Pebbles were not exactly my anti-air weapon of choice but I had to admit at their potential pros. There were hundreds of them within reach. Which meant I could do a massive amount of throwing practise without the energy to see if I could get my aim to hit something more than a barn bigger than Ichigo’s growth rate.

Small Projectile Throwing skill gained!

Small Projectile Throwing Lv 3: Throw small projectiles with increasing damage and accuracy. Physical skill.

I could not repeat how weird but awesome it was to see your hands literally begin to correct themselves as the subtle nudging of ‘throwing wildly’ became ‘proper flicking of hand and arm muscles tensing combined proper body twists’. Freaky but I could not repeat the sheer bliss it brought me.

I watched as the dangling leaf I was aiming for was torn off its branch with an unpowered pebble strike. The pebble skittering down the tree and coming to rest amongst dozen of its rocky siblings. A small pile showing my results.

I did try a few times with Energy, the Discard skill gave the pebbles a rather speedy result,

which I discovered had a regen of the stat itself per minute. So I got 5 Energy back every minute. It was a pretty good deal but unless I found an energy regen technique or skill, my max Energy would rapidly outpace my regen.

That was a future Russ’ issue when I had deadly spells and massive abilities. I had flaming sticks and hurty pebbles...

I was pretty sure my energy would be just fine.

The truly fun thing I learned was that I could use my new Flamebrand spell on the pebbles before using Discard on them, launching tiny fire rocks at foes. I could already combo and I was just messing about! I turned as another cold breeze fluttered through the woods and whistled into the many broken windows of the hospital before me.

Was I being stupid rushing into this zone? The Malice wouldn’t be an issue for a long time if left naturally... I mean, it only got worse because a random idiot, with a good heart, jabbed a cane in a demi-Hollow’s hole.

I could find another place, travel the night, and come back stronger.

But while it was smart to be prepared and plan... I didn’t know what I was planning for or what ‘G-ranked Malice Zone’ was like. I could spend days convincing myself that I needed strength and get locked into a mindset of never being enough.

I needed to know what my System considered the lowest of dangers. Well, I hoped it was the lowest.

“System? This isn’t reversed normal rankings, right? G isn’t like an S rank or top tier, right?” I asked a little nervously.

G-1 is the lowest rank of System detectable strength. Ranks for equipment, foes, allies, and others go from G-SSS. Each rank having ten inner ranks to give a more accurate assessment of the ranking. Malice Zone before you is ranked G-2.

So, not the weakest but basically the next best thing.

I turned to my rod and used Observe on it.

Trusty Rusty Steel Pole: Weapon/Material. G-1

A steel pole that has been repurposed to bash heads in.

Observe has levelled up to 3!

I smiled at the good timing.

I cast it again on my weapon.

Trusty Rusty Rod of Russ: Weapon(Rod)/Material(alloy) G-1

A Steel Pole that has been stared at a lot.

“You can joke but I always liked flavour text on my equipment,” I teased and the screen vanished with a slight pop. Leaving me with the building before me.

“Observe.”

Quiet Mesa Hospital: A hospital run down by greed and incompetence. It is in need of high repair and is most likely haunted. Contains a Malice Zone.

Nothing new there but it was good to always check I supposed.

I walked slowly to the main door and watched the swirling black portal tinged with red flashes. It looked like a tiny contained storm just waiting to suck me in. I pushed the metal door that had a very rusty old chain that just fell to pieces at the slightest pressure. The door swung open creepily. I saw that I had space to press myself against the wall to get passed without touching the portal.

But that would defeat my goals now, wouldn’t it?

I inhaled, feeling a slight tremble move through my body before I reached out and poked the portal. I watched as it bounced like jello. The menacing appearance lost as it wiggled and jiggled in obvious distress.

“That is adorable!” I announced and poked it again. A little squirming noise echoed out and the System appeared at my side.

Please do not poke and upset the spatial disturbance to a deadly battlefield!

“It’s alive?” I asked with raised eyebrows. The System almost sighed.

System uses the layers of Magical, Nature, Spiritual, and Demonic energy between all worlds to form doorways. The Energy is not alive but it is sentient as it uses basic programming to operate within the field of System’s power. Therefore it is highly easy to disturb the energy with certain actions.

