===
Link : ■ Sight
Type : Vision
- Limited information is available regarding this mysterious pair of eyes, except that it is known as the "Eye of madness." It possess the extraordinary ability to perceive the realms that lie beyond the boundaries of the world, encompassing both the beginning and the end.
(The host gains the ability to perceive reality akin to a game.)
(Increases perception by 5% permanently.)
===
"So that's why I've been able to perceive things as if I were in a game." I mused, a sense of revelation washing over me as all the fragmented pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place.
'This should make things easier for me..'
With this Soul Link, I would have the ability to effortlessly access the desired information about my enemies and allies. It would grant me an advantageous edge in battles, allowing me to exploit the information advantage and their Soul Banes much more effectively.
However, I was unsure about the process of accessing this information. Would I simply need to observe the living creatures or individuals, or was there a specific method to trigger it? After all, such a powerful soul link must come with its own drawbacks, right?
"Hey...are you planning to lie there all night?" a cold, abrupt feminine voice shattered my train of thought. My eyebrows furrowed as I glanced in the direction of the voice.
"Why are you still here?" I asked, warily look at her from a far.
She shrugged her shoulders, dragging the lifeless wild boar with her as she settled down on the grass. With dexterous hands, she skillfully began the task of skinning the boar.
I blinked my eyes repeatedly, unable to tear my gaze away from the lifeless boar before me. Hunger gnawed at my stomach, leaving me fixated on the animal's lifeless form.
Despite the gruesome sight of her skinning the boar, from peeling off its skin to removing its organs, I had witnessed worse from the past few hours within the trial.
"Where did you manage to catch the boar?" I instinctively asked, my guard lowering slightly.
"In the forest." she replied casually, starting to arrange wooden branches to build a campfire.
Before I could respond, she interrupted me with a curious tone. "I've never seen you around here before. Are you from another city?" she inquired.
Without a hint of guilt, I lied through my teeth as I shamefully replied, "Yes." Deep down, I prayed that she wouldn't probe further into the specifics of the city I claimed to be from.
She wore a pensive expression, her gaze deep in thought, before she nodded at my response.
However, I couldn't care much as I found myself unable to tear my eyes away from the sight of the chopped boar pieces sizzling over the crackling campfire. While she settled down nearby, maintaining her focus on the cooking process.
"Want some?" she inquired, her gaze still fixed on the cooking boar. I wanted to decline, but I found myself unable to do so.
Given my intense hunger, I couldn't afford to refuse her offer, as I lacked the energy to even regain enough strength to stand or walk.
"Yes." I immediately responded, unable to resist the allure of food.
She nodded in acknowledgement and made an offer. "If you accept, you'll have to come with me."
I furrowed my brows, contemplating the proposition before finally relenting and nodding my head.
"Fine."
There was a brief silence between us as she finished cooking the boar. Then, without a word, she tossed a piece of it to me.
Picking up the piece of meat, I brought it to my mouth and began chewing, feeling the satisfying of hunger slowly dissipated. With every chew, I felt a renewed sense of vitality coursing through my veins. Sitting up straight, I could feel my energy levels replenishing, revitalizing my body and mind.
I cast a glance at her and asked, "Where are we gonna go either way."
Initially, I had contemplated refusing her offer to follow her. However, a thought crossed my mind—what if this was the 'Purpose' of the trial I had been searching for? Ultimately, I relented and decided to just follow her instead.
"Find some people and gather some food before we head back." she replied, her manner elegant as she continued to enjoy her meal.
"Don't your group have enough food?" I asked, puzzled by the situation.
"We have a larger number of people to sustain than you may imagine, and the food source is only accessible during the night." she explained.
"But don't animals come out during the morning?" I questioned with curiosity.
"No, ever since the walkers appeared in this world, animals no longer venture out during the morning." she replied, as she cast me an odd glance.
"Say.. I'm curious now.."
"How have you managed to survive this long without this knowledge?" she inquired, her gaze scanning me from head to toe. Her words continued, devoid of mercy. "And you appear rather weak, no offense."
"..."
My lips twitched involuntarily as I forced a smile, choosing to remain silent in response.
