As the day came to an end, Genji approached a small village. He walked through the village, searching for a place to stay, but it was a challenge. This village barely provided any accommodations for travelers, but he eventually secured one using the worm teeth as bargaining currency. These durable teeth were a rare commodity since it took a lot to kill the sandworms.
And Genji understood why, having been pestered by the creatures all day. Unless one could finish them off in a single strike, they would burrow underground after attacking. This behavior minimized the time they spent above ground, providing them with solid protection.
Genji speculated that this behavior could explain why these worms were so widespread. How could they not be when there was nothing to keep them in check?
However, this hunting difficulty came with an equally valuable reward. Each tooth was highly sought after for its durability and as a source of valuable crafting materials. It was widely known that tools made from these teeth lasted a long time, making them preferable over the other materials. Plus, every sandworm was like a small gold mine. As long as one had enough strength, they could get rich easily.
"Why are the blankets so thick?" Genji asked as he entered his room. "Isn't it hot enough?"
Hours later, Genji got his answer as the sun disappeared below the horizon. With it, the heatwave from before faded, replaced by bone-chilling coldness. If he didn't know better, he would have thought he was in an icy tundra rather than a sandy desert.
"Just when I thought the weather couldn't get any weirder."
Genji pushed aside the cold and spent the night meditating under the warm blankets, recharging his energy. The next day, he opened his eyes and set out in search of breakfast.
"Can you tell me where I can find something to eat?"
However, the stranger he asked gave him a perplexed look, as if he had asked the most absurd question imaginable.
"What's wrong?" Genji inquired, troubled by the lack of response.
"Sir, in this town, food is very precious. You'd be a fool to trade it for anything less than a tool made from sandworm ivory."
At this revelation, Genji recalled a crucial detail he had overlooked the previous day: all the people here appeared malnourished, like starving prisoners. On further reflection, it made sense, given that the extreme weather conditions made it difficult to grow enough food.
"So exaggerated?"
"Yes. Even if you offered me two such tools, I still wouldn't make the trade," the person replied. "What good are those tools if you starve for a week?"
Genji noticed the specific duration mentioned, which provided him with an idea of how this village functioned. 'This is truly a wasteland. If food is this scarce, I can't even imagine what other resources are like.'
"So, is there really no way to get any food here?" Genji asked to confirm.
"Outsider, if you're desperate, you can find the village chief for some jobs. He controls the food supply, so he might have some extra to offer."
Genji didn't necessarily need the food, but he went anyway to gain a better understanding of this world. After all, how could he fulfill his mission without having an idea of where to start? He only had twenty days this time, and he had already spent one of them finding this place.
"We do have some extra food, but I can't give you any unless you're willing to take on one of the more dangerous tasks. We're already short on food, and there are plenty of villagers who would do kill for a job," the chief explained.
"Sure. What's the task?"
"Escort a group to the river."
It was a simple request, but Genji had a feeling that it was far from it. How else would this be classified as a dangerous mission? Although confused by this point, Genji kept a stoic face. It was better to not draw unnecessary attention, especially when the chief talked about the task like it was common knowledge.
"When do I leave?"
"In a few minutes. The group is making their preparations right now." Then the elderly chief led him to the group and introduced him before giving him some food for the journey. "When you return, I will give you the rest."
"That's fine," Genji said, turning his attention to his entourage.
This group was of medium size, consisting of around twenty people of various ages. Some of them were older, with bristles of white hair and sunburnt faces, while others were in their prime, comprising sturdy warriors. There was also a younger female in brown robes, clutching a wooden staff, the signature outfit of a mage.
Genji didn't know what this world's magic system was like, but if it was anything like ManaRealm's mages, then she was a precious asset for this group. After all, Genji had seen what mages could do on the Spatial Battlefield.
Unfortunately for them, this encounter was when he unleashed his poison bomb, which capitalized on their weaker physiques and crippled their abilities. Even then, they were deadly turrets of firepower, causing significant casualties to Silver Empress's swarm.
"Let's set off," a shirtless warrior with a large sword strapped to his back said.
This was Ras, the strongest swordsman in this village and the leader of this mission. With his experience, they would minimize the risks, but the trip was still perilous.
"More worms," Genji muttered as the ground shook familiarly.
The others also sensed this and drew their weapons, getting into formation to protect the young mage.
"To your left," Genji shouted, having discerned the attacking location with his sharp senses.
With this warning, the others had ample time to react and prevent any unnecessary casualties. Deaths rarely occurred under Ras's guidance, but that didn't mean there were none. Occasionally, they would lose someone to accidents, which was the main reason no one wanted this job in the first place.
The next moment, a sandworm leaped out of the ground and sprayed particles of sand everywhere. The large body arced through the air and dived for the ground again. But before it could reach the ground, an intense fireball smashed into its side, tossing it and dispelling its momentum.
