Chapter 42: Annoying a Slothtrosity (1/2)

What made the Slothtrosities so strong? Was it their peerless defense? Was it the sharp claws able to tear through anything? Was it their heavy musk? Alright, the last one was so very potent!

Still, no. What made them unbeatable was their strange ability that made one listless and made one despair. Was there anything worse than to become indifferent to one's own execution? When one started trying to escape, it was already too late! Well, in most cases it was.

Josh had felt the prowess of their abilities himself. That one yawn from the creature had almost sent him into an abyss with no return. Did Josh believe he had a chance against it in a direct confrontation? Of course not!

What about his chances in an indirect confrontation? Well, the same problem really. How does one kill something that cannot even be hurt? There is always the tactic to use one creature against its brethren. But! That would have probably been extremely dangerous and ridiculously challenging.

Due to their lazy nature, using them to kill any being with their claws and maws alone would be…hard. Not only that but they seemed immune to that one thing that made them dangerous. Josh wasn't. He felt like he could probably resist one of the yawns, but what if there were many?! Would the effect be amplified?! Josh wouldn't overly court death.

No, Josh wouldn't try and kill them. He would simply try to accomplish a secret mission. Now, positioning would be key. Josh had to be far enough to not die instantly, but close enough to attract a Slothtrosity.

Josh scoured the forest, picking various sharp rocks. Then it was time to play. Locating a sleeping creature, Josh stood next to the Alter Tower and…

*Violent THROW!*

*THUD!*

The creature groaned in dissatisfaction as the rock hit it. Somehow it was still sleeping! Not giving up Josh simply threw rock after rock. He threw enough to create a small rock pile on his target. Finally, after a long enoug time, the creature awoke! It locked eyes with Josh, eyes that clearly sent a single message: I'm sleepy, stop being an ass and let me rest.

Except, Josh once more sent a rock straight at its face. That is when it finally focused its attention on him.

*YAWN!*

Should Josh lie down? The ground looked so very comfy! What if he simply stopped breathing for a second? Breathing was a pain…he could rest forever…only, NOPE! Even while being mentally prepared, the spell mesmerized him for a few seconds.

The good thing was that the creature was very slowly advancing and had only covered a few meters. Josh simply kept throwing rocks at it. It was clearly getting slightly angry, but mostly confused.

After all, how was that weird hairless creature still moving about? It was supposed to remain unmoving, what happened? Still, thanks to the pebble onslaught, it decided to eat Josh's face first, then ask questions later.

Eventually, it reached Josh. It swiped its claws, very sharp and deadly ones that cleaved Josh in half…or should have…For some reason there had been a red light and the creature's prey had disappeared.

It kept moving about for a few minutes trying to solve this profound mystery, but soon enough it gave up. There was only so much it could care about. Chasing an invisible Josh wasn't one. It simply went back to its comfy sleep.

[Mission: Kill 5 Humans And Deal With the Aftermath! Hahaha!]

It seemed like the system had fixed the previous loophole already. Josh couldn't help but chuckle. Sure, this was more difficult, but barely. It wasn't people that were lacking here, at all.

Josh simply started strolling in the mall looking for a good target. The mission specifically talked about some aftermath. Were there any…yes! There were small but very conspicuous cameras all over the place. There were probably security guards here somewhere watching.

Did Josh even need to fight them? Most likely not. He did have a relatively simple solution to that problem. The mall seemed relatively peaceful on the surface, however, was it really? Where there are people gathering to shop there are also….pickpockets.

Josh could see a few youths laughingly rushing all over the place, messing around with one another. Actually, there were many such groups. Except there was something different about the one Josh was observing.

Let's just say they collided a bit too much with the surrounding customers and also kindly helped them carry their burden. Especially phones, wallets, and jewelry. Their technique was amateurish at best, but what they lacked in skill they made up with their drive. It seemed as if they were doing it mostly for the thrill of the experience.

Josh slowly approached them. "Hello, gentlemen. Could anyone point me in the direction of a decent jewelry shop? I am looking to sell some gold that I inherited from my late grandfather, the old bag was loaded haha."

The youths exchanged glances that had many meanings. Was Josh an easy target? Should they jump him right now? The consensus seemed to be to wait for an opportunity. That is when one of them seemed to have a flash of insight.

"Hey, there. I'm Mack! If you want I can guide you to a very good and trustworthy shop, but the only downside of it is the old man in charge is truly slow. I suggest you go to the washroom before we head there. In fact, I need to go anyway. I can show you the place afterward!" the man had a reassuring smile.

"Sure thing! Thank you very much!" Josh simply followed his guides. Before long they arrived at a public bathroom. As soon as they entered some of them stood to keep watch while some others searched it completely to make sure it was empty, the remaining watching over Josh.

There were 7 youths in total. Their leader turned around after that quick check. "Now, friend. Hand over the gold. You can either give it voluntarily or we can get it after beating you black and blue. Your choice."

Josh looked around looking for any camera but was interrupted. "Don't bother, there is no security here haha."

"Is that so?" Josh grinned. "Isn't that nice?". It was almost as if the system was making things too easy for him. Josh faked trying to escape. The people at the door quickly went toward him thus entering the bathroom. That sealed their fate.

How many slashes does it take to dispatch 7 thieves? The answer is none. Slashing is messy! Usually, Josh wouldn't care, but this one time it was simply faster. Seven broken necks later Josh simply stashed all the bodies in a stall before locking it. Chances were people would only notice when it started to smell.

As Josh exited he could see a man wearing black and equipped with a gun. On his shirt was written security. "Hey there! What happened to the group that was here?! Are you okay?!"

"What? Why wouldn't I be?! Is there anything special about these guys?! Also, any idea where they went? They said they had an emergency."

The man frowned. "How weird. Anyway, have a good day, Sir. Please be careful who you follow in the future, these guys were thieves and…

"Wait a minute! My gold! Motherfuckers!" Without letting the man place a single word more, Josh simply ran away. He stopped near a fountain of a gurgling fish. "So, I should be done, right?"

[Mission….Completed….Unlocked Teleport Out.]

[Mission Reward: <Fake Gold Watch>]

<Fake Gold Watch>

A real watch, albeit probably not an accurate one. Fake Gold. A useless trinket all things considered.

"….Hey! What the Hell is that?!"

[Reduced Rewards Given for multiple Clears!]

Alright, that actually made sense. Otherwise, it would be possible to simply farm items non-stop. Well, these ones didn't seem especially worth in any case. But, Josh was here for another reason.

As he came back out he could see the sloth still laying in its own filth. Time for a wake-up call! One that included lots of pointy hard rocks haha!

How long would that plan of his take? Josh had no clue, but he had all the time in the world…or close [Lifespan 22 Days]. Somehow the Alter Tower or even this place didn't seem to increase it.

Alright, it was time to "fight" some more!