Chương 20: Chapter 20: Soul Extraction... I Need to Kill More

Chapter 20: Soul Extraction... I Need to Kill More

Ruthar took another glance at the system notification. According to the novels he read, it was a poor stat. However, since he was still a child, he considered it acceptable for now.

But another thing troubled him. The novels never had a system manifesting in any character. 'Does this mean it is a blessing or something? But from who?' he wondered.

Ruthar raised his sword to his eye level. It was already looking blunt and chipped.

'By defeating a single monster, my sword is already blunt,' Ruthar thought, wanting to sigh in frustration. But he reminded himself that the sword in his hand was merely a training tool and forced himself to stay focused.

It was getting late, and the encroaching darkness made Ruthar shiver. The night was bound to be more dangerous, especially with only a blunt blade for protection. After some consideration, he decided to camp out here for the time being.

Ruthar pulled out his storage ring and dropped it on the ground. It ignited with a golden light, and a small hut materialized. From the outside, it appeared small and crooked, but as Ruthar stepped inside, he was met with a different sight altogether.

It was a house with all the basic necessities: chairs, a fireplace, warmth, a bedroom, a toilet, and all the food he could ever want. This was Kimara's storage ring. She must have used it when traveling in foreign lands without a place to stay.

'Man, it smells like her...' Ruthar thought with a goofy smile, dropping his sword by the door. But before he could settle in, he needed to take precautions. Just because he had shelter didn't mean he was safe. Monsters could still break in.

'I don't want that to happen while I'm taking a bath,' he mused.

So he needed to cast a protection charm. Ruthar sat down on a chair, legs crossed, and tried to remember how to cast a charm. He had been present during Kimara's lessons, but he never paid full attention. He didn't see the use of trapping an opponent or safeguarding himself back then.

'I should at least be able to cast some low-grade charm, right?' Ruthar thought, recalling Kimara's explanations. Charms were the hardest and trickiest type of magic to cast, usually involving the use of magical or beast equipment.

Kimara had always said charm casters were not to be messed with.

'I better set up the barrier before it gets really dark,' Ruthar decided, walking to a small traveler's bag hung on a nail. He rummaged through it and pulled out a small dark sack of dust. Stepping outside, he found himself in the last rays of the setting sun. The forest had taken on a new, eerie silence.

Ignoring the growing fear, Ruthar began casting his charm. He poured some dark sand into his hand and started spreading it around the house while muttering an incantation.

"Kakakakakshanory skahomanannanana!" he chanted, laughing internally at the ridiculous words. 'Whoever made these incantations needs to be killed!' he thought.

As Ruthar continued, a familiar chime sounded, and a notification appeared before his eyes.

[Secret Quest Unlocked]

*Quest: Capture a Deathcall Fish*

*Rewards: 80 Exp*

*Difficulty: None*

*Time limit: 1 hr*

Ruthar was tempted to dismiss the quest immediately, but the promise of so much Exp was hard to refuse. Leveling up to level 2 had become a new goal for him. It would make him more powerful and less reliant on Rotexa's extracted skills for survival.

'But is that really okay?' he wondered, scanning the darkening forest. It seemed peaceful. 'Could it be that the monsters here sleep at night? Is it really safe to find a pond for the fish?'

The silence tempted Ruthar, but he decided to test the waters first. Picking up a rock, he hurled it at a tree with all his strength.

His eyes widened in shock as a large leopard-like monster leaped from the shadows, slashing the tree deeply with its claws.

'Shit! Good thing I didn't go myself.'

The leopard monster slowly approached, but as it neared the dark circle of his charm, it lost interest and eventually turned away.

"Tch! Thank God I put up this barrier," Ruthar muttered, dismissing the notification. He went back into the hut, feeling a sense of safety.

Tomorrow, he planned to hunt more monsters. Killing 49 in this vast jungle would be a daunting task, but Ruthar was determined.