ACT 8 Grinding

Jijik, jijijik!

He took one step forward into the vicinity of the fire, which flashed to reveal red eyes. There was a scraping sound on the ground as well as the sound of flapping wings..he felt a sense of something gathering above his head.The peculiar smell of the beast drifted to his nose.

They are really flocking endlessly.

Eyes of the Cat!

Arks pupils changed to that of a cat. When he used the skill, the darkness cleared up and showed a surprising scene. It was a huge gaping cave. Inside the damp cave, there were an extraordinary amount of black forms with red pupils that were all focuses on Ark. They looked similar to humans at first glance.However, they were clearly not human.A sharp canine was revealed every time they opened their mouths. Their sharp nails scratched at the ground. Long arms were bent in strange angles from the shoulders.But more than anything, there was strange parts attached from their wrist to ankle. When they spread their arms, a thin film appeared and they flew into the sky.A bat! Thats right. The identity of those guys was a bat, a hook bat.

The first time I saw that form, I thought I would have a heart attack.

While looking for the hook bat, Ark had entered the eastern region of the Argus Mountains several days ago.In the evening, he had been defeating random monsters and wandering the woods.He found a person sitting on a hill. He had a form which appeared to be around 10 years old. The boy sat in the chilly weather with his head buried in his cloak and didnt move for a while.

Are there people in the mountains?

Ark approached the hill quickly.The Argus Mountains were infested with all sorts of monsters. The NPC was a boy sitting in this place alone.He assumed that something was wrong. And the chances of the NPC leading to a quest were very high. Of course, Ark spoke in a friendly voice.

What are you doing in a dangerous place like this?

But the boy still did not turn his head away from the cloak. At that time, Dedrics nose twitched and he cried out.

Master, Ive sensed something. It smells like blood.

You shouldnt sleep in a place like this.did you get hurt perhaps?

Ark approached cautiously and touched the boys shoulder.No, the instant he touched him!

Kiaaaaaaaaak!

Suddenly the boy turned his body and shrieked.It was a horrifying scream that sounded like a sharp knife was scraping glass! Even though Ark had experienced many things in New World, he almost had a heart attack.The features of the boy were clearly shown. However, it wasnt a person. With pupils that were only a few centimetres, sharp fangs and wings on the arm, there was no way it was a human.The monster threw the stiff rabbit carcass it was holding in its hand and glared at Ark.It seemed to be having dinner.It was angry about being disturbed but after seeing Ark, it laughed and revealed its fangs. His form fit its dinner specifications.

Hook bat? This is a bat? Level

His heart pounded but Ark regained his composure.When he checked with Eyes of the Cat, it was only level 90. In New World there were scary looking monsters, but no matter what they looked like their level was low.Ark was level 127. With his darkness attribute bonus, he was level 177 and the only weapon the level 90 monster had was its teeth.In other words, it was similar to a mosquito trying to eat its favourite food.

Impertinent guy, youre only a level 90 monster yet youre trying to eat me for dinner?

Arks pupils became glossy.The following situation didnt even need to be described. The hook bat was thrown into the pot along with a mixture of spices and the resulting dish surprised Ark.

If the hook bat is level 90 then it wont be so hard to obtain the ingredients.

After he had dinner, the real hook bat hunting began.However, hunting for hook bats wasnt as easy as it sounded.

There is one flying!

Dedric exclaimed as he pointed towards a black object in the night sky. That was the biggest problem with hunting bats.It was difficult to chase them while they were flying in the sky. If he found a hook bat, he had no long distance attacks so he had no choice but to chase them aimlessly. If they were closer to the ground, then he could pull out his whip and initiate a fight.

If this continues then I will never finish.

When thinking about it, Ark became gloomy.In order to make Slimes Immortality Pill, he needed 1000 fangs from the hook bat. But it took a long time just to find one. Not only was it difficult to find one, but he had to chase them around until they descended low enough for him to catch it. In addition, hook bats didnt drop their fangs every time.If he killed four then only one would drop.

What is with this inefficient hunting?

Eventually Ark changed his hunting methods.Ark returned to Lancel Village and bought a bow with tears in his eyes.Because he wasnt an archer, he couldnt use all of the offensive power of the bow. While he bought the cheapest bow and arrows, he still wasted 10 gold.

