With a worried frown, Logan brushed his shoe through the pen line, scuffing it and breaking the square. The pressure in his ears released like popping a balloon. He'd destroyed the barrier. These monsters were nothing to him, but he'd just realized that the System's description of the Endless Barrier Ink Pen was more apt than he'd like:

[A barrier can be attractive to those outside of it.]

Logan had no idea how wide of a net this thing cast, but if monsters converged on the area, it would be a serious problem for the new residents. He wanted to save lives, not kill them by playing around with his new Tree Fridge toys.

As the rabid squirrel squeaked in excitement and took another flying leap at him, Logan snatched it by the neck and squeezed, wincing as it exploded, blood and guts splashing his face like a crushed tomato.

Ding!

[You have defeated a level 7 Rabid Grey Squirrel!]

Damn, he'd forgotten to control his strength around such a weak monster.

The other squirrel squawked, its eyes wide, and it turned, its tail fluffing in agitation as it eyed Shoot instead of Logan. Logan felt a surge of alarm and then relaxed as he glanced at the other squirrel's level.

Level 3.

Shoot could take care of this thing in no time.

Panting, her vine tongue drooping out of her mouth, Shoot bounced, her eyes glinting. Logan knew she'd killed a rat in Pied's Kingdom, but he hadn't witnessed it. Without teeth, Logan was curious how she managed.

Shoot's body… morphed. One second, Logan was staring at the vine cat, and in the next, he was staring at a blob of vines. They latched onto the squirrel like a spider spinning a web. End over end, green vines covered the monster until the grey fur disappeared.

And then with a splat, the green vine oozed blood.

Huh.

With another warping movement, the vines shuffled and then reformed, shaking themselves before turning into a cat once again. And yet… what happened to the corpse? Had Shoot inhaled the thing?

Shoot let out a burp and then sidled up to Logan, pressing against his leg and rubbing a smear of blood against his pants like a purring cat.

Logan grimaced. "Good job, Shoot."

Shoot pranced, her tail wagging as more flowers bloomed from her eardrums.

Logan looked to the tree line. A moose the size of a car smiled at Logan with a swollen rounded snout, displaying razor sharp teeth and gums covered in black gunk. It had mutated antlers—curved backwards and sharpened into spike-like points, covered in that same black film that looked like tar. Unlike a regular moose, it wasn't covered in fur; rather, this one was bald like a hairless cat, its skin scarred with eczema and red, inflamed lines. This thing had a serious case of hives.

A moose was already enough of a powerhouse on its own before any whacky System mutations; Logan wasn't looking forward to this one. It was as tall as Logan at the shoulder and had to weigh close to a ton.

With a sound like a horse blowing out a breath, it crept forward, its hooves clanking as if… was that…? Aww, man. It was. It didn't just have hooves. Oh no. Instead, it had developed talons around its two front hooves that were like curved hooks. They clacked against the ground, digging deep furrows as it walked.

Logan remembered a moose story his grandfather had loved to tell the family around the campfire in the summer, back when Logan and Lara had sleepovers at the cabin. His grandfather had a twisted sense of humor and loved stories, but he'd relished ones that ended in a life lesson. Logan didn't know what this lesson was supposed to be… don't plow into a moose at full speed? Excessive speeders got what they deserved? But it had stuck with him all the same.

In the story, his grandfather's friend had been passing through the northern back roads of British Columbia, going forty miles over the speed limit at dusk, not watching his surroundings. British Columbia was packed full of deer; people hit them all the time. In fact, there were so many, the deer walked around the streets of downtown Hope's End as if they were going for strolls. If you hit a deer, you'd walk away with a dent in your car and an injured or dead animal. Hit a moose… and you'd be lucky to walk away with your life.

His grandfather's friend, more accustomed to deer, hit the speed limit and didn't blink at the traffic sign warning of moose. One glance at his radio, adjusting the dial, and that's all she wrote. The friend had hit a moose head on, totalling his car, one of the moose's hooves going straight through the windshield and glancing off the head of the driver.