“By poking it?”

Ticking it. Do not do that.

I pursed my lips again before I poked the hell portal. It jiggled again and this time it didn’t let go of my finger.

Normally this would be almost pleasant but I think you deserve this.

I opened my mouth to ask what she meant before the portal swallowed me up and I felt like a million fingers tickled my entire body. I was in so much laughter I was in pain by the time the portal spat me out on the other end.

I glared up at the portal which closed itself to a tiny peephole to protect itself from more poking.

“Okay, fair is fair. Don’t poke the portal,” I agreed before seeing the glass set into the door showed pure black. The world outside the hospital was now... gone. I went and pushed the door open to stare right down a sea of black that was waiting for me to take a step outside the somehow floating building.

“Hello?” I called and my voice echoed out to the darkness and I thought I saw something shift in the distance. Something terrible and my memory of the next few minutes felt... vague as I woke up with my body pushing against the door, holding it shut against the dark.

My throat felt sore as if I might have been screaming or crying. I saw a waiting box.

Mental Strain Debuff removed.

“Okay, Malice Zone makes sense. Stay in the zone. Do not leave the zone,” I croaked and the portal peeked down at my with a squeak.

“No...No! I’ll stay,” I objected, deciding to take the noise as concern. The portal opened itself to show the way out if I changed my mind and I actually softly hugged the thing.

“Thank you. I won’t poke you anymore,” I mumbled. It felt warm and safe in this dark place. I turned my attention to the hospital within and saw a thin white line that created a shimmering wall of light. I watched a tiny blob of shadow bounce off it, like motes of dust on a window.

I touched the barrier and felt no resistance.

“Some kinda barrier?” I mused and Observed it.

Zone Line: Contains any lurking threats and created a small safe zone near the portal.

I’d take a safe zone. Safe zones were nice.

I took a step on the dark side and looked around. The hospital had clearly been remodelled and repaired somewhat. The bad news was that it looked like nothing human had done the work and something smelled rotten.

The blobs of darkness bounced off me and did nothing of note. I was glad because of the sheer amount of the things was overwhelming. I took a few steps forward and looked at the reception desk which had been torn up and odd hardened grey slime-filled into the cracks to make a stone-like material that flowed and covered the surrounding walls.

The more I looked, the more I saw where similar material had been used to fill the damaged areas. I frowned as I didn’t see the hordes of foes I was expecting. It was kind of... quiet.

That was a little more freaky than I was expecting.

I took the left hall which some of the signs read ‘Brain Hall’ and ‘Heart Disposal’ chambers. The signs broken in half and glued together at random to make new words. The glue more of that same cement material.

I froze as at an intersecting hallway ahead, something finally appeared. I was expecting... maybe a zombie or a rat or even maybe a Hollow. What I got was a giant floating ball of purple liquid in a sac with tiny tentacles as if floated and bounced off walls with no sense of direction.

“Observe,” I muttered.

Dying Virus: Monster. G-1

A ball of sickly fluid that has been rejected by every decent immune system around.

No health, no attack information, not even a weakness. The only good news was that it was considered the weakest thing the System would bother to notice.

It didn’t really do anything until it was about 20 feet away from me. Its wiggly arms seemed to scent something, for lack of a better word, and drift towards me.

At a rate I might die of old age before it reached me.

I took out a pebble from my inventory and just tried to throw it with decent strength. I didn’t get a damage number or a firm calculation of my foes defence but...

The Pebble popped the virus and it splashed to the ground in a sickly smelling puddle that hissed slightly.

Dying Virus defeated! 1 EXP gained! Defeated number 1! Defeat ten for more information about this foe!

Titled gained! Pebble Maniac: Defeat a foe with a pebble!

Pebble Maniac: All pebble weapons and skills do 1 more damage! Able to spot Pebbles easier.

I stared at my first kill.

“Giant demon germs in a hospital. I guess it makes sense but I don’t think I want it to,” I mumbled. I was interrupted from my numb staring as three more sickly viruses floated around the corner.

“Think of them as... bags of exp,” I mused and used my Discard Pebble skill on the first one. The pebble, imperfect and lumpy, took on a grey sheen and when I flicked it, it shot through the first one and passed through a second.