She blinked her eyes a couple of times before shaking her head and rising from her seat.
"Alright, lets go hunt." she spoke as she glance at the deep forest.
I stared at her back in deep thought, contemplating my next move. With a sense of curiosity, I attempted to access her Soul Archive through my Soul Link, yet it seemed that I was unable to do so.
I let out a soft sigh, resigning myself to the situation, and stood up straight.
"Okay.."
...
We ventured deeper into the forest, surrounded by towering green trees and an abundance of bushes and berries.
Curiosity getting the better of me, I posed a question to her. "So how do we transport the corpse back?"
"It's simple." she replied. "We drag it back."
Confusion washed over me, and I couldn't help but express my bewilderment. "Huh?"
She rolled her eyes in response to my reaction, clearly unimpressed.
"It may seem inefficient, but trust me.."
I eyed her skeptically, my doubts lingering, but after a brief moment of contemplation, I finally conceded and nodded my head in agreement.
After venturing deeper into the forest, we stumbled upon two wild boars.
"Hey, you go after the one on the left, and I'll take the other one." she instructed.
I nod my head at her as I cast a quick glance at the boar.
'Imagine getting outplayed by a boar, even when I have the element of surprise...' The thought lingered for a moment before I shook my head, dismissing any notions of silly outplay montages I had watched in my previous world.
'Surely there is no way a boar can outsmart me that hard right?'
...
10 minutes later.
She returned, while dragging a boar with her. Coming to a halt, she stared at my haggard figure leaning against a tree.
"..."
A momentary silence hung in the air, accompanied by the sound of my heavy breathing.
I could perceive her bewilderment, sensing that she was on the brink of asking what had occurred.
Anticipating her curiosity, I met her gaze and spoke, my voice filled with exhaustion. "Don't ask what happened. The boar is lying on the ground behind me."
Despite her confusion regarding my condition, she nodded in acknowledgment and approached the boar. From her pockets, she retrieved a small pouch.
A plain white pouch made of silky fabric, devoid of any decorative design. It appeared to be an ordinary pouch at first glance.
However, my eyes widened when I saw the information about this ordinary pouch.
===
: Spacial Pouch
Type : Storage
- A pouch crafted from the silk produced by the Spacial Moth. Despite its seemingly ordinary appearance, it contains a spatial dimension equivalent to an 5x5 storage space, capable of accommodating any inanimate objects.
(Items stored within the pouch receives an 80% weight reduction)
===
She opened the pouch and pointed it towards the two boar corpses, creating a suction force that distorted the air around her. Shortly after, the two boars disappeared.
My mouth hung open as I stared at the white pouch in a daze.
"It's a Spatial Pouch." she responded, noticing my reaction.
"Did you crafted that? or..?" I asked as she put the pouch back into her pocket.
"It's a item I obtained from killing one of the walkers." she answered, taking a glance at my haggard figure.
"Also, it seems like you have quite a bit of trouble killing a boar." she spoke with amusement as a smirk appeared on her face.
I rolled my eyes and attempted to refute her, but I couldn't find the words. If I were to claim it was my first time, she would become even more suspicious about how I managed to survive for so long without prior experience in killing animals.
The fact that I had already revealed my lack of knowledge about this world made me appear suspicious enough. If she were to discover that I had never killed an animal before, it would only fuel her suspicions further.
Although she harbored suspicions about me at the moment, it was possible that other survivors in different cities had alternative methods of obtaining food. So, the question I had asked earlier might not be seen as particularly suspicious; it simply indicated that I was not from this city.
However, anything further than that would be a big no to me.
"I'm not very skilled at fighting, okay..." This was the best response I could come up with at the moment, hoping not to arouse any further suspicions.
She squint her eyes as she look at me from top to bottom before nodding her head as she place her hands on to her chin.
"So, how have you managed to survive for this long then?" she asked.
A tricky question, but one I could easily answer.
"Simple, I have confidence in my strategies." I replied confidently, attempting to conceal anything suspicious.
She blinked for a moment, then responded to my answer.
"If you're claiming to be intelligent and confident in your plans, then what happened when you nearly killed yourself with the explosion you caused?"
