Chapter 11: The Bandit Duo
by fnovelpia
I nailed Sweet Punch on the first try.
Defied that brutal 3% chance.
This Sweet-Spicy Punch skill.
Is the listed probability fake?
Is it secretly higher?
…Nah, no way.
Just got lucky this time.
Beginner’s luck, as they say.
Anyway, sorry, Bunny.
Didn’t expect it to work first shot.
I bowed deeply to the snoozing Blood Rabbit, full of remorse.
Snore, snore.
Sleeping like a log.
Would shaking it wake it up?
Might as well check.
Hey!
Bunny, rise and shine!
I shook the Blood Rabbit vigorously.
“Wooong…”
No dice.
It just squirmed, letting out faint groans.
Out so cold, it wouldn’t notice being carried off.
“…”
No plans to kill or eat it.
Bunny’s not prey—it’s a friend.
We bonded battling the ground together.
I gathered nearby leaves.
Gently draped them over Bunny’s body.
Sleep tight.
I’ll keep watch till you wake.
The nap didn’t last long.
Maybe 30 minutes?
The Blood Rabbit stirred, rubbing its eyes and glancing around.
“Woong…?”
Our eyes met.
It raised a paw, waving cheerfully.
“Woong!”
Not what I expected.
It doesn’t resent me?
After I sucker-punched it into dreamland?
What a kind-hearted rabbit.
I bowed again.
A mix of gratitude and guilt.
A bow’s not enough to convey sincerity.
Time for a gift as an apology.
Bunny.
Hand me that carrot for a sec.
I pointed at the carrot.
“Woong? Woong!”
It passed it over.
Caught my meaning instantly.
We’re kinda in sync.
With the carrot in paw, I activated a skill.
【Would you like to use “Magical Chef Lv.1”?】
The gift for Bunny?
A carrot dish.
【Activating “Magical Chef Lv.1”.】
【Carrot Cake completed.】
Done already?
The dish came together in a flash.
Flame Bear seasoned meat took way longer.
Well, fast is good.
【Carrot Cake】
┗ Consuming it fully grants a temporary +1 Power boost.
┗ Effects from identical dishes do not stack.
Pretty successful dish.
No warning about questionable taste like last time.
Here, Bunny.
Eat up and enjoy.
“Woong? Wooong…!”
The Blood Rabbit jumped, startled.
First time getting a gift?
It looked deeply touched.
Eat that, and we’re best friends.
“Woong! Woooong!”
Chomp, chomp!
It devoured the cake eagerly.
Must taste decent.
Its face screamed happiness.
“Woooong!”
The Blood Rabbit hugged me tight.
Rubbed its face against mine like crazy.
Friendship level: maxed out.
Let’s keep being pals.
After a while of cuddles, it glanced at the sky.
Dusk was settling in.
“Wooong…”
Time to head home?
With a reluctant look, it stepped back and waved a limp paw.
Then it darted into the bushes, gone.
Bye-bye.
Come play tomorrow!
***
The next day.
Bunny showed up again.
You’re here!
I waved enthusiastically.
The Blood Rabbit perked up its ears, waving back.
“Woong-woong!”
It plopped down beside me.
Started tapping the ground with its paws.
Wants another round with the ground, huh?
You came for this, didn’t you?
Sorry, but no ground-fighting today.
I charged Sweet and Spicy Punches at dawn.
No sleep for me, you know.
Today’s plan is hunting.
Gotta stock up on mana.
To survive this harsh world, I need to get stronger.
Oh, and it’s not solo today.
I’m teaming up with my new buddy, Bunny.
Level 15 Rabbit Knight.
Come hunting with me!
Give me a boost!
How do I say this?
Wish I could just talk, but I can’t speak.
No choice.
Gotta use body language, like always.
Doom-chit, doom-chit.
Speak with my body.
I wiggled and gestured, trying to say “let’s hunt together.”
“Woong?”
The Blood Rabbit tilted its head.
Held out a carrot.
No, not asking for a carrot!
Doom-chit!
Doo-doom-chit!
I flailed harder.
Praying my intent got through.
Did my desperation work?
The Blood Rabbit stared, then grinned wide, nodding vigorously.
Yes!
You get it?
Bunny, we’re totally on the same wavelength.
Or maybe you’re just a genius rabbit.
Ready to roll?
I pointed in a direction.
Started walking that way.
The Blood Rabbit stuck close, following my lead.
***
Peek.
I poked my head from the bushes.
In my line of sight stood a familiar monster.
【Thunder Ant Lv.11】
┗ Power: 22
┗ Rank: Uncommon
Thunder Ant.
An ant-like monster with nose hairs acting as antennae.
The same one that stole my prey last time.
Where’s the rest?
The other two from before were gone.
Out hunting?
Or do they not live together?
Maybe they were just visiting friends last time.
Could be a solitary species.
Doesn’t matter.
What matters is this is the perfect chance to take it down.
