After conversing with Naime, Zero proceeded to the restaurant where he worked as a waiter.
Sometime later...
"Okay, Boss, see you tomorrow. Bye," he bid farewell as he completed his work for the day.
While walking, he reflected, "Every day I'll get 210 Silver coins. It will take 5 days to earn 1 Gold. Man, it'll take forever to buy decent equipment. I need to figure out a way to earn more money."
Upon arriving home, Zero noticed his dad returning as well.
Zero called out, "Dad, are you going to work again after lunch?" and walked up to his father.
His father spotted him and inquired, "Where have you been? It's lunchtime. Go eat; I've prepared some food in the house." He then added, "I know you want to help with money, but don't overdo it, okay? I won't say anything about your part-time job, but make sure to eat on time, you get it?"
Zero replied with a smile, "Yes, don't worry, Dad, I'll."
After their exchange, his father headed to the village, and Zero returned home.
Once inside the house, he noticed that some food had already been cooked. So, he freshened up and started eating.
After some time passed, he finished his meal.
"Okay, I need to get stronger as much as I can in these 13 days," Zero thought determinedly.
"In order to become stronger, I need to go to the village. Enough resting, now let's go," he said to himself as he got up from bed and went outside.
"But before I head to the forest, I should visit the village library. I need to know more about this forest and its monsters," he decided and started walking through the village route.
After some time, he halted near a rusty building and thought, "So this is the village library, but it looks quite old." Undeterred by its appearance, he entered the building.
Inside, an elderly librarian caught his attention. Zero approached the librarian and politely inquired, "Where can I find a book about this island?"
The librarian smiled warmly and replied, "Oh, about our island? Here's the book."
Zero appreciated the gesture and replied with a smile, "Oh, you have it here. Thank you."
Taking the book, he found a comfortable spot inside the library and began reading.
A while later, he absorbed the information from the book. "Okay, so what I gathered from this book is that we are part of the Human Kingdom named Mahrha, and we're on an island named Hairo Island. Our village is called Hik-ka Village, and this island is 80% forest with only 20% of it being habitable land. The forest itself is called Darwol Forest, and within it, we can find up to normal-rank monsters."
Zero returned the book to the librarian, expressing his gratitude, "Thanks for the book."
The librarian beamed and replied, "These village people don't read many books, so your visit makes me happy. Thanks to you."
With an appreciative expression, the librarian added, "If you need any other information, just come to the Library, okay?"
Zero nodded gratefully and said, "Okay, thanks. See you later."
He exited the library, feeling more prepared and ready to face the challenges ahead.
"Darwol Forest is divided into three parts. The first part is where you find low-level monsters, the second part is inhabited by normal-level monsters like Hobos and others, and the last part is where Rank Monsters reside, similar to the Wolf we encountered in the previous chapter." [Chapter 4]
"The first part is safe, but there would be more guards present since it serves as the entrance to the forest. So, we should head back to our previous location, which is the second part where Hobos and other normal-level monsters are found. I hope we don't encounter any crazy Quests along the way."
As he walked through the forest, Zero carefully observed his surroundings. Eventually, he decided to hide behind a tree to observe a group of Hobos that came into his view. "Okay, 3 Normal Hobos and one Red Hobo," he thought while closely watching their movements.
_____Notice__________
Skill: Observe
Level: Max
Status: Active
______________________
"Hmm, the three Hobos are at Level 8, and the Red Hobo is at Level 10," he deduced after using his skill to gather the information.
He opened his Inventory and retrieved the Sword
_____Notice______
Item: Normal Sword
Level : 02
Durability: 95%/100%
Effect: None
Normal Sword.
_________________
After scrutinizing the stats of the sword, he wears an annoyed smile and remarks, "The sword's durability has decreased from the previous fight with the Red Hobo."
He continues, "And to add to my frustration, it doesn't have any special effects. Wow, system, bravo!"
Waiting for the right moment, he observes the Hobos relaxing for a brief second, and with precise timing, he activates his Skill, Rage, and swiftly charges towards them.
_____Notice______
Skill: Rage
Level: 01
Effect: your Strength increases by 02
Penalty: Your Health will be Damage by 01
__________________
With swift agility, Zero charged at the Hobos, catching them completely unaware, and in a blink of an eye, he severed two of their heads.
Upon witnessing their fallen comrades, the other Hobos retaliated and launched an attack against Zero.
Remaining composed, Zero skillfully sliced one Hobo in half with a well-executed strike.
He skillfully blocked the relentless attacks of the remaining Red Hobo, pushing him backward with each parry.
"Now, there's only one left," Zero proclaimed, pulling up his sword in front of him.
The Red Hobo, with its quick reflexes, lunged at Zero with its deadly claw.
Zero deftly blocked the attack with his sword and immediately counter-pushed the Hobo.
Reacting quickly, the Red Hobo attempted to defend, but Zero's attack was too swift for it to block.
With precise precision, Zero's sword struck the Hobo's neck, severing its head from its body.
"Nicely done," he congratulated himself after the decisive victory.
Finally, Zero deactivated his Skill, having successfully emerged victorious from the fierce battle.
_____Notice________
You Have Level Up
You Have Level Up
You Have Level Up
____________________
"Wow, three times! Nice," he exclaimed excitedly after seeing the level-up notification window.
He pressed on, walking deeper into the forest in search of more Hobos to challenge.
With determination, he engaged and defeated more Hobos, one after another.
As the battle continued, Zero's skills and confidence grew, and he fought with even greater prowess.
" Ding"
_____Notice________
Quest: Kill Hobo's Part-1
Objective: 00/4
Reward: Status Point 05
____________________