Ch 130

  Matt could tell that the horned rabbit-man wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear that the pizzas in front of him weren’t the best that Earth had to offer. The rabbit-man eyed the pizza topped with a cured meat similar to ham and a purple fruit that reminded Matt of pineapple’s taste and texture, at least based on his distant memory. After all, Matt hadn't tasted a pineapple in years, and that was only because Apricity always insisted on making him try foods he couldn’t find at his secluded cabin whenever he visited.

  Nonetheless, as the vice leader of Godfrey Enterprises lifted the covering and took a slice of the contentious pizza, he didn’t immediately spit it out. He even took a second bite, ensuring he included both the fruit and meat in his mouthful. However, after that bite, he set the slice down and turned his attention back to Matt.

  “It’s not something I’ll be seeking out, but I can understand why some might enjoy it,” he said.

  “Are you afraid of controversy?” Matt inquired, sensing that the answer he received was evasive. “Is that why you’re stuck here, never taking sides and always just doing what you’re supposed to?”

  “It appears you have no regard for your life and seek to provoke me regardless,” replied the rabbit-man, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I think I will still insist on you marrying at least one of my daughters. Unless, of course, you would be willing to accept all of them into Scattered Stars and give them permission to grow as they see fit.”

  Matt finally felt he understood the purpose behind his capture. He sighed deeply, taking in the now-silent surroundings. As he surveyed the area, a part of him was puzzled by how a horned rabbit-man could blend with other races and have so few daughters who shared his distinct features. He concluded that it must be due to some system quirks, with the mothers' genes being dominant in determining the species of the offspring. Meanwhile, the room had fallen into a hushed stillness, as every woman paused what she was doing to listen intently to the answer Matt was about to give.

  "No, on both counts," replied Matt with a weary sigh. "I will only allow those who aspire to become the best to join Scattered Stars. This means they must face death head-on and emerge triumphant. If they are willing to risk their lives and confront death without complaint to grow stronger, then they are welcome—not just your daughters, but anyone who wishes to join. Those who merely want to leech off my organization will find their welcome quickly worn out, and no pity will be given."

  "Interesting," the man responded, raising an eyebrow. "Do you have no intent to develop craftsmen, administrators, traders, or any other category besides those who engage in combat?"

  "If someone wants to work with leather, they will be expected to be able to kill anything they wish to craft with," Matt explained with determination. "I will likely actively encourage my members to pursue crafts, but that is no reason for them to let themselves be vulnerable if attacked. While I may lay claim to my home world, I don’t intend to even have a building bearing the name of my organization. Instead, we will be spread out, and each member will need to stand on their own."

  "You intend for each member to be vulnerable to the whims of those in power—"

  "No," Matt interrupted firmly, "I intend to stand at the top of any power structure and make organizations like yours fear my wrath should they act out of line."

  "Then you will find your members becoming arrogant and instigating issues with others," countered the rabbit-man, turning slightly before looking up with a knowing gaze. "You accuse me of not taking sides, but why should I when none see things the way I do? You are nothing but a rebellious child to those like me in the universe, and declaring that you will stand atop the power ladder only serves to highlight how little you know. Figures like Tempormr and Radoznaormr are older than anyone knows, and both have killed hundreds of thousands of S-ranked individuals with little struggle."

  "Cool, and where does Godfrey Enterprises' top brass land compared to them?" Matt inquired, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

  "We don’t," the rabbit-man admitted, his tone growing somber. "We survive by being below their notice, and now you have forced us up against one of them. If you are unable to get Tempormr to side with us, it will be the end of all of us—"

  "Weak," Matt interjected, his voice dripping with ridicule. "You talk as if you have my life in your hands, but you can't even control your own. You even admit to being afraid to attack me, someone who is more than 200 levels beneath you. I don't even possess a tenth of the stats you have, and yet—"

  "You break the rules," the rabbit-man interrupted, halting Matt's tirade. "Whatever your bloodline is, it seems to be something the system can't contain now that it's been awakened. Just reviewing what you did to Hanklin during your first encounter makes it clear that you can't be judged by ordinary standards. This is why my only option is either to kill you with a single strike or to hold someone you care about hostage. Just know that if you force me to take hostages to get what I want, you will end up as nothing more than a breeding stud until you are forcibly returned to your world by the system."

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  "So, you do wish to have both Tempormr and Radoznaormr seeking your destruction," Matt replied, a hint of defiance in his tone.

  "No, that is precisely why I will allow you to contact Tempormr to request his aid. If he agrees, you will have the leverage you need to deny my demands. However, I expect you to honor your word regarding any of my daughters who wish to seek power." The rabbit-man's eyes glinted with a cold determination, underscoring the seriousness of his proposition.

