Chapter 46

Chapter 46: The Broken Power of the Enhanced Absorption Skill

The place I had arrived at was the same location where I had fought the Ice Turtle.

'The ice dungeon is still freezing.'

Still, compared to the Glace Mushroom cultivation cave, this was mild.

With the Cold Attribute Resistance gear equipped, it was bearable.

If it became truly unbearable, I could drink some Fruit Wine or eat a Glace Mushroom.

I immediately began moving to find Horn Rabbits.

'If I cannot tame them, I will have to visit every Rift dungeon where Horn Rabbits appear and hunt them one by one.'

That would be the only way to replenish my meat supply.

There was also the option of commissioning other Hunters to hunt Horn Rabbits and procure the meat.

However, meat obtained that way would suffer in freshness.

I needed to catch them myself and immediately store them in Acresia before they deteriorated to maintain peak freshness.

In any case, I would prioritize trying to tame the Horn Rabbits over hunting.

While moving, I heard a threatening sound from a Horn Rabbit.

THUMP THUMP!

The sound of a Horn Rabbit stamping the ice floor with its hind legs — a warning signal.

The Horn Rabbit had sensed my presence and was signaling me to stay away.

'It must be just around the corner.'

I opened Acresia and took out one B-Rank carrot.

From behind the corner wall, I gently tossed the carrot to the left where the Horn Rabbit was.

Would it eat it?

I focused intently on the sounds.

THUMP THUMP!

It was still stamping its hind legs and sending warning signals. It did not seem to be eating.

Was I too close?

I backed farther away from the corner.

Then I heard the Horn Rabbit moving away.

'It is not eating the B-Rank carrot and just leaving......?'

I peeked around the corner.

I could see the Horn Rabbit's adorable rump and tail retreating into the distance.

The B-Rank carrot I had thrown was gone.

"That little......!"

It had snatched the carrot and was running off with it.

I followed at a distance, keeping my trail hidden.

'Times like this, I am grateful for the Gate skill.'

Thanks to the Gate skill, I did not need to mark my path on a map.

If I got lost, I could simply use the Gate skill to leave.

That freedom was what allowed me to track the rabbit like this.

'How far does it plan to go?'

It felt like at least ten minutes had passed since I started following.

Could it know I was tailing it and was trying to shake me?

'In that case, maybe I should try that skill.'

When Acresia had risen to Ancient A-Grade, the Absorption Skill had been enhanced along with the Release Skill.

'And it was not just a simple enhancement.'

Through the Enhanced Absorption Skill, I had come to understand why Acresia was truly an Ancient-Grade skill.

The Enhanced Absorption Skill allowed me to use one of the traits or skills of a devoured Monster in a downgraded form.

I activated one of the Monster skills I had gained through Enhanced Absorption.

— Silent Footsteps.

The sound of my footsteps as I pursued the Horn Rabbit was drastically reduced.

This skill was a trait from the Named Doppelganger that Acresia had devoured.

'I thought it was a completely useless skill, but it does have its uses.'

The Horn Rabbit's fleeing speed decreased.

It turned to look back, but I quickly hid behind a corner.

Fortunately, it did not seem to notice me.

'Now will it eat?'

Regardless of whether it had a pursuer or not, it still was not eating.

The creature continued carrying the carrot and heading somewhere.

Hours seemed to pass.

'Should I just grab it......?'

My patience was nearing its limit.

On the other hand, I was curious.

Where on earth was it heading?

Then a regular cave, free of snow or ice, appeared.

'There is no snow or ice here.'

This was a type of terrain never before discovered in the Cheorwon B ice cave.

Just how deep had I come?

Also, the number of Horn Rabbits was steadily increasing.

The Horn Rabbit carrying the B-Rank carrot communicated with each rabbit it encountered using various sounds — "buk-buk," "ppi-ppi," "wak-wak" — and they all began traveling together.

Before I knew it, the group had grown to six Horn Rabbits.

'What is going on?'

I decided to keep following.

Occasionally, the Horn Rabbits seemed to sense something off and would all turn around at once.

Each time, I had to duck behind a rock or a corner.

Narrowly avoiding detection as I tailed them—

We arrived at a large door, and the Horn Rabbits went through it.

