Chapter 37 - Big Spider

Their perilous night within the Mystic had flown by. Riku and Emma awoke, and he began covering his entire body with numerous layers of clothing to shield him from the sun.

Nonetheless, the system's advice was never eradicated from his consciousness.

[Bloody crow]

Was it the dark crow's gene's second evolution? No, it was only one of the tiers in the first evolution that had to be completed before moving on to the second evolution.

•[Bloody crow]- It would alter your appearance on the outside. It would also improve your combat abilities, provide you with a large enough mana pool to fully exploit its talent, and give you above-average speed.

[There are two prerequisites to reach the first evolution first-tier (Bloody crow): (Enhancing stone) and (20 low-quality mana essence)]

To begin, you can obtain [low-quality mana essence] by deconstructing the monster's first evolution orb. You'll need two orbs to make one low-quality mana essence.

•[Enhancing stone] This requirement is usually found in the E, D, and C dungeons, and it increases your overall power.

Riku would have to slay forty or more monsters to get twenty low-quality mana essence. Furthermore, it grabbed his interest as he could use it to develop his body while simultaneously familiarizing himself with a certain monster.

He could ask Haru to find an augmenting stone in his world, but he didn't know where to begin in this strange planet.

Library? Yes, this location could provide answers to all of his current questions. So he was regretting skipping that crucial bit at this moment.

He shook his head, thinking that if he didn't go into the forest to help Solomon, he'd never know how to contact the [Blood crow]. His trek through this location had made some progress.

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Emma attempted to stand up as soon as she noticed him exiting the cave, intending to accompany him. She didn't want to stay in this location alone because she was afraid; she only wanted to help to express how grateful she was for this man sparing her life on the point of death. Nonetheless, despite her rapid recovery, her wounds were still fresh and painful.

"W-wait, Riku, where did you intend to go? I'll accompany you," she muttered as the wounds on her tummy grew worse.

"Don't move, Emma; I'll try to find some food and water in this jungle so you can regain your strength as quickly as possible."

She slowly leaned against the wall, ashamed at Riku's kindness to her despite the fact that they had only met the day before.

Brr...

Her stomach growled, and she couldn't look at Riku's face any longer. "I apologize for that, Riku, but thank you so much for your hospitality."

Emma's body was unusual in that she had a fast regeneration rate that the other individual lacked. As a result, it will burn far too much energy in her body, which is why she felt so hungry right now.

To avoid putting the topic into her stomach, she held up the seven monsters' first evolution orb in her hand. "This is the only thing I have, Riku; take it so I can repay your gratitude in some way."

The monster's orb was the size of a marble, and it was crimson in color with a small amount of mana running around inside.

Riku was staring at her hand intently before slowly shaking his head and declining her offer. "Isn't that the reason you're here in this forest?" "I don't need that."

First and foremost, he had no intention of accepting the orb, even if it would make the weak beasts he was about to kill less dangerous. Why? Nothing, he wasn't the type of man who would accept the other gifts they'd received in exchange for giving their lives.

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Three days had passed, and Riku and Emma had survived in this jungle by eating fruits and drinking water from a nearby lake. Riku would occasionally go hunting edible animals in order to quickly heal Emma's injuries, and every night he would grill the boar flesh, but he would never taste it.

Riku had not yet recovered from the little stress he had gotten from eating the Naga monster's fresh flesh. Furthermore, as he searched for Solomon every day, he had become familiar with the jungle and knew which monsters lurked in each location.

Emma was partially healed from her injuries within three days, and she was grateful to the man who never left her side.

Emma and Riku were looking at each other outside the small cave's entrance, where the sunlight hit them and a gentle breeze caressed their bodies.

She lowered her head deeply, expressing her gratitude for this man's efforts in assisting her in surviving. "Thank you again, Riku!" she exclaimed as she slowly raised her head and inquired. "Tell me, Riku, what I can do to pay you? Just tell me I'll do whatever you want, but not with my body," she said, her red eyes darting around the place.

Riku was surprised and blinked his eyes, not expecting this woman to think such a thing about him.

'Eh? Really? Is she capable of saying that? Her body is extremely attractive. But I'm not interested in her body because I've already seen it.' He said to his mind, a nasty smile hidden beneath the white stained blanket on his face.

To begin, he coughed a few times to shift the atmosphere of the area. He shook his head again, this time with a notion of how this woman may help him. Also, he didn't squander so much of his time with her.

"Ehem! Ehem! I'm not going to say this because I wanted you to pay for the help I gave you, but you can't refuse if you don't want to," he continued, his voice deep.

"Yes, Riku," Emma said with a nod, "so tell me now what it is?"

"Well, if it's possible, I'd like you to assist me in finding Solomon in this forest," Riku replied, convinced that this woman could help him.

She nodded again without doubt, believing that finding a man inside the forest would be a simple task for her after Riku had assisted her without complaint.

"Of course, Riku," she said, "there's no problem; if you like, I can accompany you return to your village."

"No, finding him is enough; go back to your area and find another place to hunt monsters," Riku said as he began walking down the cliff's edge, heading to the last location he hadn't visited yet.

Emma raised her shoulders, knowing that she couldn't do anything because Riku had made the decision. "No problem, Riku; you're the Captain for the day, so I'll follow your orders to the letter."

She followed him to the cliff's edge, where the sun could reach her. 'Hmm... Riku had an average body and an appealing face. So, why did he keep concealing his face with that blanket? 'She told her mind what she had noticed but lacked the guts to approach him about it.'

They were still going alongside the cliff after a few minutes as it was rather lengthy.

"Where were you the last time you saw Solomon, Emma?" he inquired softly, stroking his chin slowly as he had no idea after those days.

"I'm sure he moved in this direction, but the shrubs were blocking my vision at the moment, so I couldn't see exactly where he was."

"Let's give it a shot at this location, and if we don't see him here, I'll return to the village to finish my job."

One thing he noticed while walking was the golden brown color of the cliff. It was larger than the cave they had been sleeping in for three days, and it had multiple holes that appeared like someone had entered it.

To put it another way, it was a hole dug by a massive snake. He shook his head, citing the lack of a passage into the cliff in the small cave where they had gone earlier.

Tsk!

He clicked his tongue, asking himself why Solomon was hard to locate right now. He must be dead already? Or hiding in a place that no one could see him.

Calm down...

Calm down...

He took a deep breath and considered the task that had been assigned to him. Tricks? Riddle? Keys? He was unable to stop himself from thinking as he believed he was being played.

He initially assumed the blood he smelled was Solomon's, but it turned out to be Emma Norm. Second, Solomon and Riku might have left this woodland on the first day of his mission, but it was all gone due to the Naga monster.

Hwelp!

Hwelp!

Hwelp!

Emma and Riku were startled to hear a man's voice. Even though the voice wasn't clear, they realized he was requesting assistance.

Phlease! Hwelp me!

He appeared to have something covering his mouth, making it difficult for him to speak.

His voice echoed inside one of the holes, perplexing him as he couldn't tell which portion they needed to extract. Emma, on the other hand, alleviated his difficulty by implying that she already knew where the voice came from.

"Come on, Riku, I believe Solomon has been snatched by a big spider."