Chapter 37 - New Addition (2)

[Procedure completed!]

[You have unlocked the secondary effect of the skill index <Search>. Knowledge gained from the others has been transferred to the Index, and would now transfer newly gained knowledge automatically.]

[You can now look for a specific type of beast and if an encounter has been recorded by the others, it would show you the location of the beast as well as its average stats.]

"My head still hurts a bit..." Zok mumbled while massaging his forehead.

It felt like someone had torn his head off and then replaced it with a new one. The pounding in his head took a while to stop, but even through the pain, Zok could realise the impact this search feature would have on increasing his battle prowess.

Not only would he be able to search for specific beasts, but he would also be able to search for beasts with specific stats which would be beneficial for him in case he needed to increase a specific stat of his as well. All he had to do for it was to open the index and think about what he was looking for and the desired information would pop up in front of him.

Zok didn't want to waste any time because of his stupid headache. So he went ahead and opened up the index for the first time after the system had explained to him its features. There were a lot of empty slots denoted by '?' on one side and information about the beasts he had encountered on the other. However, there was a gigantic gap between the numbers of known and unknown beasts, which was to be expected as he hadn't even explored 1% of the wilderness on his own.

Still, he could see there were a few monsters there whom he had never seen before. Not even while he was still in his tribe. Like the beast that looked like a plant but at first sight but in reality, it was just the head of a beast that lived underground. As fascinating as it was, this kind of beast was pretty useless for Zok but was worth being on the lookout for.

"Should I search for 'armour' or 'defence'? Eh? I'll do both one after another. Something good should come up either way."

Just as he did that, a couple of beasts came up in the searches. First was an insectoid but Zok had already encountered this type of insect and he knew although they had tough exoskeletons, one of them wouldn't be able to do anything as they usually worked as a swarm. And Zok was not in a mood to spend a crapton of control points just to tame an army of insectoids.

The next few results were the same, either they were too small to do anything on their own or lacked the type of stats Zok was looking for. He had almost given up hope when he found exactly what he was looking for.

In front of him was a picture of a beast almost 1.5 times bigger than Kaira. It was covered with thick stony armour from the head to the toe and had three sharp horns for different sizes protruding from its skull in a linear fashion. The smallest horn was situated right above the snout of the monster followed by the biggest one and then the third one was located on its forehead, right between the ears.

This four-legged beast, had two sets of eyes, one on each side of its bulky face. Not to mention the rocky pair of ears located right next to each other on the top of its head. Just by looking at it, Zok could tell it was going to be a hell of a creature and its average stats didn't disappoint him either. Despite looking bulky, these beasts were faster than any Occunian. (Author's Note: If you're having trouble imagining it, it's a rhinoceros with extra horns and eyes.)

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Basic Information:

Species: Andesite Abyssal Cerotidae

Gender: Male or Female

Level: 12-15

Stats:

HP: 2000-4500

Strength: 15-30

Defence: 50-80

Stealth: 0

Stamina: 65-85

Agility: 35-45

Accuracy: 50%

Location: 15km due east.

Additional Information: These beasts have an excellent sense of smell that makes up for their bad eyesight. It wouldn't be wise to confront them head-on, especially as a herd.

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"This is it!" Zok screamed so loudly, it even startled poor Kaira, "I'm sorry, Kaira. But it's good that you're up. We got some hunting to do, let's go!"

***

Zok and Kaira were both hiding in bushes, scouting the lone Cerotidae, who happened to be happily grazing. It was the first time Zok had seen such a beast and only one word came into his mind... magnificent. Although the index told him Cerotidae were 1.5 times bigger than Kaira, this one, in particular, was easily more than twice as big as her. No wonder this Cerotidae was grazing on his own rather than as a herd, after all, who would have wanted to mess with a beast like this.

The Cerotidae's entire body was covered with weird white rocky skin, except his horns and legs that were black, meaning it was an aberrant beast. That would also explain why it was so different from the ones Zok had seen in the index.

'It's going to be a tough fight... but this is the one beast I want to tame.' Zok thought to himself, 'So here's what we will do. Kaira, use your agility and attack it from behind and then run away. No matter how fast the beast is, considering his bulky body, it would take some time for him to turn around and face you. Make as much noise as you can during that time. Enough to push the beast forward. I'll handle the rest, is that clear?'

Kaira let out a low growl before heading to do what Zok had asked of her.

"This should be interesting." He mumbled before hiding behind the nearest tree, "Thankfully, I don't have to worry about causing harm to the beast because the moment I tame him, all of his injuries would be healed as well, just like it happened with Kaira."