  "Strive to stand alone against any threat," Matt corrected. "If their intention is to place others beneath them and dominate, they have no place in Scattered Stars. Those fools who try to exploit my organization in such a way will quickly learn that I am not a merciful leader."

  "Very well, now if you would reach out to Tempormr and secure his agreement—"

  "And just how am I supposed to do that, given that I've been cut off from him except when I level up in areas beyond Godfrey Enterprises’ control?"

  "Why is he forced to operate under such restrictions?"

  Matt frowned, attempting in vain to mentally ask Tempormr that very question, but he received no response. He wished he understood all the rules, limitations, and loopholes that allowed Tempormr to contact him in the ways he had, but that knowledge eluded him. Instead, he turned to the rabbit-man and replied to his inquiry.

  "Don't ask me when I know far less than you do. Still, if you have a way for me to speak to him, I'll gladly do so."

  The rabbit-man frowned, then sighed heavily before speaking. "There is a way, and it will only take a few hours to arrange. However, it will involve others whom I would prefer not to include at this stage due to the complications your actions have caused. So, I will need time to handle the arrangements, and you will need to wait here with my daughters while I do so."

  Matt could almost feel the smugness radiating from the rabbit-man as he declared that Matt would have to spend time with his daughters. As the rabbit-man turned to leave, Matt made a simple request.

  "Just send me back to the room—"

  "You are no longer living in that room," the rabbit-man interjected, raising his hand authoritatively. "Like it or not, you are now under my care and will stay in my accommodations until I say otherwise. Besides, I would like for you to get to know a few of my daughters, as I suspect that at least some will accept the conditions you’ve set."

  Matt wanted to retort, but the rabbit-man vanished in an instant, leaving Matt alone and surrounded by a crowd of women. To put it mildly, this was just about the last situation he wanted to be in, especially as they all seemed to take the rabbit man leaving as their cue to approach him. However, it seemed he wasn’t entirely being thrown to the wolves, as the rabbit-woman who had led him in reappeared. Her presence caused the others to halt as she began to speak.

  "Our father has high hopes for all of us and takes great care not to spoil any of us too much. Though he does play favorites, which is why I was the one to guide you in and why I’ll be the first to speak with you. Now, tell me. Why are you so against taking any of us as a wife?"

  "I know nothing about any of you, and if I ever do marry, it will be to a woman who can stand next to me in battle. None of you are that, and I will only ever marry a single woman. So, no matter what any of you say—"

  "The most you'll do is have some fun and leave us hanging," concluded the rabbit-woman with a resigned sigh. "At least you're honest about it. I can't tell you how many women become mates to some fool with twenty other wives and never get a moment of attention once they give birth to their first child. From what I gathered from Naomi, it seems you agree that the state of women in this world is pathetic and should be corrected. So, tell us, if we joined your organization and fought our way to the top, what would happen then?"

  "What’s the top?" inquired Matt, a curious smile playing on his lips. "Where your father sits? Whatever level Tempormr is on? Tell me, where do you think you could call yourself the top?"

  "I see, you would have us slaughter millions of S-ranks that don’t even exist. I think you completely misunderstand how the universe works," she replied, a hint of frustration in her voice.

  "The system provides easy places to level up in the form of dungeons, but even they are deadly. Thus, with each level, fewer and fewer people exist, and the fights inevitably lead to many not risking themselves. As a result, only a few ever reach A-rank, let alone S-rank," Matt explained, his tone thoughtful.

  "No," the rabbit-woman countered, shaking her head. "Once you reach S-rank, the system provides no monsters to fight, and all other sources of experience are significantly reduced. Thus, you either have a job like the one my father does or seek out others that you can kill to fuel your leveling. It’s why those like Tempormr and Radoznaormr maintain their position at the top. There are plenty who wish to unseat them and bring an end to the tyranny that those they see as below them suffer, but it’s just not feasible." Her voice carried a note of defeat, her eyes reflecting the harsh reality of their world.

  "I see you've given up and are a terrible fit for Scattered Stars," stated Matt, his voice dripping with disdain. "What you fail to see is that I don’t care about what others believe the path requires. Even if I have to face those hundreds of levels above me to progress, I will. Yes, that means I don’t even fear having to face your father if push comes to shove, although I would be more than happy to avoid that battle."

  The expression on the rabbit-woman’s face, along with the looks on the rest of the women’s faces, was enough to tell Matt that they were reconsidering what it meant to reach for the top. He believed he had successfully avoided any of them stepping forward to discuss things further, when one woman with cat-like features and a fur pattern reminiscent of an orange tabby cat stepped forward and spoke with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

  "That sounds like a ton of fun, and I would love to at least be there for the show. However, I don't think taking on those hundreds of levels above me is in my cards. I can at most aspire to fight a few levels above my own."