Sorry for the slow pace. This is somewhat of a slice of life series.

The pace will be better in the next, next chapter.


Chapter 8: Exploring the Lands

When you're physically and mentally unable to sleep and forced to stay awake at all hours, you're bound to go a little bit insane out of boredom. Against my better judgment, I went out alone early morning to explore the lands east of the settlement. The sun wasn't out leaving only the pale light from the broken moon as the only source of natural light.

The System has the map updated thanks to the documents and maps of the settlers' previous explorations, clearing most of the fog of war on the map, and giving me rough visuals of the terrain.

This leaves me with the harder reached part of the island, mostly rugged forest mountains and landmasses far off from the settlements.

The funny thing about maps is that your perception of distance is greatly skewed depending on the scale. That is if you're an amateur navigator like me. I may have taken the Outlands Expedition Training course, but I'm not a dedicated explorer. If you want people who know what they're doing, take it up with our Recon teams, or better yet the Expeditionary Task Force.

Also, another funny thing about maps; it tends to lead you to precarious situations. Like waltzing into a nest of Grimm within the forest's canopy.

[Great Dracbek Lv73 (BOSS)]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: None
Perk: [Horde Leader]
HP: 19804/19804

[The Grimm's Horde Leader has called for reinforcements]

'At least everything is low leveled here…'

I effortlessly dodged an attack from an Ursa Minor and separated its neck from its shoulders with one clean swipe of my blade.

[Critical hit!]

[Ursa Minor Lv33]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: None
HP: 0/5833

[You gained 95 EXP]
[You received 36 Lien]

More Creatures of Grimm had begun to pour out of the forests consisting of Dracbeks, Ursai, Gwyllgi, and Satyri.

Dracbeks (Dracbek if singular) look like fantasy lizardfolk-like Grimm. They're capable of standing on their hind legs and have elongated, but powerful necks and arms. They are like Beowolves, only much tougher thanks to their hardened scales and status effects caused by their venoms that they like to spit. There are two basic types of Dracbeks, Great Dracbeks, and regular Dracbeks. The Great Dracbeks are simply bigger, smarter, and stronger than the regular ones.

Ursai (Ursa if singular) are Grimm that looks like bears. They're huge, tanky, fast, and have a powerful swipe and bite. Other than that, there's nothing special about them. They're categorized as Ursa Minor or Ursa Major with the latter being a stronger version to the former.

Gwyllgi, or Hellhounds if you can't pronounce the official name, are quadrupedal wolves or dog-like Grimm that are nimble and vicious. They always hunt in packs and love to flank their prey. When a Gwyllgi gets old and powerful enough, it's called an Alpha Gwyllgi.

Last is the Satyri (Satyrus if singular). They're oversized agile monkey-like Grimm who are intelligent enough to use tools to fight. Though they mostly prefer to claw, bite, strangle, and maim their prey half of the time. They also have a habit of screeching and hooting to annoy and demoralize you. When one becomes smart and strong enough, it'll become a Great Satyrus and it's a huge pain to fight against.

All of these types of Grimm here are low leveled and can easily be dispatched, but I shouldn't act carelessly. This is no longer a game, and I don't think I'll be respawning if I died.

Skill [Inner Focus (ACTIVE) – Temporarily increases Critical Rate by 50% and Critical Damage by 225%] [Level 25]

Skill [Aura Augmentation: Gleaming Conduit (ACTIVE) – Imbues a weapon with volatile spiritual energy, increasing damage and temporary unlocks new active skills] [Level 23]

My mechanized weapon begins to glow dark crimson, empowered by my overflowing Aura that also acts as a lure to the horde of Grimm. I pressed my lips tightly, trying to ignore the irritating shrieks and grunts of the Satyri jumping around the treetops.

I hold my ground and waited for more Grimm to group up around their Horde Leader.

'Here we go.'

With a deep breath, I drew my blade back and slashed at the incoming horde of Grimm.

Skill [Gleaming Conduit: Scion Blast Wave (ACTIVE)]

A massive red arcing wave cut through the numerous ranks of clambering Grimm, clearing a way for me to kill their horde leader.

"Kssshaaa?!"

The Great Dracbek reels back at the sudden decimation of its kin, netting me an easy kill as I rushed in and cleaved its skull in two.

[Critical hit!]

[Great Dracbek Lv73 (BOSS)]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: None
Perk: [Horde Leader]
HP: 0/19804

[You gained 5996 EXP]
[You received 1861 Lien]
[You received 70 Dark Essence]

Upon the death of their horde leader, several of the smarter Grimm immediately turn tail and flee, prompting some of its weaker kin to follow suit.

