"System, how many magic crystals will the next simulation require?"
"The next simulation will require 25 first-order magic crystals."
Hearing this, Gobulo felt a twinge of frustration. He had hoped to exploit a loophole by only leveling up his skills, not his overall level, to save magic crystals for future simulations. But the System was relentless; as his strength increased, so did the simulation cost.
Collecting 25 magic crystals wasn't challenging for him now, but he couldn't help feeling that his untimely death in the last simulation might have been avoided. Perhaps forming the scouting party had led to the valley's discovery. Maybe doing nothing was the right choice after all.
Gobulo glanced at the Troll's cave, greed flickering in his eyes. With his current strength, he could probably take down the lazy, gluttonous Troll and claim his magic crystals. But he quickly quelled this thought. This was reality, not a simulation; there was no room for error. It was wiser to wait until after the next simulation to deal with the Troll. For now, he would focus on adapting to his new abilities.
Deciding to test his strength, Gobulo left the camp to hunt alone. Although his level hadn't improved, his new skills and higher Critical Strike level should make him much more efficient.
Outside the camp, Gobulo noticed the world was sharper. The Azure Pupil talent made his vision significantly clearer, allowing him to spot many small magical beasts hidden in the tall grass. Normally, he would hunt these, but today, he sought stronger prey to test his abilities.
He targeted a magical beast resembling a wild dog, about 1.3 meters long—large among low-level magical beasts and likely stronger due to its carnivorous nature.
Moving quietly toward the wild dog, Gobulo felt his body was lighter, thanks to Fortitude and Combat Instinct. His movements were silent, and the dog only sensed danger when he was ten meters away. But it was too late; Gobulo's Lv.9 Critical Strike shattered its neck in one blow.
Gobulo compared himself to the Troll. While the Troll could flatten a newborn Goblin, this adult wild dog had much stronger bones. His Critical Strike provided more power than the Troll's punch, but it had a cooldown, unlike regular attacks. Overall, his strength matched the Troll's.
Encouraged, Gobulo continued hunting alone. With his current strength, solo hunting was quick and efficient. He no longer cared about the magical beast meat; improving his strength was paramount.
Three hours later, he looked at the five magical beast corpses before him, satisfied. Thanks to Fortitude, his stamina was better, though he noticed the valley's magical beasts were weak. The wild dog was the strongest he'd encountered, aside from the Troll. Was he just lucky, or was something else at play in this valley?
As he feasted on his kills, Gobulo pondered the valley's nature. The Troll's strength seemed disproportionate compared to other creatures. Perhaps the Troll knew why the valley was like this.
Determined to uncover the truth, Gobulo decided to observe the Troll before his next simulation, seeking to understand why the Troll thrived in such a peculiar environment.
At night, Gobulo refrained from hunting, having spent all day exerting himself. Instead, he secretly watched the Troll's cave. By midnight, only snoring emanated from the cave, and nothing unusual occurred.
For the next three days, Gobulo hunted by day and staked out the Troll's cave by night, resting minimally. He gathered 19 first-order magic crystals, needing just 6 more for the next simulation.
Tonight marked his final watch. If the Troll continued snoring like before, Gobulo planned to gather the remaining crystals and confront the Troll tomorrow.
As he prepared to leave, the snoring stopped. Gobulo watched as the Troll emerged, clutching a pile of magic crystals—over a hundred, by his estimate.
Gobulo's eyes widened, tempted to seize them but holding back. He was curious to see what the Troll would do with so many crystals. Was he about to hide them?
Realizing he might uncover the Troll's secret stash, Gobulo's heart raced with anticipation.