Ch 120

  As the man with wolflike features observed Matt's hand morph into a blade composed of bone and tooth enamel, it became apparent that he was reconsidering his stance when asked if he was ready.

  "I thought we agreed on no weapons?" he questioned, a hint of unease in his voice.

  "Did you not just lead with the tips of your claws?" Matt responded, flashing a sly smile. "Though, I'll admit, mine could reach a bit deeper."

  "Exactly," the man concurred, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "In fact, I don't think there's any need for us to exchange blows at all. You've earned my respect just by taking that one from me."

  "See, but you don't have mine," Matt retorted, drawing his arm back as though preparing to slash downward with it. "If you want it, you won't move or block this. Otherwise, I suggest you leave behind whatever you use to haul your loot."

  Matt observed as the man with wolf-like features widened his eyes in surprise, bringing his arm down with an intent to strike his shoulder. Instead of remaining still, the man attempted to dodge backward. Matt, however, simply smiled, adjusting his stance and seamlessly shifting into a kick that landed solidly on the man's side. The combined force of the man's momentum and Matt's kick was significant, making Matt wonder if the man would rise again or choose to surrender. Regardless of the outcome, Matt remained unfazed, standing over the man and waiting patiently for his response, the air seemingly charged by the tension.

  As the man stood up, he gave Matt a scrutinizing look, as though reassessing everything about him while flexing his fingers. Instead of attacking and trying to land another blow on Matt, the wolflike man frowned, appearing to have an internal debate. Matt sensed that the man was contemplating how to handle the current situation and felt it was time to press his advantage.

  “I promise I won’t use the same trick as I did last time if you target right here,” Matt said confidently.

  Matt lifted his shirt, revealing his belly button with a cheeky smile.

  “Right, and then you’ll make sure your next hit is even harder,” retorted the wolflike man, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “I get it, you’re not a pushover, you don’t need to—”

  “Oh, but you see, I did and still do need to educate you on the proper way to treat others in the dungeon,” Matt interrupted, his tone serious. “The last thing you need is to anger someone less lenient than I am. So, here’s the deal: simply empty out all your loot, and I’ll take it while letting you keep your storage device. Do that, and you can consider this a lesson in not being overbearing with a group that far outnumbers you. Really, even if we were all E-ranked, I think we could handle your group, even if a few of us might have died in the process.”

  Matt didn’t actually believe that any of them would perish in such a fight, as they had already overcome stronger foes when they saved Sadao’s group. However, he felt it was best to show some respect to the group before them if he wanted to avoid killing them. It seemed that was the case as the wolflike man pulled out a pouch and began extracting items one by one. Once he finished, Matt waited for them to leave before placing everything on Scattered Stars’ exchange.

  “Do you really think that was wise?” Eleanor asked, once she was sure the other group had left. “What’s to stop them from tracking us down when they meet up with more of their friends?”

  “Who says they have any?” Greg responded confidently. “If anything, they’ll be very quiet about what just happened.”

  “Why?” Eleanor pressed. “Wouldn’t you want to get even?”

  “Sure,” Greg replied, shrugging. “But not if it required me to be humiliated along the way. Plus, Matt went easy on them, and they know it. Besides, they would need to find us again, and I don’t think such skill sets are common.”

  “How about we just get a move on and make sure we’re fighting a few levels higher by the time they have a chance to track us down,” suggested Matt. “Level 22 shouldn’t be too much of a stretch, judging by the four we fought at that level already.”

  “Those three were level 24,” Emily corrected. “Yet they were fighting well below their level, and I don’t think it’s because they’re being lazy.”

  “You think it is normal for people to fight well below their level?” Matt asked, raising an eyebrow. “Or are you alluding to something else?”

  “I am not sure,” Emily replied with a frown, “but I have a feeling that we should be more worried about those whose levels fit where they are than those who are over-leveled for an area.”

  Matt frowned deeply as he pondered the implications for the average person living within the system. The more he contemplated the system’s reliance on slaughter as a prerequisite for growth, the more he questioned what sorts of civilizations could possibly develop under such circumstances. Yet, he was also convinced that these civilizations must be somewhat advanced, considering what Tempormr had mentioned about the advancements the system had brought to Earth. Despite these thoughts, he set them aside as he replied.

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  “We just need to address the issues in front of us and focus on surviving for now. I’m not going to comment on a situation for which we have too little information. I can only hope that you all will trust me to handle situations like the one that just occurred to the best of my ability. And yes, I believe I was using a skill there.”

  "I know, you were," Emily remarked thoughtfully. "At least I believed you were, and that's why I didn't try to stop you. I figured that was your plan all along."

  "It was," Matt concurred with a nod. "But honestly, I was just improvising, letting my instincts take the lead. I suppose it worked out in the end, and I should be grateful that sometimes things do fall into place. Now, let's get moving."