'Could this door be......'

I had read about it in the Hunter introductory guide.

It was a door leading to a boss room.

I leaned against the corner and secretly peered inside.

There, in the center of a large hall, I spotted a creature.

'A massive black Horn Rabbit.'

Its build was nearly the size of a Siberian tiger.

A large diagonal scar ran across one of its eyes.

That black Horn Rabbit was apparently the boss of this Rift.

The Horn Rabbit carrying the B-Rank carrot set it down before the boss.

'So it was bringing it as an offering to the boss.'

The boss rabbit ate it with relish, its eyes snapping wide open and ears perking straight up.

'Must be delicious.'

The boss Horn Rabbit then placed a front paw on the head of the rabbit that had brought the carrot.

It looked like a king commending a loyal subject.

'That was an entertaining scene.'

Then—

The boss rabbit's ears suddenly shot up.

Its head snapped in my direction.

Its eyes met mine as I peeked from behind the door.

'Well...... I have been spotted.'

So what now?

Should I try to win it over?

I opened Acresia and pulled out two more B-Rank carrots.

I tossed them in front of the boss Horn Rabbit, which was baring its teeth in fury.

However—

CRUNCH!

Too enraged to even notice the food, it simply stomped the carrots flat.

'You little pest. Do you know how valuable those are?'

Precious carrots that Ria and Rin had farmed.

If negotiation would not work, then I had no choice but to capture it.

I stepped through the door.

A system message appeared.

[You have entered the boss room.]

Just as I suspected — a boss room.

The moment I entered, the boss Horn Rabbit charged at me.

Its body was large, but being a rabbit, it was incredibly agile.

'They say any First Floor boss is at least a Mid-Grade Monster or above.'

In that case, this boss Horn Rabbit was also Mid-Grade or higher.

If I let my guard down, I could die.

So I decided to go all out from the start.

I fired steel balls from Acresia's Release Skill in every direction around me.

Eight shots in total.

The boss Horn Rabbit tried to dodge by sharply changing direction, but four shots connected.

Despite taking heavy wounds, it charged head-on undeterred.

I raised my spear and met it head-on.

'My stats alone put me at A-Rank or above, so I have nothing to fear in close combat.'

I used the spear's inherent skill, Spatial Thrust, aimed at the charging creature's thigh.

STAB!

Attacked from beyond the spear's normal reach, the boss Horn Rabbit seemed caught off guard and took the hit cleanly.

A hole was punched through its thigh, and its movements slowed dramatically.

I dodged its charging horn attack by throwing myself to the side.

CRASH!

The creature rammed its massive horn into the wall, and its head was buried in the resulting rubble.

'Not the most intelligent, it seems.'

I rushed in and drove my spear into its neck.

It convulsed briefly, then went still.

Even among Mid-Grade Monsters, bosses were stronger than regular ones.

And I had dispatched such a boss with relative ease.

'That is how much stronger I have become.'

A system message appeared.

[You have successfully cleared the First Floor of the Rift.]

[You may activate the Rift gate leading to the Second Floor of the Rift.]

[As a Rift clearing achievement, all stats increase by +1.]

[You have obtained the title "Conqueror of the Frozen Rift."]

[Title effect: Cold Resistance +11%]

I had cleared the Rift and gained stats.

On top of that, I received a title — which could only be obtained by defeating a Rift boss — granting 11% Cold Resistance.

'I came to tame Horn Rabbits and hit an unexpected jackpot.'

The fight was not over yet.

The six Horn Rabbits gathered in the boss room had surrounded me.

On top of that, enraged Horn Rabbits were swarming toward the entrance as well.

"Calm down, everyone."

They looked ready to attack at any moment.

They were all Lowest-Grade, so dealing with them would not be particularly difficult, but I wanted to try winning them over before resorting to that.

"Want some carrots?"

I pulled out a carrot and waved it, but they still did not lower their hostility.

Did I really have to take them all out?

That was when a useful skill came to mind.

'What if I try this?'

A skill gained through Enhanced Absorption and devouring.

It was the Bone Dragon's Fear skill.

— RAAAAGH!!

Rather than a Dragon's roar, what came out sounded more like a metal rock vocalist unleashing a scream.

