Lysander read the new terms and nodded slowly. It made sense. If he wanted big rewards, he had to take big risks.
"A week..." Lysander muttered, adjusting his cloak. "A week-long hunting trip into the unknown."
He turned back to the cave one last time. He grabbed his water skin and a bag of dried fruit.
"Fine. If the monsters won't come to me, I'll chase them to the ends of this hell."
He stepped out into the sunlight, choosing a direction that led away from the Tower and deeper into the dense, dark green of the wild jungle.
"Compass is set. Guns are loaded. Let's find some trouble."
The sun vanished below the horizon, and the jungle instantly transformed. The temperature plummeted, and the air grew heavy with the oppressive silence that signaled the arrival of the apex predators.
Lysander didn't waste a second. He knew what roamed these woods at night. The memory of the Spectral Titan's foot crushing the Rhino was still fresh in his mind.
"I need to get off the ground. Now."
He spotted a massive ancient oak tree, its trunk as wide as a house. He channeled mana into his legs.
Thump.
He sprinted up the vertical trunk, defying gravity. His fingers dug into the rough bark like steel claws, pulling him higher and higher. He vaulted onto a wide, sturdy branch about fifty feet above the ground.
It wasn't enough. He climbed higher, finding a hollowed-out knot in the wood, perfectly hidden by a curtain of thick leaves. He squeezed inside. It was tight, uncomfortable, and smelled strongly of sticky sap, but it was concealed.
"Safe," Lysander exhaled, his heart rate finally slowing down. "At least from the big ones."
He leaned his head back against the wood, listening to the distant, terrifying howls starting to echo below. He was safe for now, but his body was screaming at him.
His throat was parched. He opened his Inventory and pulled out a leather waterskin he had purchased from the System Shop before leaving the cave.
"Thank God I prepared," he whispered, taking a long, refreshing drink. The cool water washed away the dust and fatigue of the day. "If I hadn't bought supplies, I'd be licking dew off the leaves right now."
He corked the waterskin and rubbed his stomach. It growled loudly, a deep, empty sound that echoed in the small hollow.
"Right. Dinner"
A grin spread across his face. He remembered the Steel-Tusk Boar he had blasted with his Twin-Star Revolvers earlier. He had been so proud of that kill—a clean shot, instant death. No disintegration from Erebos. That meant actual, real meat.
"Finally," Lysander murmured, his mouth watering. "Real food. No more magical fruit. I'm going to roast a steak right here."
He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
"System, Inventory Open."
The dark dimensional window swirled open in the air before him. He scanned the rows of items, looking for the carcass of the boar.
[Item: Erebos] (Greatsword)
[Item: Twin-Star Revolvers]
[Item: Waterskin]
[Item: Velkora Fruits](x10)
Lysander blinked. He scrolled down. Nothing. He scrolled up. Nothing.
"Wait..."
His smile froze. He frantically checked the 'Materials' tab. Empty. He checked the 'Loot' tab. Empty.
"Where is it?"
He stared at the inventory screen, his brain refusing to process what he was seeing. Or rather, what he wasn't seeing.
"I shot the boar. It died. I walked over to it..."
And then the memory hit him like a brick to the face.
He remembered the excitement. He remembered spinning his guns, admiring the lack of recoil. He remembered holstering them with a cool pose. He remembered looking at the sky and thinking about the Harpies.
He didn't remember touching the boar.
"No..." Lysander whispered, his voice trembling with horror. "No, no, no."
He realized the truth. In his adrenaline-fueled excitement over the new guns, he had simply walked away. He had left the entire carcass of the boar rotting on the forest floor, miles away from here.
Lysander stared at his empty hands. The realization was more painful than any physical blow.
"I left it," he said, his voice cracking. "I finally killed something that didn't turn to dust... and I left it behind like a complete idiot because I was too busy posing with my new toys"
He closed his eyes and slowly raised his fist.
Bonk.
He punched himself in the forehead. Hard.
"Stupid," he grumbled, hitting himself again. "Arrogant. Fool."
