Scolded Again

Chapter 29

"Sniff... sniff..." a man with a slightly aged appearance sniffed the air uncertainty. At times, he had a pleasant expression, but soon after, his face contorted uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?" asked someone next to him.

"I sensed someone's presence here earlier, and that person didn't seem very strong. Why aren't they here now?" the young man with a dog-like nose asked, perplexed.

Hearing his friend's complaint, the man beside him was also taken aback. Rarely was his friend's sense of smell inaccurate. He had assumed they would catch their target this time, but it seemed to be wishful thinking.

"Alright, let's search the surrounding area first. If we can't find him, we'll head back to the black market. The market is about to open, and we can't afford any further delays."

"Okay, I'll keep searching for a little longer..."

With that, the young man with a dog-like nose began to wander around, sniffing the air around him. The longer he searched, the more frustrated he became. Observing the growing displeasure on his friend's face, the other man could only suggest giving up.

"Alright, that's enough. We can't delay any longer."

"Hmm, okay, let's go..."

The two individuals walked away, although the young man with the dog-like nose was still dissatisfied and continued sniffing the air around him.

Twenty minutes passed, and with no signs of life, something suddenly fell from a tree, resembling a sugar glider in its graceful descent. It was Ray, who had been hiding from the two peculiar individuals earlier.

After landing, Ray remained vigilant and scanned the area around him. Once he confirmed that no one was nearby, he let out a sigh of relief.

"What's with those people? Why were they deliberately searching for me? And what is this black market they mentioned? Why does it sound familiar?" Ray pondered these questions as he made his way back home.

The urge to test the effectiveness of his strengthened index finger had faded. Ray hurriedly left the suburban forest area and entered the town. He headed straight to the market to sell the wolves at the same place he had met the butcher's aunt the previous week.

Contemplating the usefulness of his [A-rank Hidden Long Arm] passive, which had saved him a lot of trouble over the past week, Ray approached the thin man's house with a sense of joy.

(Note: In Indonesia, "Long Arm" is a term used to refer to someone who often steals.)

Meanwhile, inside his home, the thin young man anxiously awaited Ray's arrival. He had initially thought that earning money without doing anything was nothing but a dream. Moreover, he feared that he would be falsely accused or used as a scapegoat.

After a week of inactivity, people had become more relaxed. However, the thin young man had refrained from spending all the money Ray had given him, fearing potential trouble.

As the sky began to darken, the young man grew increasingly anxious, starting to believe that the other party had been playing a prank on him.

Just as the thin young man was losing hope, a knock sounded at his door. Hearing the sound, his expression underwent a rapid transformation, displaying a mix of joy, hope, and anxiety.

Upon opening the door, the thin young man's doubts vanished. It was Ray standing there, the person who had knocked.

Without much trouble, the two individuals completed the trade. Ray wasn't particularly interested in the other party and quickly left. He was afraid that the other person would continue with their unpleasant breath and mock him, as they had done last week.

Little did Ray know that his behavior made the tall, thin man feel more at ease and open toward him for future transactions.

Upon arriving home, Ray was greeted by his excited younger siblings. He didn't forget to buy some wild fruit and nuts for them. Ray also maintained the routine of giving wooden statues, this time gifting his siblings a statue depicting several big and small trees.

Despite trying to act tough when he arrived home, Ray's injuries were still noticed by his mother, a veteran doctor. It's worth noting that she isn't just a pediatrician now; she used to be a practicing doctor who participated in fights.

As a result, Ray once again received a lecture that reached his ears. However, he wasn't irritated at all. While he understood his mother's concerns, he was also happy that she was taking care of him according to her capabilities, even if it meant a bit of discomfort in his ear. It was evident that, despite his strength, the injuries greatly affected him.

Ray's injuries were improving, and he no longer had to worry about going to school the next day.

Remembering that he still had things to try, Ray took out a tree trunk as soon as he entered his room. Staring intently at the tree trunk, he prepared himself not to scream foolishly this time.

