Alone

"I will be going out by myself today… you all, don't step out from this hut until I return," Viktor reminded the group.

However, his bodyguards stopped him once again.

"Young master, please let us accompany you!" Boris said, standing up in protest. Not only had the bodyguard fully healed from yesterday's wound, but he was also full of energy.

Viktor did not know if it was just his imagination, but Boris seemed to look even better than before he was injured.

The others, too, were taken aback when they saw how energetic Boris was.

Reminded of the spirit stones Boris consumed the night before, Viktor checked his stats.

[Boris Oslo]

[Male - 31 years old]

[Battle Power: 18]

[Mortal realm - initial stage]

One point...

Viktor saw that the three spirit stones were able to increase Boris' battle power by another one point, making it reach 18 points. It appeared that one spirit stone did not equal one battle power, and he was sure that the stronger they were, the more spirit stones they would need to increase their strength.

With more spirit stones, his bodyguard would eventually be more useful for him, but at the moment, it was still better to go by himself.

The explanation that Viktor gave them was that he had consumed plenty of spirit stones before, hence he was confident to go alone. He had no intention of telling them about the Djinn or the magic lamp, and he probably never will.

Boris and Torri insisted on coming with him, but he reminded them that there were still Barry and Eva to protect, and in the end, the two bodyguards relented.

The decision was final. Everyone was reluctant to agree, but they all knew that once Viktor made a decision, nothing they said would be able to change his mind.

Viktor took his desert eagle gun and put the special dagger on his waist. As for the saber, he left it to Boris as protection in case they encountered trouble.

Once again, he reminded them not to leave the hut until he returned.

"Especially you, Eva. Stay here patiently, okay?"

The girl nodded obediently.

After Viktor walked out of the hut, he took the time to check his stats.

[Strength - 17]

[Agility - 31]

[Endurance - 28]

[Battle Power - 25]

[Spirit Force - 26]

[Mortal realm - high stage]

Ideally, Viktor should kill enough to push his spirit force to 30 and hopefully reach the next stage today. With that, he was also hoping to get more bonus points and as many spirit stones as possible.

When he found out that Boris was able to have his battle power increased simply by eating a stone, he quickly inquired to the Djinn.

"Djinn... I can also consume those spirit stones, right?"

<It's quite barbaric to eat it that way, but yes…>

"That's good to know."

There was a little disgust in the Djinn's voice when he answered, but Viktor did not care.

After walking about a hundred steps in deep snow near a forest, Viktor realized he was not sure where to start hunting. It would not be wise to just wander around aimlessly and waste time, so he stopped his tracks.

"Djinn, let me ask, what would happen to you if I died?"

The Djinn was silent for a moment before answering.

<I guess I would have to wait a thousand more years for a new master.>

Viktor pretended to be in thought.

"I see… so can we agree that my well-being is also in your best interest?"

<I guess that's true.>

"Now, Djinn, I don't have much time. As you know, I'm two years behind other survivors. Any human I meet at the moment will most likely be able to kill me easily. So help me get strong fast, will you?"

The Djinn did not say anything in response.

Viktor did not know if the Djinn was thinking about it or was simply ignoring him, so he added.

"You can hear my thoughts, so you should know that I'm not asking for much. Just guide me. Help me find the closest monster I can kill and warn me if there are ones too dangerous for me… all right?"

<Keke… are you trying to manipulate me? The all-powerful Djinn?>

"Djinn, it's not manipulation if both parties agree and benefit," Viktor corrected.

<...>

<That doesn't sound quite right, but all right. I'll help you.>

Afterward, the Djinn proactively told Viktor which way to go and which mutated animals to kill. The Djinn even gave him detailed information about the mutated animal beforehand.

[Mutated boar - level 18]

[Battle Power - 20]

Viktor had learned about hunting from the Romanov family's training before, so it only took him a while before all his training returned to him.

He only needed to get as close to the prey as possible without alerting them, and when it finally realized his presence, Viktor's dagger would have already pierced through its neck.

[You have received the spirit energy of mutated boar - level 18.]

[You have received one point in agility.]

With the Djinn as his monster detector, Viktor dashed and jumped from one mutated animal to another. From boars to rabbits and even a group of stray zombies, he killed several different creatures.

After approximately three hours of killing two dozen monsters, he finally heard what he had been waiting for.

[You have received one point in spirit force.]

'It's finally here, but…'

Its progress was still too slow.

"Djinn."

<What?>

"Don't you think it's about time you lead me to a stronger one?"

<Kekeke… you want a stronger enemy? Looks like you're in luck.>

It took Viktor a moment to process what the Djinn meant.

"Wait, right now??"

Viktor got goosebumps. At that moment, buzzing noises sounded from behind him, and when he turned back, he saw a group of flying beasts coming at him.

One… two…

There were at least half a dozen of them. As they came closer, he got a clearer look at what they were. The flying creatures were as big as a tennis ball each, but they were actually flying bugs.

"Are those mutated bees? With that monstrous size!?"