Never fuck with a moose.

And that was before the Integration.

Logan scanned it with [Idiot's Inspect]:

[Hormonal Bull Moose. Level 56. This bull moose never finished its rut. It became frustrated when it was rebuffed by female moose, its anger and pain warping its body until it became unrecognizable.]

[Highest stat: Endurance. Characteristics: Hormone driven and inclined to mistake users for a female moose. Hidden name: N/A.]

Logan twisted his mouth. He didn't know whether to feel sorry for the damn thing or to snigger. His tension dropped, his muscles relaxing. Although the moose was a colossal animal, at level 56, it was no match for him.

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"Shoot," he said. "I want you to teleport over to Lara and the kids and be on the lookout for other monsters. Come back if you see anything, understand?" The array protected the cabin but if anyone was out and about around the property, they'd be vulnerable.

Shoot bobbed her head. "Yes mother!" With a pop, she deployed her teleporting ability and disappeared.

The etched barrier had been up for less than a minute, so he was hoping that he hadn't attracted any other monsters. With a blink, he willed out his sword from his spatial storage collar and jumped up and down, bouncing on his heels. Grinning, Logan took a running leap at the moose. By this point, he'd realized that it made no sense to spend time on monsters that wouldn't benefit him. A level 56 moose wouldn't do shit for his XP.

The moose sniffed, nostrils flaring, kicking up its butt and wiggling its stub tail. It gave Logan a curious warble, as if testing whether Logan was… well, a female moose.

Oh hell no.

Logan continued his leap and aimed for the moose's neck. By this point, it must have cottoned on that Logan wasn't its mate, and it bellowed in alarm, showing the whites of its eyes. Kicking its hooves, it aimed for Logan's chest with its hooked hooves. With a pivot, Logan dipped, leaning back, then swung his sword, clipping the thing's shoulder and chest. Its breath wafted over Logan, mouth spewing that black gunk before a deluge of blood hit the floor.

The moose wheezed, struggling for air. With a final swing of his sword, Logan severed its neck and ended its misery.

Ding!

[You have defeated a level 56 Hormonal Bull Moose!]

He willed the corpse inside of his spatial collar and then peered at the tree line as he scanned his surroundings. Other than the willow tree's branches rustling in the breeze, it was quiet. Then again, at times like these, Logan was reminded that he needed to find the time to increase his perception attribute. Sitting at 141 points, it was one of his lowest attributes.

Logan cracked his neck and then peered at the remaining E grade pile of items on the ground. Although the Endless Barrier Ink Pen had drawbacks, it was a drawback that had a silver lining. In a pinch, it could be a life saver for someone lower leveled like Lara and the kids. Yes, it would attract monsters, and they would swarm the area, but in an emergency, they just had to hold on until Logan found them.

Even better, he needed to level up before the Integration Tournament, and finding monsters was half the battle. With the Ink Pen, he could find an area far away from people, box himself inside of the barrier, and then wait.

And then go to town.

To someone not as high leveled as Logan, it might have been a death sentence. A box that would protect you until you starved to death. But to Logan, it was invaluable.

Crouching down in front of his remaining items, he licked his lips as anticipation thrummed through his stomach. The F grade menu had already turned into a goldmine. What about E grade?

The first thing that attracted his eye was something that shone. It was silver and in the shape of a helmet.

Logan scrutinized it with [Idiot's Inspect]:

[Bonded Companion Helm. S grade. This helm molds to your bonded companion, taking on whatever shape your companion wishes. Any area protected by this helm will be impervious to injury.]

Logan smiled. He'd bought this for Ernie as a vanity item, knowing that Ernie would get a kick out of it, but still, beyond vanity, it was a worthwhile item. S grade was nothing to sneeze at, and although the System didn't list what level of force it would protect against, at that grade, impervious might mean impervious.

