Chapter 40
Ray was dumbfounded as he witnessed this unexpected phenomenon during their visit to the zoo. He never anticipated such a coincidence.
Unable to react swiftly, Ray activated the passive talent embedded in his finger bones. "Rainbow clams, don't let me down!" he shouted, hoping that the passive ability [Rainbow Shield, A rank] would protect him and his family.
Rainbow light emanated from Ray's body, enveloping the area around him. Nervously, he involuntarily closed his eyes.
...
After a while, Ray felt perplexed. "Uh... Is the [A-rank Rainbow Shield] passive ability this advanced?" He was confused because the anticipated jolt and crash didn't occur.
Curiosity piqued, Ray opened his eyes to assess the situation around him. What he witnessed was astonishing. The elephant's forelegs had advanced quite a distance, yet the enormous beast passed through Ray's group without causing the slightest vibration, as if it were as light as cotton wool.
The surrounding area fell into stunned silence as if everyone had witnessed something extraordinary. Ignoring the people around him, Ray continued to closely observe the huge elephant.
At first glance, the elephant appeared normal, and it dodged anyone who got in its way. Its speed wasn't slow either. So far, only Ray's group had been "stepped on" by these massive mammals.
The elephant continued walking in a straight line until it almost collided with the elephant statue in the zoo. To Ray's confusion, the massive creature showed no signs of turning around.
It wasn't until the elephant crashed into the elephant statue that Ray understood what was happening. The "real" elephant suddenly intersected with the elephant statue, as if it were a three-dimensional projection.
This phenomenon persisted until the large elephant passed through the elephant statue without any mishap. Then, the elephant projection vanished, leaving only emptiness behind.
Ray was dumbfounded once again. He looked around the area, trying to grasp the situation. He observed everyone's chaotic emotions, ranging from fear and panic to tears.
"It's evident that this isn't a show put on by the zoo," Ray concluded.
Doubts filled Ray's mind. "Then what is happening here? Is there an undisclosed event?"
Feeling the vibrations in his hands, Ray realized that his brothers were still in an unstable and deeply shocked state. He calmed them down, including Yuvra, who, despite being an adult, couldn't escape her anxiety due to the trauma of losing her loved ones.
Once everyone had calmed down, Ray began searching the area, looking for hidden projectors or cameras. As someone from Earth, he was familiar with the practice of staging pranks.
Determined to find the culprit behind this phenomenon, even though it posed no danger, Ray grew annoyed as he thought about what had transpired. He searched diligently, aided by the [F Rank Eagle Eyes] aura and passive, but found no trace of cameras or projectors whatsoever.
"Unlucky!" Ray gritted his teeth in annoyance. Just as he was about to give up on his search, a group of people suddenly gathered in one area. Ray, thinking he had found the culprit, grew excited and ran over.
However, when he reached the spot, there was no one in charge. Only people were staring at a giant butterfly, pointing their fingers at it. Disappointed, Ray prepared to leave. But just as he was about to go, something caught his attention again.
The people around were gossiping that the butterfly in front of them was responsible for the previous phenomenon. Ray didn't believe it at first, but after reading the animal's introduction on the information board, he was stunned.
Illusory butterflies were originally ordinary butterflies brought by humans from their home planet. However, after a disaster, these butterflies mutated and gained abilities in the field of illusions. Illusory butterflies were docile creatures that preferred not to disturb humans and were even afraid of them.
Confused by this information, Ray focused his gaze on the butterfly and noticed something peculiar. "Can this thing cause harm?" After a few seconds, Ray finally had a realization. "Ahhh, it seems every animal I've encountered here has this issue!"
Ray became completely certain that there was a problem with the zoo. Chaos would soon erupt. With this in mind, he quickly escorted his family home. After putting some distance between them and the zoo, Ray finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"If chaos breaks out at the zoo now, at least we and our family are out of harm's way." Ray's relief was palpable, and everyone in the car felt a sense of relaxation. Even Haruza, who was seated in the co-pilot's seat, occasionally glanced back anxiously, as if afraid that a monster might suddenly appear.
