Chapter 2 Encounter

"Hey system!" He snapped; "You'd better start giving me some answers! It's very obvious that your Dual Cultivation system is not compatible with this Isekai!"

Nexus kept venting, not allowing the system the opportunity to reply:

"Don't even try to bullshit me! This Isekai uses mana as its standard unit of measurement! But your system clearly makes use of Qi!"

Nexus was obviously flustered. His observation was spot on. And it irked him that he hadn't pointed this out sooner.

"Answer me damn it! Are we good here?!"

The system replied him without any sense of urgency:

[AFFIRMATIVE. EVERYTHING IS IN ORDER.]

[YOU MAY OBSERVE SOME DISCREPANCIES ALONG THE WAY, THAT IS SOLELY BECAUSE THIS DUAL CULTIVATION SYSTEM AND THIS ISEKAI DO NOT CONFORM TO THE STEREOTYPE OF THE TYPICAL XIANXIA NOVEL.]

[THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT WITHIN THIS CONSTRUCT REMAINS THE SAME. HOWEVER, THE CIRCUMSTANCES DIFFER.]

Nexus felt the fog in his head lift. The system's answer seemed to do it for him.

"Fine. Let's do this."

Enduring the intense midday sun, the incredibly cold windy nights, the dampness of the early morning dew, and the loneliness, Nexus marched through the woods, determined to brave through. Hardly a night passed where he slept more than a few hours. Noncturnal dangers like slithering serpents, ravenous panthers were an ever present problem.

So, he made his resting place on the highest branches, and spent the major part of his days travelling, while maintaining a permanent state of suspicious alertness.

Nexus simply could not wait to get out of the woods.

"Hey System, you there?"

[AFFIRMATIVE.]

"You know you didn't have to throw me in so deep in the jungle right?

"I mean, I get that the adventure, the solitude, as well as the undirected element of surprise is part of the hero package and all. But it wouldn't have killed you to make me a lord in a castle! Or at least, a Count! Shit, I would have settled for an Earldom. . ."

Nexus continued to yap away.

The intermittent chirping of sparrows, and the ambiguous tone of the forest shadowed his every word, making Nexus long more and more for the comfort and pervasive thrill of normal human society.

While he prayed for his days in the jungle to come to an end, Nexus did not know he was subconsciously adapting to his new environment. And in the process, also gaining survival skills simultaneously.

His internal clock and compass began to synchronize with his external environment. So, even without a time piece, he always knew what the time was.

Since he was always on the move, lethargy became a thing of the past, and he began to get even more fit.

Nexus also began to become a god at swordplay. For three hours each day, just before the crack of dawn, he climbed the highest elevation, and trained with his sword assiduously till the first rays of the morning sun streaked through the forest.

Shirtless, and under the coolness of the lush morning dew, Nexus slashed and slashed, honing his grip, and disciplining his muscles, prompting great beads of sweat all over his body- in spite of the coolness of the morning.

As Nexus grew in strength, so did his confidence.

One particular evening, just as he settled to make camp, he spotted a lone direwolf.

Instinctively, his hand went to his sword's hilt, hoping the abnormally large grey beast would make a move on him- so he could finally allow his blade to feast on something organic.

For a tense eleven seconds, both man and beast locked eyes, the trees gently rustled all around them, acknowledging the rushing wind. Overhead, twilight encroaching stealthily as if creating the ideal battleground.

Neither one moved. Just as Nexus exhaled, and made up hismind to draw his sword, the direwolf's head dropped beneath its shoulders, turned around, and disappeared into the woods!

Nexus did not feel relieved at all. He actually hoped it would lead to his first kill. But his confidence was but a mere manifestation of his budding Qi, and his mastery of the sword. Just like the direwolf, other beasts sensed this, and avoided him entirely.

That night, instead of dreaming about attacking, or being attacked by some beast, Nexus' dreams took a different trajectory; he dreamt he met a girl.

As fate would have it, he woke up a to a very peculiar bit of drama. At the base of the very tall tree where he had slept off was a group of people huddled in close formation. Nexus' eyes widened at the sight. This was his first sighting of any human since he came here. So, giddy with excitement, he peered downwards, through the canopy of leaves, hoping to catch a glimpse of this party, and what they were up to.

From the great height he was, he was able to make out eight of them. They were all male, drapped in ancient regalia, and with full bearded faces. They appeared to be talking. So, he strained his ears;

". . .what were you thinking? You really thought we were just going to let you run amuck and waste our time?"

Nexus recognized the biting sarcasm.

"What a fucking joke! You're going to learn to behave! Foolish girl!"

The last word pricked Nexus ear. Girl? There's a girl?

Carefully, he adjusted his position, and ended up getting a better grip of the situation. It turned out this was not a group. In actuality, this was an ambush. All eight men were encircled round a single girl.

Dazed, Nexus' pupils dilated as he stared askance at the girl in question. Her appearance was striking in more than one way. She was lean, had an athletic build, and also an elegant neck that rested on perfectly proportioned shoulders. But that was about all that was normal about her. From her shoulder to her hip were the only regions on her body that bore any semblance of normalcy.

Nexus looked closer, just to be sure his mind was not being played.

Sure enough, just as he had seen before, on the girl's head, spread out like two tightly bound ponytails were two horns! They crowned her temple, with their roots buried deep behind her thick lushful virgin black hair.

Flanked on all sides by her aggressors, like a cornered animal with her back against the thick tree trunk, she fidgeted uneasily at the base of the tree, desperately trying to find a way out.

As she pivoted, Nexus caught a glimpse of something else. It was long, and thin, like a rope, moving behind her, shadowing her every step. Nexus eyebrows furrowed in deep thought as he observed;

Wait a damn minute, is that a...is that a. . .

He very nearly gave up his location by crying out in alarm, when he discovered that it was a tail! It seemed to be lodged firmly between her buttcheeks, and moved freely without being stepped on. Nexus' interest in the girl (and her situation) trippled on the spot.

The chief douchebag continued to speak:

"Now, now, you look scared, don't be scared m'lady. You're in good company!"

He turned briefly to his gang behind him;

"Boys, tell her, we're pretty good company ain't we?"

Hoarse cries of "You betcha!" and "Yeah boss!" answered the main man's question like a bunch of yes men.

He turned to the girl again with a wicked glint in his eye;

"You see, you're in good hands, now be a proper lady and flash me a smile will ya---"

The girl threw back her head, and spat at the man incredulously.

"You make me sick! Stay the hell away from me you rottening swine!!"

The others giggled, and laughed mildly, until the boss shot them a virtiolic look, shutting them up instantly.

Clearly aroused, the main aggressor took a step towards the girl, his face dripping with perverse excitement, and his eyes boring into her with a piercing gaze.

"You know, for a dame with such an angelic face, you have a really foul mouth on you. . ."

Nexus only needed to take a closer look to see that he was right about her face. Her face had that cherubic cuteness to it that could not be denied. Nexus also saw that even though she was trim, her body corseted into an hourglass at the middle. This was one exotic girl.