  With that, Matt led his party forward, heading in the opposite direction of the other group. As the day wore on, they crossed paths with three other groups, each consisting of three or four members. Only one of these encounters amounted to anything more than an exchange of glances before they all continued on their separate ways. The encounter that didn't end so peacefully unfolded much like their first one, but Matt sensed that this group was more likely to cause them trouble in the long run. Consequently, the confrontation turned violent, and the four members of that group became experience points, unprepared to handle Matt's prowess. Meanwhile, Bob skillfully maneuvered around them to cut off any chance of retreat. As for their bodies, Matt had no qualms about tossing them into his spatial storage, ensuring they left no trace behind.

  Either way, things were looking promising when they managed to find an empty safe room. They efficiently set up a watch schedule, arranging for pairs of them to stay awake while the others slept. However, the challenge was that none of them had an effective method for tracking time to determine when to switch shifts. Lacking a better solution, they all agreed that one pair would stay on watch for the entire night, rotating through everyone in the group. The plan was to allow the pair who had been on duty to take a nap while the others had breakfast. This way, they could ensure that everyone got at least a few hours of rest and had the opportunity to reset their essence skills, readying themselves for the challenges ahead.

  Matt took the first of these shifts, and after a bit more arguing than he would have liked, he asserted that Bob would be his partner for all his shifts. Although Bob was less than happy to hear that he wouldn’t get to sleep, something he cherished deeply, he didn’t put up much of a fight. However, Matt suspected that the bobcat would sneak off to sleep the moment he wouldn’t be caught by the others. After all, Matt felt confident in staying awake by himself and didn’t feel the need to rely on someone else to keep him alert. Still, as he sat there passing the time while the others drifted into slumber, he decided to enjoy a conversation with Bob, who had shown real growth as his cognitive abilities increased.

  “Do you miss life before all of this?” Matt asked, breaking the silence.

  “Not really,” responded Bob, in Matt’s mind. “I miss fresh fish guts and lounging around most of the day, but now I understand far more and feel it is a fair trade.”

  “Right. What did you think about me before all of this?” Matt inquired, curious about Bob's perspective.

  “You gave me fish guts and had a warm place for me to sleep. What was there for me to think other than you made a nice servant,” Bob replied with a hint of feline superiority.

  “Is that right? So, all the jokes Greg makes about cats thinking they are gods are accurate?” Matt chuckled, amused by Bob's candidness.

  "We would have needed to know what a god was to think we were one," retorted Bob, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I just didn’t care about anything but my own needs, and you seemed quite happy to help me with them. Plus, your food storage attracted so many tasty snacks for me to hunt."

  "You know that was a big part of why I kept you around," commented Matt, a hint of amusement in his tone.

  "See, even without trying, I was awesome. Now the real question is what is wrong with you?"

  "I think you need to be more specific," Matt replied, raising an eyebrow.

  "You’ve got five possible mates all willing to have your—"

  "I am not taking advice on that subject from a cat," Matt interrupted, shaking his head in disbelief.

  "See, that’s your problem," replied Bob as he stretched out luxuriously and got comfortable on his crude mattress, his tail flicking lazily. "You’re stuck on how things used to be, and Greg has turned you off on the idea of indulging in them all. So, you’re going to end up doing nothing and watch as all five move on one day."

  "That sounds fine to me," defended Matt, though his voice wavered slightly. "I—"

  "Don’t actually want to be alone," Bob cut in confidently. "You would have gotten rid of me if you did. No, you just don't want to have tough conversations or commit to anyone."

  "It sure sounds like I am destined to be alone," retorted Matt with a sigh. "Relationships are nothing but tough conversations and commitment. People are not like bobcats; we don’t just show up, get a woman pregnant, and go about our day, at least not the decent ones."

  "What’s so wrong with that?" asked Bob, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "It’s not like we lie about how things are going to be. After all, even if you were to commit to someone, are you going to have them fighting at your side while pregnant?"

  "No, and you’re right, if I did have a kid, I would likely not be there for them, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to be," Matt admitted, his voice softening.

  "You humans say things that simply make no sense," Bob remarked with a yawn. "Now, I am going to nap. Wake me if anything happens."

  "Right," snorted Matt as he stood up and moved towards the entrance of the safe room. "Just don’t come crying to me when Emily yells at you later."

  Bob didn’t respond, leaving Matt alone with his thoughts as time seemed to crawl by. This, as it turned out, was not ideal for him. He pondered Bob’s comments about relationships and their implications for his own life. Even though he had postponed dealing with any of the women's affections until after they returned to Earth, he realized that unless they all moved on, he was bound to face some trouble. Despite this, he hoped to dissuade anyone who insisted on pursuing a relationship with him by giving them exactly what they wanted: his unchanged self. In other words, he would continue being the same callous person he always was in relationships—a notorious jerk who refused to engage in any drama.

  As Matt smiled to himself, satisfied with his plan, he noticed another group approaching the safe room.