"You think you're a cool hunter? You're a Level 30 moron who forgot to pick up his own loot. The Titan doesn't need to kill you; you're going to starve to death because you have the memory of a goldfish"
He slumped back against the sticky tree bark, burying his face in his hands. He let out a long, frustrated groan that vibrated in his chest. He felt ridiculous. All that power, all that "SSS-Potential," and he couldn't even remember to put dinner in his pocket.
After five minutes of cursing himself in the dark, the growling of his stomach became impossible to ignore.
He sighed, defeated.
He reached back into the Inventory. His hand bypassed the imaginary steak and grabbed a familiar, round object.
He pulled out a Velkora Fruit.
It was blue, squishy, and smelled faintly of mint. He hated it. He had been eating them for a week straight.
"I saved these for an emergency," he muttered bitterly, staring at the fruit. "I guess 'being an idiot' counts as an emergency."
He took a bite. Crunch.
It was sweet and watery, providing mana and nutrition, but it wasn't meat. It didn't fill the void in his soul.
"Delicious," he lied to himself, chewing aggressively. "Who needs roasted boar when you have... cold, magical Fruit?"
He finished the fruit in silence, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Lesson learned," he whispered to the darkness, curling up in the tight space to sleep. "Kill first. Loot second. Pose later"
"Tomorrow... I hunt. And I am not leaving until the carcass is in the bag"
The first rays of sunlight pierced through the thick canopy of the Abyssal Wilds, painting the jungle floor in dappled patterns of gold and green. High above, tucked inside the cramped hollow of the ancient oak, Lysander stirred.
He groaned, scrunching his face against the rough wood. His neck was stiff, and his legs felt like they had been folded into a pretzel all night.
"Morning already?" he mumbled, his voice hoarse.
He sat up slowly, wincing as his armor dug into his side. He raised his hands and rubbed his crusty eyes, trying to wipe away the fatigue of a restless sleep. The memory of his stupidity—leaving the boar meat behind—hit him immediately. His stomach gave a loud, angry growl to remind him.
"Yeah, yeah. I know," Lysander muttered to his stomach. "I'm going to fix it."
He crawled out of the hollow knot and stretched his limbs on the thick branch. The morning air was cool and damp, smelling of wet earth and pine. He looked down. It was a fifty-foot drop, but for a Level 30 warrior, that was just a small hop.
He stepped off the branch.
Whoosh.
He fell through the air, his cloak flapping behind him, and landed on the forest floor with a silent, heavy thud. He didn't stumble; his knees bent perfectly to absorb the impact.
[THE PERIMETER CHECK]
Lysander didn't sheath his weapons. His hands hovered near the Twin-Star Revolvers at his hips. He wasn't taking chances. The jungle looked peaceful, but he knew that a calamity could be hiding behind any tree.
"System," Lysander whispered, his eyes scanning the dense undergrowth. "Active Scan. Maximum Radius."
Whirrr...
A faint blue grid projected from his body, sweeping across the terrain.
"Is He nearby?" Lysander asked, his voice tense. "Is the Spectral Titan still patrolling?"
He held his breath. If the Titan was even remotely close, he would have to climb back up that tree and wait for another day. He wasn't suicidal.
Ding!
[SCAN COMPLETE]
[Negative. No energy signatures matching Class-A entities detected within a 5-mile radius. The Spectral Titan has moved North, towards the Deep Ravine]
Lysander let out a long, relieved sigh. His shoulders relaxed.
"Good. The landlord is out. The backyard is mine."
Just as the blue grid began to fade, a red dot suddenly pulsed on his internal radar. It wasn't the overwhelming, blinding red of a Boss, but a steady, solid crimson signal.
Ping.
[ENTITY DETECTED]
[Distance: 150 meters] (East).
[Rank: D]
[Type: Beast / Armored]
Lysander's eyes snapped toward the East. A Rank-D monster. Not trash like the Rank-E wolves, but not a catastrophe like the Titan. It was the perfect warm-up.
And more importantly, it was breakfast.
"Rank D..." Lysander murmured, a predatory grin spreading across his face. He drew both revolvers, checking the mana charge. The runes glowed a soft, hungry blue.
"System," he said, stepping silently over a fallen log. "Don't let me forget to loot the body this time. If I walk away without the meat, just shock me."
He moved into the shadows, his hunger sharpening his senses.
"Alright, let's go grocery shopping."