[The Grimm Horde has been broken]

Despite this, many of the Grimm remained insistent on continuing the fight, including the annoying Satyri hanging on the trees.

'This should be easy.'

Two Gwyllgi spring towards me, one from the front, the other from behind; both with their jaws wide open. An extraordinarily fundamental tactic that I countered with a back kick that crumpled the rear biting Gwyllgi, and a flick of my blade that severed the head of the other.

[Gwyllgi Lv23]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: None
HP: 0/665

[Critical hit!]

[Gwyllgi Lv25]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: None
HP: 0/673

I ignored the rewards and EXP gain and continued to cut down the remaining Grimm with ease.

It was an exhilarating feeling, taking out my pent-up stress on the hapless Grimm while blocking and deflecting incoming projectiles thrown by the Satyri. By then, most of the Grimm, especially the Satyri had chosen preservation over guaranteed death and scattered into the forest. All save for a handful of under-leveled Grimm that are barely Level 20, and a Satyrus that's been constantly harassing me.

[Satyrus Lv47]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: Enraged
HP: 2112/2584

"OOOHAAA! OOOHAAA! AHA! AHA!"

The Satyrus continuously shrieked, lobbing sticks and stones at every given opportunity, pissing me off.

"Shut! The fuck! Up!"

I angrily threw my knife into the Satyrus throat, finally silencing the damn thing.

[Critical hit!]

[Satyrus Lv47]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: Enraged
HP: 0/2584

[You gained 612 EXP]
[You received 154 Lien]

In case you didn't notice, I absolutely hate those guys. Back in the early days of me starting Remnant: Online, I've been brutally maimed and torn apart by Satyri, Beringels, and every other primitive primate-looking Grimm.

Because of that, I've developed a fear and hatred for primitive primates. That doesn't include humans and faunus, but there's a good chance I might group them together depending on how much they tick me off.

"Finally…"

I relaxed my entire body and briefly stargazed at the moonlit skies, not even bothering to glance at the Dracbek charging on all fours. One sloppy swing was all it took for me to slice its entire body in two.

[Dracbek Lv17]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: None
HP: 0/1060

[You gained 21 EXP]
[You received 15 Lien]

With the Grimm horde defeated, everything else should be a walk in the park. Heck, even an average horde of Level 150 nonspecial mobs aren't that much of a threat to me if I don't get careless. I still run the risk of getting swarmed. The only danger so far is environmental hazards and getting swarmed by Grimm, since I'm just one person.

Overall, it doesn't look like there are any particularly powerful Grimm that can pose a threat to me. It's only when their level is at 170 and above can things become difficult, even to a Level 215 like me. Like I said before, stats and levels are not everything.

'Open Map.'

[Map: Open]

A transparent map pulls up my current location and the surrounding geography. I zoomed out and studied the area for a moment before blindly adding another marker near the edge of the fog of war.

'Since I'm close to that area, I should start from there then hike my way up.'

I glance up from my map and observe the mountain ahead. It's a dark stone mountain that's bullet-shaped with a very steep, rocky slope. The top of the mountain is full of overgrown thick trees. A perfect place for hostile mobs to hide in, especially tree climbing Grimm.

'I swear to god. If any monkey or gorilla Grimm is swinging around in the trees, I'm going to burn the entire forest down.' Just thinking about vicious monkeys and gorillas prowling about in a heavily forested mountain makes me anxious.

It's the Hilronto Jungle all over again and I'm getting some unpleasant flashbacks. Time to gear up for this exploration. I pulled up my personal storage, dropped my unused carbine weapon, and selected Firearms in my search filter.

"Where's my heavy automatic slug rifle?"

Equipment [The Big Mistake]
Grade: Epic
Ammo Type: Heavy Slugs
Range Physical DMG: 1714
Melee Physical DMG: 281
Penetration Power: 797
Attributes:
{+90 INT}
{Range Physical DMG also inflicts +615 Blunt Physical DMG}

Crafting & Repairs
Modifications
Requirement

Created by Graygoose
Description: You know you screwed up when the melee-oriented guy suddenly pulls out a big freaking gun

'There you are.'

Overkill be damned. I'm determined to finish this exploration before the afternoon.

/-/

It doesn't matter if you're a towering King Taijitu or several annoying Great Satyri that tried to maim me. They're nothing more than minibosses at worse, hardly a threat thanks to my previous experiences and level. All it takes is one solid slash at their throat, or a stab to the head and the critical damage is enough to one-shot them. Alternatively, I could just slice and stab at their center mass and the damage dealt would be enough, but it's good form to aim for the weak points.

