Chapter-2

Alex laughed with a sarcastic laugh and wondered when he had gotten to be so old. He shook his head and didn't think much about those events from the past that were almost completely forgotten.

He sat up and regained his composure, then he ingested the blood of the beetle and dehydrated himself to the point where he felt faint.

Alex retook the knife in his hand and readied himself to begin dismembering the enormous beetle that was in front of him, even though his momentary strength was still only slightly saturated.

Do not look at this hard-shelled worm because it weighs almost a dozen pounds, but the amount of meat that is edible and can be divided is at most two pounds. After the mutation, the majority of the remainder consists of armor and additional bones.

He deftly maneuvered a bone knife, first severing the head of a beetle that had sucked the brain fluid, and then removing a fingernail-sized black spar from his skull and placing it in his pocket. He then continued his procedure.

This kind of spar can be found, to a greater or lesser extent, in the brains of all mutated creatures, including a wide variety of living corpses and mutants.

The type of creature and its level of power both have an impact on the dimensions and hues of the crystals that are found in the brain.

Alex began the summer by conducting in-depth research on the spar, during which he discovered no additional effects.

In addition to that, he attempted to ingest these stones. Except for the fact that it made defecating the following day more difficult for him, he did not experience an increase in strength as described in the novels he had read...

Naturally, this stone may not be useful to you, but in the eyes of some senior fortress managers, it is a treasure, and there is not nearly enough supply to meet the demand.

They are willing to trade it for a variety of scarce resources, even though I am unable to tell them what they have in mind for this stone. It is also impossible for me to tell them what they have in mind for it.

It is only natural that the spar in the brain of this mutant creature has developed into a form of currency that is accepted by all remaining humans in these final days.

Naturally, because there is a limited supply of spar, there is a disparity in the types of resources that can be bartered for it.

The black spar, about the size of a nail, that Alex is currently holding probably only trades for edible meat about the size of a palm or a pair of broken socks.

As he was about to proceed with separating the remaining components of the enormous beetle, he abruptly became aware of the sound of footsteps coming from the deserted street ruins outside.

This prompted Alex to put an immediate stop to the cutting action and lie on the dirty floor while maintaining his vigilance.

In this world, there are other species that are even more dangerous than the beasts that can be a danger to you. In addition, there are mutant beasts that can be a danger to you.

This is why Alex would rather try to survive on his own in the dangerous ruins outside rather than go to the temporary camps to cooperate and try to survive there.

Perhaps everyone in the camp is able to look out for each other, and the rate of success that they have had hunting as a group has significantly increased.

However, that only represents a temporary peace with sufficient food distribution.

Suppose that one day all of the animals in the area of the camp were killed for their meat, and there was no more food left.

If this is the case, the former business partners you had are now in a position to take advantage of you.

Don't bother asking Alex how you know so much about the camp; he used to be a participant there.

He could no longer have any faith in others of his kind as a result of the terrible scar that covered nearly ten centimeters of his back.

Obviously, the person who gave Alex this scar is not an upstanding citizen in any way. The betrayer's leg bone is the one he is holding in his hand, and it is a bone blade.

He lay down on the ground and kept his breath held while he concentrated on listening to the hasty footsteps on the street outside. He then moved closer to the area over time.

Then, in the background, there was a convoluted and crowded trail of footsteps that followed.

This should, of course, be a game of chase between the hunters and the prey.