"Thud!"
"Beep Beep!"
"8019!"
"As expected, my spiritual force has already reached Apprentice Level 4. Not a bad result at all."
Wang Cheng slung his backpack over his shoulders, took out the wristwatch from it, strapped it on, and sent a message to his parents:
"It's getting late. I'm heading back into the fortress to rest for the night. I should sleep at home and head out again tomorrow morning. If you're not coming back tonight, please be careful out there."
After stowing the portable strength tester into his internal storage space, he picked up his shield, long blade, and the materials in his backpack, and began heading back toward the fortress.
On the way, he utilized his movement skills, traveling at a speed of 100 meters per second. Within minutes, the towering city walls came into view, and he slowed down as he approached.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the fortress's manned passage, he held his wristwatch up to the scanner. With no issues, he was granted access into the fortress.
This time upon returning, Wang Cheng noticed that there were many unfamiliar, youthful faces inside.
Recalling Wang Hao and Leng Yan's advice, he realized it was now evening—most monster hunters who hadn't reached mid-level apprentice strength would typically return to the fortress to rest.
Using the smart guide on his phone, Wang Cheng found the official material acquisition area.
This was where the government bought materials. As he arrived at the counter, the clerk behind the desk gave him a glance and smiled professionally:
"Hello, are you here to sell materials?" Though the tone was polite, there was a subtle sense of superiority in it.
Wang Cheng didn't pay attention to the condescension and dumped the materials from his backpack into the open collection bin beside him.
Seeing over a dozen materials from Apprentice Level 3 beasts, the clerk looked a bit surprised. After all, Wang Cheng looked quite young. But when Wang Cheng took out materials from a Level 4 beast, the clerk's eyes widened:
"These are mid-level apprentice beast materials? Impressive—you're so young and already capable of hunting Level 4 monsters." There was genuine admiration in his tone now.
Wang Cheng gave a naive, innocent grin. "I actually went out with my parents to the wilderness today. They were worried I wouldn't have enough points to exchange when I returned, so they gave me some of the materials they hunted, since they might not be back tonight."
Hearing this, the clerk's sincere expression slowly faded. He realized something.
If this kid were really a genius, the planet's AI would've already detected him and started training him intensively. No way would he still be following his parents into the wild for experience.
After receiving the exchange points in his account, Wang Cheng didn't linger in the fortress.
He was already familiar with the area, and instead of resting there, he figured it'd be better to go home. It didn't cost much anyway.
Spending just over an hour on an aerial bus, Wang Cheng returned home.
While still on the bus, he ordered a portable, wilderness-ready safehouse that could be used for cooking and resting.
Not only that, he also ordered a large quantity of supplies—mostly nutrient supplements, vegetables, essential spices, and medicines.
Thanks to the efficiency of online delivery, by the time Wang Cheng paid the deposit and returned home, the goods had already arrived.
Once everything was delivered, he stored all of it into his internal space.
Inside his core's internal world, several one-cubic-meter metal boxes now sat neatly in place.
Wang Cheng curiously examined the cube-shaped portable safehouse. He activated it and watched as a cone-shaped drill emerged from its base and burrowed into the ground within seconds.
Soon, the drill expanded rapidly, ejecting dirt and deploying alloy panels, eventually forming a smooth, slightly domed roof.
Wang Cheng descended into the shelter through an entrance at the top and was surprised to find a surprisingly cozy space below.
As soon as he entered, the hatch closed, and the camouflage system activated, blending the shelter perfectly with the surrounding environment.
Even standing right next to it, you wouldn't notice it without close inspection.
Looking around the 3-meter-wide space, Wang Cheng nodded in satisfaction.
There was a foldable bed, a dining table, multi-function smart cooking appliances, and even a tiny bathroom—barely two cubic meters.
The smart appliances could cook most meals with simple one-touch operation. Just throw in the ingredients, and it would handle everything.
After exiting, the safehouse automatically retracted back into a compact metal box.
Although marketed as "portable," this was the largest model. It was manageable with a transport vehicle, but not easy to carry otherwise—unless, like Wang Cheng, you had internal storage space.
Its key selling point was affordability, and for someone like Wang Cheng, who lacked excess exchange points, it was the most cost-effective option.
Looking at the stockpile of resources in his internal world, Wang Cheng estimated he could survive for over three years even without additional food sources.
After a sweet, restful sleep at home, Wang Cheng knew his break was over.
From now on, he had to focus on increasing his strength before the beast tide arrived—delving deeper into the wilderness to train.
Having been to the wilderness once already, it was easier the second time. Without much trouble, he returned to the bushy area where he had previously trained.
This time, however, he wasn't so lucky. Only a few Level 1 apprentice beasts appeared, and he killed them all within seconds.
Not wanting to waste anything, he collected all the beast corpses.
"It seems that although mid-level apprentice beasts have started appearing in the outskirts, their numbers are still too low. If I want better gains, I'll have to go deeper into the wild."
Without Wang Hao and Leng Yan around this time, Wang Cheng moved cautiously as he ventured further into the wilderness.
After several kilometers, he suddenly sensed something—hundreds of meters away was a herd of monsters: Iron-Horned Steelhide Cattle.
The herd was lazily munching on leaves. Though it was a small group, there were over a dozen Level 3 apprentice cattle among them.
What made them particularly dangerous, however, was the presence of a Level 4 Iron-Horned Steelhide Cattle, which significantly boosted the group's threat level.
Unless it was a team of Warrior-rank hunters, no one would dare engage them recklessly.
(End of Chapter)
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