Hunting

One week later and Jack had eight silver and the cost for an ID was 5 silver coins. When he paid he felt a pain in his heart. During the past week, he had also gone to the library to try to read some books until he remembered he couldn't read or write in the language. Appraisal didn't translate things for him.

The slime was weird, he could feel its emotion, and most of the time it was happy to see him but that was it. It was happy but it would do nothing but eat and sleep.

Jack was now headed to a grassland near the forest to hunt for monster cores. He looked at the slime's stat

[ Name: ??? ]

[ Race: slime ]

[ Level: 1 ]

[ Health 100/100 ]

[ Strength: 2 ]

[ Speed: 6 ]

[ Stamina: 6 ]

[ mana: 5 / 5 ]

"Is should probably give you a name. What should I call you, what is your gender, do you even have one? Well, I'm not very creative in naming things so I'll call you Bolt." The slime started taking shape and hugged his arm. He could also feel that he was happy.

[ The slime has been named Bolt ]

Jack had received so many notifications that he had grown accustomed to ignoring them. He quickly made his way out of the city, running towards the grassland. Within an hour he made it to his destination.

As Jack arrived, he saw a group of people with their beasts attacking a pack of monsters. The majority of the monsters were large lizards, around 7 feet in length. Jack couldn't help but wonder, "Do beasts not feel bad for killing other beasts?"

As he watched, two rats darted around the lizard, dodging its attacks. Suddenly, their claws began to glow blue and they leaped forward, slashing the lizard in the eye. The lizard thrashed and attacked recklessly, but the rats continued to attack it with the same glowing claws in different parts of its body.

The man controlling the rats repeated the same words over and over, his voice steady and focused. After a few minutes of intense battle, the man dragged the defeated lizard to a nearby building. He emerged a few minutes later with a pouch and a small blue ball in his hand, which he fed to one of the rats. The rats rested for a while before the man repeated the same process.

"Hey, what's in that building?" Jack asked, pointing to a large structure nearby.

"The people who take care of the monsters, what else would it be for," replied the man, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Well I'm new here"

" Oh I give them the monster and they give me the monster's core plus the money of what the monster would be worth, after charging me." Said the man as he glanced at the beasts on Jack's shoulder.

The man wanted to tell Jack that it was not the end of the world and that he could afford some time before he was able to get another beast. He didn't have to risk his life to prove himself, there were also other ways to earn money. He knew people like him didn't learn unless they experienced it, so he stayed quiet and let Jack be.

"Thanks, have a nice day," Said Jack before he went on his way.

Jack walked to an area devoid of humans, where he found plenty of lizards. "I don't think you're strong enough to fight these guys, so stay here," he told Bolt.

Jack had already appraised the lizards' strength and knew he could handle them. He set the small black ooze down, wondering what new skill it might acquire. Jack stretched his limbs for a few seconds, a habit he had developed over time.

Jack had only his fist to attack, he coated his fist with reinforcement and mana, creating a powerful weapon. He jumped into the air and brought his fist down, smashing the lizard's skull in one swift move.

[ + 201 exp ]

"That is easy exp"

Jack lifted the defeated lizard onto his back and carried it towards the slime, which was waiting nearby. "They said slimes can eat almost anything, so eat this," Jack said as he presented the lizard's head to Bolt.

Bolt eagerly accepted the offering, devouring the lizard's head with gusto. Meanwhile, Jack took the lizard's body toward the nearby building.

When he emerged from the building, Jack was pleased to find that he had earned 50 copper coins and a small blue ball. He felt a sense of satisfaction at his successful hunt and the reward that came with it.

Jack repeated the same process multiple times, hunting and collecting the beasts' cores. With each successful hunt, he felt a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. By the end of the day, he had earned 10 silver coins.

"I can finally own a good inn, instead of staying in that shitty one," Jack thought to himself. He knew that he had to spend some time recovering his mana, as he had used almost all of it during his hunts. He estimated that he would be able to recover all of his mana by the following night.

"I can also start eating three meals now," Jack realized. He had been forced to skimp on meals in order to save money, but his successful hunts had provided him with enough funds to afford more food.

"You also got stronger didn't you"

[ Name: Bolt ]

[ Race: slime ]

[ Level: 7 ]

[ Health 100/100 ]

[ Strength: 4 ]

[ Speed: 8 ]

[ Stamina: 8 ]

[ mana: 21 / 21 ]

Jack watched as the slime seemed to gain more control over its body, forming itself into a more defined shape. Satisfied with his progress, Jack ran back to the city and arrived just in time for dinner.

After finishing his meal, Jack searched for a comfortable inn that would allow beasts inside if they were small enough. He found one for a reasonable price of one silver coin and settled in for the night.

The next day, Jack spent the day recovering his mana. He knew that he needed to take care of himself and his beast in order to be at his best during hunts and other challenges. As he rested and recuperated, Jack felt a sense of calm and contentment.

"I should probably check the roads between Wealdstone and Eldham," Jack thought to himself. With that in mind, he went to purchase a metal spear, knowing it would be an easier way to conserve his mana during fights.

The spear cost him 1 silver and 10 copper coins, but Jack felt it was worth the investment. With his new weapon in hand, he felt more prepared.

The following day, Jack's hunts proved to be even more successful than before. He managed to collect 16 silver coins, 50 copper and raised Bolt's level by four more levels. "I need to find a better hunting place," Jack thought to himself as he looked at Bolt, who seemed to have grown larger.

" I'm lucky that you don't require all those expensive foods and supplements." He had seen the prices of some of the items required for certain beasts, and he knew that he would be able to keep only a fraction of what he earned.

"Jump on my shoulder, Bolt," Jack said, as he made his way back to the city for dinner. After eating, he felt satisfied and went to sleep.

…

Jack woke up groggily, his eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light in the room. He rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly, feeling the stiffness in his muscles and bones from the previous day's hunts. Bolt stirred beside him, sensing Jack's movements. Jack smiled at the sight of his companion and reached out to pet him gently.

"Status," Jack said, as he examined his current status and the points he had available. "I have 64 points," he murmured to himself. "Out of the four stats, I don't need to use points in mana since that would be a waste. Speed would also not be a good idea since I can't even run at full speed. For now, I have more than enough stamina. I can always adjust it later."

Jack considered his options and decided that he needed more strength. He allocated most of his points to strength and some to stamina.

After allocating his stat points, Jack opened his eyes to find another notification displayed in front of him.

[ Achievement: Above and Beyond ]

[Description: One who surpasses the limits of normal humans in all aspects. Unbound by the shackles that constrain ordinary humans.]

"That sounds really cool, not gonna lie," Jack said with a smile as he got ready to head to breakfast. As he prepared to leave, a thought crossed his mind.

"I should start exercising again," he realized, remembering that he had taken a break from his routine for a few days.