Rain watched as Helen tied the latest group of sheep to the rock. Glancing at his BIT, he noted that four hours had passed since they entered the Weird Domain, and any functions requiring internet connectivity had been disabled.
Helen spoke up, "We've gathered 68 sheep so far."
Rain nodded. "Let's return them to the farm, but first, let's check that area over there," he said, pointing to the northwest.
Helen glanced in the direction he indicated. "That's the only area we haven't searched nearby." They set off toward it, walking side by side.
After about an hour of searching with no sheep in sight, the sun in the Weird Domain had climbed high, signalling that it was past noon. They arrived at a small pond surrounded by large rocks, the area peaceful and serene. Rain noticed small fish swimming in the clear water and asked, "Is the water here safe?"
Helen replied, "Minimal intake shouldn't be a problem."
Rain sat by the pond, marvelling at the tranquillity of the scene. The calm atmosphere made him think of how perfect this spot would be for a picnic. "Let's rest here for a few minutes before we head back to the rock," he suggested.
Helen sat down beside him. "Yeah, there aren't any sheep in this area," she agreed.
Curious, Rain asked, "How many sheep were sent into the domain to grow?"
"This domain can hold up to 1,000 sheep," Helen explained. "So, 1,000 baby sheep were brought in to grow here."
They sat in silence for a while, soaking in the warmth of the sun and the gentle breeze. It was a rare moment of peace in their otherwise chaotic world. Rain reflected on how, once they left the domain, such simple pleasures would be a luxury. If the power of the Weird Domain wasn't harmful to most living things, humans might have created similar domains as safe havens, given that the outside world was now a harsh, inhospitable place—filled with radiation, perpetual snow, dangerous mutated plants and animals and ghost.
Rain turned toward Helen, noticing her golden skin and her hair gently blowing in the breeze. Once again, he felt the pull of attraction.
Helen, without looking at him, said with a hint of teasing, "Don't even think about it, unless you want me to beat you."
Rain chuckled awkwardly. "I was just looking."
"You can *only* look," she replied with a small smirk.
Rain decided to change the subject. "I've got a question for you."
Helen turned her eyes toward him, and the intensity of the attraction hit Rain like a wave. He quickly averted his gaze and moved a little farther from her, feeling his heartbeat quicken.
"What's your question?" she asked, amused by his reaction.
"How did you reach Peak D-rank so quickly? You and I are about the same age," Rain asked, still avoiding direct eye contact.
Helen smiled. "I'm 17, and you're 16, right? I took the genetic medicine when I was 15, and I reached Peak D-rank at 16. I've spent the past year trying to break through to the True Body realm."
Rain looked at her, astonished. "How did you progress so fast? At my current rate of practice, it would take me around 600 days just to reach middle D-rank."
Helen explained, "At first, it's slow because you're still learning to control your genetic energy. But once you master the first part of that control, with the right resources, you can advance to middle D-rank in less than a month. The most important thing at D-rank is the control of your genetic energy."
Rain nodded, thinking about her words. He considered his own progress and thought that if he refined his hands and legs in acid—which also helped refine genetic energy—while practicing control, his speed would probably double. He quickly checked his genetic energy refinement after removing the block and found it had progressed to -0.023.
Smiling to himself, he looked across the pond—and froze. Three wolves were staring back at him from the edge of the clearing. Alarmed, Rain quickly got to his feet.
Helen, instantly alert, opened her eyes at Rain's sudden movement and followed his gaze across the pond. She spotted the wolves and frowned. "How did they appear so quickly? The sun hasn't even set yet."
Rain, equally confused, muttered, "I thought wolves only show up after sunset in this domain."
Without hesitation, Helen spun around, her instincts sharp. Rain followed her gaze and saw two more wolves creeping closer behind them. These wolves were unlike the usual Iron Claw wolves of the domain—they were pitch black, their red eyes glowing menacingly, and bony spikes jutted from their skulls and spines.
"They're not the Iron Claw wolves the domain materializes," Rain said, feeling a growing sense of dread.
Helen's expression hardened. "No, they're Bone Wolves. And judging by their appearance, all of them are middle D-rank."
