Red Monster

Chapter 69: Bigger Number, Better Equipment

Red opened his eyes, yawning. He woke up later than usual, but not too late. After the curse was placed on him by the Shaman, he kept waking up at the same time every morning. Even after getting rid of the curse, he kept waking at the same time.

Today was a rare occasion when he woke up late. Not that it really matters because of his new status as someone in command when the Chief was away.

’Maybe it’s because last night.’

After successfully making one spiky ball, he moved on to the arrows. Since he planned to switch to a bow, he wanted to be prepared. He refined the arrow, then he sharpened the arrowhead.

After a few experiments, he found out that the arrowhead was made of low-quality metal. He couldn’t use more than 30 mana to sharpen the arrowhead. The arrowhead broke apart if he used more than 30 mana to sharpen it, even after refining it. There was a limit to how much refining could do to increase the metal quality.

Red ended up using 22-26 mana per arrowhead for [Mana Sharpening]. That was the ideal number, so the arrowhead didn’t break apart or become brittle. Even with [Mana Authority], it was still hard to measure his mana properly. That was why he ended up with 22-26 mana.

He used all his mana last night, and maybe that was why he woke up late this morning.

Regardless, last night was quite productive, and he would like to try his new bow for today’s hunting. He had a feeling that his village might go to war against the kobolds once the Chief returned. He needed to familiarize himself with the bow before that.

As he was about to get up, he sensed something weighing on his chest. He looked down only to find that Darla was curled on his chest.

"Hey... It’s time to get up..." He tried to shake the female human, trying to whisper mixed with human and goblin language.

"Let me sleep for another few minutes..."

That was the response he got from her, and he understood nothing. He let out a sigh, frustrated with the lack of progress in learning the human language. Lately, he had been busy with the kobold, so they didn’t get to spend any time on the lesson.

However, he hoped that he would pick up something as he kept listening to her. Just like how he learned to talk goblin language from hearing the other goblins. But it was not as simple as he thought.

Red held the soft buttock that still lacked meat. In his opinion, it would be better to have more meat there, so it would be more comfortable to hold it.

He held her as he got up. If it were any other day, he wouldn’t mind staying longer in bed. But today was different. He could not wait to try with his new bow.

Remembering his bow, he forgot to check his bow after repair and refining. He needed to see if the refining and repair would improve his new bow.

He placed Darla on their modified bed. It was no longer a straw bed. The bed was coated in leather, and the top part was covered with the smooth fur of Rabbon. He didn’t know what was beneath the leather, but he was sure it was not straw.

Red looked at the bed and realized something. He was surprised that he was interested in the bed. There was an intrigue inside him, an urge to improve the bed, trying to find out what was inside the bed, and wanting to find out what he could do to make the bed more comfortable.

"Maybe I am not a hunter or a fighter, but a crafter..." He muttered.

He never felt this way in hunting and fighting. For him, it was a way to survive in the jungle and also in his village. Shaking his head, he left the room.

He made a habit of maintaining his equipment every morning. He did so ever since he moved into his home, but the first thing he checked was the Great Longbow. He could no longer hold his curiosity.

Great Longbow

Condition: Excellent

Quality: Rare

Attribute: Attack I (before +0.5) Range I (before +0.5)

There was something new. While he expected an improvement, it was not this kind of improvement. He tried to inspect what it meant, Attack I was, but the result was the same.

[Attack: Increase damage dealt based on user attribute and attack attribute. Damage Increase: (1 x user Strength)%]

It was just that the number was different. Instead of 0.5, it was now 1. He still didn’t know what that number implied, nor what the strange symbol (%) meant. Red, being Red, he simplified with a bigger number, better equipment.

Then he checked on the arrow, the same one he took from the kobold. He repaired, refined, and sharpened the arrow. He expected a good result. There were seventeen arrows, and that should be enough for a hunting trip.

Then he started to clean his armor, checking it to see if he needed to repair it. But again, his armor remained untouched. Not a single kobold touched as it was he who attacked them.

After ensuring his equipment was fine, Red brought his bow and quiver out. He planned to try the bow first at the back of the village, using trees as his target practice. He could not use his slingshot experience for the bow.

The bow certainly needed more strength to pull, but provided more fatality in each shot. A single shot could disable or even kill his prey.

First, he wanted to familiarize himself with the aiming, starting with a short-distance shot. After getting the gist of it, he started to put more distance between himself and the tree. The whistling noise from the arrow was gratifying to him.

Second, he tried to find the maximum distance at which he could maintain his accuracy. A good hunter should have the ideal distance, at least he thought so. That was why he tried to get further and further from his practice target.

The result was a surprise as he could maintain his accuracy even at a distance of ten trees. He used the giant tree in the jungle as a measurement, and he could maintain his accuracy within ten trees. It was a surprise since this was the first time he practiced with a bow.

"The Range attribute... That might be the reason why..."

Of course, the distance of ten trees was impossible to achieve in the jungle. The thick canopy would block his view; the branches were too thick to provide a clear view. Ten trees were not possible, but maybe three or four trees were still doable.

He practiced longer, focusing more on his accuracy. After he felt it was enough, he returned home. He was ready for today’s hunt.

When Red returned, Darla had woken up with food on the table. She saw his armor was still on the chair, so that was why she prepared the food.

A steaming potato and similar braised meat from last night’s dinner were in between the potatoes. She prepared big potatoes with meat in the middle.

He was about to devour the food until she pulled her wrist, pointing to her forehead. Red frowned, trying to understand what she wanted.

"Kiss... Kiss..."

The word was foreign, but he recognized the gesture. Especially when her voluptuous lips kept moving.

Being preoccupied with the food, Red didn’t question it. He kissed her forehead and went to the chair. He put a whole potato inside his mouth and enjoyed the food. As he expected from Darla, her food was never bad.

Darla just shook her head, but a smile etched on her lips.