Chapter 19: Frozen rift (3)

"A zone mission, how interesting."

After confirming and reading the mission thoroughly, Martyn got to work and began exploring the entire area.

He didn't mind leaving the group alone; to them, he was nothing more than a hindrance anyway.

Currently, he was exploring the area next to where the wolves had appeared.

("Alright, I see another one.") Martyn smiled. It seemed he had found another wolf to hunt.

Letting the wind carry him, Martyn quickened his pace. He had been hunting wolves for quite some time, so he had no doubts.

The beast could sense the boy's presence and lunged to attack. In response, Martyn smiled confidently and opened his system.

[Skills:]

[Flow]

In an instant, Martyn's mind felt different. The beast moved slower, he could see different ways to use the dry trees, and he could even predict what kind of attack the animal would make.

Following this pattern in its movements, Martyn jumped to one of the trees, using it as a propeller to position himself behind the beast, which was unable to react.

[Precise Cuts]

In an instant, Martyn stabbed the beast several times at great speed, not even giving it a chance to defend itself.

[You have defeated a beast]

[You have gained 40 experience points]

[EXP 70/520]

[Forest Monsters: 10/10]

[Objective Completed]

The messages on Martyn's screen quickly appeared. After hunting for at least two hours, he had completed one of the objectives.

"Good, I thought things would be more difficult, but thanks to this skill, they aren't." Martyn smiled as he looked at the details of his skill.

[Skill: Flow]

[When using this skill, your mind will enter a state of total concentration where you can perceive everything around you. This can help you think calmly in fast moments.]-[Mana per use: 3000 per minute]

Martyn couldn't help but feel great after reading the information about his skill. He had earned it after his battle with the celestial serpent.

"Okay, I've completed one of the three objectives of the test, now I need to find a cave." Martyn focused on his next objective.

"Thanks to this mission, I've leveled up twice. I'd like to use the stat points, but I still can't use them." Martyn complained as he took some blood from the wolf.

"Alright, this time it has to work! Concentrated, Martyn used the wolf's blood to write a rune symbol on his dagger.

"This time it has to work!" After finishing writing the symbol, Martyn held a stone and concentrated all his mana into it.

[Activating Class]

[Class: Beginner Nordic Blacksmith activated]-[Volundr]

After confirming the activation of his class, Martyn struck his dagger with all his might. Quickly, the weapon began to glow.

"Good, there's no doubt this time it will work..." With a smile, the boy waited for the result.

[Attempt Failed]

[The weapon's durability: Saex Dagger will decrease by 5%]

But unfortunately for him, the result was not what he expected. This was his tenth attempt at using runes, but all had failed.

"Damn, with this, my dagger's durability has decreased by 50%. If things continue like this, I won't be able to use it for much longer." The boy grumbled as he began to explore the area.

("I have to hurry, we've been in the rift for a day now, it's probably been reported to a hunter, although this isn't a normal rift.")

Martyn began to ponder as he explored the area. The only thing that came to mind was that the rift was made by the hooded woman.

("But if that's the case, does that mean there's a dark god with power in Neo Tyran? Which one, who, where?") Various questions came to Martyn's mind.

The dark gods dominate most of the world outside of Neo Tyran. They are the main cause of the major uprisings that happened years ago.

Using the power of all the gods who supported humanity, Neo Tyran was able to obtain a type of protection so that they couldn't enter the city.

Although this protection only applies to the gods, as monsters manage to break these barriers and form rifts or attack civilians.

But for a monster to create a rift, it would have to be of a Boss rank, and Martyn was sure the Kaldvarg from earlier wasn't that strong.

("That can only mean one thing, a god already in Neo Tyran is part of the dark gods.")

Coming to this conclusion, Martyn's thoughts were interrupted when he saw a cave in the distance.

"Good, I should find the monsters I'm looking for here." With a confident smile, Martyn entered the cave.

At first, it was dark, but after walking a bit, he was submerged in bright rocks that decorated the entire interior.

"Wow, these are crystal stones, the main energy source of Neo Tyran." Surprised by the place, Martyn took a green luminous stone and began to explore the cave.

[Warning]

A few minutes later, the boy encountered the message he had been waiting for all this time.

"Come on, come out from wherever you are, I don't bite!" Martyn exclaimed with a malevolent smile on his face.

The mere thought of becoming stronger erased any fear he might have had before.

"What are you doing in our home, food?"

After Martyn's call, a voice could be heard. It was quite rough and sharp, like a scratched record trying to speak.

[Warning]

[Enemies nearby]

Seeing the danger message in front of his eyes again, Martyn decided to take some precautions and not approach head-on.

"Did you just call me food? That's really funny."

[Skills:]

[Analysis]

Quickly, Martyn could feel the entire environment, identifying his enemies, who remained in the shadows.

"Wow, it's even funnier that you call me food when you look like this." Continuing with the jokes, Martyn pointed his luminous crystal toward the voice.

In front of him was a lizard-like monster standing on two legs, its color a dark gray. What stood out the most were the blue crystals protruding from its back.

These were the famous Crystal Lizards, an incredible source of food. In fact, in Neo Tyran, they are commonly eaten due to how easy they are to hunt.

"Food light, annoying!" Annoyed by the light directed at its eyes, the monster lunged at Martyn to attack.

"I don't think I need to use a skill on you, so..." Still confident, Martyn lunged at the monster, cutting off its tail without any trouble. Although its scales were strong, they were no match for Martyn's dagger.

[You have defeated a cave monster]

[You have gained 20 experience points]

[Cave Monster: 1/50]

[Experience: 90/520]

"That was pretty quick, I better save the meat." Happy with his hunt, Martyn stored the monster's body in his inventory.

[Warning]

"Looks like I won't have to search for them." After receiving the system message, Martyn looked back to find himself surrounded by crystal lizards.

"Looks like this one was just the welcome party." The boy said as he prepared himself. It seemed he would complete this objective easily.