Rain's heart raced as the reality of the situation sank in. Before he could say anything, Helen looked him dead in the eye, her voice firm. "Listen to me carefully. I'll handle the wolves. Your job is simple: stay alive."
Without hesitation, Helen charged at the two Bone Wolves creeping up from behind, her movements swift and precise. Rain followed her, knowing that if they could deal with the two wolves quickly, they'd stand a better chance against the remaining three rushing toward them across the pond.
Rain's thoughts raced. As a beginner D-rank, taking on a middle D-rank creature, which was three times stronger, would be nearly impossible. Worse, these were radiation beasts, typically more powerful than humans. But Helen was skilled. The two wolves already bore claw marks from her attacks, purple wounds still bleeding—a sign that Helen had mastered the technique of converting her genetic energy into poison, of the same attack technique he choose "poison claw."
Rain joined Helen's side, focusing on one of the wounded wolves. The wolf, still trying to dodge Helen's strikes, clearly misjudged her true strength. Its purple-tinged injury spread steadily, confirming the wolf was succumbing to her poison.
As Rain faced one of the injured wolves, whereas Helen swiftly dispatched her target with a powerful strike. Her claws tore into the side of the wolf's neck with such force that its head dangled from its body, a testament to her strength, which was more than ten times his and killing the other wolf.
Helen turned to Rain. "Keep it busy. I'll handle the other three," she said, rushing off to confront the trio of wolves crossing the pond. Rain heard the growls and barks growing closer and realized they had reached the shore, just as the sounds of their paws splashing through the water began to fade. Moments later, the sharp yelps of pain and frenzied howls echoed from Helen's direction as she engaged the wolves.
Left with the wounded wolf, Rain studied its posture. The creature's head was lowered, red eyes fixed on him, but its strength was draining fast. Rain kept his cool, standing in a defensive stance, preparing the poison claw technique. He knew the wound Helen had inflicted was working its way through the wolf's system, gradually weakening it further. There was no need for unnecessary risks; patience would serve him better here.
The wolf growled, shifting uncomfortably, clearly in pain. But then Rain noticed something—its posture had changed into a stance he recognized. Before it could make its move, Rain sidestepped just as the wolf leaped at him in a desperate attack. The beast, despite its injury, had tried to take him down in one final, reckless attempt. Rain's virtual training sessions back at school had prepared him for moments like this.
The wolf landed awkwardly, weakened by both its injury and the poison coursing through its veins. As Rain turned to face it once more, he quickly glanced over at Helen. She was locked in battle with two more wolves, both of them bloodied, while a third already lay lifeless on the ground nearby.
Rain's focus locked on the wolf before him. It was clear now—the creature knew its chances of survival were slim and was prepared to go all out in its final moments. Before the wolf could launch its attack, Rain struck first. He lashed out with his right hand, but the wolf sank its teeth deep into his forearm. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Rain channelled his genetic energy into his left hand, powering his claw attack. With precision, he struck the wolf's neck, his claws sinking deep.
The wolf, despite its agony, refused to let go, fiercely biting down as if trying to tear his arm apart. Rain's arm, strengthened and refined through acid treatment, held firm. Gradually, the wolf's struggles weakened until the light in its eyes dimmed, and it went limp. Rain pried its jaws from his arm, watching as the puncture wounds left by its teeth began to heal almost instantly.
Helen approached, nodding in approval. "Good job, but don't try that again. The super healing lizard genes give us impressive self-healing, but there are spots on the body that could kill us before the healing kicks in."
Rain nodded, glancing at Helen. There wasn't a single mark on her combat uniform, nor was she out of breath. Her experience was clear.
Rain asked, "So, what do we do now?"
Helen surveyed the scene, her eyes narrowing. "The fact that the wolves aren't being absorbed by the domain after death means they weren't created by the domain. Someone put them here." She turned her gaze toward the direction of the stone where they'd gathered the sheep earlier. "Let's head back there."
Rain nodded and walked beside her as they started the journey back to the stone. His mind raced with questions, but he stayed quiet, focusing on the task at hand.