Grinding

Hendrix eventually finished pondering on how he should act next. After he memorized his plan, he began following through as he walked to the water and picked up and threw three rocks, In separate directions.

When the rocks hit the water, four Axolotl varmints leaped out.

While this occurred, Hendrix backed away and pulled out a wooden pole, and held it in his right hand. As he got into a defensive stance and his facial expression turned solemn.

As this happened, the varmints began to waddle toward Hendrix. With hunger and malice in their eyes. Their steps would leave muddy footprints as they waddled.

"Come out and attack me, varmints. I want to fight you." Hendrix said as he got ready to attempt to block any attack with claws and dodge any biting ones.

The varmints stopped side-by-side, and two swiped at Hendrix with their claws while the others tried to bite him.

Hendrix looked at the varmints before barely dodging a bite aimed at his side. Right after this action, he moved his wooden pole a hundred degrees and blocked a claw from hitting him perpendicular to his pole. However, this pushed him a foot back.

At the same time, a Varmint leaped at him as he limbo underneath it. As its large body flew over him, crashing into another varmint.

Hendrix then sidestepped a bite, though not entirely, as the varmints teeth left a gash on his left arm. He frowned while blocking an attack vertically, as the claw nearly sliced off a part of his face and pushed him back.

Hendrix gritted his teeth and used his hurt arm to grab a needle. He placed it into the tiny bow on his right glove and aimed it at the varmint's left eye, whose claw he was blocking. He struggled to keep his right arm steady so his shot won't miss.

The varmint in question, oblivious to Hendrix's intentions, continued to attack him. The other varmints also leaped at Hendrix at this time.

Hendrix's expression sighed grimly as he finally shot the needle into the varmint's left eye. As he backed away, breaking the lock. He also quickly dodged the other varmints' attacks by sidestepping them.

The injured varmint screamed in agony as it turned around and looked at Hendrix with its remaining eye. At the same time, the other varmints crashed into it.

Hendrix climbed on the back of a disoriented varmint and approached its head. Once he arrived there, he grabbed two needles and stabbed them into its eyes with his hands, blinding the varmint as he quickly jumped off, not wanting to get injured more.

It began to attack randomly and attack the other varmints by accident, which caused their aggression to turn to the blind varmint. They all started to fight one another in a brawl as Hendrix watched.

'This is strange, though I should take advantage of the fight.' Hendrix thought as he loaded, aimed, and fired needles at every varmint's uninjured eyes from obscure angles, blinding the rest of the varmints.

Hendrix brought out his wooden pole again as he ran towards the varmints. He planned to use them for training his melee fighting skills further.

He began trying to block random attacks the varmints caused. As he did so, he smiled, having learned he enjoyed fighting. Hendrix began to smile wider as he continued to fight and train.

The fight continued until Hendrix got tired, after which he killed all the Varmints with his method. He then returned to his campsite outside of the Citadel.

'Guide, please turn off all notifications for achievements or anything that isn't essential to my survival.' Hendrix thought as he didn't want any distractions.

[Noted]

Hendrix then fell asleep. Once he woke up the following day, he trained while fighting varmints. He did these actions throughout three millennia while being sent to the grave an unholy amount of times. Hendrix also built bridges to every island while dying to ambushes in the varmints domain and Root Axolotls roots.

During this time, he passed a giant tower in the middle of the swamp. But he ignored it for the time being, as his priority was elsewhere. He also reloaded his needles very often.

Once, he killed all the Axolotl varmints on every island. He built a large boat, and he paddled across the giant swamp. At the same time, he lured Varmints in the area onto his ship and killed them. However, he had to restart many times. He eventually killed all the normal Varmints in the Citadel after another three millennia.

[Congratulations, you have killed all normal Varmints in the outer Citadel. You are now eligible to face the Monarch and their council.]

'How many Varmints did I kill in total, Guide?' Hendrix thought as he thought it would be an absurd amount.

[You have killed 35,000 Axolotl varmints and 1000 Root Axolotls in this run.]

'I guess the runs before don't count, right?' Hendrix thought as he realized almost all his kills would earn him nothing.

[That is correct. This rule is here to deter people from trying too hard in the first Tribulation. You are the only one to have been here this long.]

'Well, what's next' Hendrix wondered what else he could do.

[Find out yourself]

Hendrix nodded as he thought about it for a while until he remembered the tower in the middle of the Citadel swamp. Once he realized this, he returned to his residence and made plenty more needles and armor for a few months.

Once he finished those tasks, he headed back into the Citadel. As he got there, he headed over to the tower.

'Is it possible to get a save point made?' Hendrix thought as he didn't want to spend millennia to get here again if he died.

[Yes, there is, Hendrix. Do you want to save?]

[Y/N]

'Not yet. I have some items to make first.'

[Noted]

Hendrix stopped heading towards the tower and instead ran out of the Citadel. He planned to create more items, as he thought he needed them.