Rainbow Shield

Chapter 28

A subtle realization began to form in Ray's mind, causing him to display an uncommon frown. Normally, when he channeled knowledge through the Tesseract, Ray would quickly grasp and master the information. However, this time, he appeared confused as the information he received came in the form of living memories from an ordinary clam.

Ray pondered why a small palm-sized clam would appear in the deep sea. Weren't deep-sea creatures usually much larger? In the clam's memories, it led a solitary life in the cold depths of the sea. While its appearance was unremarkable, the clam possessed a peculiar rainbow light surrounding its body—a rare and captivating sight in the deep sea. This made it a desirable target for many wild creatures.

Whenever a predator approached, the clam would open its shell, revealing a beautiful pearl inside. In an unusual phenomenon, anything that attempted to harm the clam would experience a strange sensation of biting into something hard before reaching the clam's shell. It seemed as though the radiant rainbow surrounding the clam acted as a protective shield.

Reflecting on the memories he had received, Ray speculated on their nature.

"Could these be what people refer to as bloodline memories? It truly feels like watching a movie," Ray contemplated.

As he looked at the ordinary pearl in his hand, Ray was torn about whether or not to absorb it. However, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

"Is this pearl a part of a monster's body? If that's the case, could it still contain traces of energy from the creature?" Excitement welled up within Ray.

He proceeded to activate his passive talent, and suddenly his entire body emitted a dazzling rainbow light. If onlookers were to witness this spectacle, they would be struck with awe and envy, witnessing such mesmerizing beauty that they couldn't possess.

When he deactivated the passive talent, Ray finally obtained an [Rank A rainbow shield], possessing similar functions to what he had witnessed in his memory. This item served as a valuable lifesaver, capable of blocking attacks he couldn't parry or evade.

Ray's mood improved significantly, and he continued his activities smoothly into the night.

...

Time flew by, and it was now Friday, the designated day for Ray's regular camping schedule. Bid farewell to his family, Ray felt a tinge of happiness inside. Although there was still some resistance from his family, they had grown accustomed to his outings and made less fuss about it.

Moreover, Ray had made numerous promises to reassure them. He sweet-talked his mother, assuring her that he would be careful and continue studying. He even gave her a new book of fairy tales and promised to create another statue for her.

With all preparations in order, Ray embarked on his journey, feeling more relaxed than before. Although he couldn't be considered an expert, he had become accustomed to the weekly camping practice. Leaving early and without unnecessary delays, Ray arrived at the camping area before darkness blanketed the sky.

With a composed demeanor, Ray proceeded directly to familiar tasks without rushing. After finishing setting up camp, he meticulously inspected and set up new traps. The night passed peacefully without any major incidents, but Ray remained vigilant due to the wolf encounter imprinted in his bloodline memory.

The following day, Ray stuck to his planned activities. Instead of immediately fishing or hunting after breakfast, he focused on martial arts training. Recalling his fight with Hou Yunfei, Ray acknowledged that his efforts had not been in vain. However, he remained cautious, recognizing the considerable gap between them.

Ray chose to train in martial arts from Earth, as he didn't want to solely focus on the martial arts of this world. Not only were they expensive, but Ray valued flexibility and didn't fixate on any specific style. His goal was to explore various martial arts on Earth, not just silat martial arts, aided by the passive ability that allowed him to excel in martial arts.

Ray embraced the notion that making mistakes in his youth was acceptable, as it provided an opportunity to learn and improve. During his idle days, he dedicated himself to rigorous training. He crafted paper and processed leather to create art books for self-defense purposes. Although he practiced Earth martial arts, Ray aspired to eventually create his martial art, a goal he held as a martial arts practitioner.

In the afternoon, Ray took the initiative to seek out the wolves. With his current abilities, he was well-equipped for a head-on confrontation. Ray possessed an escape method with the [B-level Air Jump], a life-saving measure with the [A-level rainbow shield], an attack technique from the three-clawed dragon martial arts, and other useful passive abilities for various situations.

After a challenging four-hour hunt, Ray managed to defeat a pack of seven wolves, although he sustained injuries no less severe than the previous week. He anticipated his mother's distress upon seeing his pitiful appearance. After tidying up, Ray retired early, nourishing himself with food and ample rest.

The following day, he persisted with his training and refrained from hunting during the day. Ray intentionally hunted at the beginning to ensure proper meat processing and allow his body more time to recover before returning home. Once the skinning was complete, Ray focused on extracting the core from each wolf's head. With time still, on his side, he resumed absorbing the ordinary pearls he had obtained earlier.

For some inexplicable reason, it took Ray a considerable amount of time to absorb the pearls, replacing the previous 223X material. He speculated that the difference in absorption might be due to the distinct properties of the replacement material.

Ray was still hesitant to test another finger for fear of potential accidents. However, when he began the absorption process, he was pleasantly surprised. Not only did the bones become stronger after being replaced with the material from the pearls, but they also contained traces of continuously regenerating energy. This discovery relieved Ray of the concern that the source of his [A-rank Rainbow Shield] would deplete in the future, saving him a great deal of trouble. With this revelation, Ray started considering implementing various suitable materials into his bones for storage.

Nevertheless, Ray couldn't simply absorb random things without caution. The passive ability [Iron Bone rank D] only allowed the absorption of materials that meet specific criteria, meaning the hair of the "tool people" around Ray couldn't be absorbed in all. Moreover, there was a special ratio required for the absorbed material to regenerate itself. Even though absorption was possible, these "tool people'' had to be completely bald before their energy could be stored in Ray's bones. Otherwise, he risked becoming a public enemy if such a situation were to occur.

After strengthening one knuckle of his index finger, it was already one o'clock, indicating the slow pace of the absorption process. If Ray's index finger could be surgically removed, people would likely find it strange due to the tricolored appearance of his bones. The bone's original white color, the metallic black from the 223X alloy, and the glossy milky white with a distinct rainbow glow made his bones visually distinct.

With little time to spare, Ray decided to test the effectiveness of his new index finger by poking a tree trunk on his way home. However, as he was about to leave the camp area, he noticed movement not far from him. This development made Ray anxious since it was clear that the movement wasn't caused by animals but rather by human activity. Without even testing his finger, Ray found himself entangled in an unexpected and potentially dangerous situation. Upon closer observation, he realized at least two individuals were approaching him. Alarmed by their proximity, Ray hastily concealed himself to avoid being detected, uncertain of the intentions of these two men in the perilous wilderness.