That was a close one he almost died right there.
Kael didn't know the reasoning behind that monster's actions, but it was best to stay far away from it. There was no way he could survive if that thing decided to attack him.
Outside the forest, the sky had already begun to darken. It was almost night.
Luckily, he had the Dimensional Rift. He opened it and was greeted by his spriggles.
Now that his Harvest skill had reached C-rank, he could summon up to five spriggles at once, though he only brought out three for now it drained a lot of mana.
Inside, he walked over to the apple tree. It had grown huge in just three months, much larger than a normal apple tree, though it still hadn't produced any fruit.
He lay down under its shade and fell asleep.
When he woke up, his body was completely healed. No more pain, no more discomfort.
"Alright… now that I'm healthy, let's check my loot."
Subspace:
15,000 Cherry Tomatoes
B-rank Longsword
658 F-rank Mana Crystals
14 E-rank Mana Crystals
1 Boss D-rank Mana Crystal
"Ohhh, I killed that many? Guess I'm comparable to a C-rank hunter now."
Stats:
Name: Kael
Level: 12
Titles: Dimensional Rift Owner, Great Farmer
Profession: Farmer ★1
Mana Rank: F (850,000 / 850,000)
Attribute Points: 40
Strength: 30
Endurance: 27
Agility: 32
Defense: 38
"Ohhh, eight levels in a single day? Sweet!"
He thought back to the fight earlier. Clearly, he lacked strength and defense. This time, he decided to focus on strength.
After all, the best defense… was overwhelming offense.
All points added to Strength.
Updated Stats:
Name: Kael
Level: 12
Titles: Dimensional Rift Owner, Great Farmer
Profession: Farmer ★1
Mana Rank: F (850,000 / 850,000)
Attribute Points: 0
Strength: 70
Endurance: 27
Agility: 32
Defense: 38
"Looks good, I think."
He noticed something new a small icon at the upper left of his screen.
The Star Coin Store.
Star Coin Store:
Balance: 0
Katana (S-rank): 1,000,000 Star Coins
Longsword (B-rank): 100,000 Star Coins
Bow & Arrow (C-rank): 1,000 Star Coins
Healing Potion: 100 Star Coins
Stamina Potion: 100 Star Coins
Items here were expensive, but no doubt worth it.
There was even a section for Dimensional Rift upgrades and special farmer-class items.
Dimensional Rift Upgrade to (E-rank): 1,000,000 Star Coins
+10 Acre of Land: 10,000 Star Coins
"Ohhh, this is what I need."
He quickly exchanged all his Mana Crystals for Star Coins.
Successfully converted:
658 F-rank Mana Crystals
14 E-rank Mana Crystals
1 Boss D-rank Mana Crystal
Total: 7,380 Star Coins
Mana Stone to Star Coin Conversion Rate
SSS-Rank: 1,000,000 star coins
SS-Rank: 100,000 star coins
S-Rank: 10,000 star coins
A-Rank: 1,500 star coins
B-Rank: 500 star coins
C-Rank: 200 star coins
D-Rank: 100 star coins
E-Rank: 50 star coins
F-Rank: 10 star coins
"Ohhh, that's a lot. I just need a little over two thousand more to get extra space in the Rift."
Time to grind.
Kael left the boundaries of City 23.
He tore through the forest like a storm, killing every monster that dared cross his path.
Horned rabbit, goblins, kobold, and other low level monsters.
A group of goblins appeared ahead.
He pulled a longsword from his subspace.
Let's try being a swordsman this time.
Speed boost - activated.
Strength boost - activated.
He blitzed forward.
Before the goblins could even react, their bodies were already falling apart in pieces.
Ohhh… not bad. I didn't even use a skill, but I can handle a sword this well?
Guess I'll stick with this for a while until I learn some proper sword skills.
He spotted another goblin settlement in the distance smaller than the one he raided yesterday. Around five hundred goblins.
Hmm… let's see… any orcs?
He scanned the area.
