Cave of Concealment was a special safe place where people could hide themselves from the threat of monsters. Any monsters wouldn't be able to detect them and would completely ignore them once they enter inside.
That was why when Jax entered the tree cave, aka, Cave of Concealment, the three Cute Puffies chasing after him didn't persist any longer. They instead went back on their way as if the aggro had cooled off. The Cute Puffy already knew that entering was impossible for them.
With that said, Jax's body was safe within the Cave of Concealment. Even if he took his time scouting the nearby area, he didn't need to worry about anything...
Jax then explored the area in Soul Form. It was as if he knew every nook and cranny of that place.
But while he was at it, he couldn't help but have his thoughts wander about, thinking of the new skill he got from his first kill. It was the skill that he would use on this hunt.
After exploring the Fish Mystic Land for an entire week, Jax needed another day for him to achieve his first kill. And the first one he killed was already a dying monster he found by chance when he was exploring the area in Soul Form.
It was a horned goldfish with a few white blotch on its body called Gol Dhorn. Its size similar to those Cute Puffies, but more elegant in its looks because of its long and wavy hair-like orange fins and one long horn on its forehead. Jax believed that this goldfish somehow survived from its predator, but ended up dying unfortunately by his hands.
In any case, after achieving his first kill, Jax unlocked an interesting skill called Soul Steal. From then on, he became bold enough to try and hunt other monsters. But the fishes there were either extremely strong or fast. They would escape his grasp before he could come any closer, or he was rather chased away instead, leaving him no chance at all to steal their souls.
It went without saying, he couldn't catch a single fish at all. Sometimes, he would even be beaten badly by some fishes to the point that Jax regretted messing up with them. It was already a good thing that he was still alive right now...
Jax continued to explore the nearby area, his spectral body glided past the dense forest.
Similar as always, it was raining lightly during the morning, the shower went through his ghostly body. The fishes around this time were preparing to sleep, going back to their turf as soon as possible.
For the past week he had observed the fishes here, Jax believed that those fishes were afraid of sunlight.
So, when the rain fully stopped and the clouds were about to dissipate for the sun to shine, all the fishes in that place would try to cover themselves under the shade of the trees and hide.
And this was the perfect opportunity for him to hunt!
''Oh? Jackpot! Those sleepy heads are back there again!'' Jax smiled brightly when he spotted a kind of fish he thought the easiest to deal with.
Those were fishes twice larger than the Cute Puffy, but they were flat and oval in shape. Their scales were brown in color with a darker hue on their head part, fins, and tail. Two long wavy antennas were connected on their upper lip, providing strangely with a good sense of hearing to detect any approaching danger.
Mysticarp, that was what the Scroll called it.
Right now, those Mysticarps were sleeping under a certain tree. In their sleep, they were still levitating in the midair. Their two big eyes were also widely opened, although their pupils were horizontal.
But Jax knew their characteristics well after observing them for some time. They were unmoving when they slept and would stick under the shade of a certain tree. Their pupils were also horizontal, a sign that they were in a good slumber.
If he would just be careful, then killing them one after another would be a piece of cake.
Swoosh!
Jax summoned his soul back. He opened his eyes as a slight smile surfaced on his lips. Then he stood up as he headed out of the Cave of Concealment. His smile was laced with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
''It seems like they're really gone,'' Jax muttered to himself as he swept his gaze around the area. Just as he expected, the Cute Puffies didn't come back. All the other dangerous fishes also went into hiding. This time around was definitely the most peaceful time. No aggressive fish would dare chase after him relentlessly.
Shortly after, he got moving. He ran swiftly toward the place where he found his prey. When he reached near his destination, he immediately slowed his pace down. His steps were careful, clearly afraid of making the slightest noise.
Jax could finally see his prey within the reach of his physical eyes. But he needed to be careful. Those Mysticarps were sensitive to noise and would immediately awaken if they heard something strange and threatening.
But that wouldn't be a big problem for someone like Jax. Being undetected was always his forte. He was confident of getting closer without getting noticed.
With that in mind, Jax approached one of his targets. Since he was bare-footed, he wasn't making any strange noises, just like what a slipper would usually make.