Nothing stood in my way.

Except for the Omukade that's currently chasing me.

"Move you stupid monkeys!"

I dodged a burly arm of a Great Satyrus and vaulted over its shoulder. The giant monkey-like Grimm let out an angry holler that's quickly silenced by the rampaging Omukade who tore its fellow Grimm apart. There's no regard for any obstacle in the Omukade's path.

[The Omukade Lv180 (BOSS)]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: [Enmity: Enzo]
Perks: [The Grimm in the Mountain] [Acquired Magic Resistance Lv5] [Acquired Elemental Resistance Lv6] [Blunt DMG Mitigation Lv3] [Cut DMG Mitigation Lv8]
HP: 845000000/845000000

The Omukade is a fucking massive centipede Grimm possessing a heavily armored carapace, numerous sharp legs, and two pairs of powerful mandibles that can easily bite anything in two. Worse of all, it has damage reduction perks that screw me over and an HP boost thanks to its [The Grimm in the Mountain] perk.

With those perks, I can't dish out massive damage like I normally do. It's going to be a pain without a team backing me up since the Omukade has all its attention on me. I can solo this, sure, but it'll take a while for me to whittle it down. This Grimm isn't an ordinary boss, it's borderline one of those mid-level raid bosses.

Somehow, I've awakened it when it sensed my Aura with the System straight-up dropping me this little message:

[The Grimm in the Mountain has sensed your Aura. The Omukade has risen from its long slumber!]

The biggest internal 'oh shit' you'll ever see from me.

Outside of the immediate items and consumables I have equipped, it'll be difficult for me to access my inventory if I need to restock while I'm being chased relentlessly. I also can't access any of my storage if I'm not in an established zone like a town. I still should be glad that the developers made the storage more accessible because it wasn't two years ago.

'Shouldn't haven't centered myself too much in PvP and team-oriented raid…'

I tried weaving around the Omukade's, but it's a lot more intelligent than it looks, using its elongated metameric body to try and trap me.

The fact that it has acquired resistances and most notable, Magic Resistance, tells me that this Grimm has been around for a very, very long time if it lived through the Era of Magic. That is if this Remnant has a lore anything like Remnant: Online. When a mob, especially a boss has an acquired perk or skill, it's either intelligent, sturdy, or lucky enough to survive and acquire it. Sometimes it's two of the three or all.

'Damn it.'

I scowled and activated the gravity Dust in my combat boots.

Equipment [Lunar Crescent Combat Boots: Gravity Burst Mode (ACTIVE)]

Propelling myself over the treetops, I spun around and aimed the barrel of my gun at the Omukade's mandibles, intending on crippling one of its major attacking appendages.

The Omukade immediately closed its mandibles tightly and lowered its head to let its armored carapace receive the brunt of my attack. Deafening cracks of gunfire echoed through the entire mountain forest. Heavy slugs rupture into sparks and flatten against the Omukade's tough carapace. The Grimm begins to thrash violently, making it difficult for me to hit my intended target, not to mention the recoil was difficult to control while I'm in the air.

[The Omukade Lv180 (BOSS)]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: [Enmity: Enzo]
Perks: [The Grimm in the Mountain] [Acquired Magic Resistance Lv5] [Acquired Elemental Resistance Lv6] [Blunt DMG Mitigation Lv3] [Cut DMG Mitigation Lv8]
HP: 844212761/845000000

'It's smart and tough.'

I clicked my tongue in annoyance and let myself fall back into the forest, ready to perform a counterattack.

Skill [Inner Focus (ACTIVE)] [Level 25]

Skill [Aura Augmentation: Inner Strength (ACTIVE)] [Level 20]

Skill [Aura Augmentation: Gleaming Conduit (ACTIVE)] [Level 23]

The Omukade snap forth like a snake. Its upper body blur black, red, and white. I made my move just as its large mandibles closed in around me, cutting at the joint of its mouthpart with all my might.

Skill [Gleaming Conduit: Scion Blast Wave (ACTIVE)]

My Aura siphon into my blade, compressing itself tightly and creating violent energy that discharged into the Omukade's mandibles, causing fiery sparks and red ethereal blooms.

"CIIIIIIIIK!"

'Damn. No broken parts.'

The shockwave was powerful enough to reposition me over the Grimm and I landed onto the back of the Omukade. It was a mistake. It violently jerks its head to the side and begins to flail erratically, bouncing me off its backside and grazing me with one of its sharp legs.