Only hobgoblins.
Jackpot.
Kael climbed up a massive tree.
He closed his eyes, gathered mana from every corner of his body, and began casting multiple fireballs compressing them together into one massive sphere.
Ding!
You have learned a new skill.
Inferno Core [B] – Mana Cost: 10,000 – Cooldown: 60s – Charge Time: 10s
Description: Compresses multiple small fireballs into a single, high-density sphere of searing flames. The condensed mana greatly increases destructive power, creating a small explosion on impact that engulfs enemies in burning heat.
Ohhh… nice. That's convenient.
He hurled the massive fireball, twice the size of a basketball straight into the settlement wall.
BANG!
KABOOOOOOM!
A roaring wave of fire swept across the village. Hundreds of goblins were burned alive, dragged away by the force of the explosion. The front gate collapsed, several houses reduced to ash.
Damn… this thing's overpowered.
Better be careful when using it.
From his perch, goblins spotted him and loosed arrows.
Kael simply leapt hundreds of meters into the sky.
Midair---- Speed boost. Strength boost.
His eyes locked onto the goblin chief. He twisted his body, kicked against the air to accelerate his descent, and aimed straight for his target.
The chief swung his massive club.
SWOOSH!
CLANG! — THUD!
The goblin chief's head hit the ground, rolling lifelessly. His club split clean in two.
With their leader dead, the remaining goblins panicked and fled.
Kael wasn't about to let them escape.
Fireballs flared from his fingertips.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
A sudden scream three goblins tried to ambush him from behind.
Kael spun, blade flashing.
SHHK!
One lost an arm, another its head. The third got a dagger through the eye before it could even blink.
He chased down a hobgoblin. The creature turned eyes wide in horror to find Kael already in front of him.
"I can't let you escape."
SWOOSH------BANG!
A point-blank fireball to the head.
He charged up another Inferno Core and hurled it at the largest cluster of fleeing goblins.
KABOOOOOM!
The explosion smashed through houses, left a massive crater, smashing houses into splinters, leaving a massive crater, and incinerating every goblin in the blast zone. Flesh, bone, and wood rained down in burning chunks.
One hobgoblin survived paralyzed with fear, gripping a knife with shaking hands.
Kael walked toward him slowly, the sound of crackling fire filling the silence.
The hobgoblin's breathing turned frantic. He slashed wildly once, twice desperate.
Kael walked toward him slowly.
The hobgoblin's breathing turned frantic.
One upward slash its body fell apart in bloody chunks.
The settlement burned around him. Charred corpses littered the ground, the stench of death thick in the air.
He didn't stop.
Kael continued hunting every monster in the area, and raided 3 goblin settlements.
It's already past 4 o'clock after he raided the third goblin settlements he found.
Kael was about to leave the clearing when the sound of heavy hooves crunching through the underbrush stopped him cold.
Thump… thump… thump…
The treeline shook like something massive was bulldozing its way through. Then it appeared a wild boar the size of an elephant, easily over two thousand kilos. Its grey bristles jutted out like steel wires, each one gleaming under the faint light. The smell of damp earth and blood clung to it. Its eyes burned red, and steam puffed from its nostrils like an angry furnace.
[B-rank Monster: Ironhide Boar]
"Ohhh shit… I'm fucked," Kael muttered, tightening his grip on the sword still wet with goblin blood.
The boar lowered its massive head, tusks gleaming wickedly.
BOOM! It charged.
Kael tried to flee, activating Speed Boost, but the monster was faster than he expected. In the split second before impact, he leapt high into the air, the wind of its charge brushing past his legs.
The beast thundered past beneath him and slammed into a tree the thick trunk snapped clean in half with a deafening CRACK. The shockwave rattled his bones.
I can't outrun this thing… I'll have to kill it.
The boar wheeled around with terrifying speed for its size, churning up dirt and leaves with every step. Kael planted his foot and sprinted straight toward it. At the last moment, he dropped low, sliding under its chest and slashing upward.
