All this time, he had waited…
All this time spent observing that Gray Gale Bastard! But today would be different. Today, he'd take matters into his own hands and would finally murder the asshole.
Outside a quiet house with a spiritual garden, a shadow lurked.
The man grabbed the Imperial Token, scoffing at the instructions he saw on it.
[Standby! Keep observing the target! Wait for the Trial!]
Wait for the trail, was it? Since when did the Royal Faction do things that half-assedly? No, it was now or never! The trial? His superior hadn't realized yet, but he had: it was a sham!
Too many strange things had happened for it to be otherwise:
A) Gray Gale suddenly becoming a Teacher? Fishy!
B) Assistant Teacher Allan's complaints? Utterly ignored!
C) His uselessness revealed at the Mana-Testing Facility? The whole thing "coincidentally" blowing up!
D) And now this "dead" disciple and Trial. Why would a dead disciple be given a cozy bed? Or why would a locked Teacher be running back home disguised? SUPER FISHY!
"Tch— The whole thing was meant to throw us off, wasn't it?! Hehe, but I saw through it—" He chuckled as he reached for the front door…No! That, too, could be a trap.
Front? → Easily noticeable!
Back? → He could easily go through!
The assassin went toward the back, showing a sly grin. That Fiery Sakura that Old Red loved so much? If there was any magical barrier, it 100% wouldn't affect this plant!
He went inside the garden, touched the Sakura, and….
— Badum! Badum! Badum! —
His Mana started resonating with it…
His aura became indiscernible from the plant.
Even his hair turned the same Fiery Sakura red!
With this, any detection or alarm Magic would only show a Fiery Sakura slightly swaying in the wind. With this, he had just become utterly undetectable!
"Hehe, your ass is mine, Gray! Hehehe— uh?"
The man's evil laugh suddenly froze in his throat.
Red eyes, glowing in the dark. Was that… a Ravenous Rabbit?
"What are you doing here, little one? Shouldn't you be at the Hunting Grounds? Oh well, blame your bad luck. I can't be leaving any witness, hehehehehe—"
But just as he was laughing… another pair of red eyes appeared?! H-How?! Even while tiny, Ravenous Rabbits were extremely territorial! Two wouldn't appear at once, so how?
But this was merely the beginning…
"GRRRRR!" → +2 Glowing Red eyes!
"GRRRRR!" → +4 Glowing Red eyes!
"GRRRRR!" → +6 Glowing Red eyes!
It kept going until there were 20 pairs of eyes in total?! That's when the poor assassin started trembling.
The whole thing about Bunnies being untamable? That was merely the tip of the iceberg! It wasn't that they couldn't be tamed, but that they could be tamed by one thing only:
A Ravenous King!
A Magical Beast with the potential to devour the world!
A being so powerful, the Royal family had dreaded it since the dawn of time!
H-How was this possible?! Wasn't this Teacher Gale's courtyard?! Wait, was that why the Academy and the Royal Palace fought so much over him?! What had he found in those Catacombs?!
Sadly, that realization came far too late…
— Curse! Curse! Curse! Curse! Curse! Curse! —
So many curses befell the poor intruder, the Bunnies smirking.
An assassin? So what? In a second, they were upon him, plunging their fangs into his flesh and slurping all that delicious gooey blood. Their victim's fear and agony only made it better.
And as they devoured the human alive, visions flashed before them. Visions of a past long gone, when Ravenous Bunnies weren't mere Prey. With this, they found their blood boil in excitement.
This was all thanks to their new master.
He was now slumbering in the little house nearby. They wouldn't disturb his rest or cause trouble. After all, he had made it clear: good bunnies got LOTS of blood!
As they stared at the mummified corpse on the ground, they instantly knew what to do. All the Spirit Plants nearby? They would definitely need nutrients!
A little digging and their offering was made.
May this tree grow well, may master be pleased, and may more intruders arrive. They happily wished as they carefully reviewed the rules, ensuring they hadn't broken any.
A) Leave this place? They hadn't!
B) Destroy the Garden? They had protected it!
C) Cause trouble in general? They would never dare!
Sighing in relief, the bunnies grinned brightly.
They really were good bunnies… And good bunnies got blood!
Cackling, they returned to their hiding spots. Hopefully, another fool would overstep its boundary, right? Alas, the rest of the night was utterly event-less, the sun coming up.
