Erik opened up his notifications as his heart calmed down.
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Skill: Alchemy
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Level: 7 (Novice)
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No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.
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10,700/48,000 EXP till you reach Level 9
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Chapter: Snatching Yellow Creeper
Erik and Rugrat were both frustrated that they couldn’t defeat the omagree without Rugrat using his rifle.
There was nothing that they could do currently—their gear was too low ranked unless they chose to become a mage or warrior and use the gear that they had found with the skeleton and dead warrior. At that point, they would be hunted in the First Realm for those same items.
Screwed if they did—screwed if they didn’t.
It only increased their drive to gain more power!
Their skills and their levels were too low. They needed to get into the Second Realm so that they might get access to more instructional manuals and resources.
They moved toward their next search zone. Instead of moving freely, they moved in stealth, stopping and listening to the forest as they moved, making sure that there was no one around.
Erik held up his fist as they came across a large striped panther lying on a log in the sun.
Erik pulled out his shortbow. He sighted on the panther and drew back one of his piercing arrows. His arm shook slightly, even with his high Strength stat. Erik took his time before releasing the arrow.
It struck the panther in the shoulder instead of its side but pierced deep into its body.
The panther lurched upward before drunkenly swaying and falling over to the side. A tombstone appeared above it.
Erik grimaced. He’d wanted to hit the panther in the side but his aim was off.
Rugrat patted him on the shoulder, sensing his frustration.
Erik lowered the bow, and Rugrat quickly moved forward to gather the loot.
“Minor Mortal core,” Rugrat said.
“Nice,” Erik said, not feeling all that motivated. Rugrat made using the bow look easy, while he was wasting precious piercing arrows all over the place.
Other than his rifle, Erik felt that his fighting skills didn’t amount to much, being useless. He had been a combat medic; how would he still be one if he couldn’t even fight the opponents in front of them?
He’d just be some rear echelon mother fucker twiddling his thumbs.
He checked on the notifications that had appeared with the death of the panther.
He didn’t get a notification on getting a stealth attack anymore. It was added to the attack as a hidden mechanic.
A part of him wondered whether the panther would have died without the additional attack help.
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Skill: Stealth
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Level: 12 (Novice)
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No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.
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Skill: Marksman
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Level: 21 (Novice)
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No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.
==========
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32,000/48,000 EXP till you reach Level 9
==========
Finally they reached their next search zone. The two of them separated to cover more ground faster. They stayed in stealth, looking for anything that might be a threat and the yellow creeper that Tommins was looking for.
Erik stopped as he saw that there was a hidden ravine in the search area. At the end of it there was a cave.
He used his binoculars to look inside. He could see a leopard almost the size of a van lying down. Its tail twitched from side to side, showing it was awake but didn’t find anything interesting.
Erik was still as he looked at the animal. He quickly looked away and put the binoculars down. A cold sweat fell down his back. The leopard was lazing at the entrance to its den but the aura it gave off was no less than a level eleven creature.
From level nine to ten, there was a major jump. Instead of one just getting five extra Experience points, they would get ten and gain the ability to ascend to the Second Realm. Most of the creatures that were in the Ten Realms would automatically ascend, though there were a few that didn’t do so.
This leopard appeared to be one of them.
Erik moved away, undiscovered by the leopard, before he continued his search, his heart beating rapidly. As he continued to search, he had a bad feeling in his gut.
He searched his half of the area before heading back to where he and Rugrat had broken apart.
“Did you find anything?” Erik asked.
“Nothing,” Rugrat said. Seeing Erik’s face sour, Rugrat let out a sigh.
“I think I might know where it is. In a level eleven leopard’s den,” Erik said slowly.
“Well, fuck.”
“If we could draw it out, then we would be able to sneak in behind it and get to the creepers before escaping,” Erik said.
“So, piss off another creature, bring it here to anger the leopard and draw it out, then go into its house, steal its yellow creeper and make off like gangbusters.” Rugrat paused. “Actually isn’t the worst plan I’ve ever heard.”
“Thanks. Your confidence is inspiring,” Erik said dryly.
Rugrat shrugged as they broke down their roles. Rugrat would draw a beast close to entice the leopard into defending his territory. Erik, who knew more about the ingredient, would sneak into the leopard’s lair, harvest the yellow creeper, and head back out to meet up with Rugrat.
They broke apart once again.
Erik was watching the ravine and the leopard’s cave at the end of it. He made sure to stay downwind so that it wouldn’t smell him. Time moved by slowly as he crouched there. The longer he was there, the greater chance of the leopard finding his position.
Finally there was a roar in the distance.
