An Explosive Hunt and New Alliances
"Well, I knew this was going to happen," muttered Bert, using his short gnome legs to run as fast as he could out of the dense forest. Ahead of him, Loli, with surprising agility, had basically floated through the air and was already waiting for them outside, her dark wings just a faint shimmering halo. The others were running beside him at a desperately slow pace.
Behind them, at least twelve horned rabbits with glowing red eyes were trying to stab them with their sharp appendages. The only reason these creatures—known for their speed—hadn't caught them yet was because of the burn marks scorched into their fur.
And the story of how they ended up in this explosive situation went like this…
Thirty Minutes Earlier
"Hey, it seems like the traps are less effective. I'm pretty sure they're learning," said Sig, observing the traps they had set earlier. As time went on, fewer rabbits were falling into them.
"Seems like it," Bert calmly agreed. It made sense. These were demonic beasts, not the usual animals they had known back in their world. "Maybe we should send someone to lure them in, at least until Sig finishes crafting his puppet to use as bait," Bert suggested.
Immediately, all eyes turned to Loli.
"Me?" she said, surprised by the unanimous scrutiny.
"You're the fastest among us—even have wings," said Sig, nodding firmly.
"But I can't even use them properly yet," Loli replied quickly, frowning.
"Still, you're ten times faster than any of us," Bert pointed out with a sly smile.
"Ugh, fine. But if I die, it's on you," said Loli with a hint of annoyance, though she resigned herself to the role.
With a sigh, Loli stepped into the forest. She looked around cautiously, then ventured in. On her fifth step, a rustle sounded in the grass, and a rabbit leapt out, staring at her with glowing red eyes. Without hesitation, Loli turned around and sprinted full speed back out of the woods. The rabbit followed, just as fast.
Loli jumped over one of the traps, and the rabbit, chasing closely behind, stepped right into it, getting its leg caught.
Then, using some improvised spears made from rabbit horns and wood—lacking magical enhancements or skills, but clearly more effective than rocks or plain branches—they set to work finishing off the rabbit. Bert and Sig realized that, even without an explicit damage bonus like the sword they'd found, the rabbit's health bar dropped much faster. It was likely because the damage type had changed to "Piercing," which logically inflicted more actual harm.
After being quite ruthless with the rabbit, Loli continued serving as bait for a while. Every five minutes, they managed to kill one rabbit. However, after the fifth one, the rabbits stopped chasing Loli outside the forest and instead turned back toward the grass where they usually hid.
"I've got it. I'll just throw fire and burn them," said Loli, a brilliant idea lighting up her face.
"Well, you've got a skill. Better to use it and get better control over it," said Bert, nodding at his sister's idea.
Loli cautiously stepped back into the forest. As she approached the bush the rabbits usually jumped from, it remained still. She picked up a rock and threw it at the bush, hoping to provoke a reaction, but still, nothing came out.
Tilting her head, Loli carefully circled the bush. That's when she noticed a hole behind it: a burrow.
Quickly, an idea forming in her mind, she gestured to the others. They approached, glancing around attentively. When they saw the burrow, they instantly understood Loli's plan: cast fire into the hole and burn them all at once.
"Wait! Let's block the entrance so they can't get out," Sig said quickly, dragging over thick branches and sticking them into place like a crude wooden grate over the burrow entrance.
Meanwhile, Bert was trying to remember something. Back on Earth, they hadn't seen real animals in a long time, but there was a saying that always came up.
"Rabbit burrows always have two exits," said Bert, recalling it just as Loli shouted—
"Nova Estelar!"
She launched a golden-colored fireball into the burrow with all her strength, using up a large portion of her mana. When it reached its destination, it exploded, briefly lifting the earth. Then, a blast of golden fire erupted from behind a nearby tree, and several rabbits were hurled through the air by the stellar flames.
Meanwhile, multiple [You have killed Horned Rabbit] notifications popped up in front of Loli.
The remaining survivors, now injured, turned to face them. Their eyes still glowed red, and their bodies were lightly scorched by the cosmic fire.
Without hesitation, Loli bolted. She didn't want to die—she had just evolved and had no idea if she'd lose her evolution upon dropping a level.
