New Gods of North America

Taking advantage of the free time on the road, Wayne asked about the "upgrade" of the Extraordinary People in the carriage.

According to the explanation in the Hunter Association's novice tutorial, he now has a preliminary understanding of some basic concepts:

Status probably refers to the upper limit of the level that a Beyonder can reach;

And rank seems to represent actual ability and level.

Wayne was happy that his level cap seemed to be very high.

But Wayne didn't like the fact that he hadn't even stepped into the door to the extraordinary world and didn't even have any so-called "strength".

Inesa's explanation was formal:

"If a Beyonder wants to improve his rank, he can do so by mainly relying on two aspects of improvement, provided that he does not lose control. On the one hand, he can accumulate spirituality and increase his available power. On the other hand, he can use various methods to strengthen his fusion with spiritual energy, thereby improving his own 'essence'."

Lina's statement is very down-to-earth:

"This is simple. Just like how ordinary people become wealthy, you first need to save enough initial capital, then choose a good industry in the field you are good at and join it. Then you continue to expand the industry and increase your income. Finally, as your savings increase and your experience becomes richer, you are no longer the same person you used to be."

Hmm...

The meaning is roughly the same, but they are both too broad.

So Wayne asked directly, "Can I learn from you how to improve my rank? For example, is there a detailed tutorial that can help me improve my strength step by step?"

Inissa shook her head. "The way I improve my rank is related to the special nature of my bloodline, and it doesn't apply to others. The Hunter Association doesn't share this either."

Lina, on the other hand, was very enthusiastic:

"Okay, okay. I can take you to join the School of Life. They are always the most welcoming to newcomers. They will enthusiastically teach you a lot of extraordinary knowledge. They are not picky about people. Extraordinary people from any field can join."

Seeing Lina being so active, Wayne became suspicious. "The School of Life... could it be some evil cult?"

"Of course not!"

Lina's expression looked sincere. "At least not in the New World yet."

Not yet in the New World...

So it was already like this in the Old World?

Wayne thought for a moment, "Could they be related to something like 'sacrificing life'?"

"I can't say there aren't any... But the purpose of the Life School is to study the 'essence of life' and 'life advancement', which is different from those evil cults that like to sacrifice living people to summon evil spirits."

Lina emphasized this a little bit, "And after joining the School of Life, you can 'quit'. It's not like some religious organizations where you can't get out once you enter."

If it is possible to go in and out, Wayne thinks it is worth considering.

So he asked casually, "What are the conditions for withdrawal?"

Lina's expression was sunny: "As long as you can attract a corresponding number of professional scholars or extraordinary people to join the school, you can withdraw. I am only one spot away from officially withdrawing."

What the hell?!

So you brought me in just because you wanted to quit?!

Wayne hesitated for a moment and felt that he still needed to consider it carefully.

…

As the sky brightened, the carriage arrived at the valley where the cabin was located.

Lina pulled Peter out of her body, and then the black widow spider walked with its long legs to silently scout for the enemy.

The three of them stood guard for a while. Wayne was very curious about Lina's ability, so he started chatting to kill time:

"So spiders can be trained so well? They can even do secret reconnaissance. Can I have one like that?"

Lina blinked her big eyes, "Peter is not a real spider, it's a 'doll'."

Wayne was about to ask again when Peter had already crawled back.

Then it crawled along the skirt to the ravine on Lina's chest, raised its two slender front legs, and made movements that Wayne couldn't understand.

Lina nodded, and then translated to Wayne and Inissa:

"There is no one else in the valley, and there are only two people in the cabin. They are both anesthetized."

Is that all? This little guy is really amazing.

All right, then go ahead and pack your boxes and leave.

After Wayne knew that Peter was not a real black widow spider, he became more curious about it. While Lina was driving the carriage, he reached out and tried to get close to it.

This little guy is quite lively. When it saw Wayne reaching out his hand, it jumped directly onto Wayne's palm.

Wayne scratched it gently a few times, and Peter rubbed his head against Wayne's fingertips like a kitten.

Only after taking a closer look did Wayne confirm that it was not an ordinary living spider.

There is no hair on the surface of its body. The outer layer is a smooth black shell that seems to be hollow and feels soft to the touch.

The two big round eyes have an obsidian-like luster and look a little shiny.

Compared to the "doll" that Lina mentioned, it is actually more like a slightly Q-version simulated spider craft.

Wayne was just about to turn Peter upside down with his hands to see what the structure of his fangs and round belly looked like, when Peter was grabbed back by Lina.

Lina's cheeks puffed up, "Why are you touching everywhere?"

"I'm just curious and want to see."

"Don't look around, or Peter will bite you."

The carriage stopped in front of the cabin, Wayne and Peter were exploring the way in front, while Inissa and Lina were on guard behind.

There were indeed only two people in the cabin, both lying on the floor. They were fully equipped with rifles and pistols, and looked like gang members.

I checked their breath and found they were still breathing.

Unfortunately, after checking the other person's physical characteristics, it seems that he is not a wanted criminal.

No money to be made.

And it feels like the police stations’ cells are not enough.

He had just tied up the two men and thrown them into the carriage, and had not yet had time to drive the horse back, when suddenly, tiny and dense noises came from all around the outside of the carriage wall.

There was a rustling sound of friction.

Messy and disorderly.

The sound spread throughout the carriage in an instant, as if a large amount of something completely surrounded the carriage in an instant.

Still moving.

Then the sound of wood being bent was heard in the carriage.

Wayne became alert and jumped out of the car quickly.

The two girls reacted quickly, one from the other side of the carriage and the other from the rear, and both jumped out at the same time.

“Bang!”

With a loud bang, the carriage, including its canopy and body, collapsed in place.

The rising dust completely covered the wreckage of the carriage.

The horses were so frightened that they screamed and ran away dragging the two broken wooden bars, one long and one short.

The dust gradually fell.

Then Wayne saw a two-meter-tall figure gradually emerging.

The outline of this human figure looks a bit like the "Wendigo", a monster native to America - thin body, strong upper body, long arms, and huge claws.

But this human figure is made up of countless insects of various kinds gathered together and pieced together.

Locusts, moths, centipedes, bedbugs...huge numbers of insects are constantly wriggling and crawling against each other, or dispersing and then flying together.

The human figure that gathered together was sometimes clear and sometimes distorted.

It even vaguely revealed a ferocious expression on its "face":

"You are the ones who are ruining my plan?"