Chapter 49: Black Spear and Runestones

Ain glanced at the two unconscious wolf pups again. Before arriving, he had asked Nox to knock them out for convenience, as they were still unaware of their mother’s death. After a while, he shifted his gaze to survey the surroundings.

Other than the two tiny creatures, quite a few things were scattered around the cave.

What his gaze landed upon first were skeletal remains. With a just glance, Ain recognized them as human remains. There were seven distinct human skeletons, all piled up together. There might’ve been more, but only seven skulls were counted.

Alongside the skeletons were their belongings. Ain saw some chewed-up bags and armor pieces tossed about. Almost everything was damaged beyond repair—almost, because one item stood out like a gem among stones, trying to draw Ain’s attention. It was the only thing still in pristine condition.

It was a long spear, reaching almost two meters in length. Its body was matte black, with purple designs swirling around like snakes. The spearhead was similarly black, reflecting minimal light from the radiant sphere that floated in the dark cave.

In fact, if not for the pups, this item would’ve drawn Ain’s attention first due to the clear spirit energy emitted from it.

With five steps, Ain arrived next to the spear and crouched down to observe it. The ball of light from Illumination floated over, assisting his vision.

He picked up the spear after finding nothing out of place upon careful scrutiny. The spear was heavy in his hands, weighing close to a hundred kilograms. If not for his physique as a spirit tamer, lifting it, much less wielding it, would've been difficult.

After waving the spear around with amateurish movements, Ain set it aside and continued his search. Spear techniques were foreign to him, but for now, he could still intuitively use it.

Since the equipment and armor pieces were all tattered, they held no value. He spotted small broken glass bottles lying nearby, with medicinal residue evident. They seemed to have been stomped upon, crushing them into the pile he saw. The residents of this cave had likely devoured the pills.

After sifting through the debris, Ain’s eyes lit up as he finally found something else of value. In his hands were palm-sized stones with distinct and enigmatic engravings. Similar to the black spear, they emitted spirit energy fluctuations, albeit faintly.

Although this was his first time seeing them in person, Ain easily recognized them. 'Runestones!'

Runestones were consumable artifacts created by artificers. Various spells and effects could be inscribed into runestones, which spirit tamers could deploy in times of need. It was an expensive alternative to casting spells and provided more flexibility to one’s arsenal.

As consumables, runestones could only be used a limited number of times before disintegrating.

Ain recognized them as runestones but was unable to identify their specific effects. But this didn’t pose a problem for him.

[Name: Runestone – Heal]

[Attribute: Wood]

[Rank: Advanced Rank-1]

Ain raised his eyebrow in surprise at the information gained from Scan.

The spell inscribed on this runestone was Heal, a Rank-1 wood spell. It was a common healing spell, but its usefulness and effectiveness were undeniable. Ain’s abilities in terms of support and healing were sorely lacking. These could temporarily alleviate that.

After scanning all three of them, Ain found them identical, all inscribed with Heal as the rune.

Without hesitation, he placed them in his pockets for ease of access.

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Next, Ain looked to the side, where another skeleton was scattered on the ground. Its white bones were unique, different from the pile he observed before. He easily recognized them as spirit beast remains. Just based on the coloration and some decayed flesh still on the bones, its death was relatively recent, possibly the most recent when compared to the other skeletons.

Seeing the bones, along with the mission description, the situation became clear to him.

Voltic Wolves weren't found in this region of the forest, but much deeper, where Rank-2 spirit beasts were more common. It was strange for one to be discovered here. This was also why a mission to exterminate it was issued.

From what he gathered; this Voltic Wolf had migrated here to give birth to its pups in safety. The skeleton currently in Ain’s vision was most likely the previous occupant of this cave, as well as the culprit responsible for the human skeletons.

This was only an afterthought to Ain. Although he was unsure of his actions earlier, he had come to accept them.

With the cave completely explored, Ain moved to gather the valuables.

