Chapter 46: Chapter 46
The skepticism the group had towards Kieran faded away slowly after they came to terms with the fact that there was nothing they could do about him being part of the group. The boy already appeared hurt about being rejected by everyone and made a last choice, and they didn’t want to add to it.
Eric fell back like always as they marched up to the foothills where their group were assigned. They were in a mountainous terrain and the foothills were only just a little fragment of the high grounds around. A large mountain that seemed to scrape the sky poured its shadow over the hills, blocking the rising sun, and it felt like it was near dusk even though it was morning.
Eleanor had mentioned that this particular foothill mostly contained Basic tier beasts, but they might encounter Intermediate tier beasts occasionally and they must be dealt with as a group so no one gets hurt.
Eric was not confident in his ability to fight a beast but he believed he wouldn’t do too badly with these gears he had. He was also curious to find out how an intermediate beast weapon would fare against an intermediate beast.
The group needed a leader before they proceeded, and Opal asked to be picked. But Silver protested and opted for Bart. Now they have to vote.
Mantra, Bastion and Kieran raised their hands for Opal, while Eric, Silver and Gary hesitated.
"You can’t pick Bart. He’s a reckless attacker," Opal warned while eyeing the three of them threateningly.
But that only made Eric and Silver raise their hand for Bart. They obviously didn’t want a soft game for themselves.
But Gary slyly pointed his finger for Opal and it was settled.
"Don’t come near me, you betrayer," said Silver to Gary.
Bart clapped Silver on the shoulder and said, "never you worry. The attack I shall always lead."
’Why is bro sounding like a sage?’ Eric mused.
Opal led the group forward as they climbed slowly. Left to Eric, he would have put Gary in front because of how sharp he was in detecting slight movements but Opal was the leader, so there was no reason to stop her from performing her duties.
Eleanor had given everyone four hours to hunt after which they will return to base in the clearing.
The path had grown narrow and the trees pressed closer against them. The trees were rich, green leaves adorning their crowns while their deep roots stopped the growth of fresh green grass around them. The air was moist also. It was spring. It was beautiful.
But the Witch Bugs weren’t.
Gary detected them first because he was closer to Opal, and he yelled for attention as soon as he sensed them. "Witch Bugs!"
They jumped down from low branches and slid out behind tree trunks, flapping their useless wings after them.
They stood five feet tall and had a smooth, black exoskeleton that served as a shield for their wings and the vulnerable parts of their body. Their six legs made a lot of noise as they clattered all around the grassy land, pumping up for battle. Their heads were a bony mess with large pincers being the most dominant feature. They let off a strong odor around them.
Eric counted eight of the Witch Bugs, which must mean each member of the group will have to deal with one.
They all spread thin, picking their target bug and stood ready for battle. But before Opal could call for the start, Bart dashed across the clearing and headed straight for the bug in the middle. He grabbed his great sword and flung it powerfully into the beast’s head, crushing its pincers and outer bones at once. The sword sunk deep into the dead bug.
Bart didn’t stop running as he jumped on his protruded sword and landed on the hilt, using it as a propeller for a high jump. He switched direction mid-air and landed heavily on a nearby bug, hitting its exoskeleton with a super punch. The hard plate cracked instantly and a foul liquid started oozing out of the crack. But Bart changed the target and punched the unaffected part which formed another crack that connected with the first. The second Witch Bug had stopped moving.
’Bart Riddle...what level of brutish strength is that? He didn’t even need a weapon to crush a bug. It’s no wonder he’s the number one.’
Bart stood on the dead bug’s back, not worried about the other bugs, and yelled with his hands raised. "What are you waiting for? Let the party begin!"
With two bugs down, they’ve all lost sight of their target bugs but they rushed forward all the same. Thɪs chapter is updated by N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
A bug clattered towards Eric, lunging forward and snapping its pincers at him. Eric swerved off its path and took advantage of its slow speed by cutting right through the three legs on one side. The beast lost balance immediately and tilted over to Eric’s side. He raised the sword up high and sliced through the bug’s middle section, cutting it into two. The poisonous liquids shot out but Eric jumped out of the way.
He got a notification from the system.
[FIRST BEAST KILLED — Reward: +10 HP (20/20)]
[FIRST BASIC TIER BEAST KILLED — Reward: +10 increase on all stats]
[FIRST WITCH BUG KILLED — Reward: 20% damage reduction on rear attacks]
’with ten points increase across all stats, I must be at the level of some of the middle table rankers among the first years.’
This was the first time he’d received such huge reward from the system. He also also checked the reward for killing a Witch Bug, and he understood that it must have to do with the bug’s best ability which was its hard exoskeleton. For that he got a 20% damage reduction should he suffer an attack from the back.
He also noticed how specific the system was when rewarding him. If he got a reward for killing a basic tier beast for the first time, then must get an even better reward for killing an Intermediate tier beast for the first time too.
But what stood out the most was the beast’s name the system mentioned, which means he also gets a reward for killing a particular beast for the first time. Even though he didn’t know much about the beasts yet, he knew the possibilities of meeting a different beast every time was endless.
’With rewards , I can get stronger quite easily.’
[You will get even stronger only with mana consumption.]
[Your Mana Bank is running low — MANA BANK: 101 units.]
Eric sighed. Before transmigration, he’d had 2015 mana units in his Mana Bank and he’d thought he won’t feel the hunger for a very long time. But it’s now being reduced to 101 in the space of a few days. He hated the sudden dreadful feeling he had in his gut.
The group had wiped out the Witch Bugs and were now beginning to carve out the beast cores. Each core for the killer. But Bart simply gave his crystals away to Bastion and Kieran who didn’t have any with them because there were not enough beasts for them.
"I have more than enough basic tier cores in my bank. I need cores starting from the intermediate tier henceforth," Bart announced.
Eric’s core floated to the surface on its own— to his surprise— and he kept it in his little sack. The system pinged him again.
[8 BEAST MANA DETECTED. CONSUME BEFORE LIFE’S FORCE DRAINS AWAY.]