Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System
Chapter 82: Predation

A roar left the mouth of the giant rabbit, causing the branches of the looming trees to sway as if guided by wind.

As he raised his guard, he witnessed the mass of white fur suddenly engulf his entire vision; it closed the distance in an instant with a single kick. He ducked down, watching the spring-footed beast pass right above him.

'--What the hell? This thing is forreal,' he thought.

Just as he picked himself up while pivoting off his foot to turn towards the creature, he witnessed it land its feet nimble against the trunk of a tree. It didn't even stop for a moment before kicking off again, producing such force with its legs that bark scattered from the tree as it sprung forth again.

Like a bullet, it came at him with rabid intensity, baring its buck teeth. He ducked down, swiping his blade up to let his dagger meet its neck as it passed–CLANG. To his surprise, his weapon was rejected as he witnessed the red-eyed rabbit curl its neck to use its own teeth to shield against the edge.

"Huh?--" Finn let out in surprise at the intelligence of the beast as it passed over again.

He pivoted off his foot, ready for the white-furred menace to spring off of another tree, though found himself greeted by that snow-white coat face-to-face. It was right before him, flipping around as its foot struck down.

The surprisingly human kick from the rabbit forced him to lean back as he watched the claws narrowly avoid slicing against his skin. He retaliated with a quick flurry of slashes, aiming for the body of the white-furred beast, but once more replaceing it to be a difficult effort.

Each strike was met by the rabbit's teeth as it moved its head up-and-down, side-to-side, swiftly enough to intercept his dagger. It was as though he was fighting a blademaster, if one could use their own teeth as a sword.

Finding himself fighting a life-or-death battle with a rabbit, now more than ever it sunk in just how much of a fever dream the First Order was.

He backed off for a moment, letting it come to him as the rabbit lunged with its teeth primed for his neck–

["Blink Slash"] [2:59]

The instantaneous strike brought him to bring his blade through the beast's neck. Even if it was quick-footed, it was still an animal; still subject to the unpredictability of the assassin. As he slid his boots across the dirt with the momentum of the blink, he turned back, ready for the beast to still retaliate.

It turned itself around to lunge at him, though the hostile rabbit collapsed, chattering its teeth weakly before falling limp.

["Behemoth Rabbit defeated."] ["Anarch coin x350 obtained."]

[Experience points: +3000] [28500/50000]

[Assimilated ability from ["Behemoth Rabbit"]: "Spring Foot" 1 / 5]

An exhale left his lips in relief, replaceing himself never wanting to fight such a creature again as he looked at its massive body. It only occurred to him then that he was going to have to haul it back, as awkward as it would be to lug around the bear-sized rabbit.

["Dark Threads"] [Mana: -100] [1500/2500]

He knelt by the results of his hunt, using the conjured wire to tie the beast's legs together to make it more compact. The thread was kept over his shoulder as he kept the white-furred hunt at his back, drawing in a breath as he began walking.

It was fortunate enough that the system fundamentally enhanced his strength, as the bear-sized creature wasn't all too hard to carry with him. The sight of smoke in the distance acted as a beacon, guiding him back to where the camp was.

Past a wall of trees, he found his way back to the camp after a short hike, being greeted by the glow of a campfire.

Charlotte was sitting by the fire, tossing a bundle of sticks to stoke it before noticing the arrival of the assassin, "Woah–what's that?"

A breath pushed past his lips as he finally let his catch fall to the ground, "A monster of a rabbit. This place is really getting tiring–I seriously almost got my head chewed off by this thing."

"Oh, wow, that's…a whole lot of rabbit," Charlotte remarked.

Magnus was already there, not having quite the same haul except for a gathering of wild vegetables, "Well, at least you got some meat. That's more than I can say for myself."

"Where's Jasper? He's not back yet?" Finn asked, glancing around.

As if speaking his name into existence, the bushes rustled before the knight stepped onto the campsite, carrying something with him.

"Phew…Let's not talk about that," Jasper remarked tiredly as he sat by the fire, placing down what he had managed to catch.

It wasn't particularly large, about the size of a household dog, though it resembled a small bear with bristly, red fur and massive claws. The soft-blue hoodie worn by the helmed man was cut up, along with scratches on his helmet and gloves.

"Looks like none of us had a fun time out there," Finn remarked, sitting across from the knight.

With the absence of the rain, the air was still left chilly and the grass moist, leaving the warmth of the campfire to be a welcoming sensation as he let himself relax.