"Gah!"

[Enzo Lv215]
Status: None
AP: 45015/48653
HP: 250/250

The Omukade continues to churn its entire body, slamming the ground and killing every unfortunate Grimm within the vicinity. Chunks of grass, dirt, and trees were upended with their numerous long sharp legs and thrown into the air, splattering the entire mountain forest with splotches of ruined verdures.

'Dodge!'

The wind ripples against my clothes, along with clumps of dirt and uprooted trees that brushed against my clothes. The forest floor below has become a literal death grinder making it dangerous to land.

Equipment [Lunar Crescent Combat Boots: Hover Mode (ACTIVE)]

I kept myself steadfast and afloat, scouting for any opportunities to take.

'Wait, what am I doing?' I should be taking this opportunity to escape, not stick around and prolong this fight. 'But what if it follows me back to Hasiera?'

The Creatures of Grimm do not tire. They can continue chasing someone indefinitely if the terrain allows it. odd it may seem. Even though the Grimm can die due to the extreme temperatures or lack of air to breath, it's impossible for them to get tired. Just like a player, they can keep going until they change their mind, or cannot physically continue anymore.

It won't do me any good risking Hasiera. Even with their heavy weaponry, the Omukade will do some serious damage, if not outright destroy the town. I cannot risk Hasiera.

"CHIIK!"

The Omukade stops its destructive rumble and begins to burrow its lower body into the ground. It stares up at me, antenna twitching. Well, staring is incorrect since it doesn't even have any eyes at all. More like it's facing my general directions.

My body tensed, prepared to react to whatever it is about to do.

[Enmity has been lost]

[The Omukade Lv180 (BOSS)]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: Recuperating
Perks: [The Grimm in the Mountain] [Acquired Magic Resistance Lv5] [Acquired Elemental Resistance Lv6] [Blunt DMG Mitigation Lv3] [Cut DMG Mitigation Lv8]
HP: 839212761/845000000

The Omukade lets out one more click before burrowing itself back into the ground. A portion of the mountain begins to shake from the Omukade's tunneling, causing minor landslides and fissures to spread across the mountain. Within seconds, the massive centipede Grimm had returned to the earth and the entire mountain has become stilled.

'What luck.'

It's recuperating, meaning that it'll stop attacking and begin to recover its HP. Rapidly, I might add. In short, it'll go back to sleep and regain all its strength. While it's doing that, it won't be actively hostile unless we get close enough or attack it.

The question is why is it recuperating despite the minuscule damage I'd caused it? Has it decided that I'm not worth pursuing?

I lowered myself back to solid ground and suddenly realized that I'm dangerously close to the edge of the steep mountain slope. That must have explained the sudden cessation in its aggression.

'It won't fight out of its territory.'

That's not unusual. Specific mobs won't fight outside their comfort zone.

For example, malevolent water spirits will not stray far from bodies of water. On that matter, certain Grimm don't like to tread into certain biomes if it doesn't suit them. If the in-game mechanics of Remnant: Online still apply, it shouldn't awaken again unless somebody waltzes back and wakes it up.

'Let's hope it doesn't wake up and follow me back.'

/-/

"Had a nice morning stroll? Ya look like yer been tumbling through the dirt, lad."

"More like I had dirt, grass, and trees thrown at me."

Bits of dirt were still clinging onto my trench coat. I was hoping that my several-kilometer sprint would have dislodged everything. It's annoying that we don't have an auto-clean function. Regardless, I'll just run it through the System or fan out my coat.

Both Farran and I were watching over a group of older trainees practicing swinging their weapons on the wooden dummies I had previous placed on the training ground. Their instructors were strolling around, barking a few words of encouragement. It's still early morning; relatively cool and breezy with the sun rising from the horizons.

In short, it's going to be a beautiful day.

"Aye? What had 'em on ya?"

I shifted my eyes around to see if anybody was eavesdropping.

"Have you ever been to the large steep mountain far east for here? Topfull of overgrown dense trees?"

Farran rubs his goatee with a thoughtful look, "Ya a wander alright. No wonder ya got lost, haha!" He clears his throat, "Aye, I've seen it from afar. None got close because of the Grimm. Folks before me said it was a nest full of Grimm that could fly."

"It's a nest for something alright. Surprisingly, there's not a lot of flying Grimm around as I thought. Probably because of this guy."

I turned around and pulled up my recording; a freezeframe of the Omukade in all its terrifying glory. Good to know that the recording feature is still working here.

