Chapter 71 - Freedom And New Beginning

"I am free!" I shouted. Before I made some fouettés. 

A moment later, my cheeks heated up and I got misbehaving.

Why?

Because almost everyone on the street stopped to look at me. They were curious and investigating what I am doing.

Feeling so embarrassed and couldn't stand in here any longer, I ran away to go home.

And yes!

I managed to remove the Slave Collar that was choking my neck despite getting into a bit of trouble when I bought my freedom.

The trouble I mean was I need the documents that state the jerk was dead.

That's right, to buy my freedom I need that documents. And unfortunately, I don't have it.

I don't even know if the jerk is still alive or already dead.

So, I asked the store clerk for an opinion and a solution to this trouble. Who can guess, that trouble ended with me meeting the store owner in person?

No... There is no R18 scene going on. Especially, when the owner of this shop is a woman.

Scissors? No… the woman was too mature for me.

So, after we spoke and because I had the jerk seal, we decided to take advantage of the loopholes that exist in the rules relating to Slaves and Masters.

Long story short, we made false documents about the jerk's death. 

We can do that because of some of the factors. They were the fact that the jerk is exploring the Foltian Great Dungeon, he's an Adventurer, he permitted me to create a Special Permit, And lastly, I have his personal seal.

It was annoying when I had to spend fifty gold coins to buy my freedom and to create fake documents and use loopholes. It is twice the price it should be! 

My wallet is now empty but hey! I'm free now. That's all that matters.

When I got home, I was partying for the third time in the last two days. 

I can't believe it!

And who could have guessed, that night, I fell asleep so soundly.

…

Morning in the next day. 

First floor on Foltian Great Dungeon.

"[Water Shoot]"

Swosh! Splash!

"Khaing!"

The water bullet I shot managed to penetrate the Leaf Hound's stomach and bring the monster to a standstill for a moment.

I kicked the ground to get close to Leaf Hound. A moment after I stood beside it, I launched my Silver Spear to pierce the monster's stomach and nail it into the ground. 

I was able to do all that because my Basic Statistics became normal. The evolution makes the Weakened Heartbeat curse disappeared. 

And yes, when the curse disappeared, the Heart of Monsters becomes active. That means I will lose control of my body if I inhale too much the scent of blood. That means a great disaster that I shouldn't have shown Kimi and the others will occur.

I don't want that episode to happen. So… the Smell Blocker shines brightly again.

Now, back to the hunt.

I fought against the Leaf Hound cautiously. I'm not afraid of the monster, but instead, I'm being careful because I want to make sure I don't kill the monster.

Why would I do that?

Well... I did Power Leveling. I beat a monster to half-death and I told Kimi, Chloe, or Alan to kill it. That way, the kids would gain Exp to raise their level.

I intend to make them stronger. Because after all, they are the Sky Explore Crew candidates I want. So...

"Come here, Chloe. Kill this monster."

"Emm..." Chloe made a sound and then saw the people around her. She seemed nervous and hesitant.

"What are you doing? Come here," I called the girl. At the same time, I unsheathed my Silver Long Sword. "Take this sword and stab this monster's head, come on."

Chloe is still hesitant. However, a moment later, after Alan patted her on the back gently, the little girl finally approached me.

She took Silver with great anxiety. Therefore, I have to help her prepare it on the Leaf Hound's head. Once everything was ready, I let the girl kill the monster.

"Whimper!"

"Epp!" Chloe screamed in shock. The girl then slipped as she lost her balance while stepping backward. 

Before she fell, I caught her little body.

"Good job, Chloe!"

"... Thank you." The girl reunites with Alan and Kimi. 

She got head pats from her brother.

I moved my hand to pull the Silver Spear from Leaf Hound's body as Ruciel walked to me.

"Should you do this?" asked Ruciel suddenly.

That question confused me. I tilted my head slightly. "Do this? What do you mean?"

"Why are you torturing these children by telling them to kill dying monsters? And why did you suddenly become strong?" The girl asked in a high voice. Her long ears made a strong jolt and her eyebrows bent sharply.

"You are so horrible, Ruciel. I didn't torture them, I helped them to raise their level. As for why I became strong, haven't I said it before? I was weak because I'm hurt. And right now, I'm fully healed."