Another 2 EXP and no loot. Their deflating bodies and the unbothered slow remaining one made my confidence rise a little. I gave the next one a light tap and the virus popped over my steel pipe.

The liquid inside smelled putrid but wasn’t hot enough or acidic enough to do any damage to my weapon. I ignited the weapon in flame to purify it from any lingering contiguous or ill effects. I didn’t want the demonic cold from the realm of darkness. I had a feeling chicken soup might not cut it to make me feel better.

The orange light revealed the hospital was weirder than I thought.

The walls were uneven as if the building as sagging under the weight but also as if they were made of wax and not proper stone. I was quite happy to have a torch on demand but the sights it was showing me unsettled me.

The floor had large dark rust stains that seemed to move when I looked away for a second and they made shapes that... I didn’t want to think too deeply about. I peered down the hallway where the viruses had floated from and saw several open doors and flickering lights. The lights flickered which caused those stains to move with each flash of darkness.

I looked the other way.

Stairs going up and down with a boring humming light that didn’t even blink. The choice was tough. I prodded a rusty stain in case it was some trap and it just flaked into disturbing snow and dust.

To be honest, I had no idea what my goal was and-

I felt the oddest sensation as if something was right above me. The intent of death coming for me made me throw myself forward.

Danger sense has gained a level!

My limited Spider Senses had just saved me from a slurping purple blob of a dozen viruses glued together in a writhing mass that dropped down from the ceiling above. It moved and it was slug-like in its movement. I did a quick ceiling check and saw no other potential blobs.

“Observe!” I hissed, my knees aching at my bad roll.

Virus Pile: Monster. G-2

A series of nearly dead viruses that came together to give up hope of individual growth for survival.

This thing was going to die. Not clever plan or experimenting. I was not dying to a mosh pit of crap viruses.

I took a pebble.

“Flamebrand! Discard!” I said in quick order. The pebble became a little rock of flaming stone and then the fire turned a steely grey as Discard infused its power. I took aim and threw it right at the centre where the mass looked darkest. My aim was a little off as I failed to take account of a moving target, even one as slow as this thing.

The stone buried into the side and the flaming rock twisted as it came to a stop and the whole jelly... erupted. The thing burned, making no noise but writhing in desperation to fend off the fire.

Burn Status inflicted!

Then the thing began to bubble furiously. I ran down the hall and was just far enough to see the thing explode all over the hallway in flaming globules of grey fiery virus mass. Parts of the hallway smouldered and the putrid purple liquid ignited and spread before the fuel was quickly used up.

Throwing Proficiency levelled up!

Fire Affinity levelled up!

3 Exp gained!

Virus Pile major weakness discovered! Added to Observe Profile for future reference.

I eyed the sheer destructure that a little fire had done.

“I think that’s a bit more than ‘major’. That was more like ‘certain death’,” I argued but I saw the Virus Pile’s remains dry quickly and become one of those rust stains. Neat, I was surrounded by dead-virus blobs.

Which meant something was feeding on them which wasn’t hard to see. These viruses and mass piles of them felt like the bottom of the food chain here. First foe and coming in masses? It had to mean they had to have a reason to clump together and usually that was a threat.

I turned to my hallway of flickering death flags and my boring staircase. I had little doubt I’d meet this predator soon. I walked down the hallway, holding my flaming pipe ahead like a burning tool of justice.

The darkness seemed to be a little surprised I walked into it and nothing happened for a few seconds until something ahead crashed into a shut door and it rattled. I tilted my head, seeing the side rooms were empty of foes.

The door cracked and when the monster burst through, a series of Virus Piles... my flaming pebbles were already flying to them.

The chain reaction?

17 EXP gained. Dying Virus entry updated!

It was a wall of flaming cleansing that I was all too happy to enjoy.

“Remember to wash your hands more or you might cause superbugs in the dimensional walls,” I made a note to myself.

---

Monster entry: Dying Virus

An echo of the suffering and sickly that suffer from moments of discomfort and slight pain. They were repelled with ease and rising medical care. The memories of illness have seeped into the walls and given rise to these sad beings. Weak to fire. Weak to physical attacks. Weak to existence. Worth 1 EXP