Although he didn't want to torture himself, Ray knew he had to try. With determination, he attacked the tree trunk.

"Plop!"

The sound of the impact was slightly louder than before, indicating that the strength of his bones had increased. Moreover, there was no longer the wet, grimacing sound from before.

Ray, who had closed his eyes tightly, suddenly snapped back to his senses.

"Ahhh, this doesn't hurt!" he exclaimed excitedly, almost in disbelief.

Opening his eyes, Ray saw his index finger embedded in the tree trunk. Seeing that it wasn't bleeding, he quickly pulled it out. To his surprise, there wasn't the slightest trace of a wound on his hand.

"Hahahah, this is amazing!" Ray was naturally delighted.

Since the effectiveness was so good and the side effects were eliminated, Ray naturally decided to use the pearl to strengthen other parts of his body.

As he thought about it, Ray suddenly had another idea. Taking out a knife from his storage ring, he didn't hesitate to slash his index finger.

"Splat!"

The sound of the wind echoed in his ears.

Seeing that there was no wound on the tip of his index finger, Ray couldn't help but feel happy. Not only was there no pain, but he also realized that the pearl was truly a remarkable item.

Feeling that good things were coming his way, Ray became even more grateful. "If only there were many pearls like this, wouldn't it be like buying a certain item in a game?"

On Earth, there are game items that, when purchased, grant a defensive passive ability, similar to what Ray was experiencing now.

Initially, Ray had wished to possess such a passive ability. It would be great to have this kind of invisible bulletproof vest, wouldn't it? However, he was well aware that his talent couldn't last more than a minute. Wasn't he asking for something too extravagant?

Looking at the tiny pearl that didn't appear particularly precious, Ray's hopes were raised slightly. It would be fantastic if he could replace all of his bones with pearls.

It was a sunny day, and Ray was running around downtown. He wasn't feeling lazy or looking to buy something. The attic was still under renovation, and since he had nothing to do with it, he wanted to go back and continue concocting alchemy materials.

When people studied alchemy, they would often buy related tools for convenience. If they didn't have their refining room, they could go to the alchemy guild center or other private places that provided one.

Ray initially wanted to go straight to the alchemy guild center, but for some reason, he hesitated. Due to that feeling, he decided to find a private place that offered a refining room.

After browsing some online reviews, Ray found the perfect place. After a while, he finally arrived in front of a shop that was neither big nor small.

"Hello, sir. How can I assist you?" asked the polite counter girl.

"Do you have a vacant refining room?" Ray inquired.

"Yes, we have a few empty rooms. Would you like to choose package A, package B, or package C?" the girl replied.

"Give me Plan C," Ray said.

After paying 100 unit points, Ray was escorted to the entrance of a room. Although his heart ached a bit, he still spent the money. After all, who told him to study alchemy? People had mentioned that learning alchemy was like throwing money into an abyss, which wasn't entirely baseless.

In addition, Ray opted for the cheapest plan, Plan C. Each store had different terms, but at least these three levels were sufficient for Ray's basic needs. Who told him to only study with a test tube and make a mess of things?

Upon entering the room, Ray sensed a change in the atmosphere. However, the room was decorated in all white and light shades, reminiscent of a high-end research lab from his previous life.

While there were also ancient alchemies like wizard alchemy and cultivator alchemy that required ancient tools such as the alchemy furnace Ray had bought before, modern alchemy aimed to adhere to the types of alchemy prevalent in the current era. There was no shortage of alchemy and alchemy inheritance cultivators. Even so, every alchemist had a standardized level to avoid confusion. This applied to other professions as well—they all existed and varied.

The more Ray learned about this world, the more he felt like he was in a mixed-genre novel. How could Western dragons and Eastern dragons coexist? Although he was initially a bit unfocused, he decided not to worry unnecessarily.

With this in mind, Ray began to prepare the necessary materials before starting his alchemy concoctions.