Hei,

I’m sorry, for leaving without saying goodbye, but I can’t stay with you. Thank you for doing all that you have and trying to teach me how to survive in this world. I hope you find happiness and stay safe forever!

-Yin

 That’s it.

All she wrote.

Shaking my head, I go to the window and stare out into the town. I can see some footprints, but it hasn’t rained recently and they’re too faint.

Should I try to track her?

“She’s too low level…” I murmur to myself. It’s true. Yin might have some knowledge, and I even forced to her finish just about every zombie I could, so she’s pretty close to Lvl. 4 at this point, but there’s no way the shy girl will be able to survive on her own. Even if she unlocked the major stat boost at Lvl. 5, without my knowledge or a party to support her this world is too deadly for a solo Hunter.

Stepping out the window, I stay low to the ground, and stride through the town, following the tracks. The townspeople give me odd looks, but seeing as I’m leaving them alone, they don’t bother me. Hopefully they don’t make any bad assumptions about the two bodies in the abandoned house, but it should be a while before anyone goes to check. I’m able to accurately track Yin’s trail all the way to the edge of town. It seems like she’s still following the original plan and heading for the city. However, as I’m bending over to check the dirt, the worst-case scenario happens.

*Tap Tap Tap*

*Shua! *

Little raindrops land on my head and quickly blossom into a fine downpour. Depending on how long Yin waited for me to fall asleep before leaving, it could have been several hours since she left. In a few minutes, all but the most obvious tracks will be erased in the rain. After spending so long as a top Hunter, I’m no slouch when it comes to finding people, but it’d be risky with just my base skills.

“DAMNIT!” I curse to myself and hustle into the woods. “That girl doesn’t even know that sword’s a replica. If she tries to fight without sharpening it…!”

How am I going to find her if the rain washes away her footprints?

I wrack my brain. Suddenly, an idea comes to me. There is a way to find Yin, even if the rain washes away her footprints!

Running full throttle through the path, I temporarily give up on following Yin’s path and start searching for undead. See the thing is, once you hit Lvl. 5, you get a massive stat increase to all your base attributes and can choose where to allocate points afterwards. However, there’s something else. You’ll unlock the ability to learn System Skills. In my past life people were throwing anything from fireballs to straight up blasting enemies with lightning. Those overpowered skills were something you had to gain through hard battles with zombie bosses.

At Lvl. 5, I won’t have access to anything like that. But there’s one thing I will be able to gain. If you’re sufficiently proficient at a real-life skill, there are many Passive System Skills which can activate to boost your natural abilities to superhuman levels. In this case, I should be able to immediately gain the Advanced Tracking System Skill Passive. Rain or not, I should be able to easily track someone like Yin who has no idea how to hide her trail then.

“Wait…” As I’m running, looking for things to kill, a thought occurs to me. It didn’t rain last time. I’m out a little bit earlier, maybe I just slept through it? But I don’t remember it being wet when we went out. Is it possible that somehow this world is different than the last? This doesn’t make sense. “Ugh, I don’t have time to worry about this. Yin comes first!”

Suddenly I remember a way to instantly hit Lvl 5.

What if I challenge the Corrupted Bear? But I’m early, if it isn’t back at its cave yet, I’ll just waste time. Though with this rain, I bet it is. Even still, it’s tough, and then there’s that wolfpack which might ambush me again. No…it’s too dangerous. There’s a lot of them, and even if I win, I’ll be practically Lvl. 14. That’s way too high! Ugh, I guess I have no choice!

Springing to the riverside, I grab the first decent stone I can find and send it spinning down the river with a throw that would make Hercules proud.

One.

Two.

...

Thirty.

Forty skips later, the stone drops a good way down the surging river.

*Plunk!*

When it drops in the dark waters, the raindrops tumbling all around make the splash seem like just one of many.

