Chapter 71: How To Cook A BirdAfter receiving Vermillion Eclipse, Master handed me a map.

    "I''ve marked the mines according to your story. You should go check them out." [Vincent]

    From the story I''ve told him, there were only three mines. However, there were four markings.

    "...What''s this mark over here for?" [Solace]

    "That''s Medwin''s manor. You can find your main source of information there." [Vincent]

    Having said that, I wondered why I even needed to go to the three mines.

    "O... kay...?" [Solace]

    "It seems like you haven''t understood the meaning behind my words." [Vincent]

    He spoke as if he read my mind.

    "I mean... yeah?" [Solace]

    "A man who has a full stomach will never know hunger. Do you understand?" [Vincent]

    I was baffled. He said it like it was a riddle, but it was just kind of a fact.

    "...Just leave." [Vincent]

    Nodding without replying, I left.

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

    I exited via breaking the wall, and pondered to myself.

    ("What''s the first thing I do?") [Solace]

    Thinking of possibilities, I did the one thing that was a must.

    "|Doppelganger|." [Solace]

    Summoning an exact copy of myself, I gave it a command.

    "Go to Fina''s side." [Solace]

    Without replying, it turned into my spirit self and vanished.

    ("...I didn''t even tell it to transform. Does it have sentience?") [Solace]

    Before I could even ponder about that, I cut off the idea so I wouldn''t get freaked out.

    ("Now, do I head to the mines first... or the manor?") [Solace]

    As I made my decision, I thought of Master''s words.

    ("...I''ll head to the mines.") [Solace]

    Changing into my evolved spirit form, I flew towards the Camerina mine. I flew over a long road, passing by carriages on the way. At some point, I noticed a sign on the road.

    ("This reads... Camerina village?") [Solace]

    The village itself didn''t appear on the map Master gave me, so I thought it must be where the mines were located.

    ("Guess I''ll head that way.") [Solace]

    As I traveled down the road, I had the thought of turning into a human along the way.

    ("Wouldn''t I get more information if I talked to the villagers?") [Solace]

    It was then that I decided to use |Mimic| without a second thought.

    "|Wardrobe|." [Solace]

    Lucky for me, I was able to put on clothes immediately using my skill.

    ("...It''s been a while since I''ve traveled on foot.") [Solace]

    Back on earth, I was the type of guy to get dragged around places with my friends. Since it''s been a while since I''ve gone to another location, I was kind of excited.

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

    After walking for about thirty minutes, the village came into view. It was still quite far, but I could see children playing with sticks nearby.

    ("...They''re pretty far from the village. Is parental supervision not a thing here?") [Solace]

    The kids seemed to notice me too, seeing as they smiled and waved at me.

    ("Huh. Cute kids.") [Solace]

    I smiled and waved back, until I got alerted.

    "Warning: Hostility has been detected." [Spirit Guide]

    ("Huh?") [Solace]

    I was immediately put on guard. Was it the kids? Or was it something else?

    ("...No, it can''t be the kids.") [Solace]

    The kids weren''t even looking at me. They were playing with sticks like they were knights.

    ("Where could it possibly be coming from?") [Solace]

    It was then that I heard flapping sounds from above.

    ("...What''s that?") [Solace]

    I saw some kind of gray bird in the sky. It looked similar to a hawk, but was multiple times bigger.

    "|Analyze|." [Solace]

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

    Name: Bale

    Race: Silver Jay

    Class: N/A

    Gender: Male

    Age: 6

    Level: 24

    Health: 2400/2400

    Mana: 700/700

    Strength: 389

    Agility: 645

    Intelligence: 200

    Willpower: 150

    Status: Stable

    Skills: |Paralytic Talon Lv. 2| |Air Slash Lv. 3| |Sonic Screech Lv. 1|

    Unique Skill: N/A

    Titles: N/A

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

    Looking at its stats, it wasn''t much. The bird looked at me and paused for a few seconds. Sёarch* The N??eFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ("...What''s it doing?") [Solace]

    As if it had understood the difference between our strength, it dived towards the children.

    ("Ayo?! That''s cheap!") [Solace]

    I rushed to the kids, hoping I could make it in time.

    "Move!" [Solace]

    The children screamed in fright as they witnessed the Silver Jay fly towards them.

    "R-run! It''s a monster!" [Frightened Child]

    I pushed myself harder than I have ever pushed myself before. Zooming across the road, I barely managed to arrive.

    "Come at me!" [Solace]

    I put my arms in front of me, causing the bird to strike my forearms with its beak.

    "Urgh!" [Solace]

    The bird backed up while inhaling. I assumed it was going to use its |Sonic Screech|, so I grabbed its mouth.

    "What? Cat''s got your beak?" [Solace]

    The bird struggled, clawing me with its talons.

    "|Shock Resistance| activated." [Spirit Guide]

    Hearing that, I smiled.

    "Too bad, so sad." [Solace]

    Raising a hand, it burst into flame.

    "|Blazing Fist|." [Solace]

    I pierced the bird''s chest with my hand, cooking it from the inside out.

    "You have gained |Experience|. |Blazing Fist| has gained a level. You have gained a level." [Spirit Guide]

    ("...Sweet.") [Solace]

    After finishing off the monster, I put it into my |Item box|.

    ("I wonder what happened to those kids.") [Solace]

    As I turned to head towards the village, I found myself looking at three children staring at me with admiration.

    ("...Oh.") [Solace]