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Chapter 258: Simulation Training
🕑 Added 2024-09-28 06:57:04 +0000 UTCSuddenly, his steps came to an abrupt halt as he noticed a silhouette gradually emerging from the mist ahead. The smile on his face quickly froze.
"Who's there?" Muyas asked warily, his voice tense.
His body tensed as he raised his wand in front of him. How could someone be so close without him sensing their presence? It was clear that this person’s strength far exceeded his own!
"Impressive, truly impressive. I just arrived, and I’m already witnessing a spectacle," Rhett said, parting a patch of waist-high dead grass as he stepped out of the mist, clapping softly.
The crisp sound of applause echoed eerily in the misty night. Muyas felt his heart sink. The stranger’s words made it clear that he had witnessed the entire ordeal. Muyas needed to come up with a plan to deal with him quickly.
Thinking rapidly, Muyas said, "Sir, I apologize if I distracted you. I have gathered a considerable amount of wealth, obtained after slaying several fourth-level knights not long ago. The treasures are stored in Withered Vine Town, and I’m willing to offer them as a gift to you."
"That sounds appealing, but no thanks," Rhett replied, shaking his head. "Do many people in the Dark Mountains know who you are?"
Muyas' eyes flickered as his mind raced. His survival hinged on his answer. He wondered why this person was asking such a question. Could it be that he needed someone to carry out some unsavory task, someone who could stay under the radar? His recent actions might have made him appear suited for such a job.
With newfound clarity, Muyas cautiously responded, "Sir, I’ve been in the Dark Mountains for less than a year. Not many people know of me."
"Is that so..." Rhett nodded calmly. "In that case, you're of no use."
As the words left Rhett's mouth, Muyas' expression changed drastically. The man wasn't playing by any rules!
He tried to change his response, but it was too late. A spike of earth burst from the ground with lightning speed, impaling him cleanly.
Squelch!
The sound of flesh tearing through the night was followed by Muyas' failed attempt to scream, as the spike also pierced his throat, cutting off his voice and quickly draining his life. The last thing he felt was overwhelming terror.
On the other side, Taroo, lying on the ground, barely opened his eyes, a look of confusion passing over them.
Did he hear that right? Did that traitor Muyas just scream and beg for mercy? Now, he couldn’t even sense any of Muyas' life force.
Although Taroo didn't fully understand the situation, a smile of vengeance appeared on his face. With his mind finally at peace, a strong sense of drowsiness overtook him, his eyelids growing heavy.
In a haze, he heard a voice asking, "Do you know many people?"
"Yes, I’ve been in the Dark Mountains for over ten years and have many connections." Taroo's voice was faint and intermittent, but he spoke the truth. He had been here for a long time and was known for his reliability, which had earned him many friendships. Now, he could only hope that this stranger would help him.
He struggled to open his mouth, but before he could utter a plea, a hand covered his mouth and forced a potion down his throat.
Taroo was startled and instinctively tried to resist, but the familiar taste on his tongue made him realize it was the antidote for the Long Slumber poison. Joy surged through him.
"Th-thank you..." Taroo managed to say.
Rhett had found the antidote on Muyas' body, despite Muyas’ earlier claim that he had none—a blatant lie. People like him, rotten to the core, were of no use to Rhett, who had eliminated him with barely a thought.
As the antidote spread through Taroo’s body, he quickly regained his strength and was soon able to stand and survey the scene.
A man in a black coat stood calmly before him. After confirming that this was an unfamiliar face, Taroo quickly said, "Thank you, sir, for saving my life!"
"No need for thanks. You mentioned you've been in the Dark Mountains for over ten years?" Rhett asked.
"Yes, sir. Allow me to introduce myself—I am Taroo Robert, a mercenary and adventurer, a free extraordinary," Taroo said, feeling more in control of his body. He placed a hand on his chest and bowed deeply to Rhett.
Rhett nodded. "You can call me Rhett."