"Alright, I can accept you've recovered. But, help the children to level up? Do you truly believe that hunting method like this can raise their level? The way you raised their levels is awfully strange! And I need to say, this hunting method will be mentally damaging to the children!"

That's so weird...

This Fallen Elf girl usually acted indifferently. So... Why is she so attentive today?

"I think, killing monsters is common practice for adventurers. And yes, this hunting method works well to raise their level. You need to know, someone who lands a final attack to kill a monster will get the most Exp."

"Huh? What is Exp?"

"Hmm... Something that we needed for our level to go up?" I'm not too sure when I try to explain about Exp. Then, I shook my head. "Anyway! You don't need to think too much about this hunting method. They're fine."

I looked at the kids and nodded. They were fine, they showed no signs that revealed they were hurt.

"But this is wrong and hurting them!"

"Hmm… what if we ask them," I told Ruciel. "Hey Kimi, do you not want or maybe hate this hunting method?"

My sister's fox ears twitched. She looked at me while clenching her fists. A strong determination was visible in her ruby eyes. "I will do anything to become stronger to protect the big sis!"

"Although I'm not satisfied because I don't get the experience to fight, I can accept this method," Alan said.

"Un! I also want to be stronger! Like Kimi!" 

"See! They're fine!"

"Haa… okay then! Let me process this monster before we resume our hunt for today."

And Ruciel did her job.

Sometime later, we returned to explore the first floor of the Foltian Great Dungeon, we searched for monsters and killed them, and of course, we didn't forget to practice using Spell.

We did all that for a few hours until finally, the kids' level went up! And of course, my level went up too! I'm level 3 now.

< Level up! 1 to 3 >

< Agility Stat Up! AGI + 1 > × 5

Oh! Right, I also got 5 points for AGI after eating Leaf Hound's meat. And yes, I can't eat Magic Stones in front of them. It was too strange and too inviting questions.

As for the kids, Kimi is level 10, Chloe is level 9, while Alan is level 11! They also became more adept at using Spells. And... How well do they fight? I can only say, we need to train for longer.

In addition to doing Power Leveling, in this exploration, I also searched. I searched the Secret Area that exists all over the 1st floor of the Foltian Great Dungeon.

Secret Area. 

In Ark Fantasy Online, that place is deemed as a Bonus Stage! A place where a Player could obtain Three times more Exp and treasures than would normally be obtained on the first floor of this dungeon.

Just imagine! Three times as much!

If we hunt there for one day, it's the same as hunting for three days!

Therefore, today I am so excited!

I want to find a Secret Area.

And yes, the Adventurers and even the Adventurer's Guilds themselves had already discovered several Secret Areas.

That's right... several Secret Area.

They haven't found all the Secret Areas! Because of that, I still have a chance to obtain my own Secret Area!

"Has anyone ever said that you are a dreamer?"

"Ruciel, finding the Secret Area is not a dream," I replied before looking back at my simple map.

Like two days ago, we appeared in the eastern region of the first floor of Foltian. 

It's a blessing.

In the eastern region, there are two Secret Areas. 

The first Secret Area was the Garden of Liora. A place where Plant and Spirit-Type Monsters were roaming around. The place had dozens of precious Rare Items. The treasures in that place contained Superior-grade Weapons and Armor. Even better, the Exp in that place was truly abundant.

And yes, I don't want to visit the Garden of Liora.

Why?

Because the monsters in there are high levels. Moreover, one needed special equipment to hunt Spirit Type Monsters.

So... I chose the second Secret Area.

Mist Forest Ebua.

It was a mist forest inhabited by Plant and Beast-Type Monsters. And although there was a mist that limited the visibility, hunting in that place was not a dangerous episode. Yes, the monsters in there were equivalent to Leaf Bear.

As for treasures and Items, they were neither good nor bad. And the good news, half of the treasures and items in the Mist Forest Ebua were a disaster for the monsters inhabiting the Garden of Liora.

The material from Leaf Deer — the monster that became the Monster Boss in the Mist Forest Ebua — could be made as a deadly weapon to kill Liora the Great Spirit of Flowers who became the Monster Boss in the Garden of Liora.

Knowing all that, conquering the Ebua Mist Forest and killing the Leaf Deer will be a mission I have to complete!

Now, I just need to find the Secret Area's entrance.