Chapter 2: First Hunt

After taking a deep breath, I step out of the barrier.

|Warning! You are leaving the safe zone!|

I ignore the warning and leave the safe zone. As I step outside, I take a deep breath and walk forward. So far, I can only see an endless amount of Golden Sand and the oasis of my territory when I turn around.

After another minute of walking, I can feel something rumbling from underneath me. I frown a little and quickly jump away when the rumbling gets stronger. A second later, I see a giant humanoid creature made of stone and sand appear from the ground.

That thing is blocky with red gems as eyes and a giant blue orb in the middle of the creature.

"Shit!"

I stand up and start running back to my territory. However, while running to the safe zone, I noticed something. That thing moves very slowly, half of my speed. Should I kill that thing? No. I don't have time to act tough. Let's lure that thing to the safe zone.

I slow down a little, make sure the aggro is still on, and lure him back to the safe zone.

I can see the monster slam its hands into the barrier, trying to destroy it, and I decide to use this opportunity. As the monster is busy with the barrier, I run underneath that monster and jump before thrusting my sword at the orb in the middle of its body.

My sword easily pierces through the orb, and I use my weight to pull the sword down. Seeing the monster did not die, I quickly ducked when it tried to swat me away using its arm. I jump once again, thrust my sword at the orb, and see the crack on the orb get bigger.

I quickly pull my sword and run inside the barrier. However, instead of attacking the barrier, the monster turns around and tries to run away.

"I will not let you!"

I shout as I chase after it and jump as high as possible to thrust my sword one last time to the orb. My sword barely pierces its orb, but it is enough to make the orb crumble, and as the orb crumbles, the golem-like monster crumbles into the sands.

[Child of Ebisu activated]

[Gaia's Lover activated]

As the body of the monster disappears, I can see five things on the sand. I can see five cards on the ground, and as I pick them up, I read the description on the cards.

{Desert Stone} {Common} {x3}

[A common building material in a desert area]

{Piece of Golem Orb} {Common}

[A piece from a devourer known as Desert Golem. Collect one hundred of them to summon Desert Golem that will absolute loyalty to you]

{Desert Rose} {Magic}

[A spear made of wood that can only grow in the hottest desert and a head made of metal that can only be found in a hidden cavern in the endless desert. This spear is known for its piercing power, high durability, and its ability to increase the user's speed for a minute]

I blink a little at the sight in front of me. Damn. I get a good haul. However, why is it in a card form? As if hearing my thoughts, a notification appeared in front of me.

|Congratulations! You defeat your first monster! After defeating a monster, you will get one or two drops from each monster you kill. The drop will be in the form of cards that you can tear apart to receive the thing inside the card, or you can sell them to the wandering merchant that will come to your territory someday or sell them to the market in the global channel that will open up after this notification. It will appear in your Territory Status window|

I shake my head and walk to the safe zone first before opening the global channel. I can see three options appear after I click the global channel. The first one is the global chat, followed by global ranking and global market.

I opened the global chat and widened my eyes a little when I saw that there were already twenty-two people in this chat, including me. I closed the chat and ignored the people who were there to visit the market.

There are many things in that place, but the price is outrageous. I look at the price of the goods I receive on my first hunt and wince a little. The market also has a trading house where I can trade with other players. I can list an item and ask for goods if they want the thing I listed.

All the things listed there are mostly building materials, and they are asking for food. The few last ones ask something outrageous, like a weapon with a rare grade for an iron.

I shake my head and open the market once again. I am thinking of selling the spear to buy something in the market. I can still use my sword, and I can upgrade it once again using my blessing.

However, I need something to help me in the hunt if I want to get more goods.

After scrolling for a few seconds, I see something I need.

{Desert Fruit} {Uncommon} {100 Points}

[Fruit is known for its sweetness and juiciness. This is a fruit that can only grow from a plant called Blood-Red Cactus that feeds on blood by luring the devourer using the sweet scent of its fruit.]

This is it! I can use this to lure monsters to one side of the barrier and kill them with my sword. With this, I can start farming. I put my card into the blue panel and press the Y button when it asks if I want to sell my spear.

A second after I pressed the button, I saw that I had received seven hundred points for that transaction. I spend three hundred points to buy three fruits and sit on the edge of the barrier before ripping the card.

"Oh, boy."

The description underestimates the scent of the fruit. It does smell good.

While waiting for the fruit to do its work, I look at my weapon and press the Y button. A second later, my sword changed once again. Instead of a longsword, the sword changed into a katana. It has gray and silver blades, a golden guard, and a pure white handle. The sheath of my sword also changed into a pure white katana sheath.

{Mikazuki} {Magic}

[A katana forged underneath the light of a Crescent Moon and absorbs the power of the moon. This katana is made of metal that absorbs a large amount of moon energy, making this katana nigh unbreakable. The forging technique also gives this katana excellent slicing and piercing capabilities. When used when the moon is out, it will burn anything this sword cuts and stabs.]

Perfect.

*RUMBLE* *RUMBLE*

Ah, the guests arrive. Perfect timing. I get up from the ground and see an ugly worm and a giant scorpion slamming their body into the barrier. I swing my sword for a few seconds before thrusting it into the head of the worm.

"DIE!"