The Record of Unusual Creatures
chapter-71

Chapter 71: Lecturing

Ever since Hao Ren knew Raven 12345, there was never any good news from the woman. Somehow, she just had a negative vibe to her. Whenever something exciting happened, Raven 12345 would definitely discourage him, including the leakage about the Secret Skill Compendium.

Hao Ren did not say a word. Raven 12345 thought the heavy blow on Hao Ren was not hurtful enough and kept on nagging, “No pain, no gain. You need to learn, to keep practicing it in order to master it. There is no skill on earth that you can master easily in a day or two. There is no fast track. It all takes time to learn and practice. You can’t even memorize a simple mathematical formula, how do you expect yourself to memorize more than 20 lines of runes in the Otherworld? Do you think you’ll have the strength to lift a Dragon Sword if you can’t even handle a 200-meter run? You can’t handle simple and easy things on Earth. Even if you travel to a magical land, you’ll still just be a poor student there. I knew a fool before. He kept lamenting about the injustice in his life. The main reason he thought he was an unsuccessful laborer was that he lived in a dull world. He didn’t get the chance to encounter a story-like adventure. I was holding a ‘Great Bargain of Wishes’ that time. So, I fulfilled his wish and turned him back into a six-year old.I sent him to the best magic school in Bantooine Land. The guy was still a poor student in the Otherworld and today he’s still a laborer. Therefore, don’t be impatient. Take one step at a time. I’ll arrange a training program for you. It’s tough but you won’t die. You can slowly grow accustomed to your body changes and temper your mental. You see, you’ve taken a shortcut compared to other people. You just need to train your mind. I can directly improve your physical and special abilities via physical enhancement. My only request is that you train your mind to be able to control your own power.”

“Think about those unlucky kids who have to run 5000 meters, do 50 push-ups and swim 2 kilometers everyday. They even have to count their calorie intake for every meal. And look at the good physique you have. You could beat the boxers in illegal, underground matches now. You should be happy,” she added.

Raven 12345’s words silenced him. He suddenly realized that the unreliable Goddess probably had a conscientious side after all. Though she was always careless, undignified, sloppy and had stains of last week’s instant noodle soup on her desk, she was still a good Goddess.

At least she would not just improve people’s strength and leave them. She would support them from behind carefully and think everything through for her inexperienced, new employees. To be frank, Hao Ren was a little moved.

That was until Raven 12345 grabbed a little pill out of nowhere.

“Come on, eat this. I knew you would keep talking about your combat strength when you came back. I’ve already prepared this for you,” Raven whispered softly and smiled. Hao Ren remembered how his mother tricked him into taking medicine the same way.

“What is it!?” Hao Ren jumped back right away and lowered his body a little to defend himself.

“This little pill lets you see the real world…”

“Don’t be funny. The punchline from The Matrix is already out of date okay. Nobody remembers it now.”

Raven 12345 moved and appeared right before Hao Ren in a flash. She held his mouth open and threw the little pill in. “Just eat it like a man. This is an armament issued by the Space Administration, specially prepared for newbies who pass the initial task.”

Hao Ren lowered his guard after he heard the last sentence. He then chewed the pill and swallowed it. “It tastes sour. What the heck is this for?”

“Sour?” Raven 12345 was stunned for a few seconds. Then she patted her head and took another pill from her pocket. “Oh, I got the wrong one. This is the pill for you. Don’t worry. You can’t die from taking the wrong pill. This pill can leave an imprint in your mind and reinforce your mental state through brain symbiosis. This is the Ministry of Military’s latest invention. Previously it was only for the army but recently, they started giving it to agents as well. The pill will take effect soon. Although you can’t feel it, it will effectively prevent you from going brain dead as a result of all sorts of accidents as well as help you fight against mental shock. The human species is too weak. If you don’t strengthen your mental power, you can’t even use our common gear. How do you feel by the way?”

