Chapter 23: Hunting for Ingredients
"I need to make sure that in my next retirement, it will be devoid of scammers who love to make a fool out of me at every turn."
Nex lamented on his luck as he stared at the Boss in front of him.
[Nightmare Crow(Elite - Boss) LV : 15]
*Craw!*
A crow, as big as a minivan, is staring at him from mid-air.
Its feathers were a mix of black and purple. It had vicious large claws that can tear apart metals and a beak that is so sharp, it seems like there is nothing it couldn't pierce. Ominous energy continuously oozed out of its entire body, so it wasn't surprising that it is capable of using dark magic and use illusions that can put its target inside a horrifying dream.
"That bastard sure is loud. I hope its meat lives up to its reputation. A lot of people say that it is dreamy. It should satisfy that scammer's tongue."
As to how the meat's real taste, Nex didn't really care that much. He thought of this monster as one thing and one thing only – the ingredient for his fourth dish.
For that reason, unlike his fights from the other Bosses before, this time, he took the initiative to attack.
'[Intermediate Enchantment]'
By just strengthening his leg, Nex managed to jump high and fast enough to instantly close in on the crow. He swung his sword at once, not letting the bird react to his abrupt offense.
'[Advanced Enchantment]'
*Craw!*
Displaying its keen animal instincts, the crow was able to fall back and evade most of the impact from the attack at the last moment. So although it received a hit, the assault wasn't enough to cause severe damage.
"Not done yet, birdie." Nex smirked.
'[Mana Step]'
Nex stopped mid-air as if he found a solid ground to stand. He bent his knees while using [Partial Enchantment] and like a bullet, he shot straight towards the crow.
Not even a second was consumed before he appeared at the back of the crow. This move was executed so fast that the bird didn't get the chance to avoid the stab that Nex delivered in its spine with [Intermediate Enchantment].
*Craw!*
This time, the wound is fatal enough to make the bird lose its strength and feel great pain. The crow submitted to the force of gravity and began to fall down. In its haste to try to shove Nex off, it even forgot to flap its wings to stay in the air.
'[Attach]'
Nex didn't stop. Gluing his legs to the back of the bird, Nex started to stab down his sword at the other vital parts of the monster in order to kill it without letting it rampage for too much.
Soon enough, the dying crow was about to hit the ground.
But how could Nex take the chance of ruining his main ingredient? Stretching his hand towards the spot that they were about to crash into…
'[Cushion]'
The crow's descending body stopped completely before resuming its fall. This time, it had slowed down greatly and gently touched the ground like it fell into a soft pillow.
*Craw!*
And with that final cry, the Nightmare Crow succumbed to its injuries and died.
[Level Up!]
"Already? Leveling sure is easy after you reach the city."
He jumped off from the dead crow's back and began dissecting it with his sword.
If there were other players present in the area to hear this comment, they will start attacking him while berating him nonstop. Even though more and more people can solo a Rare ranked monster after their First Awakening, to slay an Elite Boss like Nex did, is still an impossible feat for them.
It only took barely 3 hours after his Profession Quest started for him to solo 4 Bosses. If normal players who need to expend much effort to defeat an Elite Boss knew this, they'd probably cry bloody tears.
Nex doesn't care for any of these details. He just wanted to enjoy what this game has to offer to him and play it without care. Sadly, it seems that his luck sucks big time on that aspect.
"Damn it, these emotions of mine once again got in the way. To think that I didn't notice all the shady stuff about this profession."
He continued to grumble as he pocketed the magic stone and the meat he had selected from the crow. After he was done with that, he checked the loots from the bird and then shook his head.
"Again, no usable thing. It seems that the drop rate for accessories is lower than I thought. Oh well, I will just save this for Jane and Eddie. I'm sure they will love it."
It wasn't that the gear isn't usable for Nex. It's just that he truly didn't need it against the current monsters that he is facing. Their attributes weren't enough for him. The types of equipment that could attract his eyes are accessories that raised stats and stuff like the [Fallen Hero Magister Gloves]. It had abilities that are suitable for his battle style that combines the use of spells and martial arts.
Finally, Nex got to his favorite part - cooking the monster.
"Hmmm. I think the best way to deal with this kind of meat is to fry it. I should marinate it first. Maybe I should serve it with a dipping sauce. Should I garnish it with some greens?"
After finalizing his plans for the dish, he took a bowl and began mixing herbs, spices and sauces for the marinade. He then placed the meat into the bowl and sealed it before putting it back in the inventory. It should be soaked in the marinade for some time so the meat could absorb everything and be flavorful.
