→[Congratulations to the host for killing a hidden monster for the first time.]
→[Swordsmanship upgraded to Elementary.]
→[Reward: Butcher & Gather skill acquired.]
Rain finished changing into his new clothes and made his way to the nearby boulder.
He pulled out system surface and saw that he had a string of notifications from the system.
"So, after all this time, the system finally decides to respond," he muttered to himself, scrolling through the messages.
Rain looked up at the notification that had popped up on his screen. "Hey, System, why did I get rewarded?" he asked, his forehead creased in confusion.
→[Host killed hidden monster which was not killed in the plot. So you got an achievement.]
Perplexed, Rain leaned forward, his eyes scanning the message. "So, if I do things that didn't happen in the novel, will I be able to get some rewards?" he queried the System.
→[Maybe or maybe not.]
Rain frowned. "Hey, speak clearly." He didn't like the way the System was avoiding or giving vague answers.
→[Information is blocked. Host doesn't have the authority to check it yet.]
"That means I'll get the authority to check it in the future, someday," Rain mused aloud, trying to parse the context of the System's sentence.
"That's great!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. But soon, his enthusiasm faded.
"But what is this authority? How do I get that?" Rain realized he knew nothing about the authority.
→[When the plot reaches a certain percentage, the host will get new features and upgrades in the System. There are levels of authority, and the host's authority level will increase as the plot reaches milestones.]
Rain nodded, digesting the information. "I see. Now, I remember when the System gave me three choices. The extra character choice said just go with the flow." He paused, thinking. "It would be nice to have more control over what happens, though."
Rain made a surprised (°o°) face.
'I just have to survive the plot and as the plot progresses, I will get authorities. That's why there is a [Plot Progress Tab].'
Rain felt now all puzzles fall into place.
'So if the plot made progress to a certain point then there is a chance that I will get some authority or new features will unlock in the system, right?' Rain assumed.
→[Yes.]
'Good. Then, System, how much authority now do I have?' He wanted to know that, so he can get any information from the system.
→[Host. You don't have any authority now. In other words, its level is zero. After all, the plot hasn't even started now.]
"…" Rain felt his expectations were betrayed.
'It appears that I have to wait for the start of the plot to get authority. And with that, I may be able to ask the System some questions.'
Although Rain was slightly disappointed, knowing that he will get answers to his questions someday made him feel motivated.
After spending days in the library like a bookworm, Rain discovered that this world is slightly different from the game.
That game had too many loopholes and plot holes, but now the world will fill all the empty spaces. Time will answer every question.
There's also a chance that his existence will make the plot crumble or even destroy the entire story. Not that Rain cared about it, even if it happened.
Still, Rain decided to do things in moderation. He knew that the plot would not differ too much if he does some things systematically. However, he didn't want any hassle.
'Although I don't care, even if the entire story gets destroyed, it will be too much trouble if some things go in the wrong direction,' Rain grumbled inwardly.
Rain couldn't help but wonder, "What if a villain was supposed to die but somehow managed to survive? That could cause a lot of trouble."
He pondered the situation for a moment before considering whether he should take matters into his own hands and kill the villains himself.
However, the thought of all that work made him hesitant.
Instead, Rain thought about his other options.
He knew that in order to keep things on track with the plot, he had to take into account both variables and counter-variables.
As he considered the best course of action, a mischievous smile played across his face.
He knew that he had the power to shape the story in his own way.
Rain considered whether meddling with the protagonist would make him weaker, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
The protagonist had a "cheat" that made him even stronger, so there was no need to worry about that.
The more Rain thought about it, the more he became intrigued by the possibilities. He chuckled to himself, relishing in the thrill of it all.
It was like playing a game, and Rain was determined to win.
'Now let's check the reward.' he started checking his reward for an achievement.
╠═? Skills ?═╣
[Active skills] :
→Swordsmanship- Elementary(^)
→Butchering-Beginner(n)
→Gathering-Beginner(n)
Rain's Swordsmanship mastery had ranked up because of his battle with the red wolf, but one wrong step could have cost him his life.
After the fight, Rain drank potions to heal his injuries. They were not as effective as the elixir he drank last time, but they made him feel comfortable.
"Now my proficiency is just one step away from becoming an intermediate swordsman," Rain sighed, shaking his head.
He had been an intermediate swordsman before, but he got downgraded. When you attain intermediate proficiency in swordsmanship, you have the opportunity to learn various sword arts.
Similarly, other weapon mastery areas such as archery, spear fighting, and axe-wielding also offer a variety of techniques to learn.
However, it takes months to reach an intermediate level in any weapon mastery.
It even takes a month to adapt to any weapon and gain elementary skill.
As proficiency increases, it becomes harder to advance. Therefore, most people in this world only use a few weapons.
After treating his injuries, Rain decided to return to the place where he fought the red wolf and try out his new skills.
As he approached the area, he saw the corpse of the red wolf, along with the bodies of other wolves.
Some people might be wondering, "Why is it still here?" and "Don't wolves usually eat their prey?"
Apparently, these wolves were different. After becoming monsters, they could live without eating for months.
Rain surveyed the scene before him. "Here it is. There's quite a bit of blood, huh?" he observed. The sight was gory - the lifeless body of a red wolf lay before him.
"Time to put my butchering skill to use," Rain remarked as he approached the wolf's corpse. He donned a pair of gloves and began to cut the body into pieces. "Good. This skill will come in handy for cutting monsters," he noted.
After some time, Rain had finished butchering every wolf's corpse.
Using his gathering skill, he collected a variety of materials, including wolf meat, wolf pelt, and fangs.
Although they were useless to Rain, he knew that many people would buy them for making weapons or decorative pieces.
For his plan, he needed too much money. So every penny counts.
Leaving the dungeon, Rain retrieved his Space Sprinter from his space ring. "Now, I can get that elixir. Let's go," he said, starting up the vehicle.
***
Driving for some time, Rain reached the second location where he would collect a hidden piece.
[Red (Blood) Mountain]
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