After flopping around for some time, the worm lost all its downward force and became landbound, making it much easier to fight.
"That's quite the application," Genji thought to himself, "I should copy it."
Then they surrounded the creature and slashed it with everything they had, leaving deep gashes across the worm's body. Occasionally, a heatwave washed over everyone as the mage cast her fireballs, and the warriors used Searing Aura to augment their attacks.
Patches of burnt flesh further weakened the worm before it collapsed with grandeur, kicking up another dust wave.
"Everyone, rest for a while we deal with the body," Ras announced before giving Genji a subtle look.
He remembered that it was because of Genji's shout that the battle turned out this way. This was noteworthy because not even Ras was confident in discerning the worm's position, but Genji did it so quickly.
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"He's strong," Ras thought to himself, relieved to have someone like that on this trip.
Other than the sandworms, Genji also encountered a new species that terrorized the desert: the scorpions. Similar to their sandworm counterparts, these scorpions possessed a size unfitting of their image.
Their dirty yellow carapace and dangerous stingers gave Genji plenty of trouble, but he managed with the group's support. But unlike the worms, everyone was less enthusiastic about these encounters because the shell was useless to them. What was the point of forging armor when they would only make themselves into an oven?
"So you don't mind if I take all of this, right?" Genji asked, chopping off the stinger.
"Go ahead."
With the agreement, Genji skillfully dissected the corpse and found the poison sac of the creature. Then he plunged [Jaguar] into it and allowed the blade to absorb the toxic substance, further adding to the poison accumulation.
In the blink of an eye, night fell again, and the group set up camp for the evening. Several thick tents were pitched as the mage started a fire to cook their dry rations. Someone took out a chunk of meat harvested from today, but the others gave him disapproving frowns.
"You can't be thinking of eating that, right?"
"Yeah? Is something wrong?"
"Do you want to die? All of these creatures are incredibly toxic."
As if to prove the statement, the roasting meat gave off a horrendous-smelling purple vapor. Then the fire beneath crackled and ignited the fumes, turning this dinner into a disaster.
'So that's why they left the bodies to decay. I was wondering why they are so short on food when these animals are everywhere.'
As Genji observed this phenomenon, a sudden thought came to him. How interlinked was this poison and the flesh? If they couldn't be separated, what would happen if they were forcibly divided? More specifically, what would happen if he absorbed it with [Jaguar] while the creatures were still alive?
Genji pushed aside this thought for later and continued his bland dinner.
After finishing, they entered the tents and took turns resting. Genji agreed to take the first guarding shift since he didn't plan on sleeping anyway.
As time passed, the night air chilled further and frosted his slow breaths, giving the impression of a winter wonderland.
Yet with this winter, Genji sensed a hoard of creatures approaching. The weapons on the ground vibrated intensely, but there was no indication of sound.
"Wake up! We have company!"
At his shout, everyone shot up onto their feet and reached for their weapons. Then they dashed out to meet a pack of coyotes that surrounded their tents. Their yellow pupils eyed them with greed, and sizzling saliva seeped from their mouths. It was clear that this group wanted a meal in them.
In response, everyone channeled their auras, dispelling the surrounding coldness, but this only agitated the pack to pounce.
Using the commotion, Genji faded into the darkness and dashed at a weaker part of the encirclement, seeking to break through to attack them from behind. [Jaguar] curved through the air and caught his opponent off guard, killing it instantly. Smelling the blood, the surrounding coyotes snapped toward the origin, but Genji had long disappeared from their senses.
The next moment, Genji manifested again and carved through the pack at unrivaled speeds, killing any that were distracted by the group. In response, the coyotes dispersed their encirclement and gathered together, seeking to prevent an ambush. Since they couldn't sense him, they would force him to show up.
Genji, however, stepped back after this change, allowing the mage to rain fireballs into their midst. A bright explosion flashed through the night, and the scent of burnt flesh tickled everyone's noses.
*AARRRRR*
The coyotes howled in pain and scampered to flee, terrified of this group. Genji waited a few more minutes before he confirmed that this was the only attacker and exited his stealth.
"Thanks a lot. If it wasn't for you, we might have had a hard time once those silent coyotes caught us off guard," Ras said when he walked into sight.
"Hmmm," Genji hummed in response and sat back down to continue his guard.
At this sight, Ras shook his head and stopped probing this mysterious fighter. They were lucky to have his assistance on this trip, and it would do them no good to offend someone so skilled.
The next morning, the group ate a tasteless breakfast and continued their journey. By midday, Genji sensed an increase in the moisture content in the air. They were close, but before they could go any further, they were obstructed by a large snake.
Genji inspected the snake and noticed it was an elite with decent skills.
After eying them for some time, the snake determined that they were huntable and slid toward them, hissing and rattling its tail.
