As a Gamer, you recover 50% of your HP while you sleep as long as you haven't suffered extremely debilitating injuries. Since you were just stabbed and gouged a bit here, you recover back to 24 Health overnight. Still injured but capable of walking around.
For every day, there will be 4 Action Points that can be used for, you guessed it, various actions. 1 AP is roughly equivalent to 3-4 hours.
1 AP is taken for the next day since you will be questioned for your actions. So you have 3 free AP to do whatever you want. You have enough fruit in the Inventory to survive for about a couple more days without any more food.
I woke up with a start and immediately grimaced in pain at the slightest movement of my left arm. Bloody bandages were wrapped around my wounds, and I barely resisted from throwing up just imagining the gruesome sight they hid.
Fuck! Yesterday wasn't just a bad nightmare and it really happened. Fuck! Fuck! I barely survived that encounter with the monster. What was I even thinking of trying to fight the Grass Wolf on my own? With just a knife at that?
I knew why I did it. I did it because I expected my ability to do something to the monster, but all I got in return was an injured arm and a leg. Biting my lips, I just lay on the haystack and stared at the ceiling of my shack.
The wounds I got were bad. Real bad. I've seen a hunter from the village who was gouged by a rampaging boar. It was a couple of years ago, and yet he still couldn't walk properly on his injured leg, forced to use a cane to support himself for the rest of his life.
Was that what awaited me now? I should've just turned around and found a simple animal or something. So much for building my future… Now I wouldn't even be able to do the odd jobs around the village to earn some food.
At least… at least I was still alive. Even if I could barely move my left arm, I was still alive. My eyes snapped to attention as I realized that my leg felt fine. I didn't even feel a sting of pain from it.
Immediately, I pushed myself with my health arm and looked down. My thigh was covered with bloody bandages as well, but I felt no pain from it. Quickly, I tried moving it and hope bloomed inside me as it raised up with no issues.
With bated breath, I unwrapped the bandages, and I couldn't believe my eyes. There was no wound. Hell, there was even no scar! It was perfectly healthy.
How? I couldn't understand how I healed so fast. Maybe it wasn't as injured as I thought it was, or maybe it was due to my Magic?
I pursed my lips in frustration at how little I knew about my own Magic. It showed up as some invisible text that only I could see as if it was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't read! Only a few of the village elders knew how to read and they didn't like me much, so I couldn't even ask someone to teach me!
I was forced to rely on my instincts to figure it out. It worked for the most part. Grab something, push it into the invisible box and it will get stored inside if. And if I wanted to take it out, I just had to grab the picture and pull it out. Simple and easy.
The other part of my Magic was a different story. I had a vague idea I had to use it on something, but that's as far as it went. I thought it'd be some method of attack, but it definitely didn't do that.
The only weird thing that happened was that bright flash of light that turned into a Book and Scroll after the Grass Wolf died. I've never heard of that happening when a monster was killed, so it must've been my doing.
The worst part was that it gave me things I couldn't even use! My entire Magic seemed to be based on text, and I couldn't even read!
With a sigh, I dropped back onto the stack of hay. I thought I should probably take out the cloth from my invisible box to make this more comfortable, but my mind kept returning back to my Magic.
Would my arm heal just as quickly as my leg? Or was that a one time thing?
What about the Book and Scroll? What do I do with them?
I considered sleeping for a while longer, thinking and hoping that my arm would heal just as fast as my leg. But I wasn't sure if it would happen. I could've just imagined it all and that my leg wasn't as injured as I believed, despite that it was covered in bloody bandages.
Still, it didn't hurt to try. I would really like to be able to move my arm without wincing in pain. Plus, I enjoyed sleeping on my left side, and I couldn't do that with it being injured.
I took out the cloth from my invisible box, placed it on top of the hay stack and tried going to sleep. Unfortunately, I had no such luck since I kept trying to turn on my left side and the pangs of pain kept me awake.
"Ugh!" In frustration, I got up and sat on my bed. This just wasn't working.
Taking a deep breath, I tried thinking of what to do next, but my mind kept going to the items I got from killing the monster. They must be important if my Magic felt the need to give them to me.
Summoning the invisible box, I reached in and took the two objects out, text flashing in front of my eyes the moment I touched them. Clearly, they were important if my Magic flared up like that, yet I had no idea what I was supposed to do here.
I unfurled the Scroll first. It was filled with letters that were different from the ones my Magic showed me, and it had a few weird drawings on it with a picture of a blue wolf at the bottom of it. It made absolutely no sense to me, and I couldn't understand what it was trying to teach me.
After closing the Scroll, I looked at the Book, hoping that it would have more pictures and give me an idea what it was about. I had no such luck as the pages were filled with nothing but text and text and more text. I kept going from page to page until I realized that I had checked… I didn't know how many, but the Book was too thin to have so many pages!
"Is this some kind of joke? Is my Magic fucking with me?" I asked, letting my frustration get to me. Not only did the Book have no pictures, but the invisible text of my Magic kept flashing in front of my eyes.
"Yes, this…" My mouth closed shut as the Book suddenly lit up in a bright light before flying right into my head.
"Gah!" I dropped on the bed, wincing from the pain from my arm and the piercing headache I was suddenly assaulted with.
For the briefest of moments, I blacked out. There was just too much information being tunneled right into my head.