The black spear was tied to his backpack, the runestones were in his pockets, and the two tiny pups were placed securely in a bag strapped to his chest. Ain wasn’t sure how long they would remain unconscious, but it wouldn't pose much of a problem. He meticulously left some space for fresh air to circulate into the bag.

Now that there was nothing else of value in the cave, Ain, along with Nox, followed the radiant sphere of light towards the exit and left.

After loading the Voltic Wolf’s body onto his back, he began the trek back to the city.

Ain traversed the dim forest with his usual vigilance, his fluxboard silently moving at a reasonable pace.

Since he was on the return trip, Ain didn’t have as many scruples about harvesting spirit plants and stopped often to do so. Not only did he gather the Misty Herbs, but he also collected some of the supplementary materials required for the Rank-1 Spirit Recovery Pills.

Traveling at a moderate pace, the journey back was uneventful, and Ain soon returned through the Forest Gate.

Compared to his first trip to the Duskfield Forest, Ain’s return was identical, but at the same time, different. His growth in these past few weeks was evident through these differences.

He had once again returned with bags strapped all over, and the body of an Advanced Rank-1 Spirit Beast tied behind him. But this time, Ain wasn't injured, and his health was great.

He walked through the Forest Gate on foot, but there was no hint of fatigue on his visage due to a grueling walk, thanks to the fluxboard.

There was determination in his eyes during both occasions, but now he exuded an additional aura of experience and maturity.

Ain himself didn’t notice these changes and continued onward to the Spirit Tamer Association branch.

As he walked, Ain passed busy taverns, with shouts and bouts of laughter emanating from within. The smell of meat and alcohol wafted into his nose, arousing his appetite. The path was wide, and the city reflected the Technological Age, but the rustic and boorish vibe from the taverns remained.

Ain walked on, glancing at the spirit tamers walking past, as well as the various spirit pets. He eavesdropped on the surrounding conversations as was his habit.

Just like that, he arrived at his destination. Glancing at the white and blue building adorned with hints of gray and yellow, Ain entered through the giant open doors.

About twenty minutes later, he exited through the same doors but without the Voltic Wolf’s body this time. The mission reward was 210,000 star coins, but Ain received 250,000 for the excellent condition of the wolf’s body. The stated reward was the minimum guaranteed reward upon completion.

With his first stop behind him, Ain arrived at Liberty Firm and entered through the glass doors. As a branch location, this store was not as large as the one in the central region, but the layout was still familiar.

Ain’s goals were clear, and he soon exited. This time, the weight on his body had decreased further.

After selling the rest of the loot, Ain’s total balance reached 740,000 star coins. The dent left by the alchemy set was mended.

With no other business to attend to, he made his way back toward the hoverbus stations. Today’s trip was on the shorter side, and it was only late afternoon.

As he walked by the taverns once again, the fragrant aroma of meat and alcohol once more assailed his senses.

Ain turned to look at the tavern with the sign “Chamber of Drunks” and paused his footsteps. After some thought, he walked toward it.

Due to his quick return, he had yet to eat, and it would still be a couple of hours before he arrived home. Hence, Ain decided to visit this tavern, not only to fill his stomach but also to satisfy his curiosity. He had often passed by similar establishments recently and was tempted to explore.

The ruckus grew louder as he approached the half-shut wooden doors. With a slight push, the doors flew open, and Ain moved his right foot forward, ready to enter.

At that moment, loud cheers suddenly erupted from the establishment.

“Wooohoooooooooooo!!!”

“Hahahahaha!”

Ain’s body almost flinched at the sudden eruption of noise, but he held still and calmly walked in. He turned his head toward the source of the cheers and spotted a large group of men surrounding two drunks. They held needlessly large mugs in their hands, and the mugs were currently attached to their lips as they gulped down the contents.

One of the men in the center finished his drink first and slammed the mug onto the table heavily.

Bam!

“Wooohooooooooooooo!!!”

Another round of cheers rang out, and the drunk who had just finished was among them.

Although this was a foreign setting to Ain, he knew what was going on.

There appeared to be a chugging contest in progress.