Chapter 7

A cloud of dust billowed up, and the lid flipped open. The man held his nose, waited for the dust to settle, and then approached the box. Inside, he found a small notebook and a leather pouch. Carefully, he reached for the notebook first. However, due to the passage of time, the paper inside had long since crumbled to dust. This time, he opened the leather pouch. Two crude gold rings tumbled out.

“Hmm…”

The man examined the gold rings for a moment. The first ring had nothing unusual about it except for a small groove. The second ring had something black, like a sunflower seed, embedded in its groove. He wondered if they might be magic rings. The thought of trying one on crossed his mind, but he stopped, considering the possibility of a curse. It was dangerous to use items whose purpose hadn’t been confirmed. The man clicked his tongue and put the rings into his pants pocket.

In a way, the biggest prize might have been the leather pouch itself. He turned the pouch inside out and shook it, then put the bundle of roasted meat he’d been carrying inside. He secured the pouch’s drawstring around his waist. He felt much more comfortable moving now. The man picked up his wooden spear and torch again. As he held the spear, he realized it would have been better to make the spearhead from a sabertooth tiger’s tooth.

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue and looked around to see if there was anything else to take, but there wasn’t. The man continued deeper into the cave. As he headed towards a corner, he noticed a wider passage than the one he had initially entered. He held the torch forward and was about to step inside when he felt something squeak and scurry away, startled by the torchlight. Were monster rats living here?

Going a little further, he saw a large cluster of mushrooms, resembling king oyster mushrooms, growing abundantly. However, the man didn’t touch the mushrooms. It’s virtually impossible for a non-expert, especially one without extensive local experience, to determine if an unfamiliar mushroom is poisonous. But this place was home to creatures like sabertooth tigers, which shouldn’t exist. Given that, attempting to identify poisonous mushrooms with flimsy knowledge would be too dangerous. Even the person known as a “survival king” in a certain documentary wouldn’t touch mushrooms. Moreover, most poisonous mushrooms often contain chronic toxins; one might feel fine after eating them, only to suddenly experience poisoning symptoms that lead to death. If it were a woody mushroom, it could be used for fire, but for other mushrooms, in a survival situation, it’s safest not to touch them at all.

The man continued his journey inward. A little further past the mushroom cluster, he saw three or four more monster rats squeaking and scurrying away. They dared not approach due to the torch, but their red eyes glinting in the darkness were quite eerie.

“Hmm…”

He felt a bit uneasy as the number of monster rats seemed to be increasing, but the man kept moving deeper. How far had he gone? The cave gradually narrowed until only one person could barely squeeze through. A little further, it became even narrower, forcing him to crawl due to stalactites blocking the path.

“…”

The man silently examined the stalactites that flowed down like a waterfall, blocking his way. Fortunately, the stalactites weren’t very thick, so it seemed he could break through them. As he raised his foot to break the stalactites, he froze, spotting a pair of red eyes staring at him from the other side. He quickly thrust the torch forward…

He saw a gigantic monster rat, almost the size of a Tosa dog, huddled in the corner. Around it, five or six smaller monster rats squeaked and gathered. It seemed all the rats he had encountered since entering the cave had gathered there. The man stopped trying to break the stalactites blocking his way and fell into thought.

“Hmm…”

He shone the torch around, examining the inner part of the cave where the giant monster rat was lurking, but he saw no other exit. He wondered why such a monster rat existed here, yet the mummy on the cot near the entrance was left undisturbed, but he suspected that this creature was the target of the hidden quest. The thought of just breaking through the stalactites and fighting the giant monster rat crossed his mind… But honestly, he doubted he could win against such a large opponent. He had defeated a wolf, but even though one of his legs was already broken from fighting the sabertooth tiger, he had barely won after a desperate struggle. There was no guarantee he could directly defeat this monster, which clearly reigned as the king of this cave.

The man thought for a moment, then decided to try a different method. He quickly turned back towards the entrance and headed for the mushroom cluster he had passed earlier. He emptied the contents of the pouch he found in the box, turned it inside out, and used it like a glove to pick all the mushrooms. He then carried them to the very end room, where the stalactites blocked the way. Soon, the entrance to the final room, blocked by stalactites, was completely filled with white mushrooms. The fact that mushrooms grew in such large clusters despite the presence of such monster rats confirmed they were indeed poisonous. The man then stuffed pine resin fragments and dried grass he had brought from the cot among the mushrooms.

“Phew…”

The man met the gaze of the giant monster rat, whose red eyes still gleamed beyond the opening, and offered a final farewell.

“Adios.”

And then, he immediately set fire to the pile of dried grass. The dried grass initially struggled to catch fire due to the dampness of the cave, but once the pine resin fragments ignited, thick smoke began to billow out as they burned. As the fire roared, the man quickly retreated.

