“Here, take it.” Zachary tossed the now empty summoning card to Carlos.
“Thanks,” Carlos said and got to work on the novice rank seagull.
They killed the other two adepts and cleaned up the clearing to reset the trap. Adept ranks were too strong for the summoning cards they had. This was already a well-known fact after spending a year in the jungle. There was no point trying when they could capture novice ranks instead.
Zachary cleared out all the cards he had looted from the Dark Star Gang member, even the adept rank flower demon. He did not like its combat ability or lack thereof. He distributed the empty cards to Carlos, Nellie, and Shuhua. Heather didn’t want any since she wasn’t competing for points. Jean-Pierre followed his lead, emptying the cards he took from the other corpse. All in all, the trio of Carlos, Nellie, and Shuhua received six or seven empty summoning cards each.
“That’s too much. You should leave some for yourself,” Heather said.
“Don’t worry, I got a few to spare,” Zachary said with a smile.
He dug through one of his leather bags and retrieved a handful of empty cards. These were the ones he had obtained at the start of the year. He had always kept them and used them thriftly.
“And you don’t have to worry about him either,” He pointed a thumb at Jean-Pierre, “He has killed quite a few people. All bad people, or so he says.”
Heather rolled her eyes and walked away.
“Hey, what’s wrong with killing people if they deserve it?” Jean-Pierre asked indignantly.
“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Zachary added.
After a pause, the gang went back to fighting seagulls. It was the same as before, only now everyone focused on capturing the weaker, novice rank ones. The afternoon passed slowly. Their pace slowed down as each fight would be followed by a longer period of rest.
Like them, other survivor groups hiding in the jungle were just as tired and worn out. Their desire to exterminate the seagull and earn points had almost disappeared. If all of their summons ended up severely wounded or worse, what would they do then? Sixteen people could pass this challenge but only four would be able to return home. They still had to save their strength for whatever the Republic had planned next.
Zachary considered all of this as he observed the ongoing battle up and down the beach. Most survivors were resting but one group was still fighting. He could distinctly hear the howl of a wolf and the trumpeting cry of a forest elephant. If he had to guess, it had to be Aaron White. That person was so strong that it made him nervous.
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“Big bro, what’s wrong?” Wander asked, sensing his mood.
“I think I was too overconfident.” Zachary said, “Four adept ranks might not be enough. We should get another adept rank summon just to be safe.”
Wander snorted, “I told you that weeks ago but you didn’t listen.”
Zachary smiled wryly, “Fine, fine. You were right.”
“Heh, didn’t you catch an adept rank seagull already? It’s pretty strong,” Wander said.
“Yeah, but I might have to hand it to that captain if my score isn’t enough. I need another adept just to be safe. I have the anima crystal of the flower demon. It is a little weak but I can add a seagull anima crystal if it’s not enough to upgrade.”
Zachary thought about which one he should upgrade. Boba and Sugo were too weak. He had no confidence in their strength even at the adept rank. Blue and Ream were special summons but he also wasn’t sure of their true potential or fighting ability. It was too risky right now. Whiskers and Elmont were strong but limited. Whiskers can only fight in water while Elmont is slow.
He touched at the soul orb that contained Timber, the mantis. It was a common species in the jungle. But it was strong. It was fast and agile. It could fly in bursts. And its blade-like claws were sharp and deadly. It was the best choice.
With that decided, Zachary set to work. Because a breakthrough to the adept rank wasn’t guaranteed, he prepared two anima crystals for the effort. He also prepared another two adept rank anima crystals so that Timber could stabilize its soul cultivation and perhaps even reach the Two Paths Adept Rank.
This required the adept rank anima crystal from the flower demon and three crystals of adept rank seagulls. This was all he had on hand. Therefore, he had to quickly make up for the loss. To catch up, he decided to not be stingy with his soul orbs. He had plenty still and ensuring he could go home was more important than the money he could get for them.
“You… you still have more soul orbs?” Heather asked when he went to capture the latest seagull they had beaten into a pulp.
“Yeah, I have a few saved for a rainy day.”
He smoothly completed the capture. With the seagull in its current sorry state, it was simply glad to not be killed. It quickly succumbed to the effects of the soul orb and accepted its fate, entering the soul orb with a ray of white light.
As Zachary finished up and set up the clearing for the next batch of seagulls, the clouds thickened and a drizzle started. Everyone was quickly drenched, even if they tried to seek cover beneath large trees. Zachary wiped his face and pulled his long, wet hair over his head.
Nearby, Heather stared at him with an unreadable expression, her arms crossed over her chest.
“What?” He asked.
“Nothing,” She replied frostily, “Nothing... I really don’t know what to do with you. Che! You’re so annoying!”
She turned and stomped away.
Zachary glanced around but nobody offered any help.
Jean-Pierre patted his shoulder, “Bro, why are you so unlucky with women?”
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