Step. Step. And another silent step.
Jax finally approached one of the sleeping Mysticarps within his hand's reach. Excitement and nervousness came flooding into his heart. Sweats appeared on his forehead, his hands began shaking and sweating. Still, he raised his hand slowly and touched the left side of the big fish.
Pop!
The bubble inflating on its nose suddenly popped. The fish's eyes suddenly opened awake. The horizontal pupils suddenly went round and wide.
But it was now too late for it. Jax had already gotten enough time. With eyes sharp and fierce, Jax used his killing move before the fish could even react.
Soul Steal!
Since the Mysticarp was not much stronger than Jax, and it was in a sleeping state just a moment ago, one or two seconds were already enough for him to take its soul out of its body.
It went without saying, Jax had successfully pulled its soul out of its body with no problem at all. The soul was like a replica of its body, putting aside that it was transparent and emitting a faint glow. But after a moment, the soul of the fish slowly shaped into something like a wisp — round and formless, seemingly trying to fit with his hand.
Jax also caught the body of the fish to prevent it from collapsing on the ground to make an annoying noise. Carrying the big fish with his two hands, Jax heaved a sigh of relief as he wiped the thick sweat dripping on his temples with his right shoulder.
''Phew! Finally, I got another soul.'' Jax thought as a wide smile appeared on his lips. But it was still not the time to celebrate. There were still a few more fishes under the tree for him to collect their souls. Shifting his gaze, he counted that there were still five more fishes left.
Slowly and carefully, Jax put the body of the Mysticarp down on the ground. At the same time, he summoned the Quest Scroll and put the soul into it.
___________________
[Mission]
• Slay fishes and collect 100 souls or more within the time limit of 30 days.
(Souls collected: 3/100)
(Remaining time: 19D)
___________________
Jax immediately noticed the increase in the number of souls he had collected so far. A wide grin appeared on his lips. But shortly after, his grin froze.
''Damn, I should have absorbed its soul instead...'' Only then did he recall that his first priority was to unlock his next skill. He scratched the back of his head and sighed in regret.
But that wasn't a big deal. For he knew that there were still a few pitiful souls waiting for him.
''I'll make sure to collect all these souls!'' Jax then shouted inwardly. He dismissed the Scroll and shifted his gaze back at the next victim.
But to his horror, this Mysticarp was now looking at him directly in the eye. That struck him completely frozen, his heart couldn't help pounding loudly inside of him.
Then the Mysticarp shifted its gaze on its lifeless comrade down on the ground. Seeing its kind in that pitiful state, and a foreign creature right beside it, the Mysticarp didn't need to think twice to know what had just happened.
SHRIEKKK!!!
Suddenly, the Mysticarp released an ear-piercing shrill cry. The bone-chilling sound echoed all throughout the entire forest. Jax couldn't help but grit his teeth and cover his ears with two hands.
''Damn it! I should have been more careful!'' Jax thought in panic. Thankfully, the Mysticarp's shrill cries didn't last too long.
Overwhelmed with relief, Jax shifted his gaze, but to his frustration, all five fishes had already gone faraway now.
''Tch, as expected...'' Jax clicked his tongue in dejection. Now he needed to find another target, which was something really annoying. He really regretted not having to kill those five free fishes.
Kyut Kyut Kyut Kyut Kyut Kyut...
He was still in the midst of dejection and was thinking about what he should do next when he suddenly heard a terrifyingly familiar sound. He turned to look in that direction and narrowed his eyes to see better.
''It's still faraway, but this sound...'' Jax muttered, his eyes slowly widened and horror filled them. ''Cute Puffies?''
He was now certain of it. He was very familiar with the sound they produced. That was definitely a Cute Puffy. And there must be more than one of them. Hearing their noises, Jax didn't want to believe it, but there must be a countless number of them.
Soon enough, the terrifying thought he didn't want to believe finally greeted him. Not five, not ten, not fifteen, not twenty. Jax couldn't even count them anymore. His heart skipped a beat. How gruesome. How could God want to punish him that much?
''Fuck, I'm really dead this time...'' He muttered with bated sharp breaths. The thought of him living after all of this had already gone faraway.