Hastily leaving the spot, the man returned to the area with the cot. Faintly, a small opening let in a sliver of light above where the cot lay. He patiently waited there for the smoke to subside. Finally, after almost an hour, the thick smoke stopped pouring out. The man waited a little longer to ensure the smoke had completely cleared before covering his mouth and nose and slowly heading back to the cave where the giant monster rat had been.

At the entrance, a thick pile of burnt ashes remained. The man roughly pushed the ashes inward with his wooden spear, revealing the shattered remains of stalactites, presumably broken by the heat, and the bodies of dead monster rats. Just in case they were only unconscious, the man poked the monster rats with his spear to confirm they were dead. After confirming the demise of both the giant monster rat and all the smaller ones, the man examined the final room, which was still filled with a pungent smell from the lingering smoke. However, to the man’s disappointment, there was nothing special to be found. He searched thoroughly for a hidden wall or anything else, but found nothing.

“Tsk…”

Was it all for nothing? Yet, the quest notification still hadn’t appeared. The man looked around again, wondering if he had missed something… and his eyes landed on the giant monster rat. Something felt a little strange about it. Given the structure of the room, there seemed to be space to go further in… So why had those monster rats died right there, without moving an inch?

That thought prompted the man to immediately swing his wooden spear and push the monster rats’ bodies aside. And just as he suspected…

He found a small wooden box, about the size of a cigarette pack, hidden beneath the giant monster rat’s corpse.

“This is it.”

As the man picked up the small wooden box, the message finally appeared:

Tutorial Start

5. Traverse the Forest.

• Based on your experience so far, traverse the forest before you. Be extremely cautious, as the forest contains various unexpected obstacles and powerful beasts.
  • Status: Incomplete.
• (Hidden) Eliminate all vicious obstacles hidden in the forest.
  • Status: Complete!
• (Hidden) Eliminate all vicious beasts hidden in the forest.
  • Status: Complete!
• (Hidden) As the obstacles and beasts disappeared, the entrance to an unknown dungeon hidden within the forest was revealed. Explore its interior and uncover its secrets.
  • [Click here to view dungeon location information.]
  • Status: Complete!

“Alright!”

The man opened the wooden box. Inside was a small, pitch-black seed-like object.

“Hmm…”

Upon seeing it, the man immediately thought it resembled something embedded in the ring, but he closed the wooden box, put it in his pants pocket, and quickly exited the cave. Emerging from the dark cave, he was met with a much brighter outdoor scene. It seemed to be approaching noon.

The man had to run around the forest again to find the exit, and he managed to find it in about an hour.

“Huh…”

There was no signpost saying “This is the exit.” Instead, he discovered a strange hole emitting a peculiar blue light that was incongruous with the surrounding dark scenery, and simultaneously, the quest completion message arrived.

Tutorial Start

5. Traverse the Forest.

• Based on your experience so far, traverse the forest before you. Be extremely cautious, as the forest contains various unexpected obstacles and powerful beasts.
  • Status: Complete!
• (Hidden) Eliminate all vicious obstacles hidden in the forest.
  • Status: Complete!
• (Hidden) Eliminate all vicious beasts hidden in the forest.
  • Status: Complete!
• (Hidden) As the obstacles and beasts disappeared, the entrance to an unknown dungeon hidden within the forest was revealed. Explore its interior and uncover its secrets.
  • [Click here to view dungeon location information.]
  • Status: Complete!

Reward: A good amount of Experience, Additional Reward Box x2, Additional Reward Box (R) x1

Would you like to claim your rewards now? (Y/n) (Caution: Unclaimed rewards will be automatically deleted after 7 days.)

“Yes!”

The man clenched his fist unconsciously and cheered. This time, it wasn’t just a little, but a good amount. Plus, there were two additional reward boxes and one additional reward box marked as rare.

“Heh heh…”

The man pressed ‘Y’ to claim his rewards immediately. A familiar white light enveloped the man’s body, and an additional level-up message arrived. The man first claimed his level-up reward: a random card. But…

“Oh, come on…”

Was he possessed by a ghost that couldn’t get enough of bloodshed? The card the man drew this time was also Bloodbath. As the man pondered what curse to utter, another level-up message arrived.

“Phew… Calm down, calm down.”

He took a deep breath and drew another random card. This time, to the man’s expectation, a new card appeared.

Card Information

Name: Double Strike Level: 1Lv Experience: 0 Rank: Common Category: Skill Growth: Normal (Small) Attribute: None Effect: Delivers 2 consecutive attacks to 1 target enemy. (Cooldown: 3 seconds) Cost: 5 Seed: 1 slot