Valt, still feeling some pain in his face, stood up from the ground and removed his black shirt, using it to wipe away the blood.
Once finished, he looked up at the night sky, still cloaked in darkness. Realizing it was quite late, he returned to his humble dwelling, this time walking calmly, unconcerned. His chicken, Felix, perched on his shoulder, followed him.
Laughing contentedly, Valt felt at peace. After a long time, he was finally calm.
Back home, he washed his face with water, then entered his room, lay on the bed, and fell asleep. He left other tasks, such as washing his clothes, for the following day.
---
The next morning, Valt opened his eyes, happy. That night had been the best sleep he'd had, leaving him feeling extremely relaxed. He left his room and headed to the kitchen, where he prepared a simple fennel tea and some stale bread. He ate his breakfast cheerfully and then carried out some mundane daily chores.
After tidying up everything, he set off for the Cherry Blossom District to see if he could find a mission with Chief Otto. Now that he had begun cultivating, it was easier to take on small jobs, such as hunting.
The distance between his home, built in the wilderness, and the district wasn't very long. A thirty-minute walk would take him there.
However, as a three-star warrior, the journey was now three times faster; it took him only ten minutes to arrive.
In his view appeared a pink landscape: cherry blossom trees adorned the entrance, giving the road leading to the district an elegant atmosphere.
Moving forward, he quickly passed through a metal gate and entered the district, where there were several brick houses, children playing in the streets, and teenagers training. These adolescents were preparing their physical bodies for the awakening of abilities at sixteen. Yesterday had been Valt's turn.
Continuing his walk for twenty minutes, he arrived in front of a three-story red building, larger than the surrounding houses, indicating a difference in wealth.
Entering the building, he saw a massive hall with a two-hundred-meter diameter, where several metal tables were lined up, each surrounded by six simple wooden chairs.
He headed to the counter, where a middle-aged man with brown hair was sitting. The man was sipping a blue drink from a disposable cup, his expression that of a drunkard.
Sensing someone's arrival, the man turned to look at the handsome young man he knew. He shouted, "Hey, Valt! When are you going to take up my offer to charm an older woman?"
"Shut up!" Valt felt his face flush red. His urge to punch the drunkard was overwhelming, but he restrained himself. His goal was to speak with Chief Otto, who stood behind the counter, wearing a white cap and cook's attire.
Otto, who had awakened the auxiliary ability of a cook, made his living at this restaurant he had built after moving to the small district.
Seeing the young man's arrival, Otto smiled. Valt was a well-known figure in the district—a crazy boy who had sold everything his parents had left him to buy a Cultivation Method. Otto admired the boy, but at the same time, thought he was foolish. What if he had awakened an auxiliary ability? In this world of random abilities, it was unwise to draw conclusions before the age of sixteen.
Sighing, Otto remembered that yesterday had been the boy's birthday. "Valt, I won't ask about your ability, but what type is it? Auxiliary, combat, taming, healing, or scholar?"
Valt, who had sat next to the drunkard, frowned as the man placed a hand on his shoulder but didn't move since it was the only vacant spot. Hearing Otto's question, he replied, "Taming."
As he said this, everyone at the counter turned to look at him, including Otto. Feeling so many gazes, Valt grew a bit nervous, but this quickly faded when everyone started laughing.
"Hahaha, kid, you're lucky! Tamers are ridiculously fortunate. They don't have to do anything; they just let their beasts handle everything."
Amid the laughter, Valt smiled. If he revealed more details about his ability, everyone would be speechless. But he would never share anything; it was a taboo. In this world, abilities were considered sacred and private. Only the type of ability was disclosed.
Even in the relaxed atmosphere, Valt didn't lose focus. He remembered his goal and asked, "Chief, do you have anything that needs doing? Like animals that are scarce?"
Otto looked at him for a few seconds and sighed. The boy was too eager, but he said nothing. "Well, head to the second floor."
"Thank you," Valt said, removing the drunkard's hand from his shoulder and heading for the stairs, located five meters from the counter. He climbed the L-shaped staircase to reach the second floor.
Once there, he saw several missions written on yellow papers, with varying levels of difficulty ranging from 1 to 9 stars. In the district, only warriors resided; the strongest among them, excluding retirees, sought a broader world.
To avoid unnecessary suspicion, Valt chose a 1-star mission while mentally noting two 3-star missions. He planned to hunt the beasts at night and devour them.
"Is one enough? Tonight's going to be tough," he murmured, feeling indecisive, but for caution's sake, he memorized another 3-star mission. In the end, he had three missions in mind:
[1-Star Mission: Kill the Common Green Alligator at the Spirit Lake]
[3-Star Mission: Kill the Iron-Horned Bull in the Outer Area]
[3-Star Mission: Kill the Thunder Blue Wolf in the Outer Area]
These missions took place in the Spirit Forest, divided into three zones: Outer, Inner, and Central. All zones were crossed by the Spirit River, which, according to books, connected to the Azure Dragon Ocean. This ocean was ruled by the Dragon King, leader of the underwater races.
After selecting the missions, Valt decided to leave the 1-star mission to Felix while he handled the other two.
"Tonight, we're camping in the forest. Time to become a scout!" he laughed at himself. If he had a spatial item, he wouldn't face such issues. Sighing, he concluded it wasn't so bad since it would be full of adrenaline.
Descending from the second floor with the 1-star mission, he headed straight home, intending to return only after completing the task.
Valt had a future plan: to use disguises to avoid attracting attention and tackle difficult missions. However, today wasn't the day for that. First, he needed to increase his cultivation before beginning his journey to wealth.
With enough money, he could travel. He had only one year to reach the Exploration Division, far from here, located on the Isle of War.