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Alex appeared in their views not long later and he was entangled in a battle with a red fox. The creature was exceptionally quick, and it was the perfect counter to Alex's Strength build. He almost looked like he regretted it already.
Lauren covered her mouth with a palm, and Morgan shook his head. These two had already cozied up to Alex the day before, and seeing that he wasn't in danger, they found it more amusing than anything.
Olivia sighed. "I was going to say that, if you can, please keep the beast pelts as pristine as you can. I can pay five, twenty, or fifty coins depending on quality. I can increase the pay based on size as well. Though, for now, I can only take mammalian coats."
"Got it!" Alex called out.
Seeing that this was going to take a while, Olivia had no choice but to speak again.
"I'm sorry, Alex, but if you waste too much energy here, we'll never make it far. Um, Sylas, can you help him?" Olivia suddenly asked.
"Sure." Sylas burst forward without much thought.
"Ugh, unfair, but alright," Alex grumbled, making some distance to support Sylas.
His actions were unnecessary.
Sylas' hand flashed forward, and he chopped at the back of the fox's neck, the moment it leapt in the air, with all his strength.
The red fox was a Dexterity-based creature. Its evolution had changed next to nothing about that. Compared to Sylas' current Strength, it could do little.
The fox's neck broke on impact, but the subsequent rebound into the ground shattered its limbs.
Alex's mouth hung open. "Damn! Psycho Sylas really is super strong, I knew it!"
Sylas shook his head. Alex had taken to calling him that after last night, so he could only accept it.
He reached down and touched the fox, claiming four Fragmented Dexterity Genes. Then he picked it up.
The corpse looked mangled, but the fur coat was pristine. None of the broken bones had poked through.
However, the red fox was quite a small creature, so it was probably not worth all that much, anyway.
"How much?" Sylas asked.
Olivia blinked and suddenly grinned.
Cassarae wasn't willing to rely on Sylas, but Olivia didn't see it . Instead, she was putting the man to work.
Plus, this couldn't be considered targeting him. Wasn't she paying him?
"Say, Sylas. What would you say to some cooperation between our Rudimentary Village and you?"
Sylas raised an eyebrow. He didn't even know what coins could do for him right now. But now that he thought about it, those System Cities that would appear after the tutorial would likely use this currency. Why not save up a bit right now?
"What do you have in mind?"
"Everyone here uses weapons but you, and you can seem to kill these animals without them. Pristine animal coats are exactly what the village needs. If it won't tire you out, can you fight all the beasts we meet from now on? Of course, all the Genes and such are yours."
Sylas didn't answer immediately, instead looking at everyone else.
They only shrugged. It wasn't as though there was a shortage of beasts. The main benefit right now was that there were many of them in a group, so it was safer than what they were used to. But ultimately, only one person could take the Genes, anyway. It wasn't like they could split it.
"Then, alright." Sylas nodded.
He needed to gather up some Genes to keep the Madness Key satiated for the long haul, anyway.
So that was what he did.
Sylas took the vanguard and everyone seemed to slowly realize why it was he had no need for armor. None of the beasts could even touch him, and his fists were practically like iron clubs.
When Sylas was alone, he was always so focused on the next step, the next improvement. It was only after being around other humans that he realized he had actually progressed so much compared to everyone else.
But much like with Cassarae, this didn't make him happy… this left him worried.
If this was the best humanity had to offer right now, when they apparently had a three-month advantage on him, wouldn't this seventh attempt end in failure as well?
Sylas hopped out of the way of a swiping paw. His feet glided against the moist grass and his toes dug in, his power exploding as he slapped the claw of the bear down, then lashed out with a kick that slammed against the side of its head.
Sylas' balance shifted somewhat, and he retreated instead of using a follow-up attack. Using kicks in battle wasn't as natural for him as his fists, and neither were palms, for that matter.
To protect his knuckles, he had been trying to fit in some more palm strikes when a duller blow would do, but it was also a strike with a weaker range than his fist would have. Although it was only a few inches, he found that it mattered more than he initially thought.
The bear roared in anger, standing on its hind legs and looming over Sylas with a menacing glint in its eyes.
It fell forward, trying to smash him from above, but Sylas slipped by, gliding under its falling front paws and appearing at its side.
His torso tensed and his left arm unleashed a corkscrew of pressure that ascended up his legs and through his abdomen.
He rarely attacked creatures anywhere but their heads because it felt like a waste, but he didn't give up this opportunity to drive his knuckles into the bear's ribcage.
A tremendous amount of pressure descended onto Sylas' wrists. The bear was still falling downward and Sylas attacked before it landed. He was currently withstanding not just the Strength of his left hook, but also the weight of bear.