Starting from the Collapse World, I became the behind-the-scenes boss

Looking directly into the boy's deep eyes, Peggy spoke in an extremely serious tone.

Long before she escaped from that orphanage, she had already prepared herself to live on her own.

But later she wandered to that village and met everyone who treated her kindly, so she stayed there for a long time.

But from Shihen's words, she could understand what he meant and knew that she was just a trouble and a burden to the boy.

Having seen through all this, how could she possibly refuse to leave?

Shihen only saved her life and doesn't owe her anything.

"That's good, you're very strong."

Shihen nodded in satisfaction.

For girls from normal families, thirteen years old is still the age when they are still being pampered in their parents' arms.

But for a child who grows up in hardship, thirteen years old is already considered mature.

As for the immature ones... they won't live past thirteen.

This is the fault of the times, and even if Ren Shihen were incredibly powerful, he couldn't change it.

The fault lies not with him, but with the whole world!

Hmm? Was I thinking something terrible just now?

No, no, I'm a righteous partner who's supposed to save the world, how can I keep thinking about destroying it?

Shi, a reserve cadre of the World Serpent, quickly suppressed the crazy thoughts in his heart.

Upon hearing Shihen's words, Peggy raised her head, a bright smile spreading across her thin, bony face.

crunch--

The hunter's cabin door opened, and a raven, battered by the wind and snow, walked in.

"It seems you two get along quite well."

Raven glanced at the two of them and said with a smile, while taking off his snow-covered cloak.

Siberian winters are never mild.

"Not bad." Shihen took the four rabbits from the mercenary without commenting on the raven's assessment. He lifted them to feel their weight and couldn't help but smile. "Sister Natasha has also had quite a haul."

Although there was plenty of food in the off-road vehicle, Raven insisted on catching the rabbit and refused to let Shihen do it, saying things like it was her sister's dignity, which was incomprehensible.

Hearing Shihen's praise, Raven couldn't help but smile, his face full of pride: "It's been a long time since I've hunted, it seems my skills haven't become rusty."

"..."

Looking at the proud raven, Shihen pursed his lips and remained silent.

With the enhancement that Honkai energy can provide to the human body, even Durandal would be capable of becoming a top-tier hunter in the forest.

It's truly a sad thing that a dignified mercenary queen who dominates the underworld has to rely on a few rabbits to find a sense of superiority.

Shihen tossed the rabbit in front of Peggy and kindly reminded her, "Here, your favorite rabbit."

He swore that he truly meant well.

After all, these rabbits won't be fluffy anymore later.

Peggy: "..."

The girl stared wide-eyed, seemingly unable to believe that such cruel people could exist in the world.

But half an hour later, faced with a rabbit that was no longer fluffy but instead bald and emitting a strong smell, the girl couldn't help but eat a large one with tears in her eyes.

Ah, humans, so easily tempted.

Shihen expressed his disdain for Peggy's shallow love and shared the last rabbit with Raven.

Mmm, it smells delicious. He loves little bunnies the most.

Chapter 42 Remember to use your hands next time

boom!

A gunshot rang out in the woods, the metal bullet struck a tree trunk and exploded into a shower of wood chips. A snow-white rabbit nearby was also startled and leaped up, disappearing into the snowy woods in a few bounds.

Failed again...

Peggy looked at the few pieces of wood left on the snow with a face full of frustration.

As she pondered this, the girl looked around.

Nearby, a mercenary dressed in black and wearing a hood was leaning against a pine tree, scrutinizing her as if he were looking at something very interesting.

"continue."

The mercenary said calmly, his voice as cold as his attire.

"Yes."

She responded in a low voice, her gaze drifting further into the distance.

There, a boy dressed in white sat cross-legged in the snow, his hands resting on his knees, motionless, his eyes tightly closed, the only sign of his life being the slight rise and fall of his chest with each breath.

Strangely, if she wasn't staring intently at him, the boy seemed to exist in this world as if he didn't exist at all.

No, perhaps it's more accurate to say that the other person seemed to have become one with the environment, making it impossible to distinguish them.

"Stop staring at him if you want to have lunch today."

Seeing the girl look at the boy again, Raven couldn't help but smile and say something.

Exposed by the raven, Peggy blushed and quickly looked away, tiptoeing into other parts of the forest to search for prey hidden in the snow.

Because the other party's statement about not being given lunch was not a bluff, but a genuine punishment.

If she can't hunt anything with her pistol, she really won't get lunch today.

During the nearly one week they spent together, she went almost two days without eating any proper food, barely surviving by digging up some grass roots and wild vegetables.

However, perhaps it was precisely because of her do-or-die mentality of having to starve if she didn't succeed that her marksmanship improved rapidly during this period, and she was now able to hit the target with one out of every five bullets on average.

