52 Moon Rabbit

The night passed. Morning came.

Cien woke up from his sleep. He washed his face and started getting ready to exterminate pests. He took his bow and arrows.

As Cien stepped out of the shop, he was already awaited by a pair of men and women. Veronica and Terrion. Since their arrival, both of them have always accompanied Cien on hunting trips.

Terrion wanted to get a clearer understanding of the situation around the protected area. Meanwhile, Veronica wanted to train her magic.

How did the teenage girl train her magic? The answer was almost the same as when Cien killed his first Inferno Bear.

Veronica would be within the protective layer and cast magic at the monsters outside.

Veronica decides to train because of the rich mana in the atmosphere and also the food she consumed while staying in Death Valley.

Food from monsters Rank 5 and above could enhance one's mana quality. That's why Veronica intended to train herself while staying there. The girl could feel her power growing rapidly.

This morning, as usual, the three of them went hunting. As they passed by the residents' camp, they could already see people starting to prepare for work.

The enticing smell of cooking began to waft from Yelina's house, causing their stomachs to growl.

Veronica blushed. Cien ruffled her hair and said they needed to speed up the hunt because their stomachs were already protesting.

The destination of Cien always differed every day. He did this to indicate the safe boundary of his territory so that Terion could patrol or hunt more easily in the future.

This time, they went to the western part of the shop. When they arrived at the border of the formation, the three of them could see a group of white rabbits with horns protruding from their foreheads.

The rabbits were jumping and hitting the protective barrier.

"Ooh~ How adorable..."

Veronica's eyes sparkled as she saw the bunch of white rabbits. The rabbits were not large compared to the monsters usually seen in Death Valley. They were only about the height of an adult human's thigh.

Perhaps that was why Cien also thought the rabbits were cute. But not Terion.

"No matter how cute those rabbits are, they are still monsters. They must be exterminated before they harm anyone."

"..."

Veronica pouted but couldn't deny the words of the former adventurer.

Cien simply smiled wryly as he counted the number of rabbits in front of him.

"18 rabbits. That's a lot. Who wants to hunt them?"

Cien asked, and Terrion responded by drawing his sword.

"Let me do it, Lord Millard."

"Do you want some help?" Cien asked again, but the man shook his head.

"Uncle Cien doesn't need to do anything. Let me assist him," Veronica said, puffing up her small chest.

"I can handle it myself, Young Miss."

"Humph! 18 is a lot! What's wrong with relying on someone who can watch your back?" Veronica replied, stepping forward without waiting for Terrion's response.

This made the man scratch his head. In the end, Terrion followed Veronica's lead, and they both left.

For the past two days, Cien didn't need to use his own hands in the hunt. He simply showed them the protected area and guided them for the hunt.

Seeing the two individuals begin to fight, Cien took out his cellphone. He took a picture of the rabbit in front of him to learn the details of the monster they were facing.

__________

[Moon Rabbit]

Rank 3 Middle Class

Skills: Water Magic (Expert), Kick Technique (Expert), Holy Magic (Expert), Light Magic (Competent).

__________

'Holy Magic...'

An unexpected surprise. Cien never expected to encounter a monster that possessed Holy Magic.

Holy Magic was typically only possessed by those who served in the temple. It was considered a unique and rare form of magic. Its value was extremely high because it could enhance the strength of allies and heal wounds.

Heal, Regeneration, and Cure were commonly known Holy Magic spells. Just being able to use those incantations made a Holy Magic user highly regarded in the eyes of a war general.

Moreover, there is a rumor that if someone can reach the Master level in Holy Magic, they can learn the Resurrection spell. A spell that can bring back the dead.

Now, it turns out that there are types of monsters that possess this type of magic. Honestly, this surprised Cien quite a bit.

'I thought Holy Magic could only be used by those who are devout, have a pure heart, and are bestowed with grace by the Gods and Goddesses. But it seems that's not entirely true. This... is quite intriguing and dangerous.'

Cien imagined what would happen if the world knew that magic which could only be used by the temple could also be used by monsters who, according to the teachings of the temple, are creatures hated by God.

There might be chaos and panic regarding beliefs. Yes, that is quite dangerous.

Despite the danger, it's also intriguing. Because it means there's a mystery about the world that hasn't been unraveled yet.

Are monsters truly creatures hated by God? If so, why did God create them?

It would be very interesting if Cien could uncover it. But for now, he is more interested in creating a weapon with Holy power.

Hoho~ if he could make it, that weapon would be astonishing.

With a newfound intention, Cien began taking photos of each rabbit that was busy fighting with Terrion and Veronica.

He photographed them all and assessed their power levels.

To obtain the skill from the Moon Rabbit, he needed the Magic Core of that monster. And Magic Cores are only found in monsters that are Rank 5 or higher.

Unfortunately, after scanning them all, the strongest Moon Rabbit he found was only a Rank 3 Upper Class.

"Sigh... quite disappointing. Are there no stronger Moon Rabbits?"