While I spied from the bushes—
“Kii?”
The Thunder Ant spotted us.
Not sharp senses—just bad luck, our eyes met.
Damn.
Was gonna sneak attack with Disguise active.
No big deal.
I’m not alone this time.
Got my trusty Level 15 Bunny by my side.
Let’s do this, Bunny.
Unlike last time’s humiliation, I strutted out of the bushes with swagger.
The Blood Rabbit followed, stepping into view.
“Kiii!”
Hey there.
Been well?
You probably don’t remember me, but I’m back to settle a score.
Not a thief today—I’m a bandit.
Hand over everything!
“Kiiii!”
Crackle!
The Thunder Ant’s nose hairs sparked.
Electricity crackled from them.
What’s the deal with that?
I was a bit thrown.
I’d guessed it could wield lightning from its name.
But generating it from nose hairs?
Didn’t see that coming.
“Kiiiiii!”
BOOM!
Lightning shot out.
It split into two bolts—one for me, one for Bunny.
“Woong!”
Hop!
The Blood Rabbit dodged with a swift sidestep.
Bunny’s reaction speed is insane!
Sadly, I wasn’t as quick.
The bolt hit me square on.
No pain.
I don’t feel that stuff.
But it wasn’t harmless.
The lightning severed my arm.
“Woong?!”
The Blood Rabbit gaped at me, shocked.
Don’t worry.
I’m used to losing an arm.
Good thing it came off.
The detached arm was now ablaze.
Could’ve set my whole body on fire.
“Woooong!!!”
The Blood Rabbit’s face twisted.
Its gentle demeanor vanished.
It was pissed.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed from its back.
Like a whale spouting water.
The blood tendril slithered like a snake.
Then shot toward the Thunder Ant.
Slice!
The Thunder Ant didn’t react.
The blood whip severed its head.
The head rolled across the ground.
Whoa.
Bunny’s way stronger than I thought.
Glad we’re on the same side.
“Kii, kiiii…”
The Thunder Ant wasn’t dead.
Still groaning, clinging to life.
It’ll croak soon, right?
Just as I thought that—
Its body started swelling grotesquely.
What’s this?
A second phase?
Or some self-destruct skill?
Whatever it was, it looked bad.
“Wooong!”
Whip, whip!
The blood whip didn’t work anymore.
The swollen body seemed rock-hard.
My turn.
I charged forward.
Lost my left arm, so no Spicy Punch.
Right arm’s still here.
Sweet Punch has three shots.
Odds of landing at least one are over 8%.
Still pretty low.
If all fail, I’ll grab Bunny and bolt.
Mid-thought, I reached the Thunder Ant.
Sleep tight!
I slammed three right-paw punches into its bloated body.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
【Sweet Punch failed to activate.】
【Sweet Punch failed to activate.】
【Sweet Punch activated successfully.】
Yes!
Last one hit!
This actually worked?
Am I that lucky?
Am I the luckiest teddy bear alive?
No need to retreat.
Pssss…
Like a deflating balloon, the Thunder Ant’s body shrank.
“Woooong!”
Bunny finished it off.
The Thunder Ant’s body split into ten pieces.
It finally keeled over, dead.
Thanks for the ride, Bunny.
***
Under the lone boxwood tree.
Bunny and I, safely back, threw a little feast.
【Zappy Ant Sashimi】
┗ No effects upon consumption.
┗ Soft texture with a tangy kick.
I used my cooking skill to whip up some ant sashimi from part of the corpse.
Activated my taste buds and tried a piece.
As advertised, it was genuinely delicious.
Best food I’ve eaten since reincarnating.
Nice.
This is the life.
Or, bear life, I guess.
Anyway.
You need a drink to go with food.
I pried off two pieces of the ant’s shell.
Tough with one arm.
Slosh.
Using the shells as bowls, I filled them with the Thunder Ant’s bright red blood.
Fun fact: Thunder Ants have red blood.
Here, Bunny.
The blood of our shared hunt.
I handed one to the Blood Rabbit.
I’d seen it eat meat.
Since it wields blood, it probably drinks it too.
“Woong-woong!”
“…”
We clinked our shell-bowls.
Gulped down the blood in one go.
Feels like our bond’s tighter now.
Hey, Bunny, no more formalities.
We’re close enough to skip that, right?
While munching sashimi and sipping blood, I inspected the rest of the corpse for more cooking.
Then I found something inside a chunk of it.
Not a mana stone.
…Whoa, what’s this?
Why’s it in here?
I pulled out a human face.
Looked like a middle-aged man.
Smaller than my paw.
Thick mana pulsed from it.
This feels like a mana stone.
Is the Thunder Ant’s mana stone inside this face?
I started to tear it open to check—
Rustle.
A noise came from behind.
What now?
The other Thunder Ants here for revenge?
I spun around, instantly on guard.
Huh?
It wasn’t a Thunder Ant.
A familiar, longed-for face stared back at me.
“Kwoo?”
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