Chapitre 16: Hidden Pieces Hunting (1)
After getting back to his room, Rain began to get ready for his upcoming outdoor training session.
He carefully packed his backpack with some essentials: dried jerky, a few rolls of bread, protein bars and a pouch of coins, which he'd need for his hunting trip.
In addition to the food and money, Rain also grabbed four heavy 25-kilogram weights to help improve his physical abilities and stats.
After that, he put all of them into his space ring.
While making his preparations, Rain asked Mark to bring him some potions and handed him notes containing the ingredients for the elixirs he was familiar with. Some of them were common, while others were rare.
'Maybe within four days, Mark would be able to get them all with the family's network.'
'I informed dad that I will be gone for three days for outdoor training. So I have to collect at least three hidden pieces per day, as I need to return before my birthday, which is only a few days away.'
After thinking about this plan, Rain felt exhausted and took a small nap.
***
In a few minutes, his preparations were done and it was time to leave.
While leaving the room, he glanced at everything.
'This room looks more empty compared to three days ago.'
As Rain's rank increased, he noticed that many of the artifacts he had accumulated were becoming obsolete.
So he decided to sell them and make some quick money.
The potions he had used for training were finished, and he had almost read all of his manuals, so he returned them to the librarian.
'It's same as previous life. Nothing has changed.'
***
Once he was done with settling his stuff, Rain came out of the mansion and walked towards the garage.
The garage was located behind the mansion, accessible by a driveway to the right of the main entrance.
It was a large building with space for multiple cars and other vehicles.
There are many ways of traveling in this world.
Like the Hyper Cycle, which looks like a cycle, Galactic Glide (full-speed trains), Quantum Racer (racing car), and Neuron Cruiser (airship), there are also teleportation portals in the main cities.
Rain took his Space Sprinter bike and thought about how he had to take it to save some time, as he didn't have much time left.
Although he wanted to travel by Quantum Racer car, it would attract too much attention. Rain grumbled inwardly at the thought.
At first glance, the Space Sprinter appeared to be a regular motorcycle, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was far more advanced than any traditional vehicle.
The body of the bike was sleek and aerodynamic, with smooth lines and a futuristic, almost metallic finish.
The tires were large and sturdy, capable of withstanding any terrain or environment. There were no visible exhaust pipes, as the bike was powered by a sophisticated, environmentally-friendly energy source.
In addition to its impressive appearance, the bike was equipped with various advanced features that allowed it to travel by road, sea, and air.
It was outfitted with retractable wings and powerful thrusters, allowing it to take to the skies like a high-tech aircraft.
It could also transform into a watercraft, with a waterproof hull and powerful jet propulsion system.
Although Rain had never driven anything like this before, and even in his current life he rarely drove it, with the driving skill that he got from the system, it was easy to drive, even if it was his first time driving it.
As Rain drove Space Sprinter, his thoughts turned to the location of the first hidden piece.
His first destination was the F-class Dungeon, where he hoped to retrieve an artifact.
It had belonged to a bully who had caused trouble at the academy.
'Although it's just some advanced artifact, the effect is good for me now,'
***
After driving for a while, Rain arrived at the forest outside the city.
He landed near the entrance and set out to find the hidden cave that served as a dungeon.
"According to the storyline, It should be around here," Rain mumbled.
After a short search, he discovered the dungeon.
It was situated in a remote and desolate area, with a rugged and rocky landscape, cliffs, and dense vegetation.
The entrance to the cave was concealed behind a thick curtain of vines and foliage, making it difficult to spot from a distance.
However, since Rain knew about it beforehand, it was easy for him to find.
So here I am, F-class dungeon Wolf's den. There is one hidden passage that leads to the artifact.
Rain pushed aside the overgrown grass and stepped into the cave, his heart pounding with excitement and trepidation.
As he entered the cave, darkness enveloped him, and he could feel the damp, musty air clinging to his skin, sending shivers down his spine.
'Gross. Smells like something died in here,' he thought, pulling a headband with a flashlight out of his space ring.
He secured it firmly on his head and turned on the light, illuminating the narrow passageway leading deeper into the cave.
'Slow and steady, looks like I have to watch my steps.' The slick walls and loose rocks littering the ground made him cautious.
As he proceeded further into the cave, the passageway widened, revealing a larger chamber.
The dim light from a few flickering torches cast eerie shadows on the walls.