When he was done with that, he stood up and started to make his way towards the next unlucky Boss.
After a few minutes of scouting, Nex found his next target. More exactly, targets.
Inside a small glade, he found two monsters fighting. One was a huge green snake and the other was a giant gray wolf.
[Wood Mamba Ruler(Elite - Boss) LV : 15]
[Alpha Wolf Ruler(Elite - Boss) LV : 15]
The two were rampaging as they fought and as a result, the entire surroundings were in ruins. Their ferocious attacks caused destruction wherever they reached. It makes one wonder how can someone below level 20 even get close to such monsters.
'Nice. Two at the same place.'
Nex didn't feel an ounce of worry at all. In fact, he was even relieved that he managed to find two suitable Bosses at once. What a time-saver!
He walked a few meters back and stopped. He turned once again after a moment and began to run forward while channeling mana into his legs.
'[Advanced Enchantment]'
Once he reached the spot where he stood before, he jumped high into the air, reaching the area above where the two bosses are fighting.
'[Mana Step]'
When he reached the peak height, he then activated the spell. He stretched his hands out and seized the [Mana Step] that was in the air. He grabbed it with both hands, as if holding a board, then placed his feet on the surface so that now he is hanging upside down.
'[Attach]'
Fastening his feet to the [Mana Step], Nex then let go of a hand and held his sword with it.
Staying like that, Nex watched the fighting Bosses that were so engrossed on their battle that they failed to notice that another threat is just above them. He continued to watch for an opening while streaming mana throughout his body. When an opportunity arose, he suddenly straightened his legs.
'Now!'
'[Martial Secret : Meteor Blade]'
He shot down so fast that it wasn't even possible for a normal eye to catch. Right before he reached the target he preferred, he swung his sword down.
The giant snake wasn't even able to sense him in time and got decapitated instantly by Nex's mana-imbued sword.
*Bang!*
The upper part of the snake's body was smashed to the ground and raised a large cloud of dust. Nex landed on it in order to avoid kissing the ground at the speed he was going at.
The shocked wolf quickly fell back in order to get away from where the thing that just killed its enemy was. After it determined that it was on a safe distance away from the unknown killer of its opponent, it turned its attention back to the scene. It wanted to know what exactly had slayed its foe.
After the cloud of dust has settled, a human can be seen rising up and dusting his clothes from where the remains of the snake were. To the relief of the wolf, the power it could feel from the human was far from strong enough to threaten it. He most likely used a technique that overdrafts vitality in order for him to kill the snake.
And because of that deduction, the wolf arrived at a conclusion that there will be no problems in getting the remains of the snake. It only needs to get rid of the puny human who is most likely too exhausted to fight after killing the snake. Yes, it will kill this human and take the snake's remains. It's a simple and easy task that would be completed in no time at all!
"Oh man, I landed hard. Well, at the least the parts that I want are still okay."
Nex continued to dust his clothes off as he stared at the body of the snake which lost most of its shape after he used it to cushion his landing. Although he had less destructive ways to kill the snake, he decided to go with this way so as to intimidate and confuse the other Boss. This tactical move will give Nex enough time to catch his breath and prepare for his fight against the wolf.
As soon as he was done checking the state of the snake's corpse, he turned around to see that the giant wolf had already approached him with clear hostility and greed.
"Ayyy… And they say that wolves are intelligent ones." Nex muttered as he pulled out his sword and held it on the side. He moved it slowly towards the incoming boss.
'[Martial Secret : Invisible Death]'
The advancing wolf that was still sneering at the human's attempt to fight back had half of its neck cut in half without any sort of warning. It was dead in just a beat.
"To fall for this kind of trick, how this wolf survived until now is beyond me. It was even the ruler for them all."
Nex shook his head as he sheathed his sword back. What he used was a very simple attack that its only merit was that it couldn't be seen or sensed. If the wolf was slightly more cautious and moved to the side for a bit, then it would have not been hit at all. It could have dragged the battle for at least 2 minutes and give some sort of a challenge for him. What a pity.
"Well..." Nex stared at the two corpses of the Bosses that could each have terrorized any party at this stage of the game.
"…What should I make out of these ones?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
matanman
matanman I am thinking of changing the novel name, what do you think?
Author: matanman. Proofreader: bet2z.
----
Open to any review and will be open to questions on my di*cord channel: https://discord.gg/TXFKER6.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone