.


    ¡°We''ve looked in most places nearby that were hiring. Nobody chose to take us in when we failed to explain why we got laid off from our last job. Some of them contacted our ex-overseers and got even more suspicious after their refusal to speak. Only this factory didn''t care because they were in desperate need of workers.¡±


    Bottling down his frustration, Euri finished dinner and retired into his bedroom, knowing that his parents were going to take an extra dose of Black Foam tonight. This was how they handled anything beyond their comfort zone.


    The accumulation of growth in the game was perhaps the only thing neutralizing his volatile thoughts. The emotional investment he had in seeing these numbers go up was akin to a drug itself, certainly numbing something inside his mind with its endless distracting mechanisms.


    [ Cultivating: Infinite Forms ]


    [ Checkpoint estimated in ten minutes ]


    These two lines were now visible on many of the locusts he had adopted last night. The second line had started popping up since an hour ago, much to Euri''s relief. Although the timeframe varied for some locusts, and a great portion of the army didn''t even have this notification, he was still happy.


    He had been worried all day that cultivating these coreless creatures would be a futile endeavor. Now, he could rest assured that something significant would surely happen to the locusts after cultivating. He only needed to wait.


    The wait, however, felt torturiously lengthy because the gas well had already recovered from its latest depleted phase. Every minute spent now was a minute lost from his growth schedule.


    Ten minutes later, three locusts reached their cultivation checkpoint simultaneously. Euri was about to go through their status window one by one, but a series of notifications stopped him.


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


    [ Alert: This beast familiar has entered a unique growth phase! Please ensure that it is served with adequate resources. ]


    [ Primary Requirement: Higher level beast body (1 unit) ]


    [ Secondary Requirement: (Infinite Possibilities) ]


    ¡°What the fuck is that supposed to mean?¡± Euri was dumbfounded. ¡°Higher-level beast body? It''s a Rank-0 lifeform, so do I have to supply it with a Rank-1 beast''s corpse? Bullshit!¡±


    And what was that secondary requirement? Infinite possibilities? How was he supposed to provide that?


    Sol-Wa suddenly climbed out of her hiding spot¡ªthe gas well, and grabbed one of the locusts. Then she took off like a rocket, heading straight into the dense woods at the peripheral region of the grove.


    Euri lost sight of her under the shroud of greenery for a few seconds, but he noticed a new icon appearing not too far away from where she had disappeared.


    ¡°Another new mechanism? How many of these does this sacred ground have? Can''t they just be upfront about their internal resources?¡±


    Annoyed, but still happy, Euri clicked on the icon. The canopy under it immediately became transparent, showing him a black spherical chamber sticking out of the soil.


    [ Welcome, dear Administrator! Congratulations for unlocking the second secondary core of the sacred ground! ]


    [ Secondary Core: Breakthrough Pod ]


    [ Property: Avails cultivating beasts the opportunity to stably break through to higher levels of existence. Requires no extra deposit except for what the beast needs. ]


    [ Level: 1 ]


    [ Occupant: Infinity Locust (Deposit) ]


    ¡°So this is how all my beast familiars shall be breaking through...¡± Euri nodded to himself. ¡°But what do I deposit? I don''t have the corpses of Rank-1 beasts lying around.¡±


    After thinking for a while, he ordered Scout Dog to drag over one of the corpses near the ambrosia pool. It was a remnant from the hunt this morning; a Rank-0 rabbit that he hadn''t found very interesting. Its special attribute was just a boosted physique.


    The main use of beast corpses for him right now was producing ambrosia. The appetite of the beast familiars wasn¡¯t large. So when neither the pool had a slot left for a body, and nor did the beast familiars want to eat, corpses like these would often be left to rot.


    ¡°The requirement does not say the deposit has to be a beast of a higher rank; it''s asking for a beast of a higher level. Judging by the cultivation process of all my familiars, this game considers even minor improvements within a rank as level-crossing. That implies that it may be possible to meet this pod''s deposit requirement with the corpse of a slightly stronger beast!¡±


    Euri felt that the logic made sense. And it wasn¡¯t as if he had other options left to explore. So once the dog brought the dead rabbit near the Breakthrough Pod, he ordered it to throw the corpse at the glassy wall, hoping it would stick.


    Not only did it stick, it got quickly absorbed by the wall upon contact. A new notification told Euri that his route of thinking had been correct!


    [ Deposit Detected. Assessing...]


    [ Deposit matches with the primary requirements of the occupant beast. Would you like to proceed with the breakthrough? ]


    Seeing the [ Yes ] option available, Euri was taken aback.


    ¡°So the secondary requirement isn''t absolutely needed for the breakthrough? What a relief!¡±


    He didn¡¯t have to search for this [ Infinite Possibilities ] thingy, whatever the hell it meant. So Euri was more than happy to smash the affirmation option and watch what transpired.


    Bright green rays flashed from the wall of the black pod for nearly a minute. Then a small gap opened up to let the locust out. It screeched happily, appearing safe and sound. The only change in its appearance seemed to be its size. It had grown by at least 50%.


    [ Infinity Locust ]


    [ Rank-0 Lifeform ]


    [ Physique: 0.03+0.2 ]


    [ Special Attribute: Infinite Forms ]

 32: The Ups And Downs Of A Gamers Day

    ¡°Does this locust have a core now? The only change I can see is the growth of its physique, which might be the credit of the deposited body of the rabbit as the primary ingredient. But how do I verify the existence of its core?¡±


    Wondering aloud, Euri observed the upgraded body of the locust for a while, and tried to communicate with it several times, hoping to discern hidden changes. But nothing seemed different compared to its earlier self. The only notable shift was the breadth of its movements, appearing somewhat livelier than before.