"Shit! Just our luck. That's a Mud Burying Python. Everyone! Prepare to go all out. Now that it's locked onto us, it won't let us go until it hunts its full."
At his command, everyone pushed their auras to their peak, turning the surroundings into an oven. Flames also burst out, covering their weapons and giving them a metal-melting orange glow.
The snake sensed this threat and lunged at them, wanting to finish them before they could endanger it. Ras stepped forward to intercept but stumbled back from the clash. A white mark nicked the dull scales, but the snake was otherwise unharmed.
Snapping downward, the snake's mouth came at Ras's head, aiming to kill. A sharp whistle reached Ras's ears, and cold sweat broke out on his face. There was no doubt about it. If this strike connected, he would be instantly killed without the chance to resist.
Despite this, Ras refused to give up, releasing a mighty battle cry and swinging with all his strength. Yet his attacker was unfazed by his counterattack and coiled its body out of the way. Then a sour stench smashed into Ras's face as the dark mouth covered his vision.
'This is it,' he thought, accepting his demise.
Suddenly, a flash of darkness swept from behind the serpent, cutting deep into the neck. The snake went limp, slowly its actions enough for Ras to lean backward.
The next moment, a flicker of black embers bore itself into the corner of Ras's sight as he felt the air creak from above.
*Dang*
A hand smashed the snake downward, redirecting it back into Ras's attack. Upon impact, Ras's hands became numb from the recoil that knocked back the snake. Casting aside his thoughts, he looked up, wanting to catch his savior's appearance.
In his sight, Genji pursued the snake with a saber engulfed by black flames. As the creature slammed into the ground, Genji swung down and decapitated the foe. A ring of flames curved through the air before the attack faded with the life force of the target.
"How beautiful. Is this what a true flame warrior is like?" Ras asked, awed by the display of weapon mastery and flame control.
"Are we going to continue?" Genji asked, bringing Ras out of his thoughts.
"Oh, yeah," he replied, noticing that everyone had regrouped in this period.
After another hour of traveling, they came upon a turbulent river. The water crashed into the shorelines with colossal force, dislodging parts of sand and smoothing the rocks into a slippery surface.
It was a large river that stretched into the distance in both length and width. From their current position, Genji barely discerned the outline of the other side, testifying to its monstrous size.
Next, Genji traced the riverbank into the distance but failed to find an end. It was as if the river was limitless in length, surging into the horizon with unstoppable speeds.
Genji separated his mind from this wonder and observed the actions of the group. From their high position, they gradually lowered two people above the surface. Everyone was tense at this moment since a single mistake could cost them lives.
When the rope stopped in place, the two members took out an old gourd from their belts and pointed it at the water. The next moment, surprise flashed through Genji's eyes as the water spiraled around the point before spinning upward. This twister of water then entered through the gourd's opening, filling it beyond its initial volume.
Curious about how this was possible, Genji inspected the item.
[Desert Sipper]
Rating: Rare
Requirements: Usable only in this world
Effect: Upon activation, suck up a stream of water and store it. This water can be later released at will.
Capacity: 389/500 Liters
Description: A clumsy imitation of an immortal's artifact. The method of production is lost in time, but its utility can't be denied.
Note: Although unintended, this has now become the foundation for survival in this world.
Genji instantly lost interest when he saw that the item was restricted to this world. It was a cool gadget, but he didn't need it. Plus, he suspected that robbing it would count against his mission rating because he would be harming the civilization rather than helping them.
Once the gourd reached its capacity, the people pulled up the gatherers and repeated the process two more times.
"This should last us about 10 days," Ras said, "Let's head back now."
Genji nodded and set off, having gained an understanding of this world. This was a harsh place to live, but the people managed with the help of these remnants of a prior era. Food was also scarce due to extreme weather conditions and a lack of edible animals. Lastly, water was risky to restock since the trip was full of dangers.
With this information, Genji also knew his next course of action. Since this was the only source of water around, there should be other people who settled nearby. All he had to do was follow this river, and he would eventually encounter them.
Before that, Genji needed to head back to obtain some equipment for the journey ahead. Luckily, the return trip was less eventful than before, having cleared most of the dangers prior.
When they returned, Ras handed the chief the bag of gourds and dismissed the group. After carefully storing them away, the chief turned to Genji.
"As I promised, I will give you some food. Follow me."
"No need. Change my payment to some camping gear. I could use some of those tents and blankets."
When he heard the first part, the chief's gaze became unfriendly. He thought that Genji wanted to extort them after everything, but this glare soon eased up at the second part.
"That's a strange request, but pick what you need," he replied in a good mood. How could he not be when this powerful fighter willingly downgraded his payment?
Genji rummaged through the supplies and settled on the necessities for traveling before bidding the chief farewell. He had gotten accustomed to this world, so it was time to think about the mission.