Chapter 26 New Terrain, New Beasts
"This cold-blooded thing isn't a bad trait, plus I think it works in a complicated way." Dustin said, while stroking his beardless chin.
If he had always had this trait with these effects, then the way it works might be more complex than just being a snake. Previously, he had found the two sisters to be very attractive. Although he didn't really feel any particular emotion towards them, not even a bit of lust, he could still appreciate beauty. There was also Aria and John. He didn't like them like his brother or sister, but he at least considered them allies when they were together.
"It's good to know that I'm not being controlled by these things. Seriously, that would be the worst." Dustin then looked around, he had completed his goal. "No reason to remain here." Dustin said, as he sprung from where he was standing, and back into the trees.
He finally understood why shinobi travelled by jumping from tree to tree. Not only did it make him feel kinda cool, it helped him avoid the many course changes he would have to do if he ran on ground. His running speed was good, a bit faster than when he rode his Horned Boar, but thinking of it, riding the beast might be better.
"I think it's time to use some stat points." Dustin pulled up his stat screen, and without hesitation, distributed a bit of his undistributed stat points into agility.
..
Remaining stat point: 50 > 44
Agility: 24 > 30
..
Dustin came to a stop atop a branch, as he felt the wave of energy coarse through his body like a fine wave. There was no other explanation for how his body felt, he just felt a bit faster, and for a moment it felt like he was pacing faster than his surroundings. The feeling quickly subsided, and he no longer felt any special way.
"That was cool. Sure is worth it to spend so much all at once." Dustin said, as he shot from the branch he was standing on.
Like a loaded catapult, he shot through the forest at a remarkable speed, considerably faster than what he was used to. The speed and force his legs carried also surprised Dustin. Who knew adding a few points would make so much difference? It was simply amazing!
Dustin saw how valuable his extra stat points were, so he made a decision not to use them so freely. He would use them only when needed.
Dustin now focused everything on getting to the destination, which was the red dot on the map. His plan was like this; he would run on foot, since it was the fastest way. When he was tired, he would ride his Horned Boar, and when it was tired, he would recall it into the system and continue on foot. Since the beasts that were not summoned, and were still in the system, were basically resting, even though he brought them out at night, they wouldn't be sleepy.
This strategy of his was just perfect. It was like charging two batteries in a round circuit. Infinite power! Even better, there was no risk of short circuiting.
Using this strategy, it didn't take Dustin long before he had reached parts of the forest where he could no longer notice other humans nearby, probably because he had left them all behind a while back. The more he advanced, the more variety of monsters he encountered.
"This wasn't going to be easy from the start, huh? The change is too great." Dustin said as he walked over a pack of dead wolves.
The change in monster type was too drastic. If the so called chosen ones had tried their bests, and finally adapted to fighting goblins, they would die as soon as they faced a wolf pack. It wasn't just the cooperativeness and coordination of the wolves' attacks, there was also the fact that they were now facing a four-legged beast. Their fighting style would be completely different from how goblins would fight.
"I wonder how many people will survive this. Should I call it a trial?" Dustin said as he got an idea. He is a dog lover, and though he likes dogs, he is also among the group that doesn't really discriminate between dogs and cats. A pet is a pet period
"I should add to my collection. Wolves aren't bad either, and they are good hunters too."
Later that same day, he tamed a total of 20 wolves. Dustin didn't really like goblins that much, so wolves were a better choice for him. "Both are F rank, so it's all good." Actually, Dustin felt the wolves were a couple times stronger. But they all died in one move, so it was hard to access their strength.
"Eyy, did I become Saitama? Maybe my class will be a brawler." Dustin laughed at his own joke as he opened his system panel. The punishment for being ahead of your pairs.
<Status>
Level: 14 (4,016/5,300)
Name: Dustin
Title: Progenitor, Slaughterer
Class:
Nature: Cold-Blooded
Hp: 940
Mp: 880
[Stat]
Strength: 24
Agility: 30
Sense: 24
Vitality: 24
Intelligence: 19
Remaining stat point: 44
[Skill tab]
Passive: Bloodlust (A)
Active: Taming Master (A), Reality Manipulation (A)
..
Dustin quickly manoeuvred his way through the system and opened the panel that listed his tamed monsters. Naturally, because he didn't fancy the goblin race, especially the weak ones, he had untamed them all, leaving only the Horned Boar and the Jaguar. After he untamed them, he actually left them to the other players. "They should be able to handle these small fries." He said.
Wasn't this just him being too sadistic? Aya. Give man a little power and they start making godly decisions, or was this the effect of Cold-Blooded?
..
[Tamed Monsters]
-Jaguar
-Horned Boar
-Wild Wolves (20)+
..
"Wild wolves? Is that the reason for their size? Should have just named them primitive wolves. These guys attack like savages."
The wolves stood at about 1.5 metres in length, and almost a metre in height. Coupled with the fact that their size meant nothing when it came to speed and strength, Dustin could only pray to the god of death on behalf of the peoples who were going to die.
"If Heaven celebrates a converted sinner, doesn't that mean hell will celebrate the death of a sinner who died a sinner? After all these people die... Only a carnival and public holiday will do. Hell's about to become popping!" Dustin once again, laughed to his own joke.
While looking at his current tamed monsters, he collapsed the wolf list, and immediately, noticed something he had not seen before.
Out of all the wolves, only two had the 'Able to increase rank' in their info tab. The rest didn't.
"I've checked this tab before, but I never saw anything like this... System... Are you really broken? Why does it feel like I install a new patch update every time I open this system? Ah.." Dustin could only exclaim.
He went through the other tamed beasts too, the Horned Boar and the Jaguar. He found out that the Horned Boar could increase in rank, as it was clearly indicated, 'Able to increase rank.'
Apart from the two wolves and the Horned Boar, the rest only showed, 'Unable to increase rank.'
Dustin couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement in his mind. It was time for another experiment.
"It seems it's time for me to slow down my travelling and focus a bit on levelling these guys."