[Name: Bi Yuan | Class: Silver Paladin | Level 22 (2nd stage—Mind Enlightenment)]
[Name: Xiang Ya (Lady Luck) | Level 3]
[Name: Lu Gao (Hyper Blast…) | Level 3]
Xiang Ya and Lu Gao can't feel it yet, but they are getting stronger.
They are making steady progress as Bi Yuan leads them. From a distance, the human duo throws rocks as they blindly contribute to the fight, while Bi Yuan pins down a random beast with her new spell, Spirit Shackles.
[Bi Yuan's Arts: Aura of Virtue, Divine Fortification, Sacred Ash, Spirit Shackles]
Being pelted by rocks to death is certainly not an enjoyable experience. The beasts the party of three's target of aggression can't help but succumb to their fate.
It is bad enough to be tortured by rocks, but it is more humiliating that a little bunny like Bi Yuan is the one who is doing most of the bullying. Not that the concept of 'shame' is available to beasts, but seeing the sight of Bi Yuan's party, everyone would feel pity for their enemies.
Unknowingly, dusk arrived, yet the quest hasn't been marked complete. It was a first for Bi Yuan to be unable to finish a quest in one go.
"Kyu… kyuu~" She beckoned to the other two, telling them that it is time to go home. Not that the two understood, they just blindly followed the rabbit.
That is when.
*ROOOOOOOOOAAR!!
A gigantic bear at the 2nd stage suddenly blocks their way. It looks angry and feral. In the Butterberry forest, bears are the most common predator to be found.
With their imposing figure and fearsome claws, their survivability is among the best. Bi Yuan remembers her kin, it's irritating for her that wild chickens have better survivability than her kind.
Though she doesn't sympathize with the rabbit species in general, it reminds her of her weakness when she still doesn't have the system.
2nd stage or the Mind Enlightenment realm is said to be the stage when a cultivator reaches a certain level of awareness. For cultivator beasts, it meant a strong self-awareness.
The bear must have come in these parts of the forest because the amount of prey is getting smaller in the whole Butterberry forest. This could be attributed to Bi Yuan's aggressive hunting recently. Not to mention the white ape hunting too.
On top of the baits Bi Yuan made, it would only be a matter of time before the ecological structure of the forest changes.
Since there was never a safe place in the forests, herbivores and prey alike have the tendency to frequently move from place to place; meaning, the prey in a predator's territory doesn't stay in one place for a long time. But they would undoubtedly would return… for many different reasons.
Like eating, drinking, or socializing with their own kind.
The bear, with the lack of visitors it can prey, had no choice but to wander about. Now that it is facing two and a half meals, it can't help itself but salivate.
"Grrrr..." | 'Forget the rabbit, those two humans are enough' these are the bear's inner thoughts as it lunges and crushes the woman's skull with its paw. The bear was swift as while at it, it took a big bite of the young boy's neck.
With the bear's sharp claws and weight to its advantage, Xiang Ya succumbs to a quick death.
With its strong jaws and monstrous teeth, Lu Gao instantly loses his head, decapitation style.
Bi Yuan irately lunges at the bear for killing its charge, sacred light gathers in her presence as she tortures the bear who never realizes where the real threat is.
…
Cave abode.
For now, increasing the number of my players is my top priority. I don't know how much quintessence would it need for the next update. The costs are purely intuitive, simply by feel, so the only thing I could do is conserve and save quintessence.
Ping! Player Died. Player Died.
Oh fuck… Someone just died. I expected it to happen again, but that was too fast. Let's see…
It was Xiang Ya and Lu Gao. I should plan on making an automatic respawn point.
[Name: Fu Shi
Quintessence: 3
Players: 2/10]
Luckily, I still have plenty enough to resurrect the two of them. It's thanks to the beasts that Bi Yuan hunted in her Bus.
Ping! -2 quintessence.
With a thought, I used the art of resurrection only unique to me.
Xiang Ya felt like she has just woken up from a nightmare. The village got annihilated, and a bear killed her with little Gao.
I saw Xiang Ya dumbly looking at the ground. She seemed to be stuck in a state of retardation. This must be a side effect of resurrecting her.
I don't know what she was thinking, but she looked confused. Meanwhile, little Gao had that contemplating look.
'They would do just fine,' I told myself. The side effects will fix themselves in due time. I fear for their mental health, but a bit of their sanity in exchange for resurrection sounds a good deal to me.
Sanity after all can be recovered with the right methods. Those methods though would nee time, for me to realize them. For now, my players need to brave the danger and get stronger.
"The two of you just died, get used to it. And get out, so shoo!" I casually told them as I shoe them away. Sigh… I have become a grumpy old man, but meh… I haven't had dinner yet. Let's see what I have in my makeshift fridge.
…
Xiang Ya and Lu Gao walked out of the cave with blank eyes. They just can't believe it, but they clearly experienced it. Lu Gao is having an easier time compared to Xiang Ya, maybe thanks to him being a kid.
"Little Gao, do you think the Game Master can resurrect the dead?"
"Hmm… Yes? No? I am not sure."
"Why? We clearly returned to the living."
"I don't know about cultivation and shit. And resurrection is clearly way out of my league since I am just a kid. But big sister, knowing that you asked, no matter what my answer is, would you believe it?"
"I don't know."
"Yes, exactly. That is the same for me. I don't know. I doubt as much as you are."
"…"
"So, instead of worrying about it, isn't it better to just not think about it and focus on our own personal goal?"
A strange wisdom flew from Lu Gao's mouth. The Game Master and the system are certainly strange. But as a kid, Lu Gao lacks the power to understand them.
"Do you think he is a God? The Game Master, I mean?"
"Who knows? Heavens above, I don't even know if gods exist."
"You sound like an old man, little Gao…"
When the two of them exited the cave, they saw the sweating Nee Chen strike with his sword, making a crisp swishing sound.
"Awesome, big bro!" At Lu Gao's childish remark, Nee Chen turned his head.
"Huh? How did you come from there? Aren't you two supposed to be down the mountain? In the forest? Where is Bi Yuan?"
"Let me explain, brother Chen," Xiang Ya said.
"You see, we died." She added and explained… a soundly discounted version of what happened to the two of them.
After Nee Chen heard their story, he couldn't help himself… but try.
So he stabbed himself right through his heart as if his actions were logical.
Xiang Ya and Lu Gai were speechless. Who in their right mind would do something like that?
???
Ping! -1 quintessence.
I..I…. I.
Fuck it! You know, fuck it! I am beyond speechless!
You heard that you'll resurrect after you die, so you tried it?
I don't know which is more insane. My transmigration? Or you who committed suicide just to check if you will resurrect? Are you a game character?
Well, it was my intention to turn you into one.
But are you even human?
[Name: Fu Shi
Quintessence: 0
Players: 4/10]
In front of me is Nee Chen guiltily looking left and right. He seems to be aware of the folly he has just committed. There is a first time for everything, and it seems that Nee Chen is eager for his first resurrection.
I am indelibly and purely speechless.
"…"
"U-uum…"
"Speak."
"T-thank you for resurrecting me, Game Master?"
That sounds like a question. Thanks to me!? It doesn't sound sincere to me. But I have bigger problems at hand, with Nee Chen's mental stability being my top priority.
"Just out of curiosity, is it really necessary for you to kill yourself just so you can check if you will resurrect?"
"Y-yes… Uuhh…"
"Stop the stuttering, it is annoying. Tell me, why?"
"Well, you told us to get used to it, right?"
"…"
In the far future, I imagine similar happenings to occur. Looks like, I too have something more to 'get used to', huh?