Tom entered Beta and headed straight to Pech's alchemy shop. He was eager to see if the spatial pouches he had brought earlier had finally been unsealed. However, as soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted by the sight of crates stacked haphazardly all over the room. He blinked, momentarily distracted, before hearing Pech's familiar voice calling out from the back.

  "Ah, Tom, perfect timing!" Pech said, climbing up from the secret room. He was holding a small ledger and looked slightly harried. "Could you do me a favor? Take these crates outside the city, dump the contents, and bring them back when you're done."

  Tom frowned, confused. "What's in the crates?" he asked, glancing at the stacks.

  Pech scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, remember the tunnel I told you I started digging?"

  "Yeah?" Tom replied cautiously.

  "I've run into a bit of a logistical problem. We need to dispose of all the stone and dirt we're excavating."

  Tom raised an eyebrow. "So, these crates are filled with dirt and stone, and you don't know what to do with them?"

  "Pretty much," Pech admitted with a shrug, clearly hoping Tom wouldn't argue.

  Tom sighed and rubbed his temples. "Fine, I'll get it done. But before I start playing delivery boy, what about the spatial pouches I brought you? Did you manage to unseal them?"

  Pech's face lit up as he reached into his robe and tossed the pouches to Tom. "Here you go. They're all yours."

  Excited, Tom immediately opened the pouches and began rummaging through them. His excitement quickly turned to frustration when he realized they were empty. He shot Pech an accusatory look. "Was there nothing inside?"

  Pech raised a hand defensively. "Calm down. There were only a few vials of poison. I took them out so you wouldn't accidentally kill yourself. There wasn't anything else in them."

  Tom sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "So, we spent all that money for nothing?"

  "Not exactly," Pech said, grinning. "These pouches have eight and twelve cubic meters of storage space, respectively. Considering the cost of unsealing them, we basically just paid for two new pouches. So it's not a total loss."

  Tom nodded grudgingly. "Fine. At least they'll be useful. Perfect for carrying all this dirt, I guess."

  He began transferring the contents of the crates into the spatial pouches before heading out of the city. As he left, he decided to test his new strength as a level 60 Brawler. He had researched a nearby area, a river teeming with wildlife like crocodiles, otters, and beavers. The creatures ranged from level 50 to 70, making it an ideal place to test his capabilities.

  The river was about a thirty-minute journey, and when Tom arrived, he took in the serene, deceptive calm of the water. He knew better than to trust its placid appearance. Wading into the shallows where the water barely reached his knees, he began splashing and making noise to draw attention.

  Within moments, dark shapes began moving in the water, heading toward him. Tom quickly retreated to the riverbank, waiting for the creatures to emerge. A horde of crocodiles, about fifty strong, soon appeared, their massive jaws snapping as they charged onto land.

  Not wanting to fight in the water, where his mobility would be severely limited, Tom rushed toward the nearest crocodile on solid ground. He delivered a powerful punch to its head, but to his surprise, the damage number that appeared was only -110. Before he could process this, another crocodile lunged from behind and clamped its jaws around his leg.

  Tom braced himself, expecting to be dragged down and mauled, but the crocodile couldn't move him. Despite thrashing and rolling, it couldn't budge him an inch. Tom took advantage of the situation, yanking his leg free and delivering a solid kick that sent the crocodile flying into the others. However, the damage numbers were again disappointingly low.

  Realizing he might have bitten off more than he could chew, Tom began strategizing. "They must have a weak spot," he thought. Spotting the vulnerable underbelly of a crocodile, he flipped it onto its back and delivered a punch to its exposed stomach. The damage number that appeared was a satisfying -1502, accompanied by a pained screech from the creature.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Encouraged, Tom baited the crocodiles into biting his legs, knowing they couldn't pull him down. As they attempted to roll, he attacked their exposed bellies, swiftly taking them out one by one. Within ten minutes, the battlefield was littered with over fifty crocodile carcasses.

  Tom inspected the fallen creatures using Pech's mana staff, noting that their backs emitted a faint glow, indicating uncommon-quality materials. He decided to skin them but quickly ran into a problem. His beginner skinning knife dulled after just one attempt, and on the second, the blade snapped.

  "Fucking perfect," Tom muttered, glaring at the broken knife. Left with no other option, he stored 28 carcasses in his spatial pouches and returned to the city, determined to find a solution.

  His first stop was Casper's leather workshop. When Tom entered, Casper greeted him warmly. "Tom! What brings you here today?"

  Tom hesitated before pulling out one of the crocodile carcasses. "I, uh, ran into some issues," he admitted, showing Casper the broken knife.

