"Huft." Theo wiped the sweat on his forehead while staring at this dead tiger. He touched it and found nothing dropped and did the same to the other one.
When he finished, he heard Ava's cry. "Kyu, Kyu!"
Theo raised his vision and saw Ava standing on top of the tiger while waving her cute little foot, asking Theo to come.
The latter shook his head helplessly and walked to her.
"Kyu!" Ava smiled as if telling him, "Dinner is acquired."
Theo could only shake his head helplessly and say, "I guess you are right. You don't turn the monster into cards after killing it, I guess the human system doesn't apply to you."
Ava nodded a few times before rubbing her belly.
"I know, I know. For now, let's move to another place without blood scent. After that, I am going to set up our camp."
"Kyu!" Ava leaped off the body and pulled the tiger with her little front foot, dragging the corpse as if it was nothing.
"Seriously… I will be in trouble if I meet a monster as strong as you and as small as you." Theo let out a sigh, understanding that Ava was one of a kind.
He then used his Clone to scout again while searching for a place to settle down for the rest of the night.
They ended up walking back for fifteen minutes since they had cleared the monsters in that area.
Theo lit the fire and boiled the water while setting up the tent. As soon as he was done, he started cooking the tiger for both of them.
Even though she could eat anything, Ava seemed to be fond of cooked food instead of raw meat. Since this was her prey, he had no hesitation cooking the meal until she was full since Ava had been a great help during this journey.
"Kyu!" Ava moaned while rubbing her belly and staring at the dark sky.
"Did my brother ask you to accompany me, Ava?" Theo asked.
Ava opened her mouth in surprise before looking away.
It was enough for the answer.
"I am sorry for making you go through this." Theo sighed and leaned on the tree. "If I weren't born from the Griffith Family, you wouldn't need to do this."
Ava suddenly stood up and leaped on top of his thigh.
"Kyu!" Ava puffed her cheek while glaring at Theo as if he was mad at him.
"Right? You should be mad because I'm the one causing this situation." Theo sighed.
"Kyu!" Ava gently hit Theo's stomach before shaking her head. She then leaped around on his thigh while waving her hand upward, telling him that she was happy.
"Huh?" Theo tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean? This is suffering."
"Kyu." Ava suddenly walked on his leg and returned to her original position before throwing a punch in succession.
She wanted to tell him that she was happy because she could go on a journey and fight others together.
"I guess we have different opinions."
Ava confirmed it and pointed at the food while rubbing her belly with a blissful expression.
"Well, since you are enjoying it, I guess that's fine." Theo scratched the back of his head, wondering what was going through her mind.
Ava's strength was extraordinary, so he thought Ava could just do fine anywhere since she was intelligent enough. At the same time, she might be able to command all the monsters around the area, but he didn't know how a monster could control other monsters, so he didn't dare to expect something like that.
Still, knowing Ava's strength and feeling, Theo thought he could entrust the night to her. Of course, he wouldn't sleep that deep, so he could react if something happened, but if Ava could do it, the days he would experience in this place would surely become easier.
He stroked Ava's head and back while saying, "You should sleep first. I need to reconsider a few things after seeing the result of the first day."
"Kyu!" Ava nodded and made herself comfortable on top of Theo's thigh instead of his tent.
"You are not going to use the tent?"
"Kyu!" Ava shook her head. She turned around and reached Theo's waist as if she was trying to cuddle him.
"…" Theo fell silent as he couldn't understand Ava the more he was with her. Ava always surprised him with her intelligence.
While leaving her sleep, Theo opened his Skylink and looked at the map.
'Hmm, the monsters here are stronger than I expected, so I need to adjust my course.' Theo had a mixed feeling when he didn't have his teammates anymore.
On the one hand, he leveled up two or three times faster than when he fought together and waited for his turn to increase his level. On the other hand, he was a bit tired since he needed to do everything alone.
He needed to fight, cook, plan the course, scout, and do other things. It was the price he needed to pay. He thought he had prepared enough, but it was rougher than he expected, so he wanted to slow down their pace.
He rearranged the checkpoint where they should stay and the expected destination.
Little did he know, inside a cave next to Lambert Lake, a human was clutching his belly. He had lost his right arm and there were many bandages on his body.
However, those injuries couldn't stop him from releasing his killing intent. Despite his injury, all he did was look forward, imagining a certain image that made him smile, forgetting the pain he needed to suffer.
In fact, he seemed to be numb to this pain, as if he had a screw loose in his head. What he knew was the scene in his head instead of the wounds.
"I have thrown the bait with a good reward. I don't care for how long. I'm sure that you are going to come here." He panted a few times and continued, "Even if I need to starve, even if I need to die… I am going to make you suffer, Theodore Griffith."
*****
Author's Note: I assume everyone has voted and the result is Alea will be next.