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Chapter 9: The Shelter
🕑 Added 2024-02-22 20:01:24 +0000 UTCI was right… I thought as I watched several rats sniffing around some distance away, seemingly paying me no attention.
So they were attracted by the light! I exhaled in relief after seeing for the umpteenth time as the rat at the edge of my vision briefly turned its head my way a few times before scurrying away without bothering me.
Well, maybe the fact I was covered from head to toe with dust from the cave-in had something to do with it as well, but still… It confirmed my gnawing suspicion when I saw the crazy zeal with which the rats swooped on me before.
That’s why, after the brief scuffle, I decided to snuff out my lantern for the time being, and it turned out to be the right call.
I now once again depended solely on the faint glow of Rocky’s mana crystal, which, for some reason, didn’t garner any reaction from the hateful rodents dwelling in these godforsaken tunnels.
I was glad this was the case. Since killing the rats didn’t apparently give me any experience, there was no reason to waste my time fighting them.
"Come on, Rocky. It's time to get going…" I whispered to the tiny golem before carefully resuming my slow march forward.
Of course, I didn’t have to speak the commands aloud; simply giving Rocky a mental prompt would be more than enough. Still, it was nice to have someone to talk to, even if the intended recipient didn’t really speak much… or not at all. Now that I think about it, it may be even better that way.
Smiling broadly, I looked at the now wide-open tunnel stretching before me with tense anticipation. I knew the journey back home would be long and perilous, yet I couldn’t quite hold back the sudden joy from being finally free of that concrete prison I’d been trapped in for the last several days.
Luckily, the previous section appeared to be the only one that collapsed, so I could now sneak along the dark corridor almost seamlessly. Occasionally, I heard disturbing noises from one of the side passages, but I carefully circumvented that particular area each time.
I was always good at memorizing things, so I could navigate these horrid tunnels even without a map. Thus, while tiptoeing through the dark to not alert any would-be monsters, I carefully retraced my former party’s steps.
Ugh, just a bit longer… Suppressing a yawn, I forced myself to remain alert. With all the unplanned detours I was forced to make, it was taking me a lot longer than I anticipated, and since the adrenaline from the fight had long dissipated, I just now realized how tired I was. Still, I didn’t dare to rest, not while there were so many rats running around.
Thus, when I finally saw the faint light ahead, which marked the Shelter’s border, I had to try my hardest not to start jumping around in joy. I had no idea how long it took me to get here in the end, but it must have been at least half a day or more; it's not like there was a way to accurately measure time in the Ratway’s still darkness anyway.
However, I haven’t allowed myself to relax, at least not yet. There was still the matter of the gang and, more importantly, that mad dog Carson waiting for me there. For now, they think I died, but that will soon change. They absolutely mustn’t find out I now have a Class, or they will never let me go even if I somehow manage to pay off my debt.
But I also knew that I couldn’t hide out here forever. I desperately needed to replenish my dwindling supplies as well as patch up my gear, which had suffered greatly during these last two days. Not to mention, the next monster wave was due in less than four days, and I absolutely needed to prepare for that, too.
I still vividly remember the ominous warning that system thingy gave me when it issued the emergency quest. I had no idea whether or not it would actually kill me if the Seed were to be destroyed, but I certainly won’t be taking any chances with it.
That’s why my current plan was to sneak into the Outskirts market to sell a portion of my precious loot and try to acquire something that would help me repel those horrid beasts. Just a quick trip in and out, and I’d be gone before anyone could recognize me.
“Heh…” I chuckled since that last part was perhaps a bit of wishful thinking since things rarely went as planned. However, there would be enough time to refine my crude scheme, as before any of that, there was something else I needed to do.
I quickly hid in an abandoned shaft some distance from the guard post, as it was finally time to test whether my theory about the [Portal] was correct or not. I already knew I could summon the mysterious doorway wherever I wanted as long as I had enough mana to do so.
Yet, the most crucial question on which all my future plans depended remained unanswered. Will it remember my last position when I use it, or is it somehow bound to that ruin down in the tunnels?
Well, there was only one way to find out. So, with that, I quickly activated the Skill and promptly returned to the Domain before the nearby guards could detect my presence.
“Ugh!” Getting thrown out of the shimmering abyss right into the middle of the spacious cavern, I had to pause for a bit to balance my footing before I could take a cautious look around.
With how everything was going lately, I was lowkey expecting some random disaster to strike the Domain while I was gone. Luckily, everything looked exactly the same as I left it - still and peaceful.
Great! I’ll first take a quick nap and then decide what to take with me to sell in the market tomorrow… I was barely staying awake at this point, so everything else had to take a back seat for now.
Sleep… I need sleep. I hazily began making my way over to the spot I designated as a resting area, but then I suddenly tripped over something and came plummeting down. What the... Blinking in confusion, I slowly lifted myself from the cold, hard floor, not sure what had just happened.
The ground here was perfectly flat, so there shouldn’t be anything to trip over. Yet, to my bewilderment, as I looked around, there were now hundreds of pieces of scrap metal scattered haphazardly across the spacious cavern. Oh! I totally forgot about those.