The others followed at full speed behind her. Fortunately, the rabbits were wounded from the blast, which made them slower.
Bert, without missing a beat, threw his talismans while running. The rabbits close enough to reach him stepped on them and exploded, sent flying by the blasts. Though they didn't die immediately, the talismans dealt heavy damage and slowed them down, their bodies torn and burned. The players had to operate like this—they were on the run, with no time to analyze the monsters' full health stats. But after killing so many rabbits, they'd learned the pattern: after the next hit, they'd enter a fury mode, lowering their defense, and could be finished off in three strikes.
Bert was confident that one more talisman would do it.
And that's exactly what he did—but by mistake: he threw all the talismans at once.
When one rabbit stepped on the first seal, the entire group of talismans detonated in a chain reaction, unleashing a massive explosion that scorched part of the trees and annihilated all twelve horned rabbits in one spectacular burst.
Experience hit them like a surge.
They all stood frozen, stunned by the sheer magnitude of the explosion. Even Bert hadn't expected that outcome.
At that very moment, the familiar system notification sound rang out around them like a wave:
[Ding!]
[EXP Gained]
[EXP Gained]
[EXP Gained]...
"Hey, do you think the corpses in that state will still drop loot?" asked Sig, pointing at a few rabbits that were nothing more than meat paste splattered against one of the trees. Only about five intact rabbits remained.
"I think this game is way too realistic," said Alfred, glancing at the blood everywhere. Even his bones had some splatter on them.
"Still, we can hunt rabbits much faster now. Before, we had to hit them at least ten times with spears to kill them. Now, with just two or three... or twenty talismans, they go down easily," Sig added, trying to hold back his laughter.
"Whatever. Talismans are powerful. It's a major improvement," Bert said with slight annoyance. However, he realized he had used up all his talismans, meaning he'd have to craft more—which would take a fair amount of time.
…
Meanwhile, back in the village—just as a massive column of smoke and fire was rising in the distance—Lua was speaking with the system, her expression calm, as if nothing had happened.
"Host, why don't we start producing items to sell? That way we can recover mana stones and gradually introduce commerce," suggested Sia, with her usual robotic and calm voice.
"Sell?" Lua repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly. NPCs usually sell items that help players survive. Sure, players can craft their own gear, but that consumes time they could be using for combat or gathering. If you produce items in advance and sell them, it saves them time and boosts their efficiency."
Lua tilted her head slightly, thoughtful.
"And how would we get the mana stones? You said you can't absorb them unless the players use them to craft or level up," she asked, still skeptical.
"It's simple. We can assign missions. If the players complete tasks you define, we give them mana stones as rewards. Then, those same stones can be used to buy the items you crafted with the materials they gathered. Everything stays within the natural cycle of the system."
Lua nodded slowly. It made sense. It would keep the players focused, give them direction... and allow her to maintain control over the camp's development.
Besides, she liked the players who had arrived so far. They were serious, responsible, cooperative. People worth keeping around.
"Now that we have two more players, I could craft them some spatial bags. Maybe a few low-level talismans too, since they can't use the higher-tier ones yet. As for weapons... I don't know how to forge. But with my current Tailoring level, I could probably make some basic leather armor, maybe with a minor enchantment or two," Lua said aloud, reflecting.
Even though her Enchanter and Tailor professions weren't as developed as her main specializations—Rune Engraver and Talisman Master—they were still useful enough to cover the basic needs of new players.
"That's the spirit, Host. You must begin right away," Sia encouraged enthusiastically. Then she added, almost like an unexpected gift:
"Oh, by the way. With the death of the Draconic Lion and the monsters the players have defeated so far—with your help included—we've gathered enough energy to summon two more players."
"Really? Then bring them in. If they're like the ones we have now, they'll be welcome," Lua replied with a faint, barely visible smile.
From the system's perspective, that fleeting smile changed everything. Lua had been a stoic, cold figure for so long—always distant. But it wasn't that she lacked emotion. She just... hadn't had a reason to show it.
And that sparked something in Sia:
"I must do everything I can to make sure she can be happy too."
A new directive formed in its programming core. Unwritten, uncommanded—
But as clear as a star in the night.