How to speak in just the right way and tone so everyone could understand me. How to look at text at a certain angle to understand exactly what the writer was trying to convey with his words. How to listen to the right frequency to understand anyone speaking, no matter what language they were using. That and so much more…
I gasped for breath as I suddenly knew and understood so much. After taking a few moments to calm down, I immediately looked at everything about my Magic. I checked the Status first, which was an entire page that tracked everything about me.
It was… disappointing to see how little there was, but that was fine. I was certain I would fill it all in due time. My Stats also looked low, but I wasn't sure if that was really the case.
It was also good to know that the invisible box was called Inventory and that the other ability was Boss Battle. This also confirmed that it was the reason I was given those two items and that it wasn't something that naturally happened.
After looking through everything, I finally checked the Scroll again.
Would you like to absorb the Spell Conjure Wolf
Y/N
Ah, so it was a Spell, and I could learn it by just accepting? Was that how Magic worked? I was pretty sure that wasn't the case, but I also knew very little.
Nevertheless, I agreed to absorb the Spell without hesitation. The same scene from earlier happened again and the Scroll turned j to bright light before flying into my head. This time, the headache that followed wasn't as bad. Or I just managed it better now that I was prepared.
Still, I barely even thought about it since I had an actual Spell now! One that could help me fight that is.
Learned Allspeak - Can speak, read, and understand any kind of language.
Unlocked Conjuration Magic and learned Conjure Wolf.
Of course, I wasted no time in trying out my entirely new type of Magic. I pointed my uninjured arm at the ground in front of me and I intoned, "Conjure Wolf."
I felt the energy inside me–Mana I reminded myself–flow right out of my hand before turning visible and forming a glowing blue see-through wolf, looking like how I imagined a ghost would. I gaped at how easy it was and wondered if others learned Magic like me?
Shaking my head, I decided not to think about that and focus on my new Spell. Checking my Status, I noted that it took exactly 100 Mana, Mana I wouldn't be getting back until it died. So I could summon–or conjure that is–one more, but then I wouldn't be able to use my Boss Battle ability.
If I was in a pinch, I'd definitely try to bring out two of them, but I had to make use of Boss Battle. How could I not after seeing what it gave me the first time I used it?
However, I was currently in my shack, so why not try it out? I focused and intoned again, "Conjure Wolf."
I felt my Mana surge, but nothing happened. I felt like I could do it, but it seemed I was missing something. Perhaps I needed some training with it?
Well, let's see what I could do with it. I turned my attention back to the glowing wolf, which was motionless standing in front of me.
"Sit," I commanded, and it followed dutifully, immediately plopping its ghostly butt on the ground.
"Come here." It walked over next to me, and I reached out, my hand touching it despite it looking like a ghost. It felt weird to touch. Kind of like water, but more physical in a way. Definitely weird.
"Hmm." Looking at the wolf up close, it didn't seem that dangerous. It was still an extra way for me to… fight–I wasn't sure if I had the courage to go to the forest again–but perhaps I could make it stronger somehow? I could try shaping my Mana differently in an attempt to make it bigger?
That seemed like it might make it stronger. I would also have to figure out how to control it better since I relied on my voice at the moment. Then again, maybe just using a simple instruction as "Attack" and aiming it at a monster would be enough.
I nodded to myself and began giving some simple orders just to get used to controlling the wolf. I was so lost in it, I didn't realize someone had arrived at my shack and opened the door.
"Monster!" A woman shrieked as she flung my door open, nearly toppling my poorly built shack. Before I could even correct her, she ran away.
I got up to go after her and tell her it wasn't a monster, but I realized I was wearing just my undergarments and a bunch of bandages. It took me a moment to dress up after I took out my clothes from my Inventory.
Just as I stepped out of my shack, I was met with a trio of hunters. Rorak, the leader, was in the front, bow at the ready to fire at any moment. He looked at me oddly for a second before his eyes began scanning around and searching for the monster.
"Where's the monster?" He asked while still searching the surroundings, the other two following his example.
"There's no monster," I said, trying to calm the hunters down. "I was just, uh, practicing with my Magic?"
The three froze, eyes snapping towards me in surprise. "You have Magic?"
"Yes." I nodded and decided to show them.
"Come here," I said without even looking back, just focusing on my wolf.
They immediately aimed their bows at my conjured creation but didn't fire at it.
"Sit," I commanded, showing them I had control.
"Well, I'll be," Juro whistled with wide eyes, looking at my obedient wolf in wonder.
Rorak stared at it only for a second before focusing on me. "You can walk?"
There was something odd in his voice, but I nodded. "Yes."
"The village elders want to speak with you," he said, stepping closer as he looked straight into my eyes. "I also want to speak with you, but that can happen after."
I really had no desire to speak with the elders, and I thought of refusing, but I decided to go along with him. They didn't like me much, but that was fine. I wouldn't have to deal with them for much longer. "Let's go then."
Rorak turned around to lead the way, but he stopped and looked at me. "Is the wolf… permanent?"
Briefly considering how to respond, I decided to tell the truth and shook my head. "No."
Rorak grunted with a nod and asked. "Can you make it go away? Some of the villagers might panic due to it looking…"
"Like a ghost?" Juro asked with a scoff before pausing, his eyes widening as he looked at the wolf. "That's… not the ghost of the Grass Wolf, right?"
"No," I quickly replied, realizing how this might look to someone else, so I said, