Finally leaving the musty, dank cave, I greedily sucked in the cool air, fresh with the scent of pine.

  Being in there surrounded by decaying flesh and a rancid stench had almost reminded me of my room back home though, a memory I looked fondly upon.

  My beloved PC and phone, just wait for me! I promise I’ll never leave the house again.

  Now that both my eyes had been “upgraded”, a whole new vista was displayed in front of me. Small insects scuttled here and there, dark plumed birds nested among the trees, and the once forbidding forest now seemed to teem with life and color.

  Although none of my stats had increased from changing my eyes, I felt as if my combat ability had more than doubled; it’d be much easier to navigate the battlefield now.

  Spirits high, I began to search for the next Deinopi den. I was eager to test my new capabilities, and I was in good condition after I’d rested in the cave.

  As I searched, I restocked my supply of Medium Potions, as well as some Lesser Potions for minor injuries. In addition, I bought a Greater light orb for 50 points. I’d already verified with my own eyes how bright the first light orb had been, so the upgraded version should have quite the devastating effect on the Deinopi.

  Soon, I came across another opening in the rock face, densely packed with Deinopi secretions just as the first den had been.

  As I walked into the cave, this time, I could clearly see the Deinopi hanging from the ceiling, watching my every move as I proceeded deeper within.

  However, I pretended as if I hadn’t noticed and continued walking, waiting for it to strike.

  As expected, once the Deinopi felt that I was deep enough that I wouldn’t be able to escape, it pounced from above, mandibles ready to sink their fangs into my neck.

  Smiling, I thrust the Greater light orb that I’d already prepared in my left hand directly into its face while simultaneously blocking with the Lycoph arm.

  With a piercing scream, the Deinopi staggered and fell to the ground, fangs still latched onto my arm. I quickly pulled out the Nanoblade and with one fluid movement, stabbed it directly through its skull, like a hot knife through butter.

  I then quickly retreated, not giving it any chance to react. Soon, its flailing limbs gradually stilled and the system notification appeared.

  Ding!

  Huh? Only 400 points this time? Was it because it was a male?

  “Melchior, I’d like to lodge a formal complaint about the points system.”

  “Is there an issue, Master Adun?”

  “Yeah, the system is sexist. All Deinopi were born equal! Justice for the Deinopi!”

  “...............”

  Upon closer inspection, this Deinopi was noticeably smaller than the first one had been; I guess females were the stronger variant and thus worth more points.

  Nevertheless, this hunt had gone incredibly smoothly; so smoothly even I was a bit surprised. I didn’t have a single scratch, and I hadn’t used a single potion; it was a pure profit of 400 points.

  With a gleeful grin, I dismantled the Deinopi’s corpse and immediately headed to the next den. Let the farming begin!

  One by one, I rinsed and repeated my strategy as I made my way through the outcropping. Whenever I came across any eggs, I hid them in a safe crevice and left dried food from the Shop for them to eat when they hatched.

  I slept and ate in the caves whenever I felt tired, and by the time I had slain over two dozen Deinopi, 2 days had passed.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Both my points and Inventory had exploded; I now had a whopping 11,000 points as well as a veritable mountain of Deinopi parts.

  I’m rich! But now the age-old question; what do I buy first?

  First, I purchased the [Species Tracking] upgrade for 5000 points; this would be essential for ensuring a steady flow of points in the future.

  I also purchased 2 Greater Potions for 1000 points each, to be used in absolute emergencies.

  Finally, with the remaining 4000 points, I bought a [Ring of Minor Fortitude] and a [Ring of Minor Power]

  I wanted to purchase the cheaper options, but the Lycoph arm had inflated my base stats too much. Right now, my main body had incredibly low stamina and durability, and my left arm was mainly relying on the Nanoblade’s Attack Power to carry it through battles.

  There were other accessory pieces that offered different auxiliary effects beyond that of simple stat increases, but I reasoned that with how weak I was currently, the highest priority was increasing my base stats.

  Bringing up my status screen, it now read:

  My main body now had an actual strength and physique stat of around 10. While it was still quite low, it was a far cry from what it had used to be.

  Strangely enough, even my Lycoph arm felt as if it had increased in power and durability, as its rippling muscles began to slightly bulge.

  It definitely had a Strength and Physique stat exceeding 40, well above the stat limit for the rings, but somehow it had received the stat bonuses.

  Was it because my base stats still fit the requirements?

  Interesting. There might be a way I can exploit this in the future.

  Ah, this pervert again? Hey, I’m going to pull down my pants and make you see a sight you won’t forget if you don’t buzz off.

  Speaking of which, I’m going to have to be even more careful when I use my Lycoph arm from now on. I already had quite a few scars from when I’d......accidentally wiped my butt with the wrong arm out of sheer habit. Those claws were seriously no joke.

  Now that I was a lowly peasant once more, it was time to set forth and harvest the fields.

  “Melchior, what’s the next species on the list? Give me something that’s worth a lot of points.”

  “Master Adun, taking your new abilities into consideration, I recommend the Talpiderys. They are communal creatures that mainly reside underground, forming complex tunnel systems. Many of them can be found at the same time, so slaying them should reward a generous amount of points.”

  Sounds good to me. I considered using the species tracker to find more Deinopi, but that was a waste of time at this point. I needed to acquire more parts, enough to adapt to any situation.

  I input “Talpiderys” into the tracker, and a blinking marker appeared on the Map. Damn, it was over 70 kilometers away. That was going to take at least a couple days of walking, precious time that I didn’t want to waste.

  As I began to consider switching the tracker to something else, Melchior suddenly chimed in.

  “Master Adun might I suggest something? There will be a D-grade Objective spawning en route to your destination in approximately 18 hours. You may wish to try your luck in obtaining it.”

  I checked the Map, and indeed, there was a blue marker not too far from here.

  “What exactly are these Objectives?”

  “Objectives are random events that can have a variety of rewards, ranging from points, equipment, stat increases, and special upgrades. They can appear as tasks to slay a certain creature or be as simple as being the first to touch the objective marker. Their location and spawn time are visible to everyone.”

  “Won’t there be quite a few people over there then? Honestly, I don’t think I stand a chance right now.”

  “As it is only a D-grade Objective, there will most likely only be those from Tier 5 worlds or below competing for it. With your current advantages, I believe Master Adun has a non-zero chance of success.”

  Non-zero huh? Well, that was comforting.

  Still, this might be a good chance to finally see what the other races were like and maybe get some new parts.

  I wouldn’t attack any of them first, but if they provoked me, I wouldn’t show any mercy either.

  Steeling my resolve, I began to walk to the objective marker, ready to try my luck.