My knife is beat to shit and I won't be able to cast Mana Detonation for another 45 minutes. I need to get out of here but I have no real way of defending myself for some time. I need to either find a weapon up here or wait until I can cast my skill again because leaving only to die defenceless doesn't seem like it'd be much fun.

Looking around leaves me amazed at my new level of Perception. I can now easily spot at least three items I could have used to better defend myself from the monster than dropkicking it.

I sigh and go to collect two of the three items. I take a sturdy hammer as well as a mediocre pry bar. I contemplate taking the hand shovel but think better of it.

...If only an actual shovel had been left up here. Whatever, a hammer and pry bar are far better than nothing.

I walk to the rooftop exit and pause; I realize I have zero idea how many things are down there. I could literally be walking into an unavoidable death but if that's the case it seems like waiting would end in the same scenario.

And I hate waiting. Especially with this much adrenaline running through my body.

I take a few breaths to calm myself and begin silently moving down the staircase. I seem to glide across the floor and, despite having improved my senses greatly, I can barely detect any sound coming from my steps. This Move Silently skill is pretty handy.

I try not to get too cocky; I'm already much more capable of defending myself than I was a few short hours ago, but that means very little when careless. I attempt to make it straight down to the ground floor but I'm left stunned. The stairs don't seem to reach the ground floor any more. They just end at the floor right below the roof.

I massage my temples in frustration.

And some more...

Okay this isn't helping, screw it. I open the door into the room as quietly as I can while sliding in under the effect of my skill.

I'm left speechless when I take in my surroundings. Instead of any type of normal building interior it looks as if I've walked into some weird amalgamation of an office building interspersed with vast swathes of jungle. It looks like something grabbed chunks of reality that have no business being shoved together and then did exactly that.

In some areas there's continuity between the different pieces and others lie in stark contrast to one another.

Luckily none of the inhabitants of this strange place have noticed me yet. I can see one or two monsters but they don't seem to resemble either of the ones I had to kill earlier. I can also see that they have a lower level than the two as well; both level five.

Is that low enough that I can survive easily with my recent upgrades? I really would rather not find out but, well, it sucks being me right now.

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A good hour of watching over the area while attempting to convince myself to do something passes excruciatingly slowly. I've only seen three monsters so far and exactly zero other people. Of the monsters, two are level five and resemble Canadian geese and one is some kind of big, blue... bunny? Huh. Neither of those are nearly as intimidating as a venomous ape or giant pangolin but I'm wary nonetheless.

Damn I hate geese. At least I don't have to pretend to be nice to these ones.

Also, what the hell? Why do all of these things seem to be some screwed-up Frankensteins Monster based on real animals? Does it have something to do with the... rearrangement and data collecting was it? It feels like something is just sitting around smashing bits of random animals together to see what sticks.

To be fair though, that has to be how the platypus came about in the first place.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

I sneak silently to a bush past which one of the bird monsters routinely passes. I don't seem to gain nearly as much help from the skill when standing still, but I don't seem to need it. These things seem ever more stupid than actual geese, at least on Earth they ran in packs. These geese fight each other every time they come into contact and then scramble away to continue roaming around.

I wait until what I can now discern is a Raptor Goose [lvl 5] passes the spot in which I'm hiding. Raptor Goose? Wow that is just absurd. so we have dinosaur geese now? Fuck this.

I surge to my feet and bring the full weight of the pry bar to bear in an arc that crashes just below the base of the things head. This would have been devastating all on its own, however, I didn't forget to activate Rapid Strike. And it works with the pry bar too! I really should've contemplated the fact that it might not have beforehand...

A muffled crack is heard and its head pitches forward at an alarming rate before it violently rebounds off the ground. I waste no time; I rain blows upon the beast for another second or two before realizing it has already died.

Damn that was significantly easier. To be fair though I've gotten stronger, acquired a better weapon, and these things are lower leveled and honestly... just seem kind of inferior as far as threats to my life go.

I reach to pull the beast into the bushes in case the other denizens have a problem with the fact that one of their own has been murdered. Pointless? Maybe. But far better safe than sorry.

I flinch in pain and pull back a bloody hand. The feathers cut me. And pretty deeply all things considered. Son of a bitch that could have gone way worse. Sure, my regeneration healed my wounds but will it regrow fingers? You know what, I honestly don't care if it does, I fully intend never to find out.

I reach carefully to the joints of its wings where I can grab without being cut and drag it into the bushes. I contemplate figuring out how to remove and use the feathers as a weapon but I just don't have the time or ability to wield it without cutting myself to bits. While having a sharp object that can actually cut something would be nice, I simply have no way to effectively use or transport the things. I'm definitely not carrying any around in my pocket; they're as sharp as any chef's knife I've ever seen.

I stealthily make my way to another hiding spot in the path of the remaining Raptor Goose.

And end up right behind it. Lucky me! If I can land this right all I'll have left to do is finish that bunny and then I should probably rest before moving on.

I start toward it but almost as soon as I do, it turns around.

Rage flashes in its beady eyes and I nearly piss myself in terror. Something about being caught while sneaking around causes me to pause and in that time the thing starts its charge, wings akimbo.

I throw myself to the side as quickly as possible but its razor sharp wing clips my leg and passes through with what feels like barely any resistance. I cry out and stumble away as quickly as I can.

Which, admittedly, isn't very fast what with a newly sliced leg.

A moment of clarity strikes me and I raise my hand as the thing nears me. I don't even have time to brace myself before Mana Detonation unleashes itself in my enemy's chest.

This time the detonation is even greater and the monster is knocked away and tumbles over the ground.

I'm in agony. My leg is on fire and bleeding profusely and my arms feels just as terrible as the last time I used Mana Detonation. I can see the thing attempting to right itself but it appears one of its wings is either broken or damaged enough for there to be no real difference. I attempt to rise to my feet and barely make it up before collapsing again.

I look up, terrified, expecting to see a wing a split-second before my face is cleaved in two.

A smile slowly makes its way across my face as I realize it isn't scrambling to finish me off. It's scrambling away, and frantically. If I didn't know better I'd say that it is terrified of me. But I do know better.

...Do I?

For all that thing knew, it had already secured its kill. All that was left were the messy details.

And then the next thing it knew it was blasted away and broken. But are these things even capable of feeling fear?

As it turns its head toward me I know for certain it does. As soon as it sees that I'm staring at it, it pauses for a split second, terror pulsing from its being, before redoubling its efforts to get away.

I reach my feet using the pry bar for support and slowly shuffle my way to the beast. I almost wish I could just get this over with more quickly, but putting the fear of death into something that was going to kill me is just so. Damn. Satisfying.

I relish in the feeling as I make my way forward before catching up to the beast, savoring its last moments of trepidation before ending its life utterly without mercy.