The Big Stupid Rabbit Magic Beast

"Chomp chomp... So good!"

Parr declared that this was the absolute best roasted rabbit he had ever eaten in either life. Though it had only been sprinkled with the coarse salt they carried, that did nothing to diminish the deliciousness of the Roasted Stupid Rabbit. Without all those complicated seasonings, the rabbit meat's tenderness and juiciness shone through perfectly.

"It really is fragrant."

John nodded as he ate, adding, "Only little Stupid Rabbits that have just left the nest and begun living independently have meat this smooth and tender."

"..."

With his cheeks puffed out, Parr rolled his eyes. He understood what John meant: he had only managed to catch a young Stupid Rabbit because he was lucky. If it had been any other Stupid Rabbit, whether they would have roasted rabbit meat for lunch today would have been another matter entirely.

"Chomp chomp... Gulp!"

To prove himself—and fill his stomach—Parr swallowed the rabbit meat in his mouth, tossed aside the wooden stick in his hand, and climbed to his feet, heading toward the grass.

John had eaten most of a single Stupid Rabbit, yet he had the nerve to claim that children should eat less because it was good for their bodies. That was really something.

Huff...

Parr adjusted his breathing and stepped into the thick grass. With one sweep of his eyes, he found his target: the largest Stupid Rabbit within sight. It looked several times bigger than the one he had caught earlier and was leisurely nibbling on tender grass.

"Didn't you say I couldn't catch a Big Stupid Rabbit? I'll catch the biggest one right now and show you."

Parr was indignant at being underestimated. He felt that catching Stupid Rabbits before had depended entirely on his own skill. The past two days of being toyed with by Stupid Rabbits had not been without gains; his reaction speed truly had improved considerably.

Huff...

This time, Parr was fully focused. He first adjusted his breathing, then opened his eyes wide and activated Talent Bright Eyes. Not for any other reason, but simply so he could see more clearly.

Huff...

Amid steady breathing, Parr strode toward the Big Stupid Rabbit. Then, he repeated his old trick, feinting before rising as if to pounce, only to stop midway.

"..."

However, the Big Stupid Rabbit seemed to have seen through Parr's trick. It did not react at all and continued leisurely chewing grass where it stood.

"Since you're not running, don't blame me for being merciless!"

Parr was already very close to the Big Stupid Rabbit, close enough to grab its ears with one hand. He did not hesitate. He reached out with one hand to grab it while gathering strength in the other, ready to subdue it if it resisted.

Squeak squeak!

At that moment, the Big Stupid Rabbit, which had been buried in the grass, finally raised its head. Its dark red eyes fixed on Parr. Then it kicked off the ground and leaped up. Unexpectedly, it did not flee. Instead, it charged straight at Parr. While in midair, its long ears twisted, flipping its body in an instant as its two powerful hind legs kicked toward Parr's chest.

Bang! Parr only saw a gray blur flash before his eyes. His charged arm rose instinctively, but he was still a step too slow. With a dull thud, he was kicked flying by the Big Stupid Rabbit.

Crack!

Still in midair, Parr wore a dazed expression as he heard the sound of ribs breaking in his chest.

Bang! When he hit the ground, Parr felt intense pain in his chest and had trouble breathing. He struggled several times but could not get back up.

"Don't move!"

Just as Parr continued struggling, John walked over and held him down.

"Little guy, I really don't know what to say about you. With your luck, you actually ran into a Stupid Rabbit that's about to become a Magic Beast. You're really unlucky."

Squatting beside Parr, John rambled on as he pressed a hand to Parr's chest. Red light appeared over his palm, and the feeling of breathlessness immediately eased considerably.

"..."

Parr stared lifelessly at the sky. He had actually been injured by a Stupid Rabbit. That kick had nearly taken away half his HP. If John had not used Battle Qi to clear his blood flow and treat his injuries, he probably would not even have been able to get up today.

I must be the most pathetic transmigrator ever. I almost got killed by a rabbit.

"All right."

A few minutes later, John withdrew his hand, pulled the lifeless Parr to his feet, and brushed the dust off him. He comforted him, "Don't be too upset. The Stupid Rabbit you encountered is about to become a Magic Beast. Even after it becomes one, it will still be the lowest sort, but it's only natural that you got hurt when it caught you off guard."

"What?"

Parr came back to his senses and turned to look at the Big Stupid Rabbit in the distant grass, still peacefully eating. A question arose in his mind. What exactly were Magic Beasts? "Uncle John, you've mentioned Magic Beasts so many times. What exactly are they?"

"..."

John thought for a moment, then said,

"Put simply, Magic Beasts are the equivalent of our Knights..."

Magic Beasts were wild beasts with powerful strength. They could be found throughout the continent. Most of the time, they did not approach human territory. Instead, they lived deep in the wilderness, occupying vast stretches of land and enjoying leisurely lives without being disturbed by humans or disturbing humans in return.

To easily distinguish the strength of Magic Beasts, humans classified them according to the Knight ranking system.

Apprentice-level (Quasi-Magical Beast), Bronze-level, Silver-level, Gold-level, Transcendence, Limit Breaking, Saint-level.

Subdivisions:

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Peak.

Further subdivisions: Magical Beast Leader: one level above ordinary Magic Beasts; Beginner Leaders were equivalent to Intermediate Magic Beasts. Magical Beast Lord: two levels above ordinary Magic Beasts; Beginner Lords were equivalent to Advanced Magic Beasts.

Beast King: one major rank above ordinary Magic Beasts; Apprentice-level Beast Kings were equivalent to Bronze-level Magic Beasts. Variant Magical Beast: Talent Holders among Magic Beasts. Their strength varied depending on their Talents.