It seemed that when my glorious pile of scrap was sucked into the portal, it must have come hurling down on the other side at significant speed, creating this huge mess in the process.
I grimaced, wondering what to do as cleaning it all up would take a pretty long time, even with Rocky’s help. But then I remembered something. That’s right! Here, I had access to three golems, not just one. With a smirk, I thus ordered all of them to come over and start gathering everything back into one big, orderly pile.
Ah! Isn’t this a thing of beauty? I watched blissfully as my new minions diligently worked to carry out my orders without me having to lift a finger for once. With this, I then finally laid down in my makeshift bed, consisting of nothing but my folded-up coat, while listening to the sweet echo of clattering metal lulling me to sleep.
***
When I woke up the following day, I felt greatly invigorated, all the stress and exhaustion of yesterday being nothing but a distant memory. “Ah, that’s much better!”
Donning a smile, I eagerly sprung up from the damn hard stone floor and began stretching my stiff muscles. There was a good reason for my brilliant mood. If everything works out today, I’ll finally graduate from being a penniless nobody and begin my wonderful new life as a bona fide Hunter.
Yet, before any of that could occur, there was still plenty of work to do. First, I checked the dormant Rift to see if there were any changes on it, which had already become my new routine at this point.
Fortunately, it was all the same—its surface was dull and listless while the hateful timer atop the Rift's surface relentlessly counted down the time toward the next raid.
[03:10:47:12]
Watching the numbers continue to tick toward zero, with nothing I could do about it, was a very unnerving experience, to say the least. The fear of not knowing what sort of calamity awaited me at the countdown’s end was especially gut-wrenching, and it was slowly driving me mad.
Still, I didn’t let it sour my mood too much. At least here, I don't have to worry about some random rat gnawing my head off while I sleep.
Chuckling, I turned around only to be greeted by the wondrous sight of a newly formed pile of scrap metal, in front of which stood the unmoving silhouettes of my three golems, seemingly indifferent to my gnawing anxiety.
That’s right! Now was not the time to berate about my crappy fate. I had an inventory to sort and profits to make.
Hmm, how should I go about this… Selling the wolves’ pelts and claws was a given. But there was also the matter of my precious monster core to consider. Should I keep it or sell it?
I knew I originally wanted to keep it for the eventual Seed’s upgrade, but now I was second-guessing my former decision. After all, what good would it make me if I didn’t survive the next wave?
Plagued with uncertainty, I went back and forth on this as I considered the limited options. But then I widened my eyes as something else occurred to me. That reminds me… It was about time I went to check the mana mine to see if there was another crystal.
Realizing I had forgotten to check it for a whole day, I quickly made my way over to the smaller cave, and to my delight, there was indeed a new mana crystal clinging to the crystalline wall.
Perfect! So they do recover in about a day. After all, if it took more than a full day to produce a new one, the mine—in which I placed fairly high hopes—would end up being a pretty useless building, given its high upkeep cost.
It was still quite low to my liking, but if I manage to live long enough, I'll be drowning in the sweet, sweet money in a few short years. This also perfectly solved my current conundrum. I could now sell the mana crystal instead, knowing a new one would be waiting for me tomorrow.
Apart from that, there was not much else. I didn't bother skinning the rats since, compared to the E-category monsters, their skin was almost worthless, and my precious scrap had to wait for a bit longer as it was too heavy to take with me right now.
So, with that, I packed everything up and activated the [Portal] skill, getting ready to return to the real world. Now comes the moment of truth…
Worst case, I would be back where I started yesterday, but since I had already managed to clear out a path through the rubble, getting back wouldn’t take me anywhere as long as the last time.
Full of tense anticipation but resolved to see this through, I stepped into the shimmering abyss, instantly dissolving within its all-encompassing darkness before being flown out on the other side the very next moment.
Blinking, I took a second to recover my balance, swaying under the weight of all the loot I was carrying as I cautiously looked around.
Yet, to my delight, I immediately recognized the dilapidated walls surrounding me, realizing I was back at the entrance to the Ratways, which was exactly where I had left off yesterday.
Alright! Now we are talking... Grinning, I then eagerly headed for the nearby guard post, ready to face anything fate decided to throw at me.
Walking in without Rocky’s stalwart presence, I felt strangely exposed but knew this was the only way. If I came into the shelter with a strange stone creature in tow, the guards would have probably immediately attacked me out of sheer fright.
"Halt! Who goes there?" When the pair of watchers saw my sorry figure emerge from the darkness, they paled, tightly clutching their weapons.
“W-Wait! It’s you… Jayden?” One of them whispered, a flicker of recognition appearing on his weary face.
“Yeah, it’s me…” I said, flashing him a smile in return as I walked past them. The guards seemed so baffled by my miraculous return that they didn't even bother to inspect me, which was fine by me.
Ah, I’m back, at last! First, let’s go to the pawn shop and see how much I could squeeze the Old Geezer for.
