Grasshopper

I want to kill too."

Jon's eyes widened at Alexa's words. She was his best friend's sister, and he had promised himself he would do everything in his power to protect her. But now, she wanted to risk her life.

A sigh escaped him, and he nodded reluctantly. 'Maybe the best kind of protection is self-protection', he thought.

"Just promise me you'll stay close," he said softly. Alexa nodded. Jon could see it in her eyes—her resolve was unshakable. He couldn't continue wallowing in his own despair, not while she stood so determined.

He closed his eyes, letting go of the weight that had been dragging him down. As he exhaled, a wave of calm washed over him, and the pain that had been wracking in his body vanished like mist under the sun.

But that wasn't the only change.

His Mind World trembled, expanding outward by several meters.

Jon realized something significant in that moment: The state of my mind is connected to the Mind World. As if responding to his realization, the space within his Mind World doubled. Where he had once only been able to perceive 10 meters, he now saw 30 meters in all directions.

[YOUR *** LEVEL HAS INCREASED]

[YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF 'MOON' HAS INCREASED]

Jon let out a slow breath as a strange, new aura emanated from him. This unexpected mental and physical growth left him feeling lighter than he had in days. Free from his depression, he could finally think clearly, though his suspicions remained.

"Let's move. We've got a lot of work to do."

He took the lead, walking alongside Tunde. His sharp eyes noted several new faces in the group—people who had recently gained their skills, and others who still had none.

They want to survive in this new world, he mused. Despite their trembling legs, Jon admired their courage. The group was much larger than it had been on previous scouting trips, likely because their earlier success had bolstered confidence among the people.

As they pressed forward, Jon turned to Tunde, a lighter expression on his face. "What did I miss?"

Tunde smirked. "Which part?"

Jon cocked his head, surprised. "Part? Did that much happen?"

"Actually, if it wasn't for you, things would've been much worse," Tunde said, as if reminiscing about something dark.

Jon frowned. "What do you mean? How much did I miss?"

"You slept for two days straight, Jon," Tunde revealed.

"WHAT?" Jon's shock was palpable.

Tunde chuckled. "Don't get too worked up. That's just the beginning."

For a moment, Jon's hearing blurred out. Two days? He had only meant to take a short nap, and somehow, two days had slipped by. Including the other two days he had slept since arriving in this strange new reality, Jon had slept away four of the ten days since the world fell apart.

'Where did I go wrong?' that thought was in his mind the moment he was told how long he had slept for.

"It's been 10 days, Jon. Ten days," Jenny's voice cut through his thoughts. She had appeared beside him at some point, her presence both comforting and heavy with unspoken words.

Looking at Jenny, Jon's heart sank.' Can I still afford to have friends? After what happened with Alex?'

The world was shifting toward something worse, and trust seemed like a luxury he could no longer afford. 'My parents were with me for years, and they left. Why wouldn't these people do the same?'

Yet, despite his distrust, Jon hadn't hesitated to trust his back to these people during battle. The contrast gnawed at him, leaving him conflicted. Sooner or later, he would have to confront his feelings.

"I need to talk to you two later," he said, glancing at Jenny and Cynthia. Then he turned to Tunde. "Continue."

"W-What? But I just finished explaining everything!" Tunde stammered, clearly flustered.

Jon looked around, momentarily disoriented. "Err…"

Laughter erupted from the group. It was a rare moment of levity, seeing Jon—normally so composed—showing an almost childlike confusion.

"Where do I even start again?" Tunde muttered, just as the ground shook beneath them.

BOOOOM.

Jon stopped, Tunde's words were interrupted by an explosion in the distance. About 500 meters ahead, a group of green monsters had appeared.

They looked exactly like grasshoppers—but not ordinary ones. These creatures were the size of fully grown men, their appearance a grotesque magnification of the familiar insects.

For the group, who had only faced zombies so far, the sight of something as mundane as a grasshopper now turned into a deadly threat was chilling. The monsters weren't focused on them, though.

Two massive grasshoppers—both in the First Realm—were locked in combat, moving so fast they were mere blurs to most onlookers, some couldn't even see anything. So they were confused as to what they were looking at, but could only hear explosions.

Jon, however, could follow their movements with ease. The 50-point increase in all his stats had made him sharper, faster, and more attuned to his surroundings. He didn't even need to activate his Moon Gaze to track them.

"What is that?" someone who couldn't see the fight shouted, breaking the tense silence. He quickly covered his mouth, but it was too late. The grasshoppers had heard.

Everyone's eyes snapped toward the newcomer in panic, but the real danger was already upon them. The grasshoppers shifted their attention from their duel to the group. Even the two that had been fighting for dominance stopped, now united against the new threat.

SCREEECH… SKREE… SREKKK.

The grasshoppers communicated in high-pitched, ear-splitting sounds, quickly deciding to put aside their differences and deal with this new prey first.

Jon's Moon Gaze activated, scanning the area. As expected, zombies were also closing in on their location.

'We need to move fast', he thought, knowing he could take care of the grasshoppers but still uncertain of his own limits after losing days to sleep.

Without wasting time, Jon used his Shadow Step to blur into motion, appearing between the two strongest grasshoppers. He lashed out with a powerful punch at the one on the right.

CLANG.

The sound echoed as Jon's fist collided with the creature's exoskeleton, the sheer force of impact denting the grasshopper's arm.

KUUAAAAA!

The grasshopper screeched in pain, lashing out with its other arm, sending a violent wave of air in Jon's direction.