Walking through the lightly forested surroundings outside the zones in a new but alien environment reminded me of my dad. It had been a while since I thought about him, he died when I was 11 it was a simple car accident, someone drunk driving. My brother and sister barely knew our dad, but I used to go out hunting with him. Mom never really liked it, so most of the time she would stay home and take care of Connor and Sophia, which left just me and dad. It was our thing, something we bonded over. Thinking back on the accident reminds me of why I never had the desire to do drugs or drink alcohol. The man who killed my father didn't mean to; it was a mistake. That doesn't mean I didn't hate him for it for a long time, but eventually I came to blame the alcohol just as much as the man.

Shaking my head to try and clear my thoughts I focus back on my surroundings. Getting distracted out here could be just as big of a mistake as drinking and driving. I have my Energy Control skill pulsing like usual but who knows what kind of monsters could be lurking out here, maybe there's a type of monster that has some sort of energy cloaking. I almost curse out loud for jinxing myself when something appears out of nowhere halfway into my sensing range. I relax slightly when I feel its energy level, but don't dismiss the energy blade I summoned until I see what it is. Flitting through the air landing on a tree branch 10 yards away from me is a robin.

I dismiss my blade with a sigh and a soft chuckle. Honestly, it's nice to see something so familiar in the foreign landscape. It's also more evidence that not all earth animals were exterminated. After relaxing I tilt my head to the side as I consider why I wasn't able to sense the bird until it was already halfway through my sensing range. Looking at it with my eyes and my energy sense I consider the bird. Even sitting not far away from me It has such a small energy signature. After a few seconds of consideration, I'm pretty sure the answer is that the robin is level 0. That would make some sense, if it was level 0 that means it doesn't have much energy and therefor would be much harder for me to pick up with my skill. After all my skill isn't sight, I use the skill to feel energy fluctuations from other beings.

Having come to a conclusion that made sense to me I continued on through the sparsely wooded area. After a few minutes of nothing happening a fly buzzes by in front of my face. I stop, eyes wide. I hadn't realized before, but ever since I left the zones, I could hear bugs again. Something I also noticed was that I could not sense that fly either. Hopefully any bug that has the power to harm me will show up in my energy sense. As I continue forward, I think about why there weren't any bugs or animals inside the city zones, I want to say it's the System, but is that really the case? I saw animals inside some of the zones without any human built structures, but I still don't remember any insects in those zones. Maybe the System kept animals and insects outside of the cities and towns, and then further pushed the insects out of the other zones while leaving other animals. Perhaps, but I didn't really know a way to find out however, it's certainly something to keep in mind.

The farther I traveled the more fauna I came across. More birds, more bugs, squirrels, rabbits, and what I thought was a weak monster from my energy sense before creeping up on it and discovering a deer. I was honestly a little disappointed with only finding Earth animals, I expected there to be alien monsters running rampant. The good part was that I was confident in eating these animals, which means I didn't need to worry too much about food. Speaking of food, it seems like all the animals are surviving just fine off of this otherworldly flora. That was good news for humanity as a whole.

Hours later and miles further I was getting worried, part of why I had come out here was to grow stronger. Unfortunately, I wasn't finding anything strong enough to warrant my time to kill it. It took massive amounts of energy to upgrade my class levels at this point. I wasn't sure but from what I observed my class needed anywhere from 4-7 times more energy per level than everyone else. It took entire nights of wholesale slaughter to keep up with or even pass some of the grinders. While yes, they spent their days killing monsters too, those monsters gave 5x less energy on average than the Night Stalkers. I wasn't too worried about being the same level as people though, thinking about the difference in stats between the other classes I was offered and my own I had 4 times the stats of a Warrior or Mage or any of those classes. At my next level I would basically be a level 40 mage, but I needed monsters to kill to progress myself.

I snapped my head to the side finally sensing something that had more energy than the deer I found earlier. Almost directly to my right moving north northeast. I start after it immediately jogging at a speed likely surpassing the world record for the fastest someone could run before the initialization. Whatever I was after was moving just as fast as I was. I wasn't surprised and honestly if whatever this thing was started to run it could probably double its speed. That was just a guess, but an educated one based on its energy levels and the fact that most animals could run faster than humans even before the System let alone after they've presumably had their stats upgraded.

I upped my speed to slowly catch up with it. I wanted to see what it was before it saw me, so I could make a decision on what I wanted to do with it before confronting the animal. Two minutes later, after following it through my energy sense I finally saw what I had been chasing. What I saw was finally something not from Earth, it was a four-legged animal with antlers sprouting from its head, with the muzzle of a wolf but scaled like the rest of its body aside from a full main of fur the same male lions have. It has a long reptilian tail like that of an alligator, with spikes on it. The last detail I noticed was that its four legs all ended in four fingered reptilian like hands with sharp claws at the end of each finger. Its scales are a dark bluish green mix the color of swamp water, but its mane is moss green.

I was excited, finally something new and it had higher energy levels than the basic monsters back in the zones, though nowhere near close to the Night Stalkers. After a few seconds I noticed the beast was carrying something in its maw, it was an Earth rabbit. First things first this tells me that it needs to eat. Second, it's bringing the rabbit somewhere instead of just eating it where it killed it. I decided to follow the beast to see where it was taking its meal. After 5 minutes of tracking the beast, I notice that there are fewer animals around the further we go. This is likely due to the very monster I'm following and probably quite a few of its brethren. It's only an assumption but I'm quickly proven right a minute later when, as the beast starts to slow, I feel multiple energy signatures enter my range.