The leopard’s head snapped up as it looked over at where the noise was coming from. A low growl was transmitted from its neck as it sensed the challenge to its home and territory.
There was another howl in the distance, closer this time.
The leopard let out a yell. The power contained within made Erik shake in fear.
The leopard’s basic stats were impressive. The fact that it had become a level eleven existence only made it all the more terrifying. Countless other beasts must have fallen under its claws for it to gain that kind of power.
It lurched up to its feet as more howls rang back.
What the hell did Rugrat get? There sounds to be five creatures, not one!
Erik didn’t have time as the leopard shot forward, causing the grass to lay low and stir up the dirt on the ground.
Erik stayed still. It was hard to not move as he gripped tighter on his rifle, not trusting his bow skills in the slightest.
The leopard rushed off into the distance.
Erik stayed low and moved forward. Checking the surroundings, he quickly disappeared down the ravine and into the cave.
He pulled out some moonstones. He only had a few of them as they had taken up the remainder of his coppers before they left Wild Reaches Trading Outpost.
He used the moonstone to look around. He heard a dripping noise in the depths of the cave. Following the noise, he came across a large pool with a creeper hanging along a wall and toward the water’s edge.
It looked exactly how the ingredient book had described!
Erik saw another glow to the side, near a padded area where the leopard must sleep.
“Blood Vine, Gi Grass, Spiritual root of the Guyen tree,” Erik muttered under his breath. There were ten to fifteen treasures hidden around the leopard’s sleeping area. E
rik didn’t know many of them, but from what he did know, he knew that they were rare ingredients. Tommins might not have put them on the list, but he or the Blue Lotus might give them a good price for them.
Erik didn’t immediately rush over to them, he needed to harvest the yellow creeper first.
He moved to the rockface that the creeper was on. He took out his knife and cut off some of the creeper.
A notification appeared in front of him.
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Harvest Failed!
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Erik looked at the macerated-looking yellow creeper that was slowly turning green in his hands.
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You have gained yellow creeper pods (damaged)
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Erik was about to store it away when he heard roaring in the distance.
***
A group of people appeared around the Chonglu Totem. An older and dignified-looking man flashed a badge to the guards, who could only bitterly bow their heads before the group headed away from the totem and toward the eastern gate of Chonglu City. Their gazes showed disdain for those around them, making people stand back from the streets.
“Who are they?” one of the passersby asked their friend.
“Those are the disciples from the Willful Institute. It’s a sect with power based in the Second Realm. If not for the odd nature of the Third Realm and raging battlefield of the Fourth Realm, it’s thought that they would be a power in the Third Realm,” their friend replied.
“Why would they be in the First Realm?” the first person asked.
“Every few years, the sects from the Second Realm come to our Beast Mountains to have a contest. They send the mountain into uproar and pull out many resources from the mountain. I heard that they’re even looking for a greater treasure,” the friend responded.
“A greater treasure than those guarded by the beasts in the mountain?”
“The Beast Mountains has beasts that are a lot stronger than most beast-controlled areas in the Second Realm. It holds a great allure to sects and people from the first three realms. It is said that they are looking for a treasure that increases the strength of the beasts and allows the Beast Mountain to have such great natural treasures.”
“Isn’t the Third Realm filled with natural treasures though?”
“Yes, but the Third Realm is filled with powerful beasts, and has a strange environment. Wouldn’t it be safer coming to the relatively tame First Realm?”
The people talked in hushed and respectful tones as this Willful Institute reached the city limits. Their speed shot up as they rushed off down the road toward the Beast Mountains.
“Why must we come to the First Realm, Elder Rei?” A proud-looking man with an arrogant demeanor asked the older man who was leading the group.
“If one does not face real battles in their life, then they will not gain any true achievements, Yan. You might be one of the strongest in the Willful sect’s Eastern Division, but in the whole of the Ten Realms, you are but a frog in a well. To reach greater heights, you must increase not only your level, but your combat power.” Elder Rei looked at this Yan with a cool gaze.
Yan lowered his head. A flash of embarrassment appeared on his face as he bowed slightly to hide the anger hidden deep in his eyes at the elder’s cutting words. Feeling that they weren’t accurate.
Chapter: Harvesting Rewards
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Harvest Failed!
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Again, that merciless notification appeared.
“You fucking goddamn mother fucking creeper! I will harvest you if it’s the last thing that I do!” Erik declared, kicking the wall.
He brandished his knife once again but he didn’t attack the creepers again. Instead, he once again thought on what he had done with the two previous attempts and cross-checked it against what he remembered in the book.