Jasper laughed it off, pulling a piece of loose fabric from his sweater before yanking it off and patting his sleeve, "You can say that, mate. This little bugger was faster than a cut snake. Though…It looks like you caught the motherload there. What're we do with all of that meat?"

The size of Finn's hunt was undeniably a bit on the excessive side of size, seeing the mass of fur simply laying there.

"Rabbit stew, I guess?" Finn shrugged his shoulders, not familiar with rabbit dishes.

Fortunately they had a pot ready by the fire, with some water collected; even if at times it seemed unnecessary, the pack of supplies that Magnus insisted on carrying came in handy.

Magnus let out a quiet sigh before standing up, holding his hand out, "Let me handle preparing these ones. I'll just need a blade."

Being clearly requested from himself, Finn obliged as he called upon the unused, starter dagger, passing it over to the blonde-haired swede. There was no hesitation from Magnus as he used the blade to efficiently drag it along the white-furred beast's body, beginning the process of skinning it.

"Oh, I don't want to watch this–" Charlotte decided, turning herself away.

"It's a necessary process, if we want to give this creature the respect of properly using its body," Magnus explained.

"Still…" Charlotte protested.

Magnus spoke calmly while effortlessly removing the fur from the giant rabbit, "My father took me hunting often when I was younger. The first few trips, I couldn't pull the trigger. But, my father taught me that this was just the course of nature, and we were giving them a kinder end."

"Didn't think a stuck-up guy like yourself got his hands dirty," Jasper remarked.

"Funny," Magnus brushed the snide comment off while cutting away. "You should acquaint yourself with handy skills. There's no shortage of value in them in these times."

"Teach me, then," Jasper took him at his word, squatting right down beside Magnus.

There was a bit of impatience in the eyes of the cannoneer, though he accepted with a small breath, "Alright. Pay attention because I'm not holding your hand."

"Wouldn't want you to anyway, mate. Seeing as your hands are covered in rabbit guts," Jasper remarked.

While not taking the lesson in skinning a hunted animal directly, Finn half-observed while relaxing by the campfire, more interested in the bickering between the knight and cannoneer.

He scooted himself beside Charlotte, seeing that she was entranced by the upside down land that made up the absence of a true sky.

"I can't get used to it," he said, looking up as well, replaceing the sight of the hanging mountains to instill a sense of unease in his stomach. "Every time I look up, I expect to see clouds, you know?"

"Yeah, but it's beautiful in a way, isn't it?" Charlotte asked with a small smile.

"In a way that makes me scared that a mountain is going to fall on top of me, sure," Finn answered jokingly.

A light laugh was spurred from the young woman, "I don't think that'll happen. At least, I hope not."

Once the giant rabbit was properly prepared and put into smaller pieces, it was added to the pot above the campfire.

Magnus used a tree trump as a cutting board, dicing up what resembled larger carrots and potatoes. They couldn't be more fresh, as the impromptu cook just plucked them from the soil.

"That's actually smelling pretty good," Finn said, watching the vegetables be tossed into the stew.

"Yeah, it's making my stomach start to speak," Jasper added in, waving his hand towards himself to coax the aroma.

Magnus tried to keep a straight face, though a bashful smoke broke through from the compliments given to his culinary efforts, "--That's really just the core of stew. Simple, easy-to-replace ingredients, yet always delicious."

"Don't sell yourself short, mate!" Jasper gave a playful slap on the back to the cannoneer.

"Right," Magnus exhaled at the unwelcome gesture.

The rabbit stew was prepared in a timely fashion, a much appreciated factor as they were all hungry from the long, drawn out day. Finn could hardly wait to shovel the steaming soup into his mouth as he received his portion served into his bowl.

Bringing a spoonful to his lips, he took the first bite. It hit him with a bundle of savory goodness, replaceing that he wasn't the only one happy with the results.

"Delicious," Jasper claimed. "Props to the chef."

"Just eat, would you?" Magnus brushed the compliment aside, hardly hiding his bashfulness.

"It is tasty, really," Charlotte happily added.

As Finn brought a portion of the meat into his mouth and properly consumed the tender protein, he was suddenly greeted by a notification of his system—

[Predation successful.]

[Aspect of "Behemoth Rabbit" acquired.]

It utterly took him by surprise, never intending to willfully activate the ability he assimilated from the sick hunter.

'The rabbit? I didn't even think about that…it never activated before, so why not? What's different?' He questioned while sitting there.