"It's all part of the grand plan." I lied through my teeth on her respond.
"So, you're saying that everything that happened in the city was part of your plan, including me saving you?" she furrowed her brows, a frown etching across her beautiful face.
"Not exactly, since it was a gamble." I answered.
"You see.. if I instigate an explosion within the city, the first ones to reacts were gonna be the survivors since they don't know what happened within the city."
"So, I took a calculated risk, hoping that the survivors would investigate the situation and ultimately come to my rescue."
"Given their lack of knowledge about the true nature of the incident, their only means of seeking answers was through saving me."
She interrupted me and issued a threatening statement. "What if I kill you here?"
Without hesitation, I calmly replied, "You won't."
"Why do you think so?" she inquired as she exerts an tangible pressure that bore onto my body.
'She is stronger than me by a whole major rank alright..' I thought as this only further reinforced my speculation.
I calmly continued my explanation to her. "That's because your group is engaged in a war against the walkers, which has resulted in a lack of manpower to effectively combat the threat."
She nodded her head and confirmed my speculation. "Your not wrong about that."
"However, what makes you think that our group lack man power?"
"That's because they send you here." I answered.
"Me?" she stared at me with a puzzled expression.
I nodded my head and further explain my reasoning. "It's not exactly about you, but rather the fact that they sent an 'Hunter' rank on scouting."
"In addition, the fact that they sent you in search of a food source also implies that your group is preparing for the war."
She nodded in response to my explanations and reasoning. "Why didn't you consider the possibility that they simply sent a 'Hunter' rank as a precautionary measure?"
There was a brief silence between us, as I paused for a moment, considering her question.
"The reason I didn't speculate that is because they couldn't afford to be merely cautious. Sending a 'Hunter' rank suggests a more pressing need, such as preparing for an upcoming war."
"Moreover, when I heard that your group was hunting for a food source, it reinforced my speculations. It indicated that you were making preparations, potentially stockpiling resources for an imminent conflict."
"Furthermore, by eliminating some of the walkers within the city, I inadvertently assisted in reducing their numbers, which could have further emphasized the urgency of your group's actions."
She claps her hands as she looked into my eyes. "Impressive, very good deduction."
"However, do you think it's enough of a reason for me to not kill you?" she threatened, increasing the pressure she exerted, causing it to weigh heavily on my body.
Taking a deep breath, I responded, "Initially, no. Especially considering the fact that I have only demonstrated my weakness thus far."
"However, you would gain nothing if you kill me, instead you guys would only lose someone who could help you guys gain an upper hand in the war."
She seemed momentarily lost for words before gathering herself to speak again. "So, I suppose you're telling me all of this to make me recognize your worth."
I nodded in agreement.
"One last question." she continued, "You could have chosen to remain silent when I initially posed the question. So, why did you choose to answer?"
"It's quite simple," I responded, taking a moment to collect my thoughts. "The reason I chose to answer is because I am following you."
"If I were to follow you back without your support, I would just get myself imprisoned and become a fodder within the war."
"There was no choice for me to refuse the offer to begin with right? If I refuse to follow, you would just forcefully let me follow you."
"So, you intentionally cooked the boar in front of me, as a way to entice me into accepting the offer."
She nodded attentively, signaling her understanding as I continued explaining.
"The encounter with the boar was a test of my combat prowess, if I were to perform poorly I would definitely not get your support, especially when I follow you back."
"Instead, I would have been thrown into jail as an outsider, a suspicious figure, and the perpetrator of the explosion."
"Therefore, to escape such a grim fate, I realized that I needed to demonstrate my worth through my intelligence." I concluded.
She nodded her head as she stare at my eyes deeply before she replied. "Spot on."
"Now, what is your decision? What do you want to do next?"
I took a deep breath, as determination evident in my eyes, and replied. "I want to join your squad, to seek your support and work together towards our common goal."
"..."
Silence filled the air, as she immersed herself in deep thought. While the sound of my pounding heart echoed loudly in my ears, amplifying the tension in the current moment.
Finally, breaking the silence, the girl in front of me uttered.
"Scarlet..."