He opened the book once again, muttering dark thoughts about the yellow creeper. After a few moments, he put it away and then looked at the yellow creeper.
“Defeated by a goddamn creeper. Thank God Rugrat isn’t here,” Erik grumbled as his blade moved, freeing the yellow creeper from the rock slowly. Then he got to the root buried in the wall. He used his knife and hand to gently pry the root from its home.
He finally pulled it all out from the recess. The base of the plant and the roots were easy to separate. If they were destroyed, then the potency would be lost as a best case, and it would be destroyed as a worse case.
Erik pulled it out and got a notification.
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Skill: Alchemy
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Level: 9 (Novice)
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No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.
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Instead of the cold-blooded one from before, this one put a smile on his face.
Using what he had learned, he continued to harvest as much yellow creeper as he could reach.
There were only a few tufts left on the rock surface as he rushed over to the leopard’s sleeping area. He cleared the area around the different ingredients and started to get to work, slowly extracting them from the ground.
He worked methodically, taking every precaution as the noises from outside of the ravine got quieter as the leopard finished off the animals Rugrat had lured into its territory.
Even as Erik knew that his time was running out, he didn’t panic. He knew from the yellow creepers that panic would only lead to him failing to harvest the ingredients.
He didn’t know what the ingredients were but seeing that they were around the leopard’s sleeping area, he knew that they wouldn’t be ordinary.
Sudden silence fell over the area as the leopard had defended its home. There were five different plants but Erik had already harvested four of them.
He grit his teeth; his knife moved slowly as he loosened the glowing bulbous plant from the ground. It was latched onto a collection of rocks with odd runes that surrounded a bone with runes engraved into it.
Erik pulled it all away from the ground and placed it into his storage ring.
With them all secured, Erik didn’t dare to stick around. He rushed away from the cave and out of the ravine, toward where Rugrat and he were supposed to meet up.
He entered the area when a furious roar ripped through the forest.
“Time to get to running,” Rugrat said, coming out of the underbrush.
Erik followed him out. They heard the noises of the leopard’s growing anger, and they increased their speed as they didn’t want to leave any sign behind.
The entire area seemed to be in fear as the king had gone into a rage. Creatures rushed to hide and others finished off their fights and lowered themselves to the ground to show that they weren’t a threat.
Erik and Rugrat only increased their speed as they left the area.
They left the leopard’s region behind, letting out a sigh as nighttime descended and darkness started to set in.
Erik felt odd, as if being watched. He put it off as just his fear as they looked for a place to stay.
After some searching, they climbed a set of trees and set up hammocks, securing them to the trees.
Rugrat took first watch as they ate rations, not wanting to light a fire in case they drew more attention. With each of the different search areas, they moved deeper into the Beast Mountains.
Erik quickly checked his gains from the day.
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Skill: Stealth
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Level: 16 (Novice)
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No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.
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Skill: Alchemy
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Level: 13 (Novice)
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No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.
==========
32,000/48,000 EXP till you reach Level 9
==========
His Alchemy skill had increased greatly, with his stealth jumping up as they’d evaded detection from the leopard.
Erik relaxed as he checked his Mana system. There looked to be less Mana in his veins as it was further compacted now. The power in that compressed vapor was much more terrifying than before.
Erik hoped that it would be what he needed to reach the Vapor stage. Then he could use the compressed Mana with the information that was contained in the manuals he had received to open another Mana gate.
It was a big undertaking but the rewards of doing so would put him well ahead of everyone else in the First Realm.
If people in the higher realms heard his thoughts, they would be shocked.
Erik settled his nerves down and started to circulate his Mana through his channels according to a rhythm written in the manual. It was slow at first but he increased its speed as time went on.
The effect was similar to a centrifugal system: the faster it moved in a certain path, the more compressed it would become.
Sweat started to fall down Erik’s brow as he concentrated on circulating his Mana properly.
The vapor started to agglomerate as it was picked up in his Mana channels. As the circulations became faster, it started to congeal together, its power increasing step by step.
Finally Erik couldn’t compress it anymore. His head felt as if it were going to burst as he needed to concentrate for so long.
The vapor underwent a change as it moved through his channels, still at great speeds but it was compressed into a new form.
A sense of power rushed through Erik’s body as he let out a breath, nearly collapsing back into his hammock as notifications filled his vision.
He looked at them with a tired smile as power flooded his body.
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Quest Completed: Mana Gathering Cultivation
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The path of a Mana Gathering cultivator is not easy. To stand at the top, one must forge their own path forward.
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Requirements:
Reach Mana Mist Level
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Rewards:
The Two Week Curse Page 18