Chapter 18 - Grind 2

Rishi accompanied Sheru to the Beast Clinic. He stood there for a while, worried.

After a while, a nurse emerged.

"Is my pet beast all right?" Rishi inquired impatiently.

"He's safe now, but if he hadn't levelled up, he could have been in a dangerous situation," said the nurse.

Rishi sighed in relief and then considered something.

"Nurse, how can I prevent my pet from getting poisoned?" Rishi inquired.

"You can use potions to make the effect of poison less effective," the nurse replied.

"Where can I find these potions?" Rishi inquired.

"You can easily find them in Naya Town," the nurse replied.

Rishi expressed gratitude to Nurse. "Thank you," then entered the clinic.

Rishi was able to bring Sheru because he had been healed.

He patted Sheru on the head with his hands. Sheru has unknowingly become a very important part of his life.

He then carefully summoned Sheru back into the "Book of Contracts," and then returned to his clan.

He called Kabir on his phone and asked him to create a fake identity for him.

Rishi then finished his meal and went to bed...

He awoke in the morning, ate his breakfast, and then set out for Naya Town.

Rishi only had to cross a bridge to get to Naya Town from Puna Town.

He walked right into the heart of Naya Town. He soon encountered a guard, to whom he presented his ID.

Rishi appeared surprised at first as he looked around.

"So this is Naya Town," he stated.

He noticed many large stores all around him. Some shops sold potions, while others sold magical items.

Many wealthy people and merchants were strolling around the street. Rishi entered a large store with the name "Pixy Potion Shop" written on it.

As soon as he walked into the shop, he was surrounded by potions of various colours and compositions.

He then noticed a cute teenage girl working in the counter.

"What can I do for you, sir?" she asked when she saw Rishi.

"I want potions that can be used to reduce the effect of the poison of magical beasts at level 5," Rishi said.

"We have many such types of potions," the attendant replied, "but they have different costs depending on their effect; their are low-grade, medium-grade, and high-grade potions."

"I want four high-grade potions," Rishi replied.

After some time, the girl returned with the potions, which she placed in a bag and stated, "Sir, it will be 40000 rupees."

Rishi paid her by scanning the QR code online.

He was about to leave when he had a thought: "Is there any monster-attracting potion?"

"Yes, we have that type of potion," the attendant responded, "but what level magical beasts do you want to attract?"

"Level 4 and below," Rishi replied.

"Do you sell poison that is effective against level 5 magical beasts?" Rishi inquired as the attendant was about to bring the potion.

"Sir, we have that type of poison, but it is very expensive," the attendant replied.

"I don't care how much it costs; I want it," Rishi stated confidently.

After some time, the attendant delivered everything Rishi had requested. He went through all of the potions and paid her.

He then decided to look around for more places in Naya Town. He saw many things that were not typical of his hometown.

He also saw the Magic Tower, which houses high-level wizards. He had always wanted to visit this town because it is so beautiful.

Rishi was also interested in the Agastya Clan, as it was the clan of his future wife.

He wished to see her at least once, but sighed as he considered the rumours about Kajal; she was a genius who had already advanced to Advanced Stage Level 5, whereas Rishi had only reached Common Stage Level 4.

This reminder showed Rishi mirror again.

He then discovered Kajal was also planning to attend the Mazar Beast Tamer Academy.

If he wants to meet her, he must be at least advanced stage level 1.

Rishi abandoned his plans to explore the city and went straight to the Puna Forest with a new purpose.

He had no feelings for Kajal for now, but he knew she'd have many suitors, and if he appeared weak to them, they'd use him as a stepping stone to get Kajal's attention, which meant he'd be the target of many senior students.

He could conceal his identity and remain safe for a while.

But he couldn't stay hidden indefinitely. So he devised a strategy:

Step 1: Enter the academy while concealing his true identity; only his friends are aware of him.

Step 2: Increasing your strength and attempting to blend in with the crowd

Step 3: Create a guild and seek out talented students.

Step 4: Learn how to raise magic beasts and become a "Magic Beast Cultivator" by fully utilising his 'Enhanced Focus' and 'Inspect' skills.

Step 5: Meet Kajal.

He will alter his strategy based on the situation he encounters later in Mazar.

Rishi quickly arrived in the forest and began searching for an ideal location.

He summoned Sheru, and the two of them set out to find magic beasts together.

He then found a suitable location for an ambush and used the magic beast meat and potion to entice the monsters in the area.

He also pulled out his bow and poisoned arrows.

He soon encountered a number of magical beasts approaching his bait. All of them were woodrats with bushy tails. They were rat-like magical beasts with a bushy brown tail.

There were at least 7-8 magical beasts, two of which were level 4, four of which were level 3, and two of which were level 2.

Rishi used his inspect ability to examine the largest magical beast.

LEVEL: 4

HP: 550

STRENGTH: 25

AGILITY: 35

STAMINA: 30

VITALITY: 25

MP: 25

SKILLS

PASSIVE

Flexible Skeleton: It helps to change the size of the body, which makes entering small holes easier.

Sharp Fangs: adds an extra piercing effect to all attacks.

Breeding: It helps increase the fertility rate.

ACTIVE

Fang Attack: Use 6 MP for each use; it increases the damage done by the next fang attack by 2 times. This attack has a 5% chance to stun a target.

Rishi devised a strategy that would increase his chances of success. "We will ambush one of the level 4 magic beasts and finish it off," he explained to Sheru.

"Then you will fight the remaining level 4 magic beast, while I will take care of the rest." he continued.

He quickly chose a target and declared, "Sheru, we will ambush him."

Sheru, too, focused its attention on the target and awaited Rishi's command to attack.

Rishi patiently waited until the magic beast was very close to them before aiming his poison-coated arrow, releasing it, and saying, "Finish it off, Sheru."

'Screech,' the magic beast cried as an arrow struck it.

The poison was designed to kill level 5 magic beasts, it had an immediate effect on the magic beast.

Sheru also used his dash ability to approach the magic beast. He then used his active skill, 'Tiger Claw,' to attack the magic beast's neck and kill it.

When the other rats realised they were being ambushed by the magic beast, they 'squeaked' and attacked Sheru.

Rishi took advantage of the opportunity and dispatched one level 3 magic beast before drawing his sword and charging at the remaining magic beasts.

Sheru also began fighting the last level 4 magical beast.

Sheru had learned by now that he needed to target its legs first, and he used the same strategy. Only 2 seconds have passed, and his 'Tiger Claw' active skill was no longer active, but his 'Dash' skill was still active.

Sheru's uses his superior agility to attack and injure the magic beast's legs as much as possible.

Rishi used his speed and experience to avoid the magic beasts attacks and counterattacked whenever he could.

The fight lasted about 2-3 minutes after which both Rishi and Sheru finished their opponents.

Rishi then collected all of the magical beasts bodies to lure more beasts and used the potion to farm for more experience.