A deadly feeling rose in Kai’s heart, the sense of urgency shooting through the roof.

Even if the Longsword could have made any difference, he couldn’t use it. Not when lifting one finger would make him lose his grip over its Hippogriff’s feathers.

But there was one thing which neither needed him to let go of his grip nor considered the beast’s outrageous Stats that made the longsword useless.

Poison!

The beast must have sensed the hotness on its back, for it looked back towards Kai with its orange pupils. It saw two shimmering golden-silver slits looking back; the moonlight playing games of myriad colors.

…

[

Activating Skill Light Neurotoxin

Time Limit: 30 Seconds

]

…

Kai’s middle finger curled, pressing into the leathery flesh of the beast. The toxin needed to be injected into the prey's body for it to be at its deadliest potency.

Like a syringe, the violet-colored nail extended, entering the beast's flesh with almost no resistance.

What happened next was instantaneous.

Kai's face paled. The beast turned around but its wings had become lifeless. Its mouth parted to cry, but no sound came out. It’s legs, donning the steel-like talons, dangled motionlessly.

5 drops of Light Neurotoxin, at its maximum potency, brought a result Kai couldn't have hoped for. In the first few seconds, the beast became a statue, and when it had lost half the height, it was a corpse.

Kai's mind was numb, vision abandoning him as he saw his HP and MP points reducing to a dangerous level.

The demon wasn’t a stranger to this condition of his body. In his previous life, he had almost constantly remained half-dead. So, even though he wasn’t in a state of doing anything else, he still took out the Longsword.

Now that the magical beast was dead, Kai had no fear of losing his grip.

Slithering around the magical beast as they fell, Kai hacked with all his might at the Hippogriff’s front legs many times as if he was cutting down huge trees.

Then, as the legs separated the body with a blood squelch, Kai stored them into his Inventory.

Almost at the same time, Arlen grabbed him from behind and threw him on the broomstick.

Mr. Beedle wasn't with him anymore. Arlen turned around and gave Kai a look, his face as emotionless as a stone.

The stone cracked then.

Kai and Arlen shared a devious smile.

"That better be worth it, Red," Arlen said, the thrilling smile still lingering on his lips. "That better be worth it."

CRY!!!

Kai didn't want to, but he did. He turned his head to look at the death's hand.

A great herd of Hippogriffs was swarming towards them. The depressions within the swarm made it look like thin long fingers, uncurling, and reaching out for the two of them.

Kai could see their talons. The way they reflected light, he felt as if they were real steel. Their wingspan seemed to have no end and their numbers blanketed the moon and stars, moonlight struggling to seep from the gaps between their feathers.

Fuck! Kai cursed. That's all he could do for now. When he looked away from the sight, he finally gave some attention to the dull-gray notification.

…

[

Congratulations Contestant Kai Stormborn

You have unlocked a Title

…

Title: Poacher

Specification: Kill 10 magical beasts collectively. The magical beasts' grade must be equal to or higher than Contestant's equivalent floor number

Status: (1/10)

Effect: Agility +1, Perception +1, Charisma -2

Note: Only 1 Title can be equipped at a time

]

…

You can never have too much of Perception, Kai told himself. It took him time, but now he was understanding which Stats mattered more than others.

Cryyyyyyyyyyy!

This was almost in his ears. Kai looked over his shoulder. There it was, the fastest of the flock. He could only see its talons first; black, and as cold as frozen steel.

I can't survive this one, Kai reflected.

The magical beast was gaining distance, its wings appearing and disappearing with every flap.

Kai had to do something, and he had to do it now. He traced his Inventory and took out the newest Item.

The black blade shimmered under the little moonlight falling over it.

It was sharper than his longsword. The strip of paper attached to it had strange diagrams. Kai didn't understand any of it.

But this was Item; Items had Stats.