"Understood, Mr. Rhett. It seems you need assistance, am I right?" Taroo asked. Though he was honest, he wasn’t lacking in intelligence. His experience in dealing with others had given him a wealth of understanding. The man’s earlier questions had been direct—there was clearly something he needed.
"There is something I need help with. I need you to gather some third-level magical beast corpses for me," Rhett said plainly.
"Third-level magical beast corpses... No problem! How many are you looking for?" Taroo asked, thinking. "If you have a specific number in mind, it will be easier for me to arrange the manpower and complete the task more efficiently."
"I need them until I say stop. But I have two conditions: the corpses must be relatively intact, no piles of mangled remains, and they must be no more than three days old. Both conditions must be met," Rhett replied, considering the shell’s requirements for devouring creatures.
"Those conditions are manageable. Where should I deliver them?" Taroo asked.
Rhett was unfamiliar with the Dark Mountains but, after a moment's thought, said, "Deliver them to Goldstone Peak."
"Goldstone Peak? No problem. There aren't many mid-level or higher magical beasts around there, so I’m sure people will be willing to agree," Taroo nodded, not even mentioning payment.
But Rhett quickly added, "For each third-level magical beast corpse that meets the criteria, I’ll pay you ten gold coins."
"Absolutely not! How could I take your money?" Taroo loudly refused, shaking his head vigorously. "You saved my life, and I’m grateful. How could I charge you for this? So, leave the matter of the third-level magical beasts to me!
I have friends who would help me with this without asking for payment. So, you don’t need to worry about funds delaying your task!"
"No, that’s an order. You’ll take the money. The task will start in half a month," Rhett insisted firmly. He estimated that it would take some time for Taroo to return to the Dark Mountains and contact his people, so half a month seemed appropriate.
Holding the heavy bag of gold coins, Taroo opened his mouth to protest, but Rhett didn’t give him the chance. With his mental power materializing into invisible hands, Rhett held Taroo in place and quickly left.
Watching his benefactor’s retreating figure, Taroo scratched his head, sighing in frustration. He quickened his pace and headed toward the Dark Mountains, determined to contact his reliable friends immediately to help hunt third-level magical beasts.
Meanwhile, Rhett returned to where Tuck, Taylors, and Firegrid were waiting for him.
"Father, what were you doing just now?" Taylors asked.
"Nothing much, just encountered a minor incident. Alright, let’s continue," Rhett said, glancing around and waving his hand.
"Where are we going?" Taylors asked. "Should we find a town first?"
"No need. We’ll head straight to Goldstone Peak. I’ve heard the scenery there is quite nice," Rhett said casually.
Half a month passed quietly, with the dry and bright winter sun overhead.
Goldstone Peak’s landscape was indeed impressive. The entire mountain was composed of light gold-colored rock, and under the sunlight, some of the smoother stones even glimmered faintly.
On this day, Rhett gazed at the mountain of magical beast corpses piled before him, narrowing his eyes slightly.
These were the results of having Taroo help him hunt down third-level magical beasts over the past few days. Rhett had also hunted some of these beasts himself, but his contribution was relatively small.
Half a month ago, Rhett had asked Taroo to find people to help hunt third-level magical beasts for a simple reason. On the way to the Gray Ruins Kingdom, he had taken the time to attempt a real simulation, discovering that it took the shell artifact shard about five to ten minutes to devour a third-level magical beast. At that rate, in a full day, Rhett could use the shard to devour anywhere from one hundred to three hundred beasts.
If the shard didn’t require specific conditions for the creatures it devoured, Rhett wouldn’t have needed to go through the trouble of paying for help. He could have simply hunted them himself. But he had discovered another issue—the shard didn’t just devour any corpse! The effectiveness of the devouring depended on factors like the state of the corpse and how long it had been dead. For example, devouring dried corpses yielded almost no results.
Fortunately, through testing, Rhett had determined that corpses less than three days old still produced satisfactory results. However, if the corpse was older than three days, the effectiveness of the devouring would sharply decline. Considering that the artifact shard would still cause him to suffer side effects after the devouring, Rhett decided it wasn’t worth the effort, limiting his request to corpses less than three days old to achieve maximum benefit.