  Casper frowned as Tom explained his predicament. "You tried to skin a rank 2 beast with a beginner tool? Seriously?" he said, exasperated. "Didn't your skinning teacher warn you about this?"

  "Skinning teacher?" Tom asked, confused. "I'm a Brawler. I don't have one."

  Casper stared at him in disbelief. "Wait, you've been skinning beasts without any training? Good Lord, Tom, how have you even managed this far?"

  Tom scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I just…figured it out as I went."

  Casper sighed deeply. "Well, you're lucky I know someone who can help. Come back in an hour. I'll call in a favor."

  Relieved, Tom thanked Casper and used the time to return Pech's empty crates. He also browsed local vendors for a better skinning knife but found nothing suitable.

  When he returned to the leather shop, Casper was speaking with a middle-aged man. "Ah, there he is," Casper said. "Tom, this is Mersa. Mersa, meet Tom."

  Tom shook Mersa's hand. The man studied him briefly before asking, "So, you're the self-taught skinner Casper told me about? Let me see the knife you've been using."

  Tom handed over the broken pieces. Mersa examined them carefully, then handed them back with a look of surprise. "You've done remarkably well with such a basic tool. Most people would ruin their materials with a knife like this."

  Tom felt a sense of pride but remained humble. "Thanks. What should I do now?"

  "First, we need to get you proper training," Mersa said. "Follow me to my shop, and I'll teach you everything you need to know."

  Tom eagerly followed, excited to finally learn the skills he'd been missing.

  After only five minutes of walking, they arrived at a small, unassuming warehouse. Inside, Tom saw numerous hides stretched out on racks, waiting to be processed. The room smelled faintly of leather and curing agents. In the middle of the space, Mersa turned to Tom.

  "Alright, kid, take out all the carcasses you collected today," Mersa instructed.

  Tom complied, placing the crocodile carcasses from his spatial pouch onto the floor. Mersa inspected them with a satisfied grin.

  "Impressive," he said. "You targeted their weak spots without damaging the hide on their backs. Very good work. Part of being a skilled skinner is knowing how to kill without ruining valuable materials."

  Feeling encouraged, Tom nodded. Mersa handed him a new knife.

  "Here, take this. Let's begin the skinning process."

  Tom inspected the knife and was surprised by its details:

  [Rank 2 Normal Skinning Knife]

  Level 60 restricted

  Increases the chance of harvesting rarer materials from monsters.

  At first glance, the knife didn't appear to have any extraordinary bonuses. Tom wasn't sure if it was significantly better than his previous knife, apart from being a rank 2 tool. Still, he accepted it.

  "Alright, show me what you've got," Mersa said, stepping back to observe.

  Tom started skinning the first crocodile. To his surprise, the new knife sliced through the tough hide effortlessly, making the process much smoother. Within minutes, he had removed the hide and placed it to the side. He stood back, feeling quite proud of himself.

  But Mersa's words quickly brought him back to reality. "Crude cutting technique. Poor handling of the hide. Approximately 12% of the material wasted during the process."

  Tom blinked, taken aback.

  "You did well for a beginner," Mersa said, softening his tone, "but there's a lot of room for improvement. Watch and learn. Let me show you how it's done."

  Before Tom could respond, Mersa took the knife and began working on the next carcass. At first, Tom was skeptical, but as he watched, his doubt vanished. Mersa's movements were precise, almost artistic.

  Each cut was deliberate and graceful, his hands working with a steady rhythm. The hide came away in a single, flawless piece, free from imperfections or waste. When Mersa laid the leather on the ground, Tom could hardly believe the result.

  Tom compared it to the hide he had skinned earlier. Both were of uncommon quality, but the differences were glaring. Tom's piece was uneven, with jagged edges and small tears. It was smaller and less smooth, with visible creases and imperfections. Mersa's hide, on the other hand, was immaculate large, uniform, and pristine.

  Mersa noticed the awe in Tom's eyes. "What do you think? Want me to teach you a few things?"

  "YES, PLEASE!" Tom exclaimed enthusiastically.

  Mersa chuckled. "Alright, let's get to work."

  For the next eight hours, Tom practiced under Mersa's guidance. The older man patiently corrected his technique, teaching him how to handle the knife with precision, how to avoid waste, and how to ensure the hide remained intact. Each carcass became a lesson, and by the end of the session, Tom had improved significantly.

  When they were finished, Tom left the warehouse, exhausted but deeply satisfied. He had left the crocodile hides with Mersa as thanks for the lessons and the new knife. As he walked away, he noticed a new notification in his interface:

  [Level 10 Skills: Skinning]

  Tom grinned to himself. Another skill unlocked, and with it, another step closer to reach his goal.