Ray, seeing this, couldn't help but urge him to sit down, fearing an accident. Yuvra, who was driving, had hands that trembled non-stop. "Mom, should we take a break?" Ray asked, concerned.
"N-no, it's okay, Ray. We'll be home soon," Yuvra tried to answer, though still nervous. "That's right, brother. Don't stop! What if there are monsters? Haruza doesn't want to be eaten by monsters!" Haruza exclaimed in horror.
"Yes, yes, don't stop!" Esubi agreed. Seeing his family's nervousness, Ray could only shake his head helplessly. "It seems they will be traumatized for a long time..."
Finally, the family safely arrived home.
…
On Monday night, Ray, who had been busy with alchemy, finally succeeded on his first try. This proved that his instincts were correct. After watching a tutor live just once, Ray was able to solve his problem effortlessly.
"It seems that I underestimated the usefulness of that cube thing!" exclaimed Ray enthusiastically. The tesseract was truly remarkable, as it seemed to expose everything it scanned, leaving no secrets behind.
That night was destined to be a joyous one for Ray, as he was on the verge of achieving his goal of learning alchemy step by step.
...
The next day, Ray stared intently at Hamar. Suddenly, his friend's body jerked forward as if pulled by something. "Ahhh, damn it, failed again!" Ray shouted in frustration. Hamar, witnessing his friend's struggle, couldn't help but be confused. "What exactly are you doing, Ray?"
"I'm practicing a powerful martial art, Hamar!" Ray replied.
Hamar, hearing this, was once again puzzled. "Powerful? How powerful? It looks like you're just pulling me invisibly."
Ray, upon hearing this, could only give up, realizing that his friend was speaking the truth. However, Ray believed that he could become strong and grow steadily if he mastered this practice. Despite having valid reasons, he had no intention of explaining himself. He preferred to leave his friend confused.
In such moments, Ray recalled a quote: "Fool your allies before you fool your enemies." Although the phrase might seem strange at first, since Ray couldn't remember the original quote, it only fueled his determination to deceive his friend.
While Ray was lost in thought, Hamar's mind was also active, contemplating something extremely important. "Ray, does your technique involve a sense of touch? Is it a vanishing hand illusion?" Hamar asked, filled with excitement as if he had stumbled upon a treasure.
Observing his friend's peculiar behavior, Ray couldn't help but feel perplexed. "No, what's wrong?"
"Ahhh, no..." Hamar, upon hearing this, immediately looked dejected. Sensing the disappointment in his friend, Ray acted quickly. "What's the matter? Why are you so disappointed?"
"Hahahaha, isn't it amazing if our hands could feel things being touched without being seen?" Hamar responded, his face beaming with mischief.
Ray, witnessing this practice, couldn't help but feel disgusted. He understood Hamar's intentions perfectly well after seeing the other party's lewd expression. It would be foolish of him to not grasp Hamar's thoughts.
Agni and Clara, who had been oblivious to their conversation until then, couldn't help but deliver a firm blow to Hamar's head.
Bang!
Even though the two women had been preoccupied with themselves earlier, the voices emitted by Hamar and Ray were loud enough to catch their attention.
Ray, witnessing this, could only laugh with satisfaction. But after only a moment of laughter, he fell silent as he was met with the stern gazes of his two girlfriends.
"What's the matter? Can't I join in? I am still pure and innocent!" Ray protested.
"Huft!" Agni and Clara snorted in unison.
...
Unbeknownst to them, time flew by quickly. It was now another Friday, which meant it was time for Ray's camping trip. This week, bidding farewell went smoothly without any drama like the previous week.
With his family accustomed to his excursions and reassured by the security measures in place, Ray had safely returned home for two consecutive weeks. Boarding the familiar bus, he arrived at the same yet different location. This time, he was at the eastern city limits. Ray couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation as he gazed at the unfamiliar entrance gate.
"What interesting things await me out there?"
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