The Dark Mountains covered a vast area, and it would be impossible for Rhett alone to hunt enough beasts in three days to meet the artifact shard’s devouring capacity during his simulation training.
To maximize the shard’s use and his simulation training, getting help was essential!
"Father, what are you planning to do with so many magical beasts?" Tuck asked, sitting on a large rock as he looked at the pile of corpses in confusion.
"You’re not planning a giant barbecue, are you? Even we wouldn’t be able to finish all this..." Taylors wondered, glancing at Tuck. "Even with Tuck’s appetite, it’s impossible to handle all these beasts, right?"
"Dick can eat it all! Dick has a big appetite!" the young Dick shouted, jumping and playing nearby, not understanding much of what was being said but still joining in with his childish voice.
"Haha, little guy, you have no idea how much food this is. Not even ten of your fathers could eat it all!" Taylors teased.
"Enough, Taylors. Can you stop using me as a unit of measurement?" Tuck complained.
At that moment, listening to his sons' questions and his grandson's playful remarks, Rhett smiled and didn’t rush to answer.
He silently activated the system in his mind.
【Would you like to initiate a Real Simulation? Each day of simulation costs 1 Destiny Point.】
"Yes, simulate one day."
Buzz—
Ripples spread before his eyes.
Without changing his expression, Rhett turned and said, "A small barbecue would be boring. Why not invite the extraordinary beings from Withered Vine Town for a grand feast?"
"A big party? Well, I don’t quite understand why you’re doing this, but as long as it makes you happy, Father," Taylors shrugged, then added, "Do you want Tuck and me to help spread the word?"
"Of course, and take Dick with you. The little guy has been eager to see the town, and this is a perfect opportunity," Rhett said, ruffling Dick’s hair as the boy ran over to him.
Not far away, Tuck jumped down from the rock and approached Rhett, lifting Dick onto his shoulders. "Let’s go, we’re off to Withered Vine Town, and we’ll grab you some local specialties."
"Heehee," Dick giggled, clapping his hands in delight.
After Tuck, Taylors, and Dick left, only Rhett remained. The area around him was deserted—ever since he had displayed his power as a sixth-level Magister, no one dared approach, except for those delivering the magical beasts.
Looking around, Rhett stepped forward and placed one foot on the corpse of a fire-maned hound, a faint glimmer of excitement in his eyes.
Then, he took out the shell from his spatial ring. The shell was still as dark and shiny as before, exuding an aura that made one’s hair stand on end, as if staring at it for too long could capture one’s soul.
"Let’s begin... my devouring plan..." Rhett murmured.
He then pressed the shell against the fire-maned hound. As soon as the two made contact, it was as if a black hole had opened up, silently sucking the creature into another dimension. The fire-maned hound disappeared without a trace.
Having become familiar with this process, Rhett remained calm and waited in silence.
Several minutes passed, and the shell trembled slightly, like a pot lid rattling from steam, much longer than when it had devoured the rat.
Suddenly, the trembling stopped, and Rhett saw a dense, pure purple mist rise from the shell. The mist was far more substantial than when he had first witnessed the shell devour the rat.
With a solemn expression, Rhett took a deep breath, inhaling the purple mist. It flowed into his body, transforming into a strange yet pure energy that coursed through his veins and cells. At the same time, about half of the energy surged into his mind, penetrating in a peculiar way, like a cool mist rising and merging into his mental sea.
"Ah!" Rhett shuddered slightly, overwhelmed by a sensation of extreme pleasure. But he kept his rationality in check and, without pause, pressed the shell against another beast—the dark-winged viper.
The dark-winged viper was swiftly absorbed by the shell, and a few minutes later, Rhett, despite enduring the twisting pain within his body, watched as more purple mist rose from the shell. He inhaled it, and once again, that euphoric sensation washed over him, while the pain from the first beast’s energy still lingered.
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