Brutus' addition to their team did wonders.
Because of this, Thirteen discussed with Cristopher and asked him to prioritize giving Monster Cores to the Troll so that it could become a Rank 2 Monster faster.
Cristopher had no problems with this arrangement. He also wanted to strengthen Brutus as much as possible, so he agreed to Thirteen's Proposal.
The Monster Cores of the three Rank 1 Condors were then given to the Troll, who needed two hundred Beast Cores before he could rank up.
Of course, if they were able to kill Rank 2 Monsters, then it would be better since they gave two points instead of just one.
< Brutus >
Race: Troll
Rank: 1
Progress before next Rank up: 3/200
Skills: None
Passive Skills: Guts
Unique Ability: Evolver
Thirteen also asked Cristopher what his Quest was because it was the key that would allow the latter to break through the next Rank in the Human Rankings, allowing him to become a Rookie.
In order for the chubby boy to return to Pangea and upgrade his Rank to Rookie, he would first need to complete the mission that was assigned to him by The One.
As the Omnipotent Being that governed all Wanderers, they must all adhere to its rule, and only by doing so would they be able to clear their First Wandering and return home.
"My Quest is to help light the Beacon of Hope," Cristopher said. "It doesn't say anything else aside from that. It seems that I need to discover the clues on my own."
Thirteen nodded in understanding. "All the Wanderers who have been teleported to this land will have the same quest as yours. That's the way The One does things, so it's safe to say that you're not alone in this place."
"… Does that mean that most of them are dead by now?" Cristopher asked.
He was certain that if he hadn't met Zion, he might have already died in this desert due to how dangerous it was.
"Probably," Thirteen replied. "Their starting point is several times harder than others. But one thing is clear. Those who do survive will be stronger than most Wanderers of this generation."
Cristopher agreed with the young boy's words. He also didn't think that ordinary children would be able to survive in this merciless place if they weren't considered the cream of the crop.
"Does your quest have a time limit?" Thirteen inquired.
"No time limit," Cristopher replied. "It says here that if someone else completes the Quest, everyone who received it will complete it as well."
Thirteen's face became solemn after hearing Cristopher's words. These kinds of Quests were not uncommon for Wanderers, and his Host had searched for such things when he was still traveling in the world of Solterra.
However, there was one problem.
These kinds of Quests were way harder than most because they usually required more than one person to complete them.
This was why The One blatantly detailed that if someone else was able to complete the Quest, those who had received the same Quest would complete it as well.
"Young Master, what should we do now?" Cristopher asked.
Since he had decided to treat Thirteen as his temporary Master, he would follow whatever decision he made.
"Since there is no time limit, we will stay here in the Oasis until Brutus Ranks up," Thirteen replied. "We will also use this opportunity to stock up on food, water, and weapons, which we will use on our journey.
"I don't know if there will be another Oasis like this one between where we are and where we need to get to, but it's better if we assume that we won't find one again for a while. With that mindset, we will be able to prepare better."
Cristopher nodded because he found this a very logical way of doing things.
"Young Master, you're really good," Cristopher said. "Master Terence can't even compare to your resourcefulness."
"Enough flattery. Order Brutus to dig a hole." Thirteen pointed at a spot between their boulder and the Oasis. "Make it dig there. Make the hole at least five meters deep and big enough to trap a Yellow Striped Dusk Brute."
Cristopher's body subconsciously shuddered after hearing Thirteen's words. He had seen the Monitor Lizard from a distance, and he'd never want to be close to such a monster.
But the boy beside him was casually telling him to order Brutus to dig a hole that was big enough to trap one.
"Young Master, you can't possibly be thinking of…"
"Just do it, Cristopher. This is just to prepare us for any situation. The Yellow Striped Dusk Brute isn't the only strong Monster here in the Houdini Desert. Don't forget that we are in Troll and Ogre Territory.
"The Weakest Ogre that wanders around this place is a Rank 2 Monster. We might even see Rank 3 Monsters come to the Oasis. Since we've decided to stay here until Brutus ranks up, the possibility of meeting one exists. In order to give ourselves a chance of survival, we must do everything in our power to cross the difference in Ranks."
Cristopher felt as if a whole new world had opened up to him after hearing the young boy's words.
He didn't know how Zion knew where they were and what Monsters were common in the area, but the way he said these words was filled with confidence that Cristopher believed that the boy knew what he was talking about.
"Brutus, start digging," Cristopher ordered.
The Troll grunted and did as it was ordered. It used its bone club to start digging into the ground. Thirteen wasn't idle and paid close attention to their surroundings.
Having eaten Condor Meat, his hunger was sated and his head no longer felt lightheaded, allowing him to think better.
In the distance, the dead bodies of the three condors were huddled together, baking in the desert heat.
When morning came, Thirteen used the Condor Wings to make a makeshift tent to protect them from the heat of the desert.
He also asked Brutus to break the bigger branches off the Poplar Trees and hammer them into the ground so that the Wings could be tied to a supporting structure to hold them up.
With this, the two teenagers were able to feel a little more comfortable as they now had a roof on their heads and a cushy floor made of dried leaves and feathers under their feet.
Thirteen worked Brutus like a slave.
As an Avatar, it didn't need to eat or sleep, but for some reason, it had developed a fear of the little boy, who would constantly give it orders the moment one of its tasks was finished.
Of course, even though it didn't need to eat or sleep, it still had the stamina of an ordinary Troll, so it still got tired.
When this happened, Cristopher would recall Brutus back to his Spatial Storage, allowing the Troll to recover its strength and stamina.
Half a day later, the two boys saw a Yellow Striped Dusk Brute appear in the distance.
It was on its way to the Oasis but immediately stopped after it saw the dead Condors that were huddled together.
Since it was also an opportunistic Monster, it made a beeline towards the dead condors to feast on their flesh.
Thirteen had already collected enough Condor Meat and placed it inside his Spatial Storage to be used as food, so he didn't really care whether the Yellow Striped Dusk Brute ate it all up.
In fact, he'd rather the Monster be full because then it would not shift its attention to two boys, who would only serve as a snack for it.
Cristopher looked at the Monster warily. After all, it was a creature that was something that they couldn't defeat at this time.
But he believed that, given enough time, they would be able to kill it as long as he followed his Young Master's order and raised Brutus' Rank to the next level.
