Putting the rabbits and his worries behind him Jason heads back into the wasteland. He takes a little time to find something to fight. Despite being sparse the rock spires are placed just right to prevent someone from see too far. However Jason does eventually find another of the Warped Panthers. Though this one is alone, so he decides to try something new. Until now Jason had been using simple martial arts. While there were more advanced techniques in his new world they aren’t something a school kid could get a hold of.

All that is left is to decide what to try. As he approaches the panther Jason goes through a few options. “I don’t want to do anything too fancy. While Energy is like cultivation, some fun things probably fall under what the System calls Mana or Qi. It would probably call foul if I try any energy blasts. Anyway, that would tie up a lot of my current Energy and I can’t afford it. As it is my movement technique takes 2 of my 3 when being used and for a short while after. I almost wish I went for Qi or Mana because I could do as much as I wanted and only worry about using it up. Hmm, with the limitations in mind probably the only good move is Spirit Fist. Yeah that seems decent enough to fight these panthers.”

At this point the warped panthers have noticed him. The closest runs towards him while the other slinks off to the side, hiding behind some spires. As the panther approaches Jason, he settles into a stable stance prepared. Then with the panther reaching out to rend and tear he seems to flow though its arms. Just three steps and he goes from in danger to a flanking position. Now ready, Jason throws a simple punch. The hit is solid, directly to the ribs. Bones crack and the panther coughs up blood.  Another punch lands and the panther has now been knocked down.

A roar sounds out behind Jason. However, he was prepared for this flank attack and threw himself to the left. Claws flash through the air where he was just moments before. Going into a roll Jason then kicks off the ground at the right moment and flies back toward the panthers.  He goes for another simple punch but the panther blocks with its arm. It can see a brief glow extending from Jason’s fist and the sound of the panthers bone creaking. The arm is knocked away allowing him to continue his attack with a solid uppercut, knocking its head back. With the throat undefended he throws a final punch, and the panther collapses to the ground gasping for air.

Now neither of the panthers can fight back so Jason is able to finish them. After a few moments, the system rewards him with some nice pelts but the meat is ruined. Along with that the system also reward him +1 to Agility. He can only sigh when it comes to his stats. His Toughness and Agility have been going up all right but Strength is lagging far behind. Though nothing can bring him down after finding out his attack worked. It hadn’t become a skill yet but since he managed it in a fight; it is only a matter of time.

With nothing else to do here Jason continues on along the edge of the wasteland. Along the way he meets more of the warped panthers though these are all alone. He even played around with the last one so he could train his attack more. As these fights weren’t exactly stimulating he only gained a single point in Agility. Luckily the difficulty didn’t change the xp gain, so he finally reached level 6. He almost felt disappointed by the warped panthers though in the end he decided they were not in the right environment to shine. Those long arms would be great for stealthily reaching down from a branch and grabbing someone. In the brightly lit and barren wasteland they didn’t have anywhere to hide.

He has hope for a better time in the future. This is only the edge of the wasteland so likely the place with the weakest monsters. There are many days of traveling before getting past it. Both the plains and wasteland are large expanses of territory. Going by the Penny’s map the plains is shaped somewhat like a triangle. The only reason he arrived at the edge of it so quickly is the forest meets it at a point. On the other hand, the wasteland is more of a lopsided circle or egg shape. In fact, Jason is just traveling along the trailing edge. While the people back at the town aren’t sure Penny’s pet theory is that the place is slowly moving. This side disappearing as the center of the corruption moves farther from the plains.

Jason still has a few weeks before he can get to the next town with most of it near the wasteland. Though for now he heads back into the plains for the night. Remembering to set up his security as it is he prepares a simple campsite and sets out his plants before another round of meditation. Not exactly trusting his proximity to the wasteland Jason decides to forgo sleep. While he isn’t sure if his techniques can replace sleep at the least going a couple days shouldn’t be a problem.

Then once he has immersed himself in his meditation the surrounding area becomes lively. Like the last time he cultivated in the plains rabbits from all around gather once again. This time though something is different. Before it was very much at random. A few local dens noticed the increase in Energy so had their young gather around him. This time though there is an order to it. Off in the distance a cow-sized rabbit sits. The glint of intelligence scurries behind its eyes as it commands Adolescent rabbits to cycle through. This giant rabbit is a rarity. An Elder rabbit, the highest position a normal rabbit can get if it doesn’t get any energy type before level 10. While not truly sentient it can plan and plot. This one though is here on orders.

Jason had dismissed the few Spiky rabbits as unimportant but they didn’t go unnoticed. In the background the rabbits moved. This Elder rabbit is in charge of the local dens and when he noticed the new rabbit type, it was reported upward. Now Jason has a shadow. This Elder will be tracking his trip and preparing the local population to take advantage of him every time he meditates. Then once he passes beyond this rabbits area of control, another will take charge until Jason no longer is around the plains. It seems the rumors of intelligent rabbits at the center isn’t an exaggeration.