Hao Ren refused to talk about the wrong pill and shuddered as he took the second pill. His forehead started to sweat and he asked, “Brain symbiosis?! Why does it sound scary…”

“Yes, some species show resistance when confronted with this device, especially the standard Type III human.” Raven 12345 was not surprised at Hao Ren’s response and continued explaining, “You’re instinctively afraid of something that sounds like a parasite. However, this isn’t a parasite. It’s a reinforcing piece. It’s a lifeless mini device. Just like soldiers who wear external armor, this mini device is the armor of your mind. It provides you with double reinforcement from body to soul. It’s not unpleasant when you think of it this way, right?”

Hao Ren accepted her explanation and ignored the vague sense of discomfort that loomed deep down in his heart as usual. He would discover the value of the little pill he just ate, in the future.

Raven 12345 looked at Hao Ren with satisfaction. She seemed optimistic about his composure. Shortly after, she went back to her desk. She adjusted her posture to appear serious and said, “The new employment insurance has been sent to you. Now let’s discuss the questions regarding your intensive training. Things like the Secret Skill Compendium don’t really work. However, I know of a good training ground, the only one of its kind in this world. It’s not easy to find a place like this anywhere else.”

Hao Ren’s ears perked up and he asked, “Where is it?”

“Go home and have a dream. Train in The Plane of Dreams.” Raven 12345 smirked and said, “You can live alone in the wild or find a place where people gather. Use your brain to find ways to survive. The former helps you learn to face danger, the latter helps you learn to adapt to an unfamiliar environment with strangers. These two skills are a must as an agent.

Hao Ren was immediately reminded of the giant wolf in his nightmare a few nights ago. While he had the experience of dealing with armored wraiths in the crypt, he could not forget the choking feeling in his neck. His breathing slowed down immediately and he asked, “The Plane of Dreams? Didn’t you tell me not to touch that stuff!? You said it’s dangerous there…”

Raven 12345 rolled her eyes and said, “Because that time you were just a dumb newbie. Now, you’re a newbie. So, you can go and train in The Plane of Dreams now. It’s just a twisted place that’s linked to the real world. The physical parameters are the same as the Superficial World. It’s not going to kill you. Thus, it’ll be a good fit for you. Of course, if you don’t want to, I can arrange another place for you. There’s a new recruit training ground in the Grand Trine Galaxy. You’ll be teaming up with more than 200 men to kill 30,000 beasts…”

Hao Ren suddenly stood up. With a determined look on his face, he said, “The Plane of Dreams, is it? For the sake of world peace, I’ll do it!”

“Stop trembling when you say it then if you really dare to go.”

Hao Ren was quiet.

“Don’t worry, you won’t die,” Raven said as she smiled. “Why did I give you the little pill just now? The pill’s most important function is to protect your brain and your soul, to prevent them from dying. As long as you’re not physically inside The Plane of Dreams, you won’t die in that place. The worst thing that will happen to you is waking up from the nightmare and peeing yourself…”

Hao Ren was sweating. “As a Goddess, can’t you talk a little more gracefully?”

“Oh, you’re gonna drown in bed and wake up from all the fear.”

Hao Ren was speechless.

Just as Hao Ren was about to touch on the ‘graceful’ issue again and ask Raven how he could consciously enter The Plane of Dreams, someone suddenly pushed the door open.

A blue elemental servant bowed respectfully at the door and uttered a muffled, deep sound that no one could understand.

Raven 12345 got up immediately and replied, “Oh, I’ll be back. I have something for you. Wait here.”

As soon as she finished, the Goddess disappeared in a flash and left Hao Ren there, completely confused.

Hao ren did not know what was happening but he was too afraid to leave as well. After wandering around the room, he found something that made him curious.

Raven 12345 was examining something similar to the MDT on her desk earlier on. The device was still on and a holographic projection floated above it.

Hao Ren slowly wandered over and thought, “Just a peak. It should be fine, right?”