…

[

Item: Explosive Kunai

Grade: Common

Specification: Explosive Kunai of a Rogue Ninja

Requirement: Perception 11, Breath 5

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Attributes: Base Damage 20 points (Maximum 60 points)

Skill: Condensed Explosion

Skill Effect:

1. Consume SP and detonate in targets' proximity

2. Explosion's intensity depends on SP supplied

3. +10 points to Base Damage with every 10 SP supplied

Quality: 80%

]

…

If I had more of these, Kai shuddered, thinking about the damage he could do.

CRYYYYYY!!!

The cry was almost a challenge. Kai found the mighty beast just behind him, eying him with its deadly red pupils. One more flap and it would use its Talon Prison Skill, Kai knew.

Kai brought his legs up and sat on the broomstick with his back touching Arlen's back.

"What are you waiting for?" Arlen asked, shouting out his lungs. "Throw it!"

A heavy, nauseating feeling welled up inside Kai. The SP bar dropped. Now, he was truly dying. His HP was low, MP was dwindling, and SP was almost there and not there.

A sudden spark appeared on the Kunai's paper strip, and it caught fire.

This?! Kai knew he must throw the Kunai then. But the moment he aimed at the magical beast, it lost height. Kai suddenly aimed low, but then it went sideways. No matter what Kai did, the magical beast never stayed in one place.

The paper strip was half burned.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Arlen shouted, his voice full of anger. He shoved Kai sideways, and the wand appeared in his hand. A powerful burst of Mana surrounded the broomstick suddenly.

Kai's ears rumbled when Arlen shouted out the incantation.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Something flashed by Kai's sight. Like an unseen intention, it rushed out of Arlen's wand and hit the swift magical beast.

For a moment, a tiny instant, Kai felt as if the enormous bird had become stone.

"NOW!" Arlen roared.

The beast fell, but it's petrified wings had almost come back to life. The bird was so close to them that Kai could see its eyes. They were moving up and down.

Kai shivered. It was now or never.

The knife flew through the air like a missile.

Three more adult Hippogriffs had caught up with them by then. Just as they were passing by the petrified magical beast, the Kunai exploded.

BOOM!

The shockwave hit Kai's face almost instantly. He saw two of the magical beasts falling down, rolling round and round. Their feathers were on fire, and loud cries were escaping their mouths.

They aren't dead, Kai thought, noticing the absence of notification. But they are only two.

Defying logic, two of the four blasted beasts flew through the fire globe in the air. In the moonlight, Kai could see their brown feathers were covered in blood. Just behind them followed a great host of Hippogriffs.

The fiery globe of explosion failed to stop even a single one.

"How long, Arlen?" Kai asked. "How much longer?"

"2 minutes…"

That's all Kai heard. Somehow, that was enough.

We won't make it, Kai told himself. Not in 2 minutes.

More and more magical beasts were coming from around them.

Come then, Kai said, but it was not the words that came out. It was the longsword. It only gave him a boost of 1 in Strength, and somehow, Kai squeezed a drop of courage out of it too.

"Come," Kai said, pointing the longsword at the Hippogriffs.

The beasts let out a cry and then shut their mouths, raising their talons to use the Skill together.

COME!

Kai smiled, feeling the world compressing around him.

And suddenly, the compression disappeared as if it was just imagination.

Kai saw the strangest beautiful sight then. Hundreds of magical beasts were pounding on an unseen wall like darts. Something was keeping them off from crossing that boundary in space.

Kai twisted his neck and looked back. and found Arlen looking right at him. The broomstick had almost slowed down, and the Captain was smiling, laughing, his blue eyes shimmering with unparalleled delight.

"You lied about 2 minutes?!" Kai asked.

"Now, that's truly worth it," Arlen said, pointing at Kai's mortified expression. "Next time, think twice before ripping me off, boy."

Kai would never give this blue-eyed bastard the satisfaction of making a fool of him. He, too, let out a foolish and sly grin, sending the longsword back into the Inventory.

"Oh, it was worth it, right?" Kai playfully said, turning around and sitting properly. "You don't need the poison-drops then?"