Putting her wandering thoughts to rest, Peggy walked deeper into the woods, her shoes making a soft rustling sound as they rubbed against the snow.

On the other side, after patiently waiting for the boy to complete a stage of meditation, Raven approached and asked curiously, "Is this what you called 'Tengen'?"

"Hmm." Opening his eyes, Shihen nodded. "After reaching the Tianyuan Realm, one's consciousness can disperse and leave the body, and one also has a certain degree of control over the surrounding environment."

In the terminology of cultivation, this might be called divine consciousness?

However, regardless of what this thing is called, after acquiring this ability, Shihen's perception of combat is almost doubled compared to before.

If he were to encounter Durandal again at this point, he would be able to completely dominate her.

Of course, Tianyuan is just a realm, and does not represent absolute combat power.

Once Durandal, who possesses the bloodline of Kaslana and also has two types of Holy Marks, reaches the Heavenly Origin Realm, the opponent will be able to turn the tables and beat him to a pulp.

This is determined by the difference in their basic attributes.

However, when that time actually came, Shihen was certain that he would have gone much further and would still be able to hang the girl up.

"Um...that sounds pretty impressive."

Completely bewildered by Shihen's words, Raven could only utter an all-knowing sigh.

Being with the boy, she felt her values ​​were being refreshed time and time again.

Oh well, I'm used to it.

She would be surprised if Shihen ever started behaving normally.

"By the way, Peggy...you're just going to let her stay like this?"

Raven mentioned the girl the two had found on the road.

“We can teach her how to survive, and that’s enough.” Shihen nodded. “Let her forge her own path.”

From the brief time they spent together these past few days, he could tell that the girl was an incredibly strong person.

They said they wouldn't eat until they caught something, and the other person never asked for a bowl of soup. When they were starving, they just dug up some grass roots and wild vegetables.

So on the third day, the girl was "lucky" enough to find a rabbit that wasn't quite right in the head.

People who are ruthless to themselves usually don't have a bad life.

Shihen is very optimistic about Peggy's future.

Perhaps in a few years, new legends will emerge in Siberia.

For example... a snow rabbit hunter?

"...When I applied medicine to her these past few days, I noticed that her wrists were not swollen at all."

After a moment of silence, the raven spoke in a low voice.

"Is it Honkai energy?"

Shihen stroked his chin and guessed.

Although the handgun they chose for Peggy was one with less recoil, it was still quite a strain for a thirteen-year-old girl who was still underdeveloped.

However, if we add the factor of Honkai energy, anything that doesn't make sense suddenly becomes reasonable.

Is my luck so good that I can just pick up anyone and they'll have Honkai resistance?

No, it should be said that in this dangerous world, those who possess the power to control Honkai are often more likely to survive than others.

Therefore, people who are more likely to survive often possess some of these abilities to varying degrees. Peggy simply unleashed her body's potential after experiencing a life-or-death crisis.

This is entirely in line with scientific principles, and there is absolutely no question of any artificial cheating.

“Very likely.” Raven nodded in agreement with the boy’s guess. “Seriously, didn’t you ever think about keeping her? I think she has a lot of potential.”

Putting aside the possibility of Honkai resistance, its tenacious and resilient nature alone is enough to amaze people.

If they are properly trained, this child's development will certainly not disappoint.

"Where is Sister Natasha?"

Shihen asked rhetorically.

“Me? Forget about me, I’ve already planned to…” Raven paused, then quickly changed his words, “I mean, I don’t have the time or energy to train children.”

Although theoretically, Shihen is only two years older than Peggy, and is still considered a child.

"I have no interest in raising children either."

Shihen nodded in deep agreement.

Even if Peggy is incredibly talented, can she compare to him? Will she be able to grow to the level of a Herrscher in the future?

The road to the final boss is treacherous and difficult, so much so that it cannot tolerate anyone walking alongside you; you are destined to be alone without any companions.

"Pity."

The raven sighed regretfully.

She genuinely believed in Peggy's potential and thought she could be a great asset to Shihen.

But it was clear that the boy's perspective was far more discerning than hers, or perhaps he simply had his own ideas about companionship.

boom!

Another gunshot rang out in the woods.

Before long, Peggy came over carrying a rabbit that had been shot in the chest and whose fur was still bleeding. Her light golden hair, which looked a bit dry, was covered with snowflakes, and her clothes were also covered with clumps of snow.

Clearly, the girl concealed herself by hiding in the snowdrift.

"Look, I caught it!"

Looking up at the boy, Peggy had a look on her face that said, "Praise me!"

"Not bad." Nodding, Shihen's gaze swept over the blood-stained rabbit. "How about we try not using a gun next time?"

Are you going to teach me how to make traps?

The girl asked with a hopeful look on her face.

"No, you have to grab it with your own hands."