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The further I go the more signatures I can feel, at first it was 5 or 6 then 10 then 25 with most going in the same general direction as the one I followed to this point. However, there are also a few moving quickly in the other direction, only 6 of them that I can tell. After another minute following the beast, I have to stop and stay back, there's too many of the creatures around. Fortunately, I'm close enough now that I can sense where they've been heading. My mouth drops open in shock, there's easily 200 beasts up ahead, and at least a fourth of them are double or triple the strength of the one I was following going by their energy signatures.

The fact that they're grouping in such high numbers is so counterintuitive to what I've gotten used to that it takes my mind a few seconds to accept what I'm sensing. Trying to wrap my head around what's happening I move off to my left tracking down another beast I can feel coming in this direction, I want to see if these monsters are the same or if this is some sort of multi monster congregation. I find the same kind of monster, though with a smaller set of antlers and a blue hued mane instead of the moss green the one before had. All of this is so new and different, I had expected things to be mostly the same as in the city, but it seems I was wrong.

These monsters aren't all carbon copies of each other, and they're gathering in large groups. Could it be that this is just the way this type of monster operates? Like the night stalkers traveling in different group sizes and hunting at night. I could accept that if these monsters all looked the same, or even if there are two or three types. If these monsters are all different though I think this is something else entirely. From there I move to scout out more of the monsters, moving around the monsters almost feels like playing marco polo in a pool where the monsters are sending out signals and I'm moving around them staying out of sight. Luckily for me I'm cheating and not calling back.

The next beast is different still, with an orange mane and a bigger left antler than right. The monster is carrying food in its mouth just like the other two. I move on checking on one of the monsters leaving, this one has a muddy brown mane and small antlers with barely two points. This monster however, is not carrying any food. I nod to myself, it seems like all of them are either bringing food in or going out for more, but I wonder what the ones at the center that don't move are doing? I move to scout one more time when I sense a pair coming from further to the east. When I arrive, I see two of the beasts carrying a doe between them. The deer has bloody gouges along its body and its throat is ripped open.

With my scouting done I quietly leave the home of the new monster I found. After about 5 minutes of a light run, I find a tree and climb into its boughs. After considering what I've found I think it's safe to say these monsters are different than the ones back in the zones. Not only can they work together, and gather in massive groups, but they are all different in subtle ways. What does this mean? I ask myself. Certainly, these are quite different from the monsters I know, but does this hold true for everything I find outside of the zones? Before, I was ignoring the fact that Earth animals acted differently than the monsters, but considering this, could it be that these are a type of animal more than a system spawned monster? Does the distinction matter?

This was a lot to think about but after taking a break I decided the only way to get more answers was to hunt down one of these beasts. With my mind made up I dropped from the tree falling 30 feet before activating Burst and halting my momentum. However, I overestimated how much counterforce I needed and was shot a few feet into the air instead of smoothly canceling my velocity. With a snort and a shake of my head I waited and activated the skill again as I fell back to the ground, fortunately I had decided to overestimate rather than underestimate.

I traveled in a circle around the nest so that when I found one it would be far enough away from the others, I could do some field tests. It only took me 3 minutes to find one of the monsters hauling food back to its nest. This one was a little smaller than the others I had seen, but it still had 3 points on each of its antlers and a yellow mane. I'm not sure how these things work, but I don't think it's the same as deer. Unless every monster I've seen so far is male, which is a possibility, then every monster has a set of antlers, and they don't seem to be growing based on age or strength considering the barely 2 point I found was bigger than this one, and the beast in front of me has a stronger energy signature than the first one I followed which sported 5-6 points on each of its antlers.

I decided to try and get its attention to see what it would do. Based on its energy levels I could kill this thing easily enough and even if it tried to run, I should be able to kill it before it got away from me with burst. As it nears, I check to make sure none of the others have strayed from their path in this direction, then step out from behind a tree and into its path. It immediately slows to a stop, looking at me intently. Already this is different than the monsters in the zone. I wait not making a move, after 3 tense silent seconds the animal, because I'm sure it is one now, tilts its head, looks at me for 1 more second and then drops the squirrel in its moth to the side. Without hesitation it bares its teeth and lunges for me, my reaction speed is high enough that I saw its muscles tensing in time to move out of the way. I keep a set distance between me and the monsters as it lands and turns to me. Despite what I expected it actually doesn't attack again, it stops and stares at me. I can't tell if its smart enough to figure out that I am far beyond it or if it's just wondering how I got out of the way in time.

I have my answer in the next second as the beast takes a smaller leap forward before bounding into a second lunge. Honestly that almost got me I started taking another step to the side before I realized its first leap wouldn't take it all the way to me. From there I moved in the opposite direction and the monsters sailed by me 2 steps to my right having tried to anticipate my movement. I reset my distance as my mind processes what just happened. The monster just tried to outthink me and almost succeeded. While I would have been able to burst out of the way or just kill it before I was harmed, I was seriously impressed. These are nothing like the monsters I was used to where you could dodge it the same way 100 times and it would never learn. The monster doesn't stop this time as it turns and runs towards me snarling. As it approaches, I decide to stand my ground and try to damage it without killing it, I want to see if it will switch from fight to flight.

With a quick sidestep away from its antlers and a punch to the right side of its head I can tell that it's hurt but not deterred. I inwardly sigh at the reaction to my lowest stat, while not surprised I am a little disappointed. I up my game with the next clash by bringing out my knife and cutting a streak down its side as I pass by it, dodging the opposite way to avoid being impaled because of its ability to learn and predict where I'll go. With a long gash down its right side, it finally realizes that it's outclassed, and with a fearsome growl it turns and runs without even trying to pick up its meal. I nod, so they know when they're outmatched. With my field tests done I close the distance with the monster in two Bursts and cut clean through its neck with an Energy Blade. That last roar attracted some attention so with a smile I find the closest tree so I can watch what happens next.