"Humph!" Arlen snorted, but the victorious smile on his face didn't vanish. "You better sit tight, Red. I would not come for you this time if you fell."

*

*

They had lit a small fire when Kai and Arlen touched the ground.

Kai saw Simon pulling a few rogue twigs out of the broomstick. Shae was tending to the fire, adding lean, dry wooden sticks now and then. Mr. Beedle had a thick book in his right hand. And the stray tongues of fire were making the illustrations wave.

Kai sat down, leaning against a rock when Arlen brought a plate of meat and eggs to him. Only then Kai realized how hungry he was.

"Eat," Arlen said, placing the plate in front of him. "Your little adventure has cost us 30 minutes, boy. And I would like to have my drops first before continuing the journey."

A vial appeared in Arlen's hands. He threw it at Kai, who caught it midair and saw the Stats hovering above it.

…

[

Item: Storage Vial

Grade: Not Applicable

Specification: Capacity 50 ml

Requirement: Miscellaneous Rent Box

Attributes: Can easily store most liquids, solids (not exceeding capacity), and living organisms

Skill: Not Applicable

Effect: Preserve Freshness, Prevent Aging

Quality: 100%

]

…

Kai put the drops in it and returned the vial. "Miscellan… Ren… Box?" he asked, immediately stuffing his mouth with food.

If it weren't for Mr. Beedle's unexpected bowel movements, they would have already gone by now.

"There are many things in the Random Worlds that can't be outrightly stored in Inventory,” Arlen told him. “Like a herb which isn’t an Item. So you can use a vial to store it in the Inventory. Before teleportation to the Random Worlds, you can rent it through the system using Mission Credits.

"Without the MRB, you can not bring non-Item things into the Random Worlds. Like food, clothes, and books. They all need to be in the box for them to get teleported along with you."

Simon joined them.

"It will block a fixed volume of your Inventory," he said. "You can not use that space then, even if the box has nothing in it. Of course, there are things in the Random Worlds without Stats, but you still can’t store them in the MRB."

Kai nodded. Then he saw Mr. Beedle pulling up his pants with one hand and clutching the book with another.

After they were done with food, Shae brought a kettle and poured them a last cup of herbal tea. When she neared Kai, a faint blush came to her face.

Shae had also brought a few books with her, and among them was a book with a hard black cover.

Kai had taken a book with a hard black cover from Shae’s personal collection for a light reading.

"Captain, you revealed the plan to Desmond and Sonia," Kai said, closing the book. "They would have already told Order's Contestant of it before coming back with carriages. Was that your intention all along?"

"Yes," Arlen answered, taking his eyes off the wizard. "Better to fight on the grounds of our choice than run into an ambush elsewhere."

Arlen didn't wait for any longer after the brief tea session.

*

*

After a few hours,

Kai smelled he salt in the air.

The stars had all but gone, leaving a persistent few behind. It wasn't sunrise yet, but the surroundings had brightened up, from black to a muddy dark blue.

"Good morning," Simon said, looking at Kai. He was seated behind Shae. "Shae was worried about you the entire time."

"No, I… I wasn't." Shae became pale, hearing the tease.

"Humph!" Arlen grunted, his eyes darting around, looking at the sea, and back at the land. "What's so good about the morning? Can't you feel it?"

"Too silent," Kai said, noticing what Arlen had meant.

"Not bad for your intelligence, Red," Arlen said, mockingly. "I can feel it. They are already here."

"The sun will rise in half an hour," Simon said, looking at the sky.

"Yes," Arlen agreed. "I mean to be on land before we see the first ray of sun."

Swish!

A little push and the broomsticks got fired towards the sea like bullets.

They were just passing over a tiny island when suddenly the sound of a twister came up to them.

Kai saw one, two, three…

Five stern-faced people were flying towards them, each having broomsticks of their own.

Arlen must have sensed them too, for he dived and brought the broomstick to just above the sea's high waves.

"I am leaving it to you…" Arlen shouted, "Simon!"