38
Chapter 38
Three rabbits descended from the moon.
Their heads and bodies were a one-to-one ratio, making them two heads tall.
Their long, droopy ears hung all the way down to their toes.
Their species name was Luna Rabbit, and they were Unique rank monsters.
Ah. Their size was a bit larger than Ailee.
Naturally, they weren't our enemies.
According to Tosun's Mom, they were the Ancestors of the Blood Rabbit species who had ascended long ago. Though she called it ascension, they probably just lived on the moon floating up in the sky.
"Uwoong! Ancestors, it's been a while! Did you come down to congratulate our Tosuni?"
Tosun's Mom smiled brightly and welcomed the Luna Rabbits.
Before I knew it, the Luna Rabbits had reached the ground.
"Uwoong! Of course we have to congratulate her!"
"She evolved into a rabbit Doll? To think another new species was born among our kin! Such a joyous occasion! Uwoong!"
"Uwoong. I actually wanted to come down earlier, but this guy was late because he was grooming his fur."
All three of their cries sounded exactly the same.
And they were familiar.
They were slightly different from Tosun's Mom's, but perfectly identical to Tosuni's cries. Uwoong!
More importantly, this was my first time actually seeing the Unique rank.
So the true bosses of this area were those rabbits.
With a stiff face, I held Tosuni's hand tightly and checked the Luna Rabbits' information again.
Level 75 was 750 power.
Level 70 was 700 power.
Level 71 was 710 power.
The results were clear.
Uniques gained 10 power per level.
The Elite rank was 6 per level, and the Rare rank was 4 per level, probably?
Unique, Elite, Rare.
That was the order, from highest rank to lowest.
It suddenly made me wonder if there were other ranks between the ones I just mentioned. Like a rank that gained 5 power per level, or 7 to 9 power per level.
I should look into the exact ranking system later.
I was curious, but it wasn't exactly important right now.
"Tosuni, we're here! Uwoong!"
"Uwoong! What a cute baby, congratulations on your Evolution!"
"You're still as cute as ever even after becoming a Doll! Uwoong!"
The Luna Rabbits approached us.
Tosuni tilted her head.
She looked like she had no idea who they were.
Was she seeing her Ancestors for the first time today?
"Uwoong? Tosuni, did you really forget our faces?"
"She only saw us once when she was born, so she might not remember. Uwoong."
"Uwoong. You just have to remember us starting today."
I guess this wasn't her first time seeing them.
She simply couldn't remember.
Afterward, the Luna Rabbits' attention naturally turned to me beside Tosuni.
"Uwoong? By the way, what's that Teddy Bear next to Tosuni? It's not one of our kin, is it?"
"Uwoong! What an adorable Teddy Bear!"
"It's cute, so let's make it one of our kin! Uwoong!"
While the Luna Rabbits were fussing over me.
Tosun's Mom approached them and introduced me, Ailee, and the Baby Doll instead.
The Luna Rabbits belatedly discovered the Baby Doll as well.
And this time as well, they showed their excitement by wildly flapping their long ears.
"Uwuwoong!!! Another cute Doll?!"
"This one looks quite pretty! Uwoong!"
"Uwoong! It's lovely, except for being a little dirty!"
They had no interest in Ailee.
A Vampire, they said just that one phrase and didn't even look at her.
The Luna Rabbits' attention was solely focused on us Dolls.
It seems they were rabbits who loved Dolls.
"Uwoong! Tosuni is so fluffy!"
"Uwoong...."
One of the Luna Rabbits hugged Tosuni.
"The Teddy Bear is cute! Uwoong!"
Another Luna Rabbit hugged me.
You better let go, before a Bear-Bear Punch flies your way.
...was what I wanted to say, but they were too strong of a monster.
It couldn't be helped.
Let's accept our fate.
As two of the Luna Rabbits hugged me and Tosuni respectively, the remaining Luna Rabbit made an envious expression before approaching Ailee and holding out its hand.
"Uwoong. Hand over the Baby Doll. I want to hug a cute Doll too."
"No. This is my child."
"I'll handle it carefully so it doesn't get hurt. Hand it over. Uwoong!"
"I don't want to."
"Please...."
"......."
Ailee made a troubled expression.
Then, she reluctantly handed over the Baby Doll.
Seeing an overwhelmingly stronger opponent begging instead of trying to take it by force, she seemed to have judged that they wouldn't harm the Baby Doll.
"Uwoong! I'm hugging a Doll too!"
"You absolutely must not let it get hurt."
"Don't worry! Uwoong!"
The last Luna Rabbit smiled brightly and hugged the Baby Doll.
They're somewhat childlike rabbits.
There wasn't a hint of dignity to be found.
***
"To celebrate Princess Tosuni's Evolution!"
"Drink up!"
"Geobuuuk!"
"Uwoong!"
The Blood Festival began.
The villagers gathered in the plaza, savoring the blood squeezed from their prey alive.
While loud chatter and laughter overflowed.
Belatedly, other latecomer rabbits joined the festival one by one.
Among them.
There were also rabbits called Elders.