When Ernie wore this thing, it was possible that it would protect his head against any kind of injury. And with an octopus, their head was a third of their body. The other two thirds were made up of his tentacles. Tentacles that could be regrown with [Regenerate].

Damn. Ernie might truly get his wish to rival all.

Logan threw the helm inside of his spatial storage collar and then picked up the next item. It was another black pouch, complete with a drawstring. Logan hefted it, weighing it in his hand. This one was larger, reminding him of a small sack of sugar. Whatever was inside wasn't solid; it moved, as if it were a pouch full of sand.

Logan opened the pouch and peered inside. What…? He gave the contents a puzzled frown. That sand analogy hadn't been far off. Instead of sand, it looked like fine grains of black metal. It shone like the System sourced black chains, with an aura that made the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Logan scanned it with [Idiot's Inspect]:

[Renewable Flexible Crafting Metal. B grade. This metal flexes, warps, and obeys the user's will. It will never run out.]

Was this the 'chunk of metal'? Rather than a chunk, it looked like the sand he used for his exoskeleton. The sand he used…

…for his exoskeleton.

Logan's eyes widened.

When he'd found the jewels inside of the Queen Serpent's lair, he'd managed to utilize the diamonds and transform them into sharp talons. He'd speculated that with enough metal, he could make his armour stronger by using something other than sandstone material. Would this work instead?

For now, Logan willed the pouch of metal inside of his spatial collar.

There were two more items. A pouch and what had to be the dagger. That was his most expensive purchase, costing a million KarmaCoin, so Logan was hoping for something good. He'd already determined that you couldn't buy enhanced weapons from the System Market. His Tree Fridge was his alternative.

The weapon was the length of his lower arm, the blade four inches across. Rather than looking like a dagger, it resembled a short sword, and yet half the length of the sword he'd taken off the Silverdagger Clan. Unlike a regular blade, the metal appeared black. System-sourced like the black chains. It had a scuffed handle, worn, as if the thing had been left to rot at the bottom of a pit for years.

At first glance, it didn't appear impressive. There went a million KarmaCoin down the drain. His stomach sinking, Logan gave the thing a bitter smile and then picked it up by the handle.

Ding!

[Potential owner detected! To bond with the Sabáktes dagger, cut yourself with its blade.]

Logan blinked. His heart racing, his disappointment transforming into excitement, he scanned the dagger with [Idiot's Inspect]:

[Sabáktes Dagger. AA grade. This dagger belonged to The Destroyer, the ruler of the first System integrated world. The Sabáktes Dagger is alive.]

Logan narrowed his eyes. That was it?! It was some kind of vanity dagger from some old, famous dude from another world? Logan ground his teeth and tightened his grip around the handle. Hell, maybe he should have purchased the 'curse' after all.

Pacing, Logan felt sorely tempted to throw the thing inside of his spatial storage collar, but one thing stopped him. The System was rarely up front with information; half the time giving items vague descriptions. That last line that the dagger was alive might be something after all.

Holding out his other hand, Logan scored his palm with the blade. He was expecting it to take force to get through his skin; since he'd leveled up, he was much more resilient to injury; and yet, the dagger cut through his skin as if he'd just sliced through water. Logan hissed and then wiped away the blood smear.

Ding!

[Bond to the Sabáktes dagger activated!]

Logan held his breath, waiting, his mouth dry. "Hello?" he said to the dagger, scrunching his nose and feeling like a fool. A fool who talked to a dagger.

And yet there was no response, just the willow tree's leaves rustling in the wind.

Oh, come on!

Logan barely restrained himself from kicking the remaining pouch on the ground. Although the dagger was sharp as hell and the blade must be System sourced, his existing sword was sharp enough. How was this an upgrade? Logan scowled and then willed it inside of his spatial storage collar.

Ding!

[Error! You cannot store living beings inside a spatial device!]

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