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Chapter 383: Chapter 379 ~ Horunka Village

Following Aiʼs direction, Yuuji found himself exiting the confines of Horunka village and into its outskirts where heʼd find a farmer. 

He could see in the distance. A lanky, middle aged man in worn clothing and a straw head standing in the middle of a field, bathed in the darkening light of the day as it faded into night, scratching the back of his head. Around him were several calves and a large cow. 

Yuuji approached the farmer and greeted him. 

”Good afternoon, sir. You seem to be in trouble.”

The old man turned with a jolt of surprise. A look of shock painted his face when he saw the masked and hooded armed-man approaching him. 

”H-Hello! I mean no trouble! Uhm-”

Yuuji noticed his anxiety and nervousness, and recognized why he would react that way. 

ʼWell, anyone would if someone who hides his face suddenly approaches them.ʼ

He raised his hands, a gesture that would hopefully appeal to his harmlessness. 

”Sir, please calm down. I have no qualms with you. I simply asked if something is troubling you.”

”A-Ah I see… Phew…”

The farmer immediately let out a sigh of relief, placing a hand on his chest. 

”Well… I am actually quite troubled now…”

He turned towards his heard, eyes filled with longing, regret,and fear for the future. 

”Iʼve lost track of one of my calves… I believe it wandered off to the prairie on the other side of the forest, east to the village. I fear it will be attacked by monsters…”

The middle-aged man, who appeared older than he was, shook his head. 

”Iʼd love to get there myself, but going into the forest at this hour, where monsters were plentiful… Iʼd be killing myself just stepping a foot into the forest. Guess Iʼll just hope its fine until tomorrow morning…”

It was then that a quest notification popped up in front of Yuuji. 

[Would you like to accept the quest from the farmer?]

Yuuji naturally pressed yes and accepted the quest.

”Shall I lead it back to you? Iʼve been to the forest. I believe I would be able to get it to you by sun down.”

His eyes brightened and finally, a look of hope appeared on his wrinkled face. 

”Truly? Will that be okay, young man?! That will be a tremendous help, but the forest is dangerou! I wouldnʼt want you hurt.”

Yuuji smiled softly, though the farmer wouldnʼt be able to see it. 

”Thatʼs why I have this.” 

He tapped at the new sword he had equipped on his waist. The Anneal Blade. 

This would be the perfect chance to try it out. 

”Very well. Iʼll leave it to you!”

He nodded, then turned towards the largest cow. 

The farmer approached it, patted it on its back, then slowly led it towards Yuuji. 

”Youʼll need her to find her child. The calf will hide from you and make it difficult for you alone to find. But with her, sheʼll be able to lead you to it.”

Then he also placed a leather satchel in Yuujiʼs hands. 

”Here. These are rock salts. Sheʼs a big, tough, protective mother with a temper. Feed it to her once in a while or sheʼll wander off.”

Yuuji nodded, taking the leather satchel in his hand.

”Thank you. Iʼll find your lost calf soon and return as quickly.”

”Thank you, young man! Good luck!”

With the mother cow in tow, Yuuji began making his way to the forest east of the village. The very same forest he spent most of the day grinding. 

The sun was low before he set off from the village. And now, upon entering the village, night had truly fallen. 

Following the farmerʼs advice, he fed the mother cow some rock salts to placate her temper. After a few testing, he found that heʼd be able to optimize the number of rock salts needed to placate her temper and the time before her temper blew up to once every four minutes and 35 seconds. 

With his current pace and the amount of rock salt given by the farmer, heʼd be able to keep the mother cow placated for the entire trip. 

His journey into the forest was smooth. 

Several monsters, including a group of fierce, giant Forest Wasps appeared and attacked him. But in just a few instances, he dispatched them all easily, barely registering them as an obstacle. 

In no time at all, even through the monster-filled path of a dark forest at night, Yuuji arrived in the prairie. 

”MOOOOOOO!”

”Hm? Wa-!”

All of a sudden, driven by the instinct of a beast or of a mother, the mother cow began rushing ahead towards a certain direction. 

Yuuji immediately rushed after it, following it from behind. 

”MOOOOOOO!”

”...Moooo!”

A second moo resounded from a few distance away, behind the tree lines that before them. 

ʼThat must be it!ʼ

Yuuji rushed ahead, even ahead of the rushing mother cow. 

Although it was faster, compared to the speed of a level 7 player without the [Sprint] skill, within a forest, where thick tree roots jutted out of the ground and thick trunks narrowed its path, Yuuji run through the forest as if it was a grass field, ignoring any obstacles through sheer deftness, and went ahead. 

Soon, he could see a calf. 

It was surrounded by three kobolds. The label above two of them, the smaller ones, stated ”Kobold Rat Hunter”. While the largest one of the three was labeled ”Kobold Trapper”. 

They were higher level than other monsters within the forest. Abnormally so. 

But Yuuji was no stranger to engagements against monsters above his level. 

He unsheathed the steel broadsword he had just received, and brandished them. A surprise attack against the distracted Kobold Trapper as it tried to capture the calf. 

Without a sound or useless battle cry, Yuuji leapt and plunged his sword straight through the Kobold Trapperʼs chest, ripping right through its heart. 

A critical hit. 

In an instant, its health pool immediately dropped to orange. 

”ROOOOOAAAAR!”

It roared in pain. But Yuuji had pulled his sword back and slashed through its neck. 

*SWISH*

A clean cut. Another critical hit.

The roar stopped in an instant, and the Kobold Trapper burst into particles of light. 

”Roooaar!!”

”Roooaar!!”

The two Kobold Rat Hunters charged at the swordsman, ignoring their calf quarry. 

It was simply their meal. The swordsman was death.

Both Kobolds brandished their jagged blades, a crude, ruined remnant of what was once a blade crafted by human smiths. 

Yuuji dodged their swings swiftly, not even relying on the evasion rate granted by his stats which would automatically move his body for him. 

Their swings were wide and slow. At least to his eyes, they were. 

*SWISH* *SWISH* *SWISH* *SWISH* *SWISH* *SWISH*

Red lines appeared under their armpits, behind their knees, and their necks. 

Consecutive critical hits that quickly decreased their health pools to the red. 

From this engagement alone, his critical rate was already beyond what his stats entailed. He had no equipment that boosted his critical rate. Only his Anneal Blade that boosted his attack power, strength, and agility. 

Critical rate was a percentage chance for a player to land a critical hit, an attack guided by the system to hit a vulnerable part of the monster. Without relying on this system-guided attack, they wouldnʼt be able to trigger their critical hit if they were to even miss by a sliver.

But Yuuji didnʼt need the systemʼs aid to accurately and consistently hit their vulnerable spots. He could do them at will. 

And the system recognized each of his hit as critical hits. 

”MOOOOOO!”

The mother cowʼs moos began resounding closer and closer. 

And before it even arrived, Yuuji dispatched the two Kobolds with a few more slashes, dispersing them into particles of light, becoming his experience points and Cols. 

”MOOOO!”

”Mooo!”

The mother cow approached its calf, lucking its dirtied face. Their tails swinging around as the mother and child pair snuggled against each other. 

”Alright… Time to go back.”

Night had fully fallen. Through his system time, he could see that itʼs already almost seven. 

At this rate, heʼll arrive back at Horunka village in time for a late dinner. 

”Come on, letʼs go back you two.”

He patted the mother cow on her back and walked off, the two cows following behind him. 

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

”Moooo!”

The farmer turned at the sound of a cowʼs moo that came from a distance. In his mind, he expected it to be yet another one of his calves wandering around a bit too far. 

But the moment he turned, his eyes widened in shock. 

”Hm..? Eh-! Heʼs back already?!”

He saw the figures in the distance. The familiar sight of the mother cow, the missing calf, and the adventurer who accepted his request. 

But all he felt was disbelief. After all, it had only been a little more than an hour. How could he return with the missing calf already? 

”Good evening, sir. Iʼve brought back your missing calf and its mother safe and sound.”

Yuuji patted the mother cow, before throwing another salt cube to her mouth. 

The pouch of salt cube was now empty, and he returned the empty pouch to the frozen, flabbergasted farmer. 

”I canʼt believe this… Youʼre truly amazing, young man!”

He exclaimed, his thin, lanky figure emoting with more energy that he seemed to have in his body. 

”Not only did you find my missing calf, youʼve brought them back safe and sound in such a short time as well! Hahaha, If I were to know no better, Iʼd think that forest only has little animals in it!”

He slapped Yuujiʼs shoulder, laughing out loud, before managing his cows and patting their heads. 

”Thank you very much, young adventurer! Youʼve helped me greatly! Hereʼs your reward!

The farmer handed Yuuji a basket he had brought along. It was the basket Yuuji noticed the farmer had with him since they first met. 

”Eh? Are you sure, sir? Is this not your dinner?”

”Hahaha! Itʼs fine! Actually made these myself, and Iʼd love for you to try them! Iʼve still got plenty left at home, so enjoy yourself and tell me what you think!”

Yuuji nodded, accepting the reward. 

”Then, Iʼll take it. Thank you very much.”

With that, the pop up notification for the completed quest appeared, granting him some experience points and Cols, along with the item in his hand. 

”Alright! Iʼll be going now. Gotta let these fellas return from their grazing and rest up!”

”Good evening, sir. I will be retiring for the night as well.”

”See you, young adventurer!”

The farmer waved his hand and herded his cows back to the pen. 

Yuuji lowered his head slightly, bidding the man farewell, and returned back to the village as well. 

He planned on going to the inn to check in first before going to the forest again to grind. He had 

In the basket given to him as a reward, he found two loaves of black bread and a small jar. 

Reading the description, it seemed to contain five servings of a milk-white paste that should taste like sour cream, which would greatly improve the flavor when used with the black bread.

”Oh, interesting.”

This was the first food he obtained through a quest which seemed interesting. It wasnʼt simply fruits or normal black bread, but something that was made from a basic ingredient. 

He had read about the ”cooking” skill a player would gain by actually cooking and creating new dishes from the basic ingredients available in this world.

He had come to love cooking since he learned it from Mira and cooking for his loved ones. And he had recently found himself cooking and baking while he was free. That was one of the reasons why he had never run out of food, even though he had four little cute gluttons constantly with him. 

ʼMaybe I should learn cooking as well here…ʼ

He mused. After all, eating bland food in this world would be dreadful as well after getting used to delicious delicacies he always had in reality. 

”Hm?”

Just as he was about to reach the inn, he noticed two figures coming towards the inn as well from the direction of the tool shop. 

One seemed to be a bit older than himself, wearing a typical beginnerʼs leather armor and basic equipment. While the other was perhaps slightly younger than him, wearing similar equipment.

And upon seeing them, Yuuji narrowed his gaze in caution. 

ʼThey left the Town of Beginnings immediately to come here…ʼ

He expected most players to still be in the Town of Beginnings, staying in the safe haven that is the Safe Zone, where monsters couldnʼt reach them. 

The players who chose to fight and become stronger should be farming around the periphery of the Town of Beginnings, where the monstersʼ levels were lower. After all, no matter how brave they were, most wouldnʼt be so reckless to venture out into the unknown. 

Unless, it wasnʼt unknown to them. 

ʼThey must be beta testers…ʼ

Coming to this village immediately… They must know that thereʼs a quest here that offered a reward good enough for them to abandon other quests in the Town of Beginnings and venture into dangerous areas to get here while still in their beginnerʼs armor and low level. 

ʼTheyʼre aiming for the Secret Medicine of the Forest quest in this village.ʼ

Yuuji surmised. 

And just then, the two finally noticed Yuujiʼs figure, and their eyes widened in shock. 

Both of them had the same thought running through their minds. 

How could someone be here already?

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