'My throat stings a little......?'

It put quite a strain on my vocal cords.

But the effect was undeniable.

"Kkiing."

"Kking."

"Kkyu."

The Horn Rabbits raised their front paws, flattened their ears, and trembled.

The Fear effect of Dragon Fear had worked perfectly.

'The Fear skill is actually quite useful.'

It would have little effect on powerful Monsters, but against a large number of weak ones, it was extremely effective.

I had been a bit disappointed that it was not the Bone Dragon's Breath, but Fear was not bad at all.

I then used one more Enhanced Absorption skill.

It was the Ice Turtle's Ice Nova.

WHOOSH!

A faint wave of cold energy spread outward.

Every skill was significantly downgraded from the original Monster's ability.

But even with reduced power, being able to use multiple skills was a major advantage.

The Horn Rabbits, hit by the cold wave, cowered further.

They soon lay flat on the ground in complete submission.

'As expected, when it comes to taming or ruling, fear-based dominance is the most effective.'

But that was not an approach I particularly liked.

I had given the stick. Now it was time for the carrot. Literal carrots.

I pulled out about twenty B-Rank carrots and scattered them around me.

"Here, eat up."

Only then did the Horn Rabbits slowly unfold the ears they had been pressing down and raise their heads to look at the carrots.

"It is alright. Come and eat."

They approached cautiously, wary of me, and began eating.

They clearly recognized me as something to be feared and kept their guard up, but they showed absolutely no intent to attack.

In that case—

When I extended my hand, one Horn Rabbit flinched.

I stroked its back. At first it froze in place, then resumed eating the carrot.

Once that one let its guard down, the others followed suit.

The total number of gathered Horn Rabbits: twenty-one.

'Perfect, this is a success.'

Once all the gathered rabbits had entered the hall and were eating carrots, I fired five steel balls via Release Skill at the ceiling above the boss room entrance.

BOOM—!

Stone debris came crashing down, sealing the entrance.

Now these Horn Rabbits were trapped.

My plan was to keep them confined here, feed them regularly, and gradually tame them over time until they followed me.

Horn Rabbits with a single pointed horn in the center were males.

Those with branching antler-like horns were females.

Of the twenty-one, twelve were male and nine were female.

The ratio was not bad.

'With this many, I should have enough to start breeding without needing to catch more.'

While the Horn Rabbits continued eating—

I absorbed the boss black Horn Rabbit's carcass into Acresia.

'I wonder if this boss can be cooked and eaten too?'

I would have to go back and experiment.

"Horn Rabbits, stay put and behave. I will come back with more food."

I traveled to the Rift house via Gate skill.

***

After returning, I told Ria about what had happened in the ice dungeon.

After hearing the story, Ria spoke.

"Horn Rabbits are normally extremely aggressive Monsters, but thanks to the Fear skill, they were paralyzed with terror in front of you."

"Right. Could it be because it is a Dragon's skill — the creature at the very top of all Monsters — that they felt instinctive fear?"

"That seems to be it. Anyway, you are truly impressive, Seon-u. Coming up with the idea of taming aggressive Monsters, and actually half-succeeding at it."

"It is all thanks to Acresia. The more I learn about it, the more incredible a skill it seems."

From a single Subspace Storage skill, countless derivative skills could be used.

It was nothing short of a broken skill.

Ria continued.

"Once you succeed in taming the Horn Rabbits, you plan to bring them to this Rift floor, right?"

"That is the plan, but first I need to find a place to set up a breeding ground."

The area near the house was already saturated with Ria's fields and Rin's orchard.

In other words, it had to be built externally.

"How about in the forest on the outskirts of the house?"

"Inside the forest?"

"Yes. If it is too far away, it will be hard to manage, and Monsters might attack and eat them. So building it close by, in the forest right outside the house, would make management easier."

"That sounds good."

And so it was decided that the Horn Rabbit breeding ground would be built in the forest just outside the house.

Horn Rabbits inhabited virtually every dungeon and field, making them Monsters that were not greatly affected by their environment.

They would likely adapt well to the forest.

Ria and I walked through the forest hand in hand, scouting for the right location to build the breeding ground.