This world is way bigger than I thought…
A Bipe, a pigeon-like bird common around here, except it's got a skill for smacking enemies in the face, was soaring solo through the skies above a lush, towering mountain range.
Whoosh!
Before it could react, a Bihawk—a hawk-like bird three times the Bipe's size—swooped in at lightning speed, aiming to turn it into a quick meal.
WHAM!!
"Coo! COO!!"
The Bipe screeched in pain. It dodged a fatal blow but still took a nasty hit. The Bihawk, not one to let prey slip away, pulled a sharp 180-degree turn for another dive.
Grab!
"SCREEE!!"
"Coo… Lucky for me, I've got hands, coo coo."
"SCREEE!! CAW!! SCREEE!!"
Just as the Bihawk's attack was about to land, a massive winged arm—human-sized, with webbed claws sprouting from the Bipe's underwing—shot out and gripped the Bihawk's neck. It shrieked and thrashed in panic, but no dice. It wasn't breaking free.
[Status]
Monster: Bipe
[Trueform] Hubipe (A new ability for even sneakier disguises, perfect for smoother travel! I'll explain it later, promise!)
Species: Bird, LV.8
Bird/Human, LV.1008
Grade: Normal, Rank G, Female
HP: 64/64, MP: 8/8
HP: 2064/2064, MP: 1008/1008
[Status]
"Sorry, pal, you picked the wrong target… and at a time when no one's around to witness it. Guess I'll borrow your data instead. Eye-catching, but no need to play prey too often, coo coo."
With that, the Bipe crushed the Bihawk's body, killing it. In a flash—1/10,000th of a second—the Bihawk's corpse and the Bipe vanished. A moment later, a Bipe's corpse reappeared, clamped in the Bihawk's beak.
[Status]
Monster: Bihawk
[Trueform] Hubihawk
Species: Bird, LV.77
Bird/Human, LV.1077
Grade: Normal, Rank D, Female
HP: 860/860, MP: 86/86
HP: 10860/10860, MP: 1086/1086
[Status]
The Bihawk perched on a tall tree, munching on the Bipe's meat—nom nom, chomp chomp—while gazing at the breathtaking scenery stretching beyond the horizon.
Yo, what's up! That Bipe just now? And this Bihawk? Yup, that's me, folks. The corpse? Just some Bipe feathers I morphed for the act.
Nom nom… chomp… Hmm, fresh Bipe meat, raw through a Bihawk's tongue? Not bad at all. But if I imagine it with human taste buds—ugh, I'd puke. Whatever. Eating with Bihawk senses while soaking in this gorgeous view? Puts me in a pretty good mood, I'd say.
In most fantasy anime or novels (not all, mind you), you get these meticulously drawn maps, and it feels like hopping from one city to another is a breeze—on foot, by carriage, caravan, or warp. At first, I thought the same. This world didn't seem that big. Like, a month of travel could cover the whole thing, right?
But now? After actually experiencing it, I'm pretty sure this world's as massive as our old one. Maybe bigger. After a year of leisurely exploring, no rush, the cities I've mentioned so far—"Sera City," "Tara City," "Carriage City," "Asca City"—they're spaced out by, like, 500 to 1000+ kilometers! (With smaller towns, rivers, lakes, forests, and roadside dungeons sprinkled in between.) Plus, each city has sister cities with similar prefixes, like Sera City, Sebas City, Sebiu City, or Tara City, Tata City, Tama City, all varying in monster levels.
For example:
Sera City: Beginner-to-mid-tier monsters
Sebas City: Mid-tier monsters
Sebiu City: Mid-to-high-tier monsters
Tata City: Beginner-to-mid-tier monsters
Tama City: Mid-tier monsters
Tara City: Mid-to-high-tier monsters
To put it in Earth terms, the prefixes—Se, Ta, Ca, Asca—are basically country names. Each has major cities with the prefix plus "City," andErin's got suburbs and villages with suffixes like "-tul," "-til," "-tol," "-tal," "-tel," "-tial," and so on. Like, Grace is in Sera City, and Trice is in Seratul village.
After exploring with all my bodies at a chill pace, I've found 11 countries before hitting the sea. Or, simply put, if I'm guessing right, that's just one continent. (Big note here!)
Among the 99 other summoned folks, I've only met 9 of them in this continent, each in a different country. Except for the biggest, most prosperous, resource-rich, dungeon-packed country—smack in the middle of all the others. No one got sent there. (Or maybe I just haven't found them? Nah, doubt it.)
Yup, you're catching on, aren't you, friends? With my tiny brain, I'm guessing: one hero per country, 10 heroes per continent, with that central country as a resource-farming hub. Whoever figures it out first gets a leg up in the continent. The other 90 heroes? Probably split across nine other continents!
Why separate us like this and not let us team up from the start? Even if it's about rankings or points, couldn't we just help each other survive? What's the goal? If it's a survival game with only one winner, that doesn't add up—Melt wouldn't be pushing for Top 15-30 or surviving 100 years otherwise.
Or… is it a hero competition, first on a continental level, then a global one?!?!?!?!?!?!
Ho boy, once you start piecing it all together, things get way more complicated!!!!
End of Chapter 28
A Continent-Level, Then World-Level Hero Competition?!?!