He took off the headband and stored it in his space ring, his eyes adjusting to the dim light.
The air was still stale, and the sound of dripping water echoed through the cavern, creating an eerie ambiance.
The chamber was cluttered with piles of stones and debris, and several rough-hewn passages led off into the darkness.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps. Rain unsheathed the sword he had received from his family and waited, heart, pounding.
A pack of wild wolves appeared before him. Rain braced himself and said, "Time for some adventuring, I guess."
He unsheathed the sword and leaped on the wolves to attack.
***
After an hour, Rain slumped down on the boulder, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. 'I've hunted wolves before, but these were almost too easy,' he thought, looking down at his clothes; soaked in wolves' blood, he hunted.
Till now he spent an hour clearing the way and eventually discovered a secret passage leading to a hidden piece.
As he reflected on the hunt, Rain couldn't help but feel that the wolves in this area were easier to take down than usual.
"Looks like proficiency for Swordsmanship will soon rise," He hoped, swordsmanship would soon break through.
In his hand, he held a necklace he had found earlier in the day.
[Appraise]
►[Solan's necklace: Advance low-tier artifact
Effects:
-Boosting physical strength
-Accelerates the growth of the wearer's abilities and aptitudes.
With its help, individuals can master new skills and learn at an accelerated pace]
Seeing the information about the artifact with an appraisal skill, Rain slightly smiled.
'Although it has only two effects, they are quite good. It's because, with my hard worker trait and this artifact's effect, my power will quickly restore.' And he wore that necklace around his neck.
Excited to test out his newfound power, Rain stepped off the boulder he had been standing on and waited for his opponent. He wasn't waiting for a girl or even a human, but a monster.
The hidden artifact he took was guarded by the monster.
As he waited, Rain thought about the extra character; who had also acquired the artifact when the monster was absent.
Unlike that extra character, Rain had different plans. He wanted to defeat the hidden monster.
"Grr..."
At that moment, Rain heard a voice and only turned to see a wolf with crimson-colored fur glaring at him.
Its bloodshot eyes suggested anger, perhaps because Rain had stolen an artifact or killed its kind cruelly.
►[Red Big Wolf: E rank]
Looking at its rank, Rain thought it was only slightly stronger than him.
Although he lacked combat experience, he knew a strategy to kill it.
Without any further ado, he rushed at the wolf with his sword.
As he entered combat range, he noticed wolf was trying to attack him too. Still, Rain began swinging his sword down at the wolf.
SWOOSH
Despite attempting to strike vital points, the Red Big Wolf easily dodged Rain's attack and charged forward with bared teeth.
Its red fur bristled as it let out a deafening howl, sending shivers down Rain's spine. He knew he had to act fast if he wanted to defeat it.
However, Rain blocked its attack and made use of the impact to make some distance.
"Come on, you ugly mutt! Let's see what you've got!" Rain shouted, trying to goad the wolf into attacking.
As the wolf charged, Rain sidestepped and aimed a swift strike at its neck, hoping to make it stumble.
However, the wolf was too quick and swiped its razor-sharp claws at him in retaliation.
BANG
Rain barely dodged the attack, but the force of the swipe sent him tumbling to the ground.
He realized he had to keep dodging and couldn't face the wolf's attack head-on.
'Hmm, he is fast,' Rain thought as he got back on his feet.
Grimacing in pain, he quickly scrambled to his feet just as the wolf charged again. The distance between both of them was only around one metre.
"Come on, you overgrown furball, I've got a surprise for you!" Rain yelled with cocky grin as he readied his sword.
The wolf who either got annoyed by cocky grin or didn't like Rain from the beginning dashed towards him.
As the wolf leaped towards him, it aimed a powerful blow at Rain's chest, hoping to strike a vital organ.
However, Rain was prepared for it. He adjusted his footing and twisted his body, building as much as mometum within his arm as he slashed at Wolf's nape.
PUCHI
Blood started dripping from the wound. Unfortunately, the cut was shallow and Rain couldn't kill the wolf.
With a snarl, the wolf landed and spun around, aiming for a vicious bite at Rain's neck.
With a quick sidestep, Rain managed to avoid the wolf's bite and aimed a swift strike at its hind leg, hoping to cause it to stumble.
As he struck, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction at the sound of the wolf's pained yelp.
The red wolf barely avoided his strike. It quickly recovered and launched itself at Rain once again, aiming a series of vicious swipes with its razor-sharp claws.
