Free Web NovelChapter 12: The Master of Rocks
The morning after their intense bathing session, Yuki and Vee set out once more on their journey, hoping to cover as much ground as they possibly could before nightfall.
"Alright, Yuki, according to the map, we are coming up on a pack of snow wolves," Vee called out, keeping her eyes glued to the system interface. "And you remember exactly how things turned out the last time, so don’t you dare go and do anything stu—"
Vee turned around, only to realize that the space behind her was completely empty. Yuki had wandered off yet again.
She stared at the blank patch of snow where the vampire boy was supposed to be standing and let out a long, defeated sigh. "This guy... this is the one I’m actually falling for? Seriously? I can’t believe myself right now."
Meanwhile, a few hundred meters away, Yuki was blissfully humming and skipping through the fresh snow. His eyes scanned the tree line, searching for any creature he could hunt to secure raw materials for the Lifestyle Shop.
Because his shop level had recently increased, the interface was now accessible twice a week instead of once. It was currently open for business, and Yuki was dying to browse through the catalog.
"What should I buy this time? A new gown, or maybe a pair of stylish boots?" he wondered aloud.
[You should save your Store Points for a later date and focus on hunting monsters for their cores to get stronger,] the core System interface advised casually.
"Oh! Hey, System."
[Hello, Master Yuki.]
"So... can I buy the boots?"
[Go hunt.]
"Tch. Fine, whatever. The clothes can wait," Yuki said dejectedly, crossing his arms.
"Where are the closest monsters I can actually fight?"
[There is a pack of six snow wolves one hundred meters to the west. Alternatively, there is a giant snow salamander thirty meters from your current position, resting inside the upcoming cave.]
Yuki pondered the choice for a moment. "Is it better to fight the salamander or the wolves?" "System, what are your thoughts on this?"
[Go for the salamander first, then the wolves. It will provide an excellent yield of valuable materials to sell, as well as a high-grade essence core.]
"Speaking of essence cores, I really need to collect a ton of them," Yuki sighed, looking at his stat bar. "I’m only at twenty out of the one thousand needed for my next evolution."
[That you do. So get to work,] the System commanded.
With a sudden burst of pride and determination, Yuki shifted into hunt mode. He darted across the snow, stopping right at the mouth of a gaping cavern. "This is the cave, right, System?"
[Yes.]
"Good," he said, a smug, confident smile spreading across his face.
Yuki walked into the dark, damp cave. Instead of drawing a weapon, he reached down and scooped up a handful of jagged rocks. Channeling his physical strengths, he brutally smashed them together, effortlessly shaping the shattered stones into a set of crude throwing knives. They were incredibly basic tools, but with his high stats, they were more than perfect to get the job done.
Snow salamanders didn’t possess incredibly thick hide, meaning his high-velocity stone daggers would easily penetrate its skin and cause it to bleed out.
Deep within the cavern, the massive, white-glazed snow salamander was relaxing peacefully when it heard the echo of footsteps entering its turf. The giant reptile turned its heavy head, ready to rip apart whatever dared to encroach on its territory. But the exact moment its eyes locked onto Yuki, a sharp, whistling projectile pierced the air.
Squelch!
A crude stone dagger buried itself directly into the creature’s left eye.
The salamander hissed violently, screaming out in agonizing pain as it wiggled its massive body around, clawing frantically at its own face to dislodge the stone blade.
"Bullseye!" Yuki cheered cheerfully, instantly tossing another sharp stone dagger at the flailing monster.
The salamander roared in pure rage. Abandoning all caution, it spun its massive body around and dashed straight toward Yuki, its jaws open wide, intent on ripping him to shreds.
Yuki stared down the enraged, charging creature. He didn’t flinch. Instead, he bared his fangs and readied his razor-sharp claws, fully prepared for a glorious bloodbath.
With a loud, resounding ’CHOMP’, the salamander snapped its jaws shut, nearly swallowing Yuki’s entire upper body.
Using his high agility, however, Yuki executed a flawless side-step at the very last second. He dug his claws deep into the salamander’s exposed flank and ran along its body as fast as his legs could carry him, cleanly carving open the entire side of the creature. Dark crimson blood instantly flooded the cavern floor.
Not wasting a single millisecond of its disorientation, Yuki dashed around to the salamander’s blind left side. He spun on his heel and whipped his heavy, armored tail as fast and hard as he could, driving the barbed tip directly into the joint of the monster’s front leg.
Feeling the intense, burning pain, the salamander spun its heavy tail around violently.
"Crap."
BANG!
Yuki felt the tail connect with his entire body. The sheer force sent him flying straight out of the cave entrance before he collided hard with the packed snow outside, rag dolling and bouncing several times before finally coming to a stop.
"Agh... damn, that hurts," Yuki said gurglingly, pushing himself up. "Well, time for round two."
Knowing that the salamander would only grow weaker the longer the fight dragged on, Yuki took his sweet time casually strolling back into the cave.
"What’s up, lizard? It’s ya boy, tiny Yuki, back again for another round!"
[Stop speaking like you’re actively streaming and just put it out of its miserable life,] the System interjected.
"You know, you’re such a killjoy," Yuki said, giving the system an annoyed glare.
The salamander, even while actively bleeding out, rushed at Yuki with everything it had left, intending to kill him.
"Pocket gravel!" Yuki shouted, throwing a handful of dirt and stones directly into the salamander’s nose. The debris caused the monster to falter, sneezing violently and becoming temporarily distracted.
By the time it regained its senses, Yuki was already beside its head. He drove his armored tail directly through its ear canal and straight into its brain, ending its life instantly.
"You know, I never understood why anyone would fight these things head-on. It’s a total death trap," Yuki said, wiping his hands. "Anime and manga fantasy protagonists are idiots for not just walking around with sand and gravel in their pockets to throw at their enemies. Even pepper would be nice to have."
[Maybe because they aren’t as insane and cowardly as you are,] the System retorted.
"And that’s exactly why they usually die or lose a companion."
[Some people prefer honest battles, unlike you.]
"I’m not fighting in a tournament, I’m fighting for my life. Anything goes," Yuki countered proudly. "Now, time to extract the core and harvest this bad boy."
