Chapter 41: The Grind [Bonus]

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Grind [Bonus]

They walked through the desert for hours.

The moon hung high in the sky, casting pale light on the endless sand. The air was cool. Comfortable. But the sand was still soft beneath their feet, making every step a struggle. Daniel didn’t mind. His stamina was ten times higher than a normal human’s. He could walk for days without getting tired.

Lyra was different. Her stats were five times higher than a normal human’s, but she was still getting used to her new body. Her legs ached. Her feet were sore. But she didn’t complain. She just kept walking.

Fluffy was struggling the most. She was small. Her legs were short. She had to take three steps for every one of Daniel’s. But she didn’t complain either. She just followed, her little bunny tail wiggling with each step.

"Master," Fluffy said, her voice small. "Fluffy is tired."

Daniel looked back at her. Her ears were drooping. Her eyes were half-closed. She looked like she was about to collapse.

"We’ll rest soon," he said. "Just a little longer."

Fluffy nodded. She kept walking.

They found the first lizard an hour later.

It was smaller than the one they had killed before. A skinny big desert lizard, just like the notification had said. It was resting on a rock, its eyes closed, its tail curled around its body.

Daniel stopped. He held up a hand. Lyra and Fluffy stopped behind him.

"Okay," he whispered. "Lyra. You take this one."

Lyra nodded. She summoned her gun. Her grip was better now. More confident. She raised the weapon and aimed.

She fired.

The bullet hit the lizard in the head. The creature jerked once, then went still.

[Skinny Big Desert Lizard (Level 2) killed by one of your members]

[Exp Gained]

[4]

[Member Gained 4 Exp]

[Current Level (8%)]

Daniel read the notification. Then he sighed.

"Four exp," he muttered. "Again. This is going to take forever."

Lyra looked at him. "What?"

"We need one hundred exp to reach level two. Each lizard gives us four. That means we need to kill twenty-five of these things."

Lyra’s eyes widened. "Twenty-five?"

"Twenty-five."

She looked at the dead lizard. Then at the desert around them. At the endless sand and the dark horizon.

"That’s... a lot."

"Yeah." Daniel nodded. "But we have no choice. We need to level up. The quest said so."

Lyra took a breath. Then she nodded. "Okay. Let’s find more."

They walked.

They found another lizard twenty minutes later. Lyra killed it.

[Skinny Big Desert Lizard (Level 2) killed by one of your members]

[Exp Gained]

[4]

[Member Gained 4 Exp]

[Current Level (12%)]

"Another one," Daniel said. "Good job."

Lyra smiled. She was getting better at aiming. Her shots were more accurate. Her hands were steadier.

They walked.

They found another lizard. Lyra killed it.

[Current Level (16%)]

They walked.

Another lizard. Another kill.

[Current Level (20%)]

They walked.

Daniel started helping. He summoned his guns and fired at the lizards from a distance. His aim was better than Lyra’s. His shots were faster. More precise.

[Skinny Big Desert Lizard (Level 2) killed by Daniel Black]

[Exp Gained]

[4]

[Current Level (24%)]

They walked.

Fluffy helped too. Not with fighting. She was too small. Too weak. But she helped in other ways. She carried the meat. She kept watch. She sniffed the air and warned them when lizards were nearby.

"Fluffy smells something," she said, her nose twitching. "Over there. Behind the rock."

Daniel looked. He saw a lizard. He killed it.

[Current Level (28%)]

They walked.

Hours passed. The moon moved across the sky. The stars shifted. The desert was quiet except for the sound of their footsteps and the occasional roar of a lizard.

[Current Level (32%)]

[Current Level (36%)]

[Current Level (40%)]

Lyra was getting tired. Her shots were less accurate. Her movements were slower.

"Daniel," she said, her voice weary. "Can we rest?"

Daniel looked at her. At her tired eyes. At her trembling hands. He nodded.

"Five minutes," he said. "Then we keep going."

They sat down on the sand. Fluffy immediately curled up beside Daniel, her head resting on his leg. Her eyes closed. Her breathing slowed.

Lyra sat across from him. She looked at the stars. At the moon. At the endless desert.

"How many more?" she asked.

Daniel checked his status screen. "We’re at forty percent. We need sixty more."

"That’s fifteen more lizards."

"Yeah."

Lyra sighed. "I didn’t think being an adventurer would be this... repetitive."

Daniel laughed. "It’s not always like this. Usually there’s more variety. Different monsters. Different challenges. But out here, in the desert, all we have are lizards."

Lyra nodded. She looked at him. "You’ve done this before? In your world?"

Daniel thought about it. "Sort of. In games. I would spend hours grinding for experience. Killing the same monsters over and over again. It was boring. But it was necessary. You had to level up if you wanted to progress."

Lyra tilted her head. "Games again."

"Yeah. Games again."

She didn’t ask more questions. She just nodded.

They rested for five minutes. Then they stood up and kept walking.

[Current Level (44%)]

[Current Level (48%)]

[Current Level (52%)]

The lizards kept coming. Daniel and Lyra kept killing them. Their movements became automatic. Mechanical. Aim. Fire. Reload. Aim. Fire. Reload.

Fluffy kept eating the meat from the daniel inventory. Her belly was getting round. Her tail was wagging constantly.

"Fluffy likes this," she said. "Fluffy gets to eat. Master gets to kill. Everyone is happy."

Daniel laughed. "I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself."

[Current Level (56%)]

[Current Level (60%)]

[Current Level (64%)]

The sky started to lighten. The stars faded. The moon disappeared. The first hints of orange appeared on the horizon.

"It’s almost morning," Lyra said.

Daniel nodded. "We should find shelter soon. The sun will be brutal."

They kept walking.

[Current Level (68%)]

[Current Level (72%)]

[Current Level (76%)]

Lyra killed another lizard. Then another.

[Current Level (80%)]

Daniel killed two more.

[Current Level (88%)]

Fluffy sniffed the air. "Fluffy smells more. Over there."

Daniel looked. Three lizards. All together. He summoned his guns and fired. Three shots. Three kills.

[Current Level (100%)]

Daniel stopped. He stared at the notification.

[Experience: 100/100]

[You have reached the maximum experience for your current level.]

[Would you like to level up?]

[Warning: If you level up, all bonded harem members will also level up to match your level.]

[Yes / No]