Ah, it also seemed their master had awoken…
"Yosh! Today is the day I get more s̶l̶a̶v̶e̶s̶ Disciples! Ah, but before that…"
Gray went to the Library Realm, a certain fishing rod wagging its bones in elation. But he had barely approached that there was a change in one of the screens?!
[̶C̶u̶r̶r̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶R̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶=̶ ̶1̶0̶ ̶S̶o̶u̶l̶s̶ ̶→̶ ̶🎣]̶ ̶
[Current Rate = 20 Souls → 🎣 ]
"Ah?! So it's even more expensive now?!"
Was it 2000 for the pity? Would the next one be 4000? At this rate, Unlocking the Library of Heaven's Souls directly would soon be cheaper! Still, he was here to fish…
[Obtained 3 Fishing Attempts! EVENT DETECTED!]
[Activate Event: Good Bunny Wishes? Y/N?]
"Good bunnies? How odd, but sure!"
The Soul Pond rewards were always super random and hit-or-miss anyway. Since he couldn't predict the outcome yet, he might as well just go with the flow!
He happily threw his line inside the pond…
"Actually, what's up with those Souls? Are they all Bunnies?! Ah, a bite—"
[Ding! New Memory: Bunny Unity!]
[This technique was the life's work of a man of culture. It allows one to feel the emotions and general mood of bunnies. *PS: Only 50% effective on bunnygirls!]
"Gasp! Truly a man of culture! Also, doesn't that mean that there are bunnygirls in this world? Why have I only seen humans and undead so far, then?!"
Gray felt as if the world had suddenly expanded. Wouldn't that mean there would be all kinds of fantasy races out there? Or maybe they were a minority? Either way, he kept fishing…
[Ding! Obtained Blood God Statue!]
[Blood for the Blood God! This powerful statue can turn Mana into Blood! It will lower the Mana gathering speed for Humans by about 60% in its radius! *PS: No refunds!]
Seeing the last line, Gray couldn't help but chuckle. No refund? Was the 60% lower gathering speed that big a deal? Knowing his talent, he probably wouldn't notice it.
After all, 100% or 40% of zero pretty much gave the same result. Pretty happy with this catch, he went for the last remaining one…
[Ding! Obtained Bunny Overlord Ring!]
[Allows one to summon the Legendary Bunny Overlord at will! It has the power and hunger of a thousand Ravenous Bunnies! *PS: It will only obey a red-eyed master!]
"W-What?! I-Impossible?! A thousand bunnies?!"
One had to know that a mere 20 had allowed him to rampage in the Newbie Area of the Hunting Grounds. Wouldn't a thousand allow him to raze the forest down?!
Then there was the PS: it was goddamn perfect for him! Never had Gray returned to the real world that fast! His hands shaking, he grabbed the ring and…
[Ding! Successfully Summoned Bunny Overlord!]
[It's Been Dead for Eons! Retrieving its Soul!]
[No Soul Detected! Better luck next time!]
This system was a goddamn troll!
"….."
"…."
"…."
Still, it wasn't that bad. Gray learned the Bunny Unity technique, happiness washing over him. Seems the bunnies were happy to see him? He'd do them one better!
"Hehe, you've all been good bunnies, right? I got you a gift…"
That's when he placed the Blood God statue right in their midst. The fluffy creatures approached it, confused until…. Drip! Drip! Drip! Blood started leaking out its eyes!
B-Blood?! Blood!! Blood!!!!! He could feel their ecstasy as they rushed to lick it!
As their tiny white faces turned utterly bloody, Gray nodded happily in the back. Feeding? Taken care of! He'd have guard bunnies from now on! Should he get a warning sign?
But just as he was pondering…
"Teacher Gale, I'm ready! Let's head to the— What the fuck?!"
Fatty Zhang intruded on a scene that turned his entire blood cold. Demonic Statue? Check! Hellish Bunnies? Check! Evil miasma covering the entire goddamn courtyard? CHECK!
He stopped breathing, barely resisting the urge to vomit. Yet, as he glanced at his Teacher, he found himself terrified and impressed. How could he tolerate such vile Mana?!
But that's when Teacher Gale turned a peaceful and excited gaze his way.
"Our first target's at the Training Grounds, right?"
"Y-Yes, Teacher Gale, he's about to duel…"
"Perfect, time to go then!"