CLANG! Sparks exploded off the blade as it scraped uselessly against the armor-like hide.
Tch… too thick. Eyes or belly… only weak spots.
The boar shrieked a horrible, high-pitched sound that made Kael's ears ring. Then it bucked violently, catching him off guard. The sudden jolt flung him across the clearing. He hit the ground hard, his back slamming against a rock, air blasting out of his lungs.
Before he could recover
BOOM! BOOM! The Ironhide was already charging again, tusks aimed to turn him into a smear in the dirt.
Kael grit his teeth, mana surging into his limbs.
Strengthening activated.
He vaulted upward, summoning his mana and condensing it.
Inferno Core!
The massive sphere of fire slammed into the boar's face mid-charge.
KABOOM!
Flames engulfed the beast for a moment before dispersing. Its bristles were scorched, hide cracked, but not burned through. Only the blast had done real damage.
The boar roared in pain and tried to get up
Kael was already there. His right hand ignited in roaring flames.
Fire Fist!
He launched forward with Speed Boost and drove a flaming punch into the underside of the boar's chin. The impact rattled its skull and snapped its head back.
Kael didn't stop. He hammered it again and again with blazing fists, each strike thudding against muscle and bone, forcing it back.
The Ironhide's rage explodeup it bellowed, eyes bloodshot, muscles bulging as it forced itself upright. Then it charged again, even faster this time.
Kael sidestepped at the last possible second, feeling the wind of its tusks scrape past his cheek. He brought his sword around in a vicious arc straight into its left eye.
The blade punched in with a wet squelch. The boar howled, thrashing wildly, but Kael clung to the hilt. With a roar of his own, he dragged the blade downward into the softer flesh beneath its jaw.
Hot blood gushed out in a torrent, spraying across his face and coating his arms. The beast staggered, its massive legs trembling before it collapsed with a ground-shaking WHUMP.
Level Up!
Kael stood there, breathing hard, chest heaving, blood dripping from his chin. He glanced at the corpse, then at his blood-soaked hands.
"Damn…" he muttered, letting the tension bleed out of his shoulders. "Now that was a fight."
Damn
This thing sure huge.
I managed to kill a B-rank monster… but isn't it strange? I still feel like that orc was stronger.
Even though I've gotten stronger myself, I'm not confident I could fight it yet.
If I dared to stepped into that area again, I might end up dead.
Tch… whatever. I'll just settle the score once I'm strong enough.
"It'd be such a waste to just let this massive boar rot here," Kael muttered, looking down at the fallen beast.
The Ironhide Boar wasn't just big it was valuable. Its meat was considered a delicacy, even in City One, where a single steak from this monster could end up on the table of a five-star restaurant.
A sudden thought crossed his mind. The people from District 16 and 17…
With this boar alone, plus the horned rabbits he'd hunted earlier, he could feed over a thousand people.
Without wasting another second, Kael got to work.
First, he slit open the boar's wide belly, then stabbed the neck to let the blood drain completely. Once the crimson flow slowed to a trickle, he began skinning it. The hide was tough hard as iron armor which was why it could sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
He pried out the tusks next, pure ivory that could be turned into expensive jewelry.
Then came the meat rich and marbled like the finest wagyu, each slice glistening with perfect fat distribution. Kael carefully separated the meat from the bones, cutting away large chunks and storing them neatly into his Subspace.
The legs were the hardest each one bigger than he was, especially the massive hind legs. He sawed through the joints, detached the head, and packed it all away. Even the organs intestines, heart, liver went into storage. He saved some of the larger bones, planning to use them for soup stock.
When he was done, the only thing left was the stripped skeleton.
More than two thousand kilos of meat now sat in his Subspace, though keeping it there drained 100 mana per minute.
Surely ordinary hunters would not dare to do the same as him it will be such a waste of Mana for ordinary hunter do it.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Kael climbed into his vehicle and headed for the border between Areas 16 and 17.