15 Knight in a pitch-black hat? (1/2)
When Ozul opened his eyes the next morning, He was delighted by the sight that greeted him.
Why? It was because there was no sunlight! Instead, you could see dark clouds covering the sky, blocking the sunlight from directly reaching Ozul.
Cloudy sky—such dark rain clouds were also on the Ozuls list of 'Best Experiences List.' It cannot compare to when it is night, but the rain clouds were a hundred times better than the sunlight directly hitting on Ozuls face!
'It will be a good day.'- thought Ozul as he picked up his blanket from the ground and went indoor.
For today, Ozul only had two goals. 1st, He would venture into the Forest, and 2nd, He needs to gather enough Magical Cores to buy a spatial item.
Ozul ate the breakfast that Grandma Coral had set-up. Before leaving, he told her,
”I might be late, don't worry.”- He just left those words before he went out—Not letting Grandma Coral ask any questions.
. . .
Walking on the streets, it felt so much better without that annoying filth always itching his face!
Not long after, Ozul was in front of a shop. This shop was for magical items. There were various things, including but not limited to Inscribed weapons, Mana Recovery Potions, 1-Use Spell Scrolls, and the Magical Item that he was looking for—spatial accessory.
When he went inside the shop, it was empty. Except for the Shop Owner, no one was present at this time.
Walking towards shop owner behind the counter, Ozul asked,
”Do you have Spatial Storage Items?”- Ozul got straight to the point without any chit-chat.
”Hm... Ohoho! Of course, we have it. But can you afford it?”- The Shop Owner was a bit skeptical of Ozul as he just looked like a ten years old kid.
”Price?” - Ozul was just here to confirm the price of a Spatial Item. He did not have any money yet, but if he knew the price, he would be able to estimate just how much he would need to sell the Magical Cores.
”Listen here, kid, the cheapest Spatial Ring costs at least a Gold Coin, and the expensive ones in this shop can even go up to a hundred of Gold Coins. The cheapest one can only hold 5 cubic meters of space inside.” - The Shop Owner explained the price patiently.
The customer may look like a child, but he was a professional.
”Hm. Do you buy Magical Cores of Rank-3 Beasts?”- Ozul asked after listening to the prices. He now needed to know just how much a Rank-3 Magical Core will profit him.
”Of course, Do you have any? I can give you 10 Silver Coins for a Core at Rank-3, at Rank-4, you will receive 50 Silvers!”- The Shop Owner quickly explained his offer. Rank-3 was the lowest grade for a Magical Core.
”I will be back.”- Ozul left those words as he kept thinking of how he would need to exchange at least 10 Magical Cores before being able to afford only the cheapest Spatial Accessory.
The problem was not hunting the Magical Beasts at Rank-3; it was finding them. He would not risk his life by tracking them in the area where even Rank-4 Beasts roam. Each advancement in the Ranks of Magical Beasts brings them a significant boost in their power.
Ozul was not sure if he could even penetrate the thick hide of Rank-4 Magical Beasts with the blades.
It will take hours just to farm this amount of Magical Cores, and he still has to improve his strength.
It was a long day ahead of Ozul as he sighed and went in the direction of the Forest. Only the dark rain clouds above his head were holding him back from abandoning his 'mission.'
Entering the Forest, Ozul did not waste a minute before he started looking for Rank-3 Beasts.
The Forest was vast. Only the part Ozul was hunting in, spanned a couple of miles! And this Forest still hid areas where many of the Rank-7 Beasts roamed! Everyone in the kingdom called it, ”The Forest of the West.” Obviously, a simple name considering that the Forest was located to the West of the Capital City.
Ozul spent at least an hour before only finding a Rank-3 Beast. They were scarce in this section of the Forest.
Sadly, Ozul had to go back home as it pretty late, and Grandma Coral will start to worry.
Ozul only obtained 4 Magical Cores after the past 7 hours!
'I won't sell these 4 Cores as I can also just increase my capabilities, and next time hunt in the area where Rank-4 Beasts can be found.'- Ozul contemplated his options before he picked the obvious choice.
One by one, Ozul started devouring the Cores. After just eating the 3rd Core, Ozul guessed that he would easily be able to survive a Rank-4 Beast. He then swallowed the last Core before heading towards the town.
'I also need to devour Cores of higher Ranks as the increment each time is declining.'- Ozul had also faced this problem. But from tomorrow onwards, he could also hunt Rank-4 Beasts, so it was not a big deal.
Ozul took another half an hour before he was on the streets of the town. Walking back home, Ozul could hear the thundering sounds in the skies as the atmosphere kept getting darker—it was about to rain.
Ozul was fine with anything as long as the darkness in the surrounding increased.
Walking back, Ozul passed a dark alleyway when he suddenly halted his footsteps. He heard screams of a child when he decided to check it out.
In the alleyway,
”Stop. Resisting. Bitch! Give up now, will ya! I can make so much money by selling you off as a slave!! hehehe...”- Spat a thug in a harsh voice.
He looked disgusting just by his expression and wore dirty, torn clothes. He had greasy, unkempt hair.