Cien grumbled as he approached the spot where Veronica was preparing her magic. The girl fought from within a defensive formation.

Standing beside Veronica, Cien observed the course of the battle.

Terrion, despite his age slowing him down, fought efficiently due to his experience as an adventurer. He engaged with minimal movements and always aimed for the enemy's vital spots.

Meanwhile, Veronica, although still a teenage girl, displayed precise timing in her attacks. She assisted Terrion without causing any disturbance.

'Veronica learns so quickly.'

Cien thought, recalling the day he took the girl hunting.

Veronica continuously unleashed one spell after another, restricting her ally's movements.

Moreover, she attempted to use her strongest magic, sometimes hitting her own companion, which in this context was Terrion, who was initially reluctant to accept help from the girl.

Cien observed the battle and an idea occurred to him when he saw the Moon Rabbit hopping around quickly.

'Wait, if we can't find a Rank 5, why don't I raise the Moon Rabbit myself?'

With the food resources he had, Cien believed he could raise the Moon Rabbit to Rank 5. If he was lucky, he would obtain the required monster core.

"Both of you, stop!" Cien commanded, surprising the two individuals engaged in combat.

"What's the matter, Uncle Cien?"

"Terrion, capture the remaining rabbits! Don't kill them!"

"Eh? Why?" Terrion asked.

"I want to raise it," Cien replied.

""...HUH?!""

Cien didn't explain his reasons this time. He simply instructed Terrion to catch them immediately.

As someone who hunted every day, a rope was always an essential item to carry. The rope Cien had even came from his workshop, making it stronger than ordinary ropes.

Cien threw the rope and instructed Terrion to tie it around the remaining living Moon Rabbits, a total of six of them.

Catching was harder than killing. Terrion struggled hard to tie all the white rabbits together before finally finishing and lying exhausted on the ground.

"My Lord, why do you want to breed these monsters? Isn't it dangerous? If it's about rabbit meat, I think I can go to the city and buy a few pairs of ordinary rabbits," said Terrion, still finding Cien's decision somewhat absurd.

"Well, rabbit meat does seem delicious. But I want it not for the meat. I want to obtain their Monster Cores."

"Monster Cores? Aren't those extremely rare?"

"They are indeed rare. But monsters in Death Valley have a higher chance of having Monster Cores compared to monsters out there. The reason itself might be because the density of mana here is higher than anywhere," Cien clarified.

"Ooh~ so Uncle wants to learn skills from the rabbits? Ah, that's right! Uncle and the rabbits both use Water Magic!"

Cien gently stroked Veronica's head, who seemed pleased with the conclusion she had reached. Cien didn't deny or say that what he was after was Holy Magic not Water Magic.

For now, it was better for him to keep the information about Holy Magic.

Cien feared that if this information leaked, it would only cause meaningless trouble in a world already sinking into chaos.

Fortunately, neither Veronica nor Terrion were aware that the Moon Rabbit could use Holy Magic.

Even though during the fight earlier, those rabbits almost always regenerated their wounds.

It may not have been very apparent, but Cien knew. For weak monsters like the Moon Rabbit, Terrion, who possessed Rank 4 Middle Class power, somehow couldn't easily exterminate them.

With twelve dead Moon Rabbits and six still alive, the three of them returned to the shop territory.

Upon their arrival, Terrion was about to start skinning his prey, but before that, Cien asked for his help.

The dead Moon Rabbits were the result of Terrion and Veronica's hunt. Therefore, they had the right to do whatever they wanted with the materials obtained.

Cien would gladly purchase them, but they also had other options, such as selling them to Yelina to be used as ingredients or keeping them for themselves.

As for the live Moon Rabbit, Cien would compensate Terrion and Veronica for it. Both of them refused, but Cien insisted because he didn't want to accept someone's work for free.

He then instructed Terrion to keep the Moon Rabbit in the backyard of the store, tied to a wooden stake driven into the ground.

Cien couldn't move the monsters on his own. His strength was far below that of the Moon Rabbit.

If he pulled the monsters, it wouldn't be the rabbit that he was pulled, but Cien himself who would be taken by the rabbit.

That would be very embarrassing.

That's why Cien told Terrion to do everything. Put them in the yard and tie them to the wooden stake. Later, Cien would build a sturdy cage around the stake.

After making sure that the Moon Rabbit was safely tied up, Cien returned to the shop to clean himself up.

Done, he left the shop and saw Veronica waiting for him. Then they went to Yelina's place to have breakfast.

During the short journey, an instant notification sound rang out.

Ding!

Cien immediately stopped in his tracks. He took out his phone and read the notification on the screen.

"Uncle Cien?"

Veronica, realizing that Cien was left behind, turned around. She saw the Shop Owner staring at the black box object with a serious expression. Sensing something was wrong, she approached.

"What's wrong, Uncle?"

Cien frowned and replied, "It seems like I have to leave Death Valley for a while."