One Hour Later.
He defeated about 12 more beasts, which was an increasing efficiency. He could’ve killed more if he were more frantic, but he was a bit chill and took a few refreshment breaks.
By the time he really got the hang of it, he wondered how many he would be able to deal with every hour?
At the back of his mind, he wondered what his productivity was outside the barrier, but he’d explore that whole ’out of the comfort zone’ challenge when he had to. Right now, he quite liked the pace he had.
He wanted to master the weapon first (with more equipment and skills) before risking his life out there.
Anyway, he looked at his status so far.
[Status]
Name: Finnick Altheus Solthar
Race: Human
Class: Innkeeper, Chef
Level: Awakened Tier 1
Awakening Type: Physical
Affinity: Fire, Earth, Wind
...
VITALS
HP: 292/300
Mana: 290/300
Stamina: 278/300
Wallet: 144 Gold
Hearth Points: 950 Points
...
Skills:
Active: [Ingredient Scan] [Dish Analysis]
Passive: [Blade Proficiency - Growth Type (Lv 2)] [Monster Instinct]
[Strong Stomach] [Improved Palate] [Fire Resistance]
Condition: Normal ]
.
[Active Mission: Kill 100 Monsters!]
[Information: Kill 100 Monsters of at least the Awakened level.
Progress: 31/100
Reward: 1000 Hearth Points]
After killing so many and barely breaking a sweat, Finn suddenly felt like a superhero.
Anyway, he used the weapon to pull in the carcasses, getting at least a portion of the carcasses in, and Pang would handle the rest.
He just spread innards here and there again, and then killed the monsters according to how he knew them.
BANG!
He watched the monsters try to bump on the barrier again, as he squeezed his small wound for a few more drops of blood. He combed back his hair and arrogantly stared at the monsters. "Heh, that all you got?
Of course, he knew that he could do this only because of the barrier. Still, he allowed himself to bask in its glory for a bit. Technicalities be damned.
ROARR!
Only a handful of monsters were left behind now and Finn fought them off with increasing skill. His goal was to decrease the time to kill each monster every time he did so.
HISSSS!
Using the halberd’s hook, he stabbed the roof of the monster’s mouth. It was the snake-like Hissmal. He then pulled it towards him. Since it was alive, it could not go through the barrier, so it was just being pulled against a surface.
Bang! Bang!
Then Finn twisted his body, twisting the weapon with him, and the blade passed through the interior of its mouth.
[Killed! Hissmal (Awakened)]
HISSS!
He had learned to use his momentum, his inertia, to attack another. Anyway, if there were multiple monsters, he made sure they were always near each other, so a single attack could hit another.
Then he killed the last one, a pork source, by using the axe to swipe at its face. This wasn’t difficult, as it had been slightly injured even earlier, on top of his increasing proficiency.
[Killed! Brindlejaw (Awakened)]
Done!
He grinned, raising his arms.
He defeated so many monsters by himself (+barrier)!!
He mentally patted himself on the back before he looked at the dozen or so carcasses pulled up on the turn, some of which were dragged over some shrubs (Pang wasn’t exactly the most delicate panda).
Finn took a deep breath and stabbed the bottom of the halberd randomly and let it stand, walking next to Pang so he could start butchering the beasts.
Pang, who was obviously getting impatient and was at the threshold of rebelling, brightened when he put down his weapon.
"Food! Food!"
Finn smirked and pushed the Panda and kneaded its stomach. He didn’t tease him anymore though. He’d slowly get the spirit to help him with tasks like these, but for now, it’s enough. He’d benefit from the next meal.
Finn took out the knife and stabbed the nearest carcass, a pork source. "This one also has an essence core," Pang said, marking their second core of the day.
Finn nodded and opened up its chest. Embedded onto it was the familiar core the size of a thumb. He wasn’t a doctor, so he didn’t know the parts of the heart, but it was somewhere in the middle of the organ.
Anyway, this was the first time he saw the core while still inside the beast’s heart. It was a bit morbid, but it was also fascinating.
The awakened essence core was just as big as a finger, and it looked like a gem embedded in the monster’s heart.
Three cores and salvaged with his own effort. He grinned. Well, this is a start.
...
He butchered a handful first, a bit of all meat. The gleckmar and the hissmal weren’t particularly appetizing, but his [Ingredient Scan] skill indicated that they were edible. In terms of taste though, who knew?
Besides, he had experienced extreme hunger and poverty. Although outright murder and slaughter were still a bit shocking to him, when the animal was already dead, his queasiness was usually nowhere to be found.
Before more monsters appeared, he decided to prepare a bit of food for himself and Pang (who was getting grumpier by the minute.
He made the easiest to make Charred Citrus Hoovensore Beef Skewers (E). They were nicest to eat on the go, too. He made ten skewers each for him and Pang, who sat in front of the oven as he cooked the meat.
When he got out with a full stomach, he saw that there were quite a few monsters attracted again.
He smiled. Now that he had a few snacks in his space, he decided to keep fighting until the mission was completed.
It took the remaining half day before he got the necessary number of monsters. By this time, he was already sweating buckets and he could feel his heart palpitating from both tiredness and excitement.
However, despite his haggardness, he had a wide smile on his face.
Huff... hufff
[Active Mission ’Kill 100 Monsters’ Completed!]
[+1000 Hearth Points Received!]