A huge cave with reddish walls.
A huge tree with hundreds of glowing pink fruits.
A huge tree with hundreds of glowing blue fruits.
A huge tree with hundreds of glowing yellow fruits.
A tiny, fluffy rabbit munching on a blue fruit with fervour.
Wait, a rabbit?!
Neo smirked wickedly. He had finally spotted his prey and could now exact his revenge.
But where was this?
Taking in the cave and the multiple glows emanating from the three trees, Neo made another startling deduction.
'Is this really the cave behind the gorilla settlement?'
Neo was stunned. Had he found his way to his original destination, just like that?
Without having to climb that gruesomely steep wall and endure the powerful water pressure?
Had his luck suddenly turned around?
Neo felt a surge of excitement. All his targets had gathered in one place for him. If this wasn't fortuitous, what was?
Still, he calmed his mind and studied the scene carefully.
The trees looked as vibrant and lush as ever, their numerous fruits plump and juicy, making Neo's mouth water.
The fluffy rabbit was happily devouring fruit after fruit, consuming dozens in a shockingly short time.
It looked so cute and harmless that, for a moment, Neo found it quite adorable.
Wasn't it just a little, harmless rabbit?
But then, memories of the bunny's misdeeds flashed through his mind, and all that cuteness faded away.
'This is no adorable rabbit; this is a demon!'
Neo leapt from the tunnel, moving with speed. The rabbit opened one eye and saw Neo charging towards it with a furious expression. Terrified, it squealed!
It was too frightened!
Why did this hateful human have to disturb it in its favourite time and place?
It was just too hateful!
The rabbit bared its teeth and emitted a sound that resembled a snarl. It had made up its mind—it had to kill this pest here and now!
It was going all out!
Its body glowed white for a brief moment before it vanished in a flash!
Neo was stunned. The speed of this flash was unbelievable! It was far faster than before!
But if it was going to do the same thing, what difference did the speed make?
Neo thrust his spear forward, pouring all his strength into the attack as he let out a low growl.
As expected, the rabbit appeared directly in front of his thrust and collided with the spear's blade.
Bang!
The sound of the collision echoed throughout the cave. Both Neo and the rabbit leapt back, their gazes locked in cautious assessment.
They had been evenly matched in that exchange.
Despite Neo's enhanced physique, his spear had nearly slipped from his grip.
The rabbit, too, hadn't expected its full-powered charge to be stopped like that.
They stared at each other, communicating silently with their eyes.
'Surprised?'
Boom!
They charged forward again, meeting halfway. Neo's spear tip clashed against the aura-protected body of the rabbit.
As the rabbit was pushed back once more, Neo flowed into a second thrust, just as he had learned from the Overlord Manual.
The thrust came out sharp, like a snake's bite, and the rabbit barely managed to dodge it.
But Neo gave it no time to recover. He pulled back his spear and thrust again!
He was determined to stab this bunny to death!
But...
The rabbit's reflexes were too sharp. It dodged the thrust once more!
Fwoom!
It flashed forward with incredible speed, slamming into Neo's gut like a cannonball.
Neo's eyes widened as pain shot through his body. It felt as though a giant had kicked him in the stomach!
As soon as the rabbit landed, it flashed towards Neo again. This time, Neo managed to raise his spear and block the charge with the shaft, but the impact was so strong that his fingers went numb instantly.
Still, he pushed through, rotating his torso and timing the twist immediately after the collision.
This flung the rabbit away, sending it hurtling towards the edge of the cave.
Another brief silence followed as both parties caught their breath.
Their eyes remained locked, their bodies tense, ready to move at the slightest provocation.
Who would strike first...
Now!
The moment the rabbit's eyes flicked to the spot behind him, Neo darted to the side.
His spear thrust towards the empty space the rabbit had glanced at, and his strike, which seemed to be aimed at nothing, connected with the rabbit's body as it materialised before him.
Boom!
'Got ya, b*tch!'
Neo's spear struck the rabbit, its body shielded by a yellow hardening aura, and was repelled with immense force.
Neo gritted his teeth, allowing the force to alter his momentum, turning his body around faster than he normally could.
As soon as he spun, he sidestepped to the right, and a yellowish blur shot past his previous position, crashing into the cave wall.
Squeal!!
The rabbit squealed loudly, spitting out a bit of blood.
Neo smirked. No matter how strong the yellow aura of hardening was, smashing your head against a rock was still going to hurt.
This was his chance to strike!
Neo bolted after the rabbit, sweeping his spear.
The rabbit barely managed to dodge the attack—it should have been sliced in two! Yet instead of dodging, it lunged at Neo's face, its claws glistening.
'Shit!'
Neo's heart pounded in his chest as those deadly blades neared. He quickly tilted his head to the right, trying to evade the strike.
Slice!
The sharp claws, coated in the red aura of sharpness, sliced through Neo's cheek like tofu.
The pain was excruciating, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Seriously, how many different auras did this rabbit possess?
There were four known types of bloodline auras.
White aura for general enhancement, yellow aura for hardening, red aura for sharpness, and black aura for destruction.
It was rare to see a bloodline beast with any of these auras, and possessing one made it significantly stronger than its class.
But what was this?
Dumm!
This tiny rabbit had three?
Dumm!
Neo and the rabbit stared at each other, their eyes filled with hatred. Both wanted the other dead!
Dumm!
Wait, what was that sound?
Neo's skin tingled, and his muscles went rigid.
He turned his head slowly towards the mouth of the cave, where a huge, heavy, and hairy hand gripped the edge...
Neo and the rabbit nearly fainted from shock.
Run!!!
That was the pressure of an Uncommon-grade beast!
Bang! Roar!!
With a mighty leap, the gorilla appeared at the cave entrance in all its hairy glory.
Neo gulped and thought of one word...
'Trouble...'