Iron Bone

Chapter 23

Confirming that the grape-sized core in his hand was harmless, Ray finally felt relieved and proceeded to examine it closely. He was extremely curious about something that could trigger his two talents to alert him of danger. Without hesitation, Ray activated the Tesseract within his sea of consciousness to perform a quick scan, and soon, a meaningful intent was conveyed directly into his mind.

Finally, Ray understood the true nature of the grape-sized black rock. As per his understanding, it was the core of a humanoid high-ranking monster resembling a termite-like insect. However, he didn't know its exact name or any further details about the monster. Thus, he immediately conducted online research to gather information based on the characteristics he had observed.

After spending some time surfing the internet, Ray discovered the source of horror and danger associated with the black essence core. It turned out that the core belonged to a tier two monster, one level higher than Ray's current stage. This tier two monster had various names such as iron termites, iron fleas, or iron eaters.

Ray also deduced the reason why the deer and wolf had fought so fiercely during their previous encounter. They weren't fighting merely to satisfy their hunger but rather to claim possession of this black core. It was speculated that the two herd leaders intended to consume the core of a rank two beast to evolve and ascend to rank one, transcending their current rank zero status.

Previously scared, thinking he had come across a radioactive poison stone, Ray now smiled with delight as he realized he had stumbled upon a valuable treasure. However, as an ordinary young man, he found it perplexing that such a precious core had been discarded in the taiga forest, an area seldom visited by anyone. Nevertheless, since the windfall was now in his possession, Ray didn't delve further into its origin.

Excited to activate his F-rank talent, Ray closed his eyes and whispered something in his heart. Yet again, he found himself perplexed when the talent he activated was shrouded in smoke, making it difficult to identify. To clarify, Ray promptly used the Tesseract to scan for activated talents.

Finally, several insights flooded Ray's mind, revealing the passive talent that had been activated: [D-rank Iron Bone]. This talent allowed the user's body to passively attract and bind energy from absorbed metal materials, causing it to accumulate in the bones. Over time, the bones would be completely replaced by solid iron.

After the activation of the [D-rank Iron Bone] talent, numerous questions plagued Ray's mind. Why was there always a fog surrounding his talents? Could there be any issues or risks associated with this foggy talent? However, upon reflection, Ray realized that all the talents, no matter how peculiar, seemed to suit him.

"So, what is the real problem?" Ray asked himself, feeling worried in his heart. With two foggy passive talents already present, he feared that he would become increasingly confused about the direction in which his talents should be utilized.

Moreover, Ray found himself rather displeased with the newly activated passive talent. Numerous concerns raced through his mind, leaving him dissatisfied and questioning several aspects of his talent.

"How am I supposed to absorb metal materials? Will my bones rust if they're made of metal? Isn't there an alternative to metal? Will I constantly set off metal detectors in malls? That would be troublesome. How could I remove my bones every time I want to go shopping?" Ray contemplated, frustrated by the unanswered questions. Additionally, he worried about his vulnerability to water and electricity. Would his bones' stiffness affect his ears, nose, and joints if he absorbed metal materials? These uncertainties plagued his mind, ensuring a sleepless night.

The next morning, as Ray entered the classroom, his friend shamelessly posed a question. "Hey Ray, why are you wearing bandages around your neck? Did you receive such passionate kisses that your neck turned red?" Hamar teased, causing Agni and Clara, who was caught in the middle, to blush with embarrassment. They despised Hamar's crude remarks that never seemed to bring anything positive. Couldn't he see that two innocent girls were present?

Hearing the nonsensical question, Ray couldn't be bothered to answer. However, since his friend insisted on playing along, Ray reluctantly continued the charade. "Oh, no-no, how could I... no," Ray feigned denial, pretending to be an honest and innocent young man. But then, he proceeded to spin a web of lies. "Ah, well, don't tell anyone, but not only did I blush, my neck even turned purple from those girls last night. They were so passionate that they wouldn't let go of my neck. I thought it would just turn red, or at most blue, but who would have imagined it turned purple? Just imagine that—purple! I was incredibly embarrassed when I left home, so I asked my mother to wrap it with bandages. And when my mother asked, I made up a story that my neck was bitten by mosquitoes. After all, the mosquitoes in this world are vicious—some can even kill people!"

Upon hearing Ray's outrageous tale, Agni and Clara couldn't help but giggle in embarrassment. Hamar, however, felt slightly annoyed and indignant. How could his friend be so shameless? Who would believe that he was bitten by a mosquito on his neck? What kind of mosquito leaves such an ambiguous mark? And how could Ray's mother be easily fooled? Despite being a mother, she was still young, after all.

They continued their conversation, and Ray even offered each of them a generous portion of reindeer meat. Although he claimed it to be deer legs, Ray had simply divided a deer into four pieces and distributed them among his friends. Witnessing the large portions of meat, the three young adults had the same thought. They speculated that the bandages on Ray's neck were a result of these meat portions.

Despite realizing that their friend had been injured by the meat they were about to consume, they showed no intention of returning it. Apart from saving face for their friend, they genuinely wanted to reciprocate with other favors. In the future, if Ray encountered any problems, they would readily assist without hesitation, as a gesture of their friendship.

Ray was completely unaware of the misunderstanding that had occurred. He hadn't been injured by the flesh but rather from a sneak attack. However, even if Ray had been aware of the misunderstanding, he wouldn't have been too bothered by it.

During lunchtime, Ray sat in the cafeteria with Lucas, Agni, Hamar, and Clara. After some light conversation, Ray finally remembered to ask his friends, "Oh, by the way, do any of you know where I can find teachers to study alchemy or other professions?"

Clara replied casually, "If you're interested in experimenting, you can study online and purchase some online courses. But if you want to study under a teacher, you can look for tutors in the community or join alchemy guilds in the city."

"Oh, I see," Ray realized. He had been aware that many things could now be accessed online, such as martial arts manuals, breathing techniques, and skill guides. However, he had only just discovered that there were online courses available for professions like alchemy and other magical practices.

Before Ray could delve deeper into his daydreams, Lucas casually asked, "Why do you ask, Ray? Are you interested in becoming an alchemist? If so, I can help you find a suitable alchemist who can teach you how to brew a magic potion or two."

Hastily, Ray clarified, "Oh no, that's not it. I just want to buy and sell things."

Recalling the deer leg he had recently acquired, Lucas finally understood. "Ah, I see. It seems like you've gained a lot in these past few weeks. The leg you sent us had at least a dozen pounds of meat on it. With that, you must have other valuable materials like antlers and other products from Rank 0 deer monsters, right?"

"Oh, yes, that's right. I still have them, and I'm not sure what to do with them," Ray admitted.

"In that case, you can visit my cousin's shop downtown. Rest assured, you won't have to pay anything at my cousin's shop," Lucas assured him.

Listening to Lucas's explanation, Ray decided that if he had the opportunity, he would check out his cousin's shop. Even though he might not be able to freely sell or buy goods as he wished, he was still curious to see alchemy items up close.