    ¡°Should I order it to climb into the ambrosia pool? That will tell me if the breakthrough has produced a core inside its body, but...¡±


    This locust was just his first experiment subject. Euri had other options to choose from. There was no need to hurry.


    He turned his focus back to the Breakthrough Pod and went through its data window again. After being utilized once, some of the information there had changed, just as it had happened with the Gas Well and Ambrosia Pool.


    [ Secondary Core: Breakthrough Pod ]


    [ Level: 1 ]


    [ Occupants: - ]


    [ Deposits: 3 Units (Rank-0) ]


    ¡°So the entire rabbit corpse hasn¡¯t been used up for the locust''s breakthrough! I have three more units left to use as ingredients.¡±


    Delighted by the discovery, Euri hurriedly swiped away from that region of the grove and returned to the gas well, where a hundred locusts were still cultivating. Two more locusts had reached their breakthrough points alongside the one he had picked. He could let them enter the breakthrough pod!


    Both locusts obediently followed his instructions and went to the Pod. The black sphere seemed to have no trouble in accommodating multiple beasts. The occupant list in its data window simply showed [ Infinity Locust ¡Á 2 ].


    [ Detected occupants whose primary requirement matches current deposits. Would you like to proceed with the breakthrough? ]


    Once Euri selected the affirmative option, green rays of light rippled across the surface of the black pod, shimmering for a full minute. Then, two larger locusts crawled out of the spherical chamber, appearing no different from their fellow predecessors.


    ¡°This secondary core seems a lot more powerful than the ambrosia pool. Multiple tasks are getting handled simultaneously with no extra consumption of time.¡± Euri couldn''t help but be impressed.


    A check of their stats confirmed that the similarity of the upgrades wasn''t limited to their appearance. Both locusts were now sporting that [ 0.03+0.2 ] Physique stat. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Seems like unless I can deposit that secondary requirement, there is no possibility of a surprise here. All the locusts will follow the formula of taking after the nature of the deposited corpse. Since the rabbit''s specialty was its physique, these three locusts have gotten a boost in that domain.


    ¡°So if I choose a new corpse as a deposit, the locusts that break through in the future will get different enhancements. The room for creativity here is in my choice of primary requirements, then!¡±


    Idea after idea stormed Euri''s mind. He even started writing down some of the plausible ones. From planning the enhancement of the entire army of locusts, to creating subdivisions among them based on possible variations in the breakthrough process, to assessing the likelihood of farming a mountain of cores from the advanced locusts, to wondering about the possibility of breeding new generations for an infinite supply of corpses and cores...


    With these ideas, of course, came some humbling realizations.


    ¡°This Breakthrough Pod has no upgrade option itself, just like the Ambrosia Pool. So that Level-1 stat has to be a big limitation on its potential utility. There''s even a possibility that it may not be able to upgrade the rank of these beasts. The best I could hope from it is to let them transcend the limits of Rank-0 lifeforms. But such a qualitative leap might demand extreme requirements...¡±


    He also had to consider a certain breakthrough mechanism of the pod¡ªthe deposit matching system. The primary requirements of these locusts had been satisfied by a corpse he had in his collection. That could very well have been a coincidence.


    But what about the future deposits of beast corpses? It would be more sensible to assume that the matching might not always turn out positive.


    Watching the three beefed-up locusts returning to their cultivation spot gave Euri another question to brood over. Why did the cultivation session of these locusts result in such a massive upgrade when his previous beast familiars had almost nothing to show after cultivating for so long?


    Scout Dog had been cultivating for more than a week. Every familiar except Scavenger Rat had gone through multiple breakthroughs. But how come none of them had reached this growth phase like the locust?


    ¡°Was it the effect of not having a core? Is there anything else at play here? And will the effect of cultivation be the same for the remaining locusts?¡±


    Too many mysteries were placed in front of him, but Euri had little room to experiment for clear answers. So he went for the most direct one¡ªtesting whether the upgrade had really generated a beast core in those three locusts.


    He ordered one of the locusts to walk over to the ambrosia pool. When the pool''s detection system went off, the familiar popup told him what he wanted to know.


    [ Raw ingredients detected. Assessing... ]


    [ Select Ingredient: Beast Body/Beast Core ]


    Seeing the beast core option available to be chosen, Euri jumped out of his bed and pumped his fists in the air.


    ¡°Hell yeah! Fuck yeah! It''s on, baby! Wooooo!!!¡±


    For an entire minute, he wreaked havoc inside his bedroom like an excited gorilla, punching tables and kicking walls. He only stopped after the downstairs neighbour came out on his balcony to yell at him.


    Jumping back on his bed, he picked up the miniscreen, hands shivering in exhilaration.


    ¡°I''ve struck gold, dammit! How lucky do you have to be to receive such a massive windfall out of nowhere? One hundred locusts, one hundred beast cores, one hundred beast corpses, tsss....¡±


    But as he swiped his way back to the center of the sacred ground and checked the cultivation progress bars of his locust army, he noticed an issue he had been ignoring until now.


    Only two more locusts in the entire army showed that their cultivation session would result in a breakthrough soon. The remaining 95 ordinary locusts simply continued to cultivate like his other beast familiars.


    ¡°Could it be that only a small percentage of creatures can actually break through and form their cores? Or are these five locusts just more talented than their peers and reached their potential early?¡±


    Falling into confusion again, Euri decided to wait until the morning to see how the extra cultivation time affected these 95 locusts. There were so many ways this experiment could pan out, and he couldn''t be more eager to map the path of the maximum benefits!