“Please…please let there be someone in there!” I wish for another Drowned Soul with a fervency that no one in history has probably shared. For a minute, the rain pours down on my head and I stand there dumbly, slowly losing hope. Cold drops splatter into my eyes and make my eyelids heavy. When I wipe them with the back of my hand, that’s when they appear. I don’t know if it’s the sound a skipping stone makes, some special frequency, or just my luck, but even in the pouring rain they have noticed my throw.

A dozen Drowned Souls rise out of the river like mishappen fish with legs. Their mouths gape with bloated purple lips, sucking greedily at the rain even as bits of their rotting flesh flutter in the rapid river. They stare at me with a horrid greed. These frog-like undead are hungry. I stare back with an equal hunger, impatient for them to land.

“COME!”

“GIVE US WAAARRRRMMTTTH!” They scream as they leap straight out of the water. Black ribbons of brackish gunk fall from their bodies and I dodge out of the way as my cleaver comes out. Though they are Lvl. 6 or 7, I don’t care. All of them must die here for Yin’s sake. The first one lands on the shore-

“Die!” My cleaver flashes forward. I meet the undead even before it can regain its balance on the sand. There is a very good reason I was called the Black Butcher.  Unlike the other four Death Gods of the strongest party, I often hunted alone. And my specialty was mass slaughter. I ground out every bit of my experience from the blood of a hundred-thousand monsters. Now, though there is no one to see, I intend to take that title back, if only for a day!

*Shing*

My blood boils as a second Drowned Soul loses its head. The disgusting frog-like body slips back into the water and washes away as my level increases to three.

Just two more to go!

I whirl.

Slash behind me.

My cleaver sings

“Warm-“

Another head falls.

It is an endless dance, a gruesome battle beneath the cloudy sky and rainy river. At some point, I hit Lvl 4. But there is no time to celebrate. I’ve done my best to keep them from getting on the beach, but still six of them have survived the ascent and now lumber towards me. Eyeing their feet which leave no footprints, I back away and try to think of how to deal with so many. My muscles are sore, leveling gives you more stamina, but the true benefits won’t be seen instantly. Without a period of rest, I’m growing weaker in the cold rain. Even still, I find myself licking my lips in anticipation of the fight.

“That’s it! This feeling, it’s been a long time! Come on! COME ON!” A familiar bloodthirst, one which frightened both friend and foe in the past takes over my body. I’ve been holding back for the sake of the world. Always thinking of Yin, and making sure I don’t level too hard.

But now I can finally let loose!

 *Crack!*

I smash my cleaver down on the next one’s head. The shock of hitting its hard skull ripples through my white-knuckled grip but it feels good, solid, REAL!

*Splash*

My roundhouse kick catches another in the side of the head, and I spin, using my momentum to force its face into the river water. As it splutters, shouting and kicking its unnaturally long white legs, I stomp down on its neck.

*Snap*

Two down.

The third is already behind me. I spring forwards to avoid its hands and feel the wind of its claws passing over my neck. Swinging around, I don’t have time to deal with this one as a fourth approaches from the right.

“Nice.” I compliment them for surrounding me successfully. However, I’m not a Lvl. 1 Hunter anymore. All of my stats have been boosted massively by hitting Lvl 4. Crouching down, I unleash a roar as lightning surges in the dark skies and leap up.

*Kaboom*

I can just briefly see my shadow slipping over the disturbingly white Drowned Souls as they turn their heads and see me fly several body-lengths into the air. Sticking out my hand in midair, I give them the finger, enjoying taunting the undead. When I land outside their encirclement, instantly I slash backwards.

*Gurgle*

“War-!” The Drowned Soul’s last breath sounds surprised before I cut off its head. Thunder rumbles overhead as if to punctuate my landing and I let the deep vibrations roll through me. Clenching my fist, I grin at the last three Drowned Souls.

“You sure you still want to fight?” I call out though I know they will not understand. My confidence is not unfounded. In the corner of my vision, a special message from the system flashes gently.