Rain stretched his front leg and bend his torso, barely managed to avoid the attack, but he knew he couldn't keep this up for long.
With a deep breath, Rain gathered his strength in his fist and punched the wolf, aiming a powerful blow at its head.
'I thought my hand would break.' He felt the impact reverberate through his arm as the wolf stumbled backward, dazed.
Seizing his chance, Rain quickly aimed a swift strike at the wolf's throat, hoping to deliver a fatal blow.
"Awoo..." However, the red wolf made some distance and howled. "Damn," Rain grumbled as the howl of the red wolf pierced through the air.
He knew that the wolf was calling its pack and it wouldn't be long before they arrived.
Rain barely managed to avoid the attacks, but he knew he couldn't keep this up for long. 'I need to end this quickly before the other wolves arrive,' he thought, feeling the weight of the situation.
With a fierce growl, a dozen of wolves suddenly came running toward Rain.
The pack wolves spilt up and slowly started to try sorrounding Rain.
Rain grunted as he dodged the wolves' attacks, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a plan.
'Dealing with wolves in a group is always a pain, as expected from an animal with keen instincts.'
'I've got to take them down one by one, or I'll be overwhelmed.' He kept his eyes focused on the wolves, waiting for the right moment to strike.
He dodged their attacks and aimed at their vital organs. He wasn't even trying to conserve his stamina anymore.
It's because his goal wasn't to kill all wolves, it was to kill the large red wolf.
Still, because of Rain's aggressive stance, one by one, many of the wolves fell to the ground, defeated.
Breathing heavily, Rain stood over fallen beasts, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
But he still got some injuries. While, the red wolf had recovered enough energy to attack again.
"Awoo.." The red wolf howled loudly, signaling its transformation into a berserk state.
'Just ten seconds, and then this Wolf's berserk phase will end and it will die.' Rain decided to endure for ten more seconds.
10...
Its speed accelerated, and Rain had a hard time defending against its attacks, while the remaining 3-4 wolves were also attacking him at the same time. Some tried to bite his legs and arms but as Rain was busy fighting the red wolf, he could only offer them some kicks or dodge them.
9...
However the red wolf, who lost its sanity, couldn't differentiate between enemy and ally. With wild eyes and a snarl that echoed through the cave, it lunged at its fellow pack members, teeth bared. The other wolves fought back without fear. They too pounced forward, a whirlwind of fur and teeth, as the frigid air filled with growls and the sound of claws meeting flesh
8...
As the red wolf started fighting the other wolves, Rain found an opening and started attacking them.
PUCHI
7...
However, because of Rain's too much aggro, the red wolf swung its claw at him. Caught off guard, he quickly pulled out the sword near him to defend himself.
BAM
6...
The impact was much greater than Rain expected. He was thrown back and collided with some boulders.
BOOM
5...
He took some quick breaths and backflipped in the air before landing, minimizing the impact. Because of that, he saved his head but his legs and knees were scrapped. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured.
4...
Seeing the opening, The red wolf left the herd of wolves and started running toward Rain. After all, at current moment he was easiest prey.
3...
Rain stood up and jumped on a nearbt boulder, then started running between the boulders. While there chance of loosing footing and almost dying, sudden adrenaline helped him to concentrate.
2...
Unfortunately for him, the red wolf kept the following Rain. Sometimes, it pounced at him, collided with boulders to make him lose balance and bite his legs.
1...
THUD
Now, the 10 seconds had ended, and the red wolf fell to the ground.
Rain breathed a sigh of relief. He saw more wolves coming towards him, so he escaped from there.
***
"Huff... Hah... huff..." Rain was short on breath after escaping.
'It was quite close.' He was quite tired after fighting. Some of his bones were slightly cracked and he got some injuries. His dirty clothes were torn in many places.
There were sweat drops on his forehead.
He took out a water bottle from his space ring and poured water on his head.
It helped him to catch some breath and calm himself.
He took out some potions and new clothes from his space ring.
He gulped down potions and while he was changing into new clothes, he heard some notifications.
►[Congratulations to the host for killing a hidden monster for the first time.]
►[Swordsmanship mastery upgraded to Elementary.]
►[Reward: Butcher & Gather skill acquired.]
After seeing this, only one line came into Rain's mind.
'Reward for the hard work is always sweet.'
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