Aside from a tired sigh, Farran's expression didn't change one bit as he studied the massive Grimm.

"Hooh… That's one big Centinel." Centinels are another type of centipede-like Grimm that can also burrow. Unlike the Omukade, they're typical burrowing mobs that are more annoying than an actual threat.

"Centinels have a different body shape, especially around the head." I made a circular motion at the Omukade's roundish head. "We call this… Well, it's called the Omukade meaning giant centipede."

"That it is. What happened to it?"

"It went back hibernating after I gave it a few scratches on its face. I stuck around near the mountain to see if it would chase me and even took a detour to make sure it wasn't following me."

I let the recording resume mutely playing out the encounter and crossed my arm tightly. He remains silent, looking impressed as he watched me strike back against the Omukade. When the clip ended, he whistles and slaps me on the back.

"That's one muckle Grimm ya found and tussled. Bigger than an old Goliath."

"Yeah, and I'm still worried that it'll find a way to locate me if it wakes up again." I glance at the distance and wondered where else I can construct another outpost on the far east side of the town. "I'll make another small outpost on the far east for myself and keep an eye out if I have your permission."

"Rein in yer bravery." Farran chuckles before dropping his smiling face for a stoic one. "I don't mind another one popping up. Anything else I need to know?"

"It's a lot more intelligent than we would expect," I answered, scratching the back of my head with a scowl. "I plan on heading out again and killing it."

The grizzled Huntsman plant a firm hand onto my shoulder.

"Easy, lad. Let's not sacrifice ya to appease the unappeasable. Ya been out for a while now. Said it went for a kip. Had ya feel or seen it stalking ya?"

"No." I have no idea what a kip means, but I'm guessing it's some sort of slang for sleep?

"Then let's see what's to come. I can't stop ya if ya want to kill the thing, but yer a bit golden for us to lose. I too would want to see it dead, but that one is beyond the horizon lad. Can ya even kill it by yerself? It's massive and looks its part."

"It'll be easier if I had a team. Other than that, I'm confident I can kill it by myself. It'll take a while for me to cut it down. Probably half the day if I'm unlucky."

If I can get someone to tank or distract the Omukade, it'll be a cakewalk. Paired with a few other people to inflict significant damage and I should be able to kill it within fifteen minutes or less if I go all out.

While I'm not doubting Farran's abilities and skill, it's unlikely the man can keep up with me. More so with the militia. They're capable fighters and in terms of skills, better than your average casual player, levels, and stat aside. However, fighting another player or humanoid mob is different from fighting massive mobs like the Omukade.

"Let's not kick a nest of Lancers just yet. If it's truly asleep, licking its wounds, then we should leave it be while keeping an eye out."

"I'm afraid it'll somehow track me here to Hasiera… Unlikely, I know. But still."

I cannot trust the in-game mechanics anymore since I'm no longer in Remnant: Online. I'm no longer in a game despite the System thinking otherwise. To top it all off, I've heard a lot of players making memes about mobs somehow following them across the continent. Small-time boss mobs included.

What's to say the Omukade would do the same?

"Like I said lad, I can't stop ya. If yer gonna, might as well make some plans for yerself while everything is hushed."

"You're surprisingly calm about this." I was expecting some sort of immediate emergency action plan from Farran. Instead, he seems content and relaxed about this.

Farran throws his head back and laughs, "Well, lad. Ya need a cool head to survive. This ain't the first time our home been in dire straits." He leans on the stone battlement and gazes at the horizon. "Unless yer in immediate danger, it's best to sit down and think it through. Make plans for it. For the future. Take my word for it."

'He has a point, I suppose.'

If I stopped to think about it, the Omukade lost its enmity with me when I went out of bounds, causing it to instantly go back to sleep and recover. Its behavior lines up with what I know from Remnant: Online, so we should be okay.

Besides, I think we all would feel the earth trembling if the Omukade decided to make its move. If that happens, I can draw its attention away from the settlement and let the militia provide fire support. It's all theoretical still. There are so many things that can go wrong. Conventional wisdom says don't worry about it; the rational part of my mind says I should be worrying about it.

'What do I do?'

Well, to quote Dahmiel's sometimes unhelpful advice: When in doubt, take the best of both. Don't take too much though.

"I guess I do need a break and check out how the trainees are doing."

The grizzled Huntsman's eyes lit up, conveying great amusement.

"Aye! Ya missed some of them dander by! The lads and lassie were whining about their sore bums!"


"When in doubt, self-destruct."

- Dahmiel, the other unhelpful advice