The scent of forest and dirt and underbrush is pleasant as we make our way south, roughly following the interstate that, against all odds, still largely exists. I’m not sure whether the interstates were spared by System benevolence or because a lot of people spent a lot of time and money and blood to fend off the creatures lurking within the countryside. Already, a lot of the smaller highways and roads outside of town have been thoroughly scrapped, a logical consequence of monsters and the changing landscape and everything else that’s happened since the System arrived.

  A convoy of cars and trucks drives past. Multiple military vehicles, armed and armored to the teeth, both head and trail a fleet of about thirty semi-trucks, each hauling vital goods and messages to keep people fed, clothed, and stocked up on all the important supplies needed to keep the population alive and away from the twin demons of panic and despair.

  Other than supply trucks and the occasional construction or utility truck, all escorted by military personnel, I don’t see a single car or truck on roads that would otherwise be packed with people driving toward destinations both near and far. I’m sure it’s causing no shortage of stir-craziness, especially with the pandemic still within all-too-recent memory. And I can imagine just as easily that there will be no shortage of individuals eager to take out their frustrations upon our elected officials upon the seat of their power.

  That, on top of the [Crime Lords] and similar that have been reported trying to carve up their spheres of influence back home. My respect for the military and even the National Guard has gone up a fair amount over the course of the apocalypse. Even Jackie, who I still barely get along with professionally, much less personally, has always acted with honor, bravery, integrity, and some sort of personal morals. The same can’t be true of the local police, who have consistently operated with cowardice, incompetence, and a general disregard for the general welfare of the people who are foolish enough to rely on them.

  During our brief lunchtime break, while Lindsey is off scouting ahead and foraging for edibles, I am waiting around our temporary campsite, practicing both my [Intermediate Ether Manipulation] and my basic combat forms. Partly to learn more hand-to-hand combat techniques, but mostly to try to awaken whatever hidden potential still lies within me. The legacy of the 「Anomaly」 and the power that Dr. Chotono, Madison, and the entire researchers staked their entire careers and even their lives to give me.

  “Are you feeling any better now, Sera?” Chloe asks, knocking me out of my meditations.

  “A lot better. I was getting a lot of work done while we were back at Ft. Still, but I was getting a little antsy being stuck in the relative safety of the city, away from the monsters that need to be curtailed and levels I desperately need.”

  “You know, it’s a bit strange, how eager you are to be out here in the middle of nowhere. I understand it, I know why we’re doing this, but even though it’s only been a few hours, I miss having a steady supply of clean water and easy access to foot. And, you know, actual toilets and toilet paper.”

  “I miss those all too.”

  “Which means, Miss Mechanist, you should really be prioritizing a way to, I dunno, turn all these trees into the extra soft stuff!”

  I look at Chloe, whose indignant stare pierces right through me. “I would love to, for my own personal gain as well as for you and Lindsey. But it took four weeks and a team of two robotics professors and twenty graduate and undergraduate researchers just to build this arm, and that’s a lot less complex than whatever it would take to transmute trees directly into bathroom tissue.”

  “Bathroom tissue?”

  “You’ve never noticed that you can’t buy ‘toilet paper’ anymore? Sure, it’s there and all, but it’s all labeled as ‘bathroom tissue’ on the packaging. Or am I the only one who’s ever noticed that?”

  Chloe rolls her eyes at me. “I guess I never noticed.”

  I hear a rustle from behind me. I’m immediately up, shielding Chloe with my body as I draw my left arm and ready it to fire at a moment’s notice. It’s not Lindsey; she’s not so careless as to make such an obvious error with her [Silent Tracking] skill. If she wanted us to see her coming, she’d be making a lot more noise. Either a monster, or some sort of [Assassin] class trying to catch us unaware.

  “Be prepared for anything,” I whisper. “If you see or feel an injury, prepare your [Antidote] spell right away. Stealth hunters often employ poison.”

  Chloe gives me a nod. I flicker on [Ethersight] and look around, my eyes never lingering on any one spot for more than a fraction of a second. We stand back to back, my gun arm ready to fire, bullets set to the [Repulsion] mode.

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  There’s that damn sound of rustling leaves again. And whoever, or whatever it is is able to shield themselves from both my visual sight as well as my [Ethersight].

  I feel a touch upon my right shoulder, soft and warm, followed by the notification that I’m now under the effect of Chloe’s [Angelic Blessing]. Even if I was designed to be a guardian angel, it seems to be Chloe who’s truly embodying the notion, both in spirit and in deed. With my stats raised by a quarter for the next hour, my [Ethersight]’s range is expanded outward… And now I see something lurking within the trees, just outside of my range.

  I don’t stare at it for more than an instant, though I never let it leave my peripheral vision. Now that I know what I’m looking at and our stalker friend hasn’t yet caught on, I need to maintain the information advantage. I dare not think that I have a surplus of stats to engage in single-combat, nor that it’s lacking in other tricks to use against us.