They were said to be the ones who held the position of Queen before Tosun's Mom, and the majority were Rare rank monsters.
"What is the meaning of coming later than us! Uwoong!"
"We're soooorry......."
The Elders were being scolded by the Luna Rabbits.
I slowly took them in, one by one.
A minority of Superior ranks.
A large number of Rare ranks.
A tiny minority of Elite ranks.
There were no ranks with new names.
And regardless of rank, not a single one was Max Level.
Tosun's Mom was the only Max Level in this village.
That included all the villagers.
Her rank wasn't high, but being the only Max Level was amazing and worthy of respect.
Just as I finished observing the Elders.
"Uwoong. We should make something delicious for our baby Dolls."
"Something delicious? Are you talking about that, Uwoong?"
"I'll help too, Uwoong!"
The Luna Rabbits carefully put us down.
They told us to wait for a moment, then dragged over a living prey.
[Orc lv.30]
└Pw.90
└Rnk.Superior
"Ughhh......."
With its limbs amputated.
The monster let out painful groans.
It was a gruesome scene, but I didn't feel much about it.
In a world of survival of the fittest, it's natural for the weak to be eaten.
Severing the limbs was merely a proper measure to prevent the prey from escaping.
"It's been a while, so don't make any mistakes, Uwoong."
"Uwoong. Don't worry, I'll control my strength."
"Uwoong. Let's get started."
The three Luna Rabbits surrounded the Orc.
What were they trying to do?
Were they going to squeeze out its blood alive like the other prey?
No, seeing how they built up expectations, it seemed they planned to cook it a different way.
"Alright, here we go! Uwoong!"
"Uwoong!"
"Uwoong!"
Thwack-!
Smack!
Whack-!
The Luna Rabbits began to ruthlessly beat the Orc.
Punching it with their fists, striking it with their long ears.
"Urgh! Ugh! Aaargh!"
Whether they were properly controlling their strength or not,
the Orc didn't die despite the endless beating.
Ailee, who was watching the Luna Rabbits' beating with me, gently asked Tosun's Mom.
"...Mother Tosun. Aren't they just beating it up?"
"Uwoom. It might look that way, but they aren't simply beating it up. They're making Blood Rice Cake, a delicacy that only the Ancestors can make. The Blood Rice Cake cooked by the Ancestors is chewy and incredibly delicious. You can look forward to it."
It really wasn't a simple beating.
Surprisingly, the beaten Orc's body was gradually deforming.
"Argh, ugh! Aaaaargh!"
Along with the screams.
Red blood continuously splattered from the Orc's body.
The blood dyed the Orc's entire body red.
The body became more tender with every strike.
The flesh began to smoothly mash together.
The Luna Rabbits beat the Orc rhythmically, as if pounding rice cake.
The Luna Rabbits minced the Orc without taking a break.
The softened flesh slowly clumped together.
The finely crushed innards and bones were also mixing and clumping up with it.
In the end, the Orc transformed into something resembling a red dumpling.
"Done!"
"Uwoong!"
"It's made perfectly! Uwoong!"
A round, giant lump of blood.
It seemed that was the dish Tosun's Mom called Blood Rice Cake.
The amputated limbs were fine, but this cooking method was a bit repulsive.
Unlike their cute appearance, these rabbits were completely barbaric in how they handled their prey. Could they not cook in a normal way? Such cruel and scary rabbits....
The original form of the Orc was nowhere to be found.
However, the Orc was still alive.
Faint groans were constantly leaking out from the Blood Rice Cake.
It was probably a dish you tore apart and ate in that state.
"Now, our Dolls eat first! Uwoong!"
"Uwoong! We prepared this specially for you guys!"
Should I eat that or not.
I shot a sideways glance at Tosuni.
Tosuni was also grimacing as if to say this was a bit too much.
The Baby Doll, naturally, had no reaction at all.
"Uwoong? Baby Dolls! What are you doing? Are you not going to eat?"
Honestly, I had no desire to eat it.
But you can't just ignore someone's sincerity.
They worked hard to prepare it for us, so the Luna Rabbits would be heartbroken if we refused.
Tosuni was hesitating.
She looked reluctant to eat it.
Sigh.
I guess I have to eat it first.
I stepped up to the Blood Rice Cake.
And I tore off a piece of the Blood Rice Cake with my front paw.
"Uuugh...!"
Trying to ignore the scream flowing out of the Blood Rice Cake.
I shoved the torn piece of Blood Rice Cake into my mouth.
And chewed without hesitation.
Munch, munch.
Gulp-!
[Achieved the 'Forbidden Gluttony' achievement.]
[Acquired [Food Poisoning Immunity lv.1]─]
[[Helper lv.1] skill intervening.]
[Acquisition of [Food Poisoning Immunity lv.1] has been canceled. Judged as a useless skill for the Doll Tribe. Replacing reward.]
[Level increased by 3.]
[Dragon Teddy Bear lv.17]
└Pw.51 (+8)
└Rnk.Superior (Limit Breakthrough impossible)
[Current Physical Adaptability is 32.]