I cant believe I had to waste my money on a bow! I hope it becomes useful.

Ark regretted it as soon as the store sold it to him. However, as long as its not inefficient then it should be fine.

Yes, I just have to think of it as investing 10 gold!

Ark picked up the bow and returned to the hunting ground. As soon as Dedric spotted a hook bat, he would shoot arrows straight away.

-Your attack missed!

Because he had no archery skills, the arrows wouldnt hit directly. It was fortunate that in once the arrow flew, the hook bats would immediately come down and attack Ark. At least he didnt need to blindly chase them anymore.Even so

Huck huck huck, is the hook bat a monster that doesnt have a lot of numbers?

Even though he had been hunting for 3~4 hours, he only managed to catch twenty hook bats. He had only found 6 fangs. Furthermore, it was a bat so there would be no activities during the daytime. Was this a prank? Then how would anyone ever manage to collect 1,000 teeth from the hook bat?Of course, he gained experience from hunting monsters while looking for the hook bat but he was annoyed because he couldnt collect the ingredients. It was surprisingly Dedric who gave him a clue to solving the problem.

Master, there should be a place where they gather.

What?

Although Im alone because Ive been independent from a young age, other bats love to stick together. Except when hunting, there should be one place where they gather.

He was alone because his independence was strong.since there was no reason to bring up the past, he praised Dedric and asked.

So wheres the gathering place?

Well, I dont know. But if it is bats then wouldnt it be a cave?

Why didnt Dedric tell him this before? He conveyed through a look in his eyes.This guy who still needed to be hit for pocketing money from the Evil Silrion.Ark watched him vigilantly, waiting for a chance to discipline him. Anyway, it would become a habit for Dedric if it isnt corrected now.

There is a place where bats are gathered. If so, there is only one way to find out.

Ark remembered the previous battles against the hook bats. The behaviour patterns of the hook bats were generally similar.After they attacked because of the arrows, once they fell into a critical condition then they would try to fly away. Of course, he knocked them down with the saw bladeAnyway, a monster that falls into a critical condition and ran away, the intention was obvious.A safe place with colleagues available.

Why did I never think of that until now?

Ark immediately went to find a hook bat.Finally one was picked up by Dedrics radar. After Ark half killed it, he disarmed himself. There was a risk of it dying thanks to the high sword damage.

Huhuhu, should I relieve some of my stress?

Crunch, crunch, Ark cracked his knuckles and smiled creepily.After he disarmed himself, Ark approached the bat that shrieked and ran towards him. It was a huge mistake.He did a series of straight jabs that seemed like rapid gun fire.The hook bat received three or four punches to the face and staggered, bleeding from the nose.But that was just the beginning.Flying kick! Ark narrowed the distance and struck it in the jaw with his knee. When the hook bat was stunned thanks to the effect of his Sword-Hand Combat, Ark agilely jumped behind it like a cat.He grabbed the waist with both hands and dropped the bat.Since he trained at the NPA gym in boxing, wrestling and taekwondo, the techniques were connecting together.Although he learned systematically, he couldnt learn a wide variety of skills but Ark accepted that some skills were perfected enough to allow him to live.Every time he used a different technique, he crushed the hook bats face.However, Ark didnt have any sympathy. He had built up a considerable amount of stress chasing after the bats.Nose ridge, eyes, he choose and only hit the sore spots..He controlled his power and reduced the damage while inflicting pain. The attack was relentless enough that even Dedric and Deimos flinched watching the brutal attack.In fact, it wasnt simply to relieve stress.Didnt he need to do as much as possible to make it run away to its mum? Eventually, the hook bat fell to a critical condition in 20 seconds.

Jijik, jijijijik!The hook bat spat out curses (?) before flying into the sky.

Heh, Dedric. Chase it!

Yes, sir!

Dedric remembered the past after seeing Arks violence. He quickly turned himself into a bat and chased after the hook bat. After 5 minutes. Dedric guided Ark to a hidden dungeon.

A damp bat cave in the Argus Mountains.

You have discovered a wide cave that connects the Argus Mountains. In the dark space, there are flying creatures that flash its red pupils seeking new prey. The intense breathing for blood should tell you what a dangerous place this is. They moment you step one foot in there, you will become their prey.