A wild beast with the strength of a human Apprentice-level could be called a Magic Beast. More accurately, though, it should be called a Quasi-Magical Beast. Magic Beasts were beasts that possessed magical power, and Bronze-level was where true Magic Beasts truly began.

"Based on my years of adventuring experience, this Big Stupid Rabbit probably hasn't reached Apprentice-level yet, but it's close. It's very likely a Variant. Otherwise, it couldn't have grown this large. Give it some more time, and it'll break through to Apprentice-level and become the weakest kind of Magic Beast."

John and Parr stood together, watching the Big Stupid Rabbit leisurely eating grass in the distance, and came to that conclusion.

"A Variant? A Talent Holder!"

Parr's eyes lit up. He then looked down at his Black Short Sword. He had an unconfirmed suspicion: this miraculous Black Short Sword could plunder the Talents of creatures it killed.

With that in mind, Parr felt he could not let the Big Stupid Rabbit go. Earlier, he had only been careless and had not expected the Stupid Rabbit to fight back. Now that he was prepared, he would definitely cut that Stupid Rabbit down with his sword.

Thinking that, Parr turned to John with an indignant expression and shouted, "I want revenge!"

After saying that, Parr raised the sword in his hand, making it clear that he would not try to catch it barehanded this time. He was going to use his sword.

"Go on. Be careful."

John did not say much. Given Parr's current strength, this unexpected Big Stupid Rabbit was just the right Sword-Grinding Stone to improve his experience fighting Magic Beasts.

However, John did not think highly of Parr's chances. Fighting people and fighting Magic Beasts were entirely different experiences. Magic Beasts relied on their wild nature, their instincts, and their experience surviving in the wilderness. Especially since this Magic Beast was a Stupid Rabbit—their suicidal tendencies were famous. Even if it might be a Variant, the fact that it had managed to climb from the lowest-ranked Stupid Rabbit species to near Apprentice-level already proved that it had abundant experience. Parr might truly not be its match.

At that thought, John could not help gripping his sword hilt. If Parr faced a life-threatening crisis later, he would step in to save him.

But if Parr was merely injured, John would not interfere. Injury and pain were essential parts of the Path of the Knight. If one could not even endure a little injury and pain, they might as well go home, wash up, and sleep. They were not suited to walk this difficult road.

After John's treatment, Parr's injuries had mostly recovered and no longer affected his movement. Only his not-yet-full HP showed that he had not fully recovered, but that was merely a matter of time.

Huff...

Taking a deep breath, Parr focused completely. He held the scabbard in his left hand and lightly gripped the sword hilt with his right as he slowly approached the Big Stupid Rabbit. His large black eyes were wide open and began to emit a faint glow.

Parr had pushed himself to his peak condition. He had also activated the second effect of Bright Eyes, Low-level Elemental Vision. He still remembered how the Black-Robed Man had stared with faintly glowing eyes and seen that he possessed a Talent, so he wanted to try it himself.

"I can't see anything!"

However, Parr's Bright Eyes level was still too weak. He could not see anything unusual about the Big Stupid Rabbit. The hazy specks of light floating through the surrounding air were the same as usual, with no differences at all.

"Forget it. So what if there isn't anything? I want revenge!"

Parr tightened his grip on the sword hilt. He had returned to the Big Stupid Rabbit's side.

Squeak squeak!

The Big Stupid Rabbit seemed to sense something. It stopped chewing grass with its head lowered and raised its gaze toward Parr. Its large dark red eyes narrowed slightly, then it kicked off with both legs and launched an attack. As the overlord of this area, the Big Stupid Rabbit had long forgotten what running away meant, especially when facing the same opponent it had defeated earlier!

"Upward Flick!"

As the Big Stupid Rabbit charged toward him, Parr drew his sword in a lightning-fast strike.

However, the Big Stupid Rabbit seemed able to predict the future. The instant the Black Short Sword left its sheath, it had already adjusted its posture through a twist of its body and its long ears. The black, uneven blade brushed past it.

"This is..."

Parr's eyes widened. He had seen it. Just then, red light had flashed over the Big Stupid Rabbit's body before it dodged his attack. Was that the Big Stupid Rabbit's Talent?

But this was not the time to think about that. Having evaded the attack, the Big Stupid Rabbit had perfectly positioned itself and delivered a heavy kick toward Parr's chest.

Bang! The Big Stupid Rabbit's kick struck the scabbard Parr had raised in his left hand. The scabbard deflected some of the force before crashing into Parr's chest. Parr staggered backward repeatedly, but he only felt slight pain in his chest and left wrist. It was nothing serious.

The Stupid Rabbit flipped once in midair, then landed steadily.

Thus, after each side made a move, one person and one Stupid Rabbit pulled apart. Neither was injured, making it a draw.

Huff...

Parr retreated several more steps and began adjusting his breathing, using the Wind Wolf Basic Breathing Technique to recover Stamina. After traveling all morning, he had not had much Stamina to begin with. After all that commotion, he had less than 30 points left. He could see it now: if he wanted to defeat the Big Stupid Rabbit, he had to go all out without holding anything back.

"Damn rabbit! You may have dodged one attack in midair, but I refuse to believe you can dodge two! Three!"

Huff...

One person and one Stupid Rabbit faced off. The Big Stupid Rabbit did not act rashly, but neither did it run away. The species' death-seeking nature was on full display.

Twenty seconds later, Parr had recovered enough Stamina to go all out once. He sheathed his sword and slowly approached the Big Stupid Rabbit again.