  Warm late-spring wind blows upon my cheeks. My muscles are tense, my ears constantly twitching, watching, listening, waiting. With my senses amplified by Chloe’s spell proportionally to my stats, I can hear both of our hearts as they quickly beat in synchronization. I glance up, then back down. No low-pitched rumbles that would indicate some sort of tremors beneath us. The branches in the canopy are moving as I would expect them to. Nothing bending or breaking out of place.

  I’m pushed back by something colliding with my metallic arm. A… sharpened leaf of some sort. It’s heavier than leaves ought to be, and doesn’t do more than bounce off my arm. Another weakness of the prosthetic: a general lack of proprioception. If it hits hard enough to reverberate into my torso, I feel it. But something can graze against my left arm and I’d be no more knowledgeable about it unless I perceived it through another sense.

  Damn it… What is it, and how long is it just going to watch us? Is that how it intends to fight? Just throw projectiles at us, hoping we’ll succumb at some point? I can’t see that ending in any way other than stalemate. Chloe’s healing is too good, and both of our [Ether] regeneration is too high. But, eventually we’ll have to sleep, so… Ugh, so frustrating being in a group of three instead of eight!

  It charges toward us, directly at Chloe. It’s invisible to my eyes, but not to my [Ethersight]. I wait and wait as it approaches, not wanting to give away the capabilities of my body and arm just yet. My left hand grazes against Chloe’s hip and waist, bending backward at the elbow the way human elbows can’t.

  Our friend doesn’t notice until a dozen blasts from an [Ether Bullet Barrage] are already launched directly into its chest. The cloaking field around the creature dissipates, revealing some sort of odd creature like nothing I immediately recognize. It is about six and a half feet tall, with a body covered in leaves and other foliage. Its arms and legs are like vines or tentacles, flexible, whiplike, probably used for grappling of some sort. I suspect it meant to ensnare Chloe and then try to either suffocate her or administer venom while she was incapacitated and unable to cast her spells.

  I see the System notifications pop up, assigning my four free stat points to [Mind]. Without my [Blassed Sword] for consistent damage or other allies to fight offensively alongside me, I’m even more reliant on keeping my [Ether] maximized.

  [Your Party has slain a Foreststalker (Level 28). You have gained a boosted 7,200 Experience.]

  [You have gained enough Experience to reach level 26. [Vitality] +1, [Mind] +1. Please assign free stat points (Remaining: 4).]

  [Maximum Health increases by [Vitality] x2 + Current Level + Rand[1, 3] = 151]

  [Maximum Ether increases by [Mind] + Current Level + Rand[0, 2] = 108]

  [Level: 26; Experience: 127,595; To Next: 22,505]

  [Current Stats: [Health]: 581 / 2,442 ; [Ether]: 186 / 1,544]

  [Current Stats: [Strength]: 31 (25); [Speed]: 31 (25); [Vitality]: 77 (62); [Mind]: 99 (80)]

  Once my levels are processed, I turn to Chloe, who’s shaken, but otherwise alright. She buries her head in my chest, and I hold her with my right arm. Even now, I don’t drop my guard. Such a creature might well be a pack hunter, watching us, waiting for us to let ourselves be vulnerable. To mourn, to process, to become lax, all while picking the perfect moment to take vengeance.

  I assume each creature touched by the System is sentient, capable of at least animal levels of intelligence. I trust they have a survival instinct of some sort, and seeing what I’m capable of might give them pause, convince them that we’re a morsel too chewy and spicy to waste time and lives trying to consume. But if they are sapient, motivated by vengeance or the sheer thrill of the hunt, then this display might only embolden them further. This part scares me.

  Lindsey emerges out of some nearby trees, carrying with her a jug full of fresh water, some berries, and a couple of rabbits for lunch. She takes one look at my handwork and shoots me a knowing look.

  “You two okay?” she asks. “Sorry it took so long; hunting has been slim around here. I think I know why, now that I see whatever that is.”

  “We’re fine,” I say. “A little shaken after the ambush, but we’re both physically uninjured.”

  Chloe pulls away from me and nods. “Thanks to Sera.”

  “This one was only level 28, but I’m worried there may be more of them lurking about. What do you think?” I ask.

  Lindsey pauses for a few seconds. “I agree. We should probably head back toward the interstate and leave this place be. Too little food, too much we don’t know, and not nearly enough people to make a scouting party, if we do decide to try to exterminate the lot of them at some point.”

  “Anything else we need to worry about?” Chloe asks. “Do we have enough water and other supplies for the trip?”

  “We should be fine,” Lindsey says. “There’s a few creeks along the way, and we have the ability to boil and purify water to keep our stocks high.”

  “Let’s make haste,” I say. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this place.”