Chapter 103: Arriving at the New Hunting Ground
‘Hmmm… What should I buy with my 6,000 Magic Points…’ Leo pondered to himself as he followed Nina from behind on a hoverboard.
Awaken Random Magic Affinity would cost him 6,000 Magic Points, but it wouldn’t increase his prowess, and he really didn’t need a new affinity right now, so he ignored it.
He could increase his mana capacity or his magic power, but he didn’t feel the need to increase either since he had enough mana and magic power for now. Even though having more mana or magic power will definitely benefit him, he didn’t think it was worth it this moment. Furthermore, having increased mana regeneration would benefit him more since it will help him spam magic spells more often.
‘I really want to increase my mana regeneration, but I am a thousand short. Should I just wait until I kill another 500 monsters before purchasing it? But spending all of my points for a single purchase…’ Despite his desire to buy Increase Mana Regeneration, he was feeling a little hesitant.
In the end, he decided to wait on the purchase and look at other options.
Up next was the passive skills.
‘The F-Rank passive skills are quite cheap, and the last one really benefited me. Maybe I should buy several of them and hope for the best. Even if the passive skills turn out to be useless, I won’t lose out on too much.’
Thus, Leo decided to purchase a few F-Rank passive skills, but he didn’t do so immediately and waited until he looked at the other options.
Other than passive skills, the only thing left for him to spend his Magic Points on were artifacts.
‘The E-Grade artifacts cost between 300 to 600 Magic Points, but what should I purchase? Another weapon? Improved armor?’ Leo pondered and pondered.
Over the next several hours, Leo wondered about his choices and what would benefit him the most. Now that he cannot acquire Magic Points as easily, he needed to use them sparingly and wisely.
In the end, Leo decided to purchase another E-Grade weapon artifact and 5 F-Rank passive skills.
[Bamboo Sword: Increases the power of your swords by 75%]
<You have acquired the Passive Skill: Novice Cook Expertise>
[Description: Increases your cooking experience]
<You have acquired the Passive Skill: Novice Movement Expertise>
[Description: Increases your movement skills]
<You have acquired the Passive Skill: Novice Bow Expertise>
[Description: Increases your bow experience]
<You have acquired the Passive Skill: Weak Poison Resistance>
[Description: Increases your resistance to poison]
<You have acquired the Passive Skill: Weak Enhanced Senses>
[Description: Slightly enhances all of your senses]
The sword had cost him 350 Magic Points while the passive skills were 500 Magic Points.
‘Cook expertise? Why would I need such experience?’ Leo raised an eyebrow when he saw his new passive skills.
After pondering for a little longer, Leo decided to purchase 2 more F-Rank passive skills.
<You have acquired the Passive Skill: Minor Strength Boost>
[Description: Increases your strength]
<You have acquired the Passive Skill: Weak Fire Resistance>
[Description: Increases your resistance against fire damage]
“…”
A moment later—
<Confirm purchase ‘Acquire Random D-Rank Passive Skill for 1,000 Magic Points>
Leo gritted his teeth and confirmed.
<You have acquired the Passive Skill: Double Cast>
<Description: 5% chance to cast magic spells a second time>
Leo was pleasantly surprised by this new passive skill.
‘Does this mean every spell that I cast will have a 5 percent chance of being cast again? This is pretty overpowered!’
Even though the chances are quite low, it was still a chance. However, he still needed to do some experiments. For example, would the second cast require mana? If so, it could potentially be fatal if he uses a magic spell that consumes more than half of his mana, as it would instantly put him into the state of mana fatigue.
‘Let’s do another— No… I should stop before I waste all of my Magic Points…’
He quickly realized how addicting it was to gamble his Magic Points away.
‘This is how people become gambling addicts. I need to stop myself before I can’t control it.’
[Magic Points: 3,974]
After three days of nonstop traveling, Leo and Nina finally arrived at their new hunting ground.
“This is… a cave?” Leo raised his eyebrows when Nina stopped moving in front of a large cave that was located at the bottom of a large rocky mountain, and it was hidden behind large rocks and dead trees.
“What kind of monsters are inside?”
“The monsters will grow stronger as we travel deeper. The last time I delved deep enough to find B-Rank monsters, there were Stone Lizards, Vampire Bats, and Crystal Golems. Most of them are monsters with high physical defenses, so it might be a bit difficult for you, who mainly use the sword.”
“I think I will be fine,” he smiled.
“Let’s get some sleep before we enter this place.” Leo suggested.
“Sure.”
After setting their tent nearby, Leo and Nina went inside to eat before going to sleep.
They woke up twelve hours later and took a shower before eating another meal.
[Rank: 89]
Their rank had dropped by 50 when Leo looked at his watch after cleaning up the tent.
“Looks like we’re still in the top 100.”
Sometime later, they approached the ominous cave.
They stopped at the entrance for a moment to prepare themselves.
“Are you ready?” Leo asked Nina.
“Yes.” She nodded with a calm expression.
“Then let’s go.” Leo took the first step forward, entering the cave.
The following moment—
<You have received a Special Quest>
[Quest: Reaching the core]
[Description: Reach the deepest part of the cave and kill the monster there]
[Time Limit: 10 days]
[Progress: 0/1]
[Reward: 300,000 Magic Experience, 1,500 Magic Points]
‘What the hell? What is the Magic System up to this time?’ Leo frowned when he saw the Special Quest.
‘These special quests are always so specific. Is this the Magic System’s way of communicating with me? For what purpose?’ He wondered inwardly as he traversed deeper inside this mysterious cave with Nina by his side.