novelraw Chapter 53: The First Pet Beast
Chapter 53: The First Pet Beast
Moonstone City, Third Commoner District.
Chen Qi stepped through the narrow, pitch-black tunnel and emerged from the fissure entrance.
The Black Rabbit Gang was highly likely to be lying in wait near the fissure.
Chen Qi cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
The flow of time within the fissure synchronized with reality.
Now, night had fallen, and moonlight bathed this chaotic city at the world's remote edge.
Chen Qi's gaze swept across the area.
The flickering streetlights illuminated walls riddled with bullet holes and smoke stains, some shops were utterly dilapidated, and the faint smell of gunpowder lingered in the air.
The moment he appeared, the drunken plumber by the roadside and the woman reading a newspaper on the rooftop simultaneously glanced his way.
Among them were the gang's informants. Gangs were like packs of rats, using their numerical advantage to bully weaker individuals.
Ambushing fissure entrances to rob the rewards of weaker hunters was a common tactic employed by many gangs.
Although his defeat of the Old Hunter should only be known to the Flower Witch,
it wasn't impossible for someone to have pieced together clues pointing to him.
After all, besides the Flower Witch, he was the other overseer in the hunting grounds.
Regardless, he had been chosen as overseer by the Old Hunter himself.
Unless they could gather a squad of ten, the Black Rabbit Gang wouldn't dare act rashly.
But if they dared try...
He'd be happy to show them what he could do.
Chen Qi quickened his pace along the street toward his houseboat.
As long as he didn't face overwhelming numbers, he was confident in defeating Black Rabbit Gang members.
"Customer..."
Suddenly, a voice called out to him.
In the shadows ahead sat an elderly newspaper vendor - the same one who'd provided him information before.
The old man adjusted his glasses while flipping through his newspaper:
"Customer, it seems you've had quite the haul today. But if I may offer some advice - rabbits have long memories. If possible, you should leave this Rabbit Nest tonight."
"Though you needn't worry too much. The rabbits' king currently isn't in the nest - he's gone to the Moonstone Archipelago."
Gang members had their own territories. This area belonged to the Black Rabbit Gang, hence called the Rabbit Nest.
So their leader wasn't in Moonstone City... Chen Qi studied the old man.
As a Lantern Bearer and member of the supernatural organization [The Press], his intelligence network was top-notch.
"Thanks for the warning," Chen Qi said.
The old man adjusted his glasses again:
"Customer, might I ask - did the Flower Witch truly appear in the hunting grounds? And was it the same Flower Witch from a century ago?"
After some thought, Chen Qi replied:
"The Witch did appear. But based on my judgment, she didn't seem like the same one from a hundred years ago."
The vendor's pupils contracted briefly before his brows furrowed:
"Is that so? Then Pelu has missed the story of the century. All other hunters have already been snatched up by major press outlets..."
Snatched by the press?
The Flower Witch's appearance would undoubtedly shake the entire Witch Sea region.
Press organizations would certainly interview all hunters who participated.
Wait... does that mean I'm going to be in the news? Chen Qi rubbed his head.
The old man continued:
"Customer, you must be extremely careful in your travels. In other nations, witches are omens of misfortune - their appearance often heralds great calamities."
"Though admittedly, the Fissure Tide itself is disaster enough."
Here, the old man's eyes flashed with surprise as he regarded Chen Qi:
"Still, customer, I never imagined you'd be chosen by the Old Hunter as overseer. I initially took you for just a cook, but clearly I misjudged - you're quite the formidable chef."
Having met countless people, it had been years since the pressman had so severely misread someone's capabilities.
His intuition even suggested this young man might be connected to the hunting grounds fissure's clearance.
"Just got lucky," Chen Qi replied modestly.
Truthfully, he hadn't fully mastered Body Forging and Breathing techniques yet.
According to player guides, only by completely mastering both could one be considered a proper Tier-1 supernatural.
Though that was the standard for min-maxers - more than sufficient for dealing with regular gang members.
After bidding farewell, Chen Qi hastened toward Moonstone City's harbor.
He had urgent business to attend to.
His most valuable loot from the hunting grounds were the seven Deepsea Water Spirits.
And these spirits needed seawater to awaken their true forms...
At the harbor, Chen Qi lit his boat's lantern.
With so many prying eyes, awakening the spirits here would be unwise.
He decided to sail his houseboat to nearby coastal waters.
Sailing at night was dangerous, with high chances of encountering sea beasts.
But to Chen Qi, this posed no concern.
As long as he remained within range of Moonstone's lighthouse, most monsters wouldn't dare attack.
Out on the moonlit waves, Chen Qi placed the seven water orbs into the sea, awaiting their hatching.
"By morning, they should be ready..."
Next, he took out the [White Mist Breathing] skill card and activated it.
The card dissolved into mist between his fingers as knowledge flooded his mind.
[You have successfully assimilated 'White Mist Breathing.' Stamina greatly increased. Agility +1]
Taking a deep breath, Chen Qi felt energy circulating through his body.
Mastering breathing techniques would significantly boost his speed and composure during movements.
Like Body Forging, complete assimilation required practice.
He began his daily training regimen, determined to fully master both techniques soon.
[Constitution +1, Strength +1]
[Stamina slightly increased. Agility +1]
The Body Forging exercises were intensely demanding.
As sweat poured down, Chen Qi could feel incremental gains in physical power.
Unnoticed, the night deepened. Dark shapes occasionally broke the water's surface in the distance.
Dangerous creatures... Chen Qi wearily observed the sea.
Aside from the Nearshore Tyrant, he'd yet to encounter truly threatening supernatural sea beasts.
Whether this counted as good or bad luck remained unclear.
Perhaps he should proactively seek them out next time...
Exhausted, Chen Qi lay down and fell asleep.
Dawn came, sunlight warming his face through the porthole.
Blinking sleep from his eyes, Chen Qi gazed at the cabin's hanging lamp.
Suddenly, he noticed something heavy, slippery, and...
strangely soft on his chest.
Instinctively grabbing the jelly-like substance, he found himself staring into the enormous blue eyes of a blinking slime.
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