Chapter 125: I don’t give a fuck
Sitting under a tree, Luke was quietly wiping his body with a tissue. The grime and blood were simply too much to ignore.
The more he remained like this, the more invitation he would bring for the other beast lurking in the shadows.
He would have preferred to have a bath but despite how much he tried finding a lake nearby he couldn’t. His enhanced senses were either failing him or this place doesn’t have a water body anywhere close.
Just the thought of returning home like this made him shudder. If Monica saw him in this state, he was certain she would faint on the spot.
He did not want to become a source of trauma for her, so he decided to clean himself up before heading back.
The system was not urging him to cross the bridge immediately either. He still had over an hour left, enough time to stay and explore a little. And that was exactly what he planned to do.
Since he had already completed both objectives of this level, he would take this chance to look around, hoping to find another treasure.
Speaking of treasures, the core gem he had found granted him an ability.
[Shadow Walk: An ability that erases the traces of the user’s footsteps, making it impossible to track them unless someone keeps their eyes directly on the user. In darkness, the user becomes a phantom.]
[Usage: 5G per second]
Not very costly, and if he mastered it, the system said the cost would decrease.
And it was not just limited to Shadow Walk.
The current usage of Gamma was high because of his unstable magic control. Once he gained better command over his abilities, the cost of each spell would drop.
"Alright now, system. Tell me my stats."
He had been curious ever since he consumed the core gem and received the notification that his Gamma had risen significantly.
Now that he could properly open his eyes, he wanted to see how much he had progressed.
[Stats:
Str: 15 -> 16
Spd: 15 -> 16.5
Def: 14 -> 18
Int: 15 -> 15.5
Gamma -> 120 / 560]
"Woah..." He was stunned.
If he remembered correctly, his previous Gamma limit had been around one hundred and ten. And now, it had increased fivefold.
That was insane.
He could not even begin to imagine how much he could do with these numbers. Before, he had to hesitate every time he used a spell. Now, things were different.
Still, a question lingered. "How exactly did I spend that much Gamma?"
[Host, you exerted yourself for six continuous seconds to generate that level of force. With your Gamma still unstable, you nearly emptied your Pod, which caused the significant drop. Please refrain from pushing yourself to such extremes next time.]
Drying up the Gamma Pod meant death. No one could survive without energy. In that regard, non-awakened individuals were safer since they could not use it willingly.
But he could.
And in that moment of rage, he had almost crossed a fatal line.
He wanted to kill that monster so badly that he forgot all restraint. That could not happen again.
This would not be his last time venturing into these forests to hunt. He could not afford to let his emotions run wild and push himself to the brink of self-harm.
"A good hunter is someone who keeps his temper in check at all times," he muttered, quietly acknowledging his mistake.
After a brief pause, he asked, "What rewards have I gained?"
[Ding!]
[You have fulfilled three quests, host.]
[Upon reclaiming your knife: 30 GP]
[Upon defeating a Level Two beast: 200 GP]
[Upon clearing the level:
1. 400 GP
2. 5 Attribute Points
3. Terra Gauntlet (Grade D)]
That was a solid amount of Gamma Points. He had been worrying about them constantly, especially with how freely he had been spending them lately.
His stats had not been improving much either. Hunting had turned into routine work, and he was no longer being pushed into situations where he could test his limits and break past them.
So yes, this dungeon had been necessary. Not just for the rewards, but for the experience.
Exhaling softly, Luke glanced around. Birds chirped in the distance, insects buzzed faintly, and the sun still hung high in the sky.
He looked down at his body. His bleeding arm had already healed, and his breathing was steady again.
Even so, he decided to take it easy and avoid another fight.
"Time to explore a little."
He stood up and began walking.
...
"Hmm?"
After wandering aimlessly for ten minutes, he found nothing. No treasure, not even a large beast.
There was nothing remarkable about this place aside from the abundance of fruits and herbs, and none of them seemed valuable enough to be called treasure.
"Haah... should I head back?" he muttered, resting his hands on his waist.
He had to admit, he was tired.
So, without overthinking it, he said, "Transfer."
...
"How do you feel now?" Laila asked as she stepped into the room, her gaze falling on Caleb lying on the bed, his injured arm resting motionlessly by his side.
Following Luke’s advice, his hand had been kept submerged in cold water, and it seemed to be helping.
"It doesn’t sting, but I can’t move it for now."
Laila almost clicked her tongue. Even if he could move, she doubted he would pass up the chance to laze around.
She placed a plate of bread and meat beside him before speaking, "This is the last piece of meat we can afford. Starting tomorrow, you either go out and earn, or we survive on boiled water."
Caleb groaned as he slowly sat up, using his other hand to tear into the tender meat.
Before bringing it to his mouth, he said, "I can’t go out like this. I’ll just end up injuring myself more."
This time, she did click her tongue.
"Then what do you suggest? That I go out and earn?" Crossing her arms, she continued, "Your stupidity caused this mess. Now you need to find a way to—"
"Tch, you talk too much," Caleb snapped. "This is your fault. If you hadn’t shouted at me back then, I wouldn’t have rushed into the forest and gotten injured."
Laila’s eyes widened. "Now you’re blaming me for all this? Are you serious right now?"
"I am," Caleb shot back, tossing the meat onto the plate. "Your constant nagging, the way you treat me, it’s always pushed me to go out of my way. I’ve somehow managed things every time. But ever since your brother started earning, you’ve become greedy."
"Luke has nothing to do with this!" she snapped, her fists clenching.
"Oh, it has everything to do with him." Caleb leaned forward slightly. "Ever since you saw him throwing toras around, even though he used to be the worst among us, you’ve wanted that same kind of lavish life. Just admit it, you’re drooling over his money."
Laila’s teeth clenched. For this man, she had sacrificed so much. She had swallowed her pride time and again just to keep him afloat.
And now...
"You know what? I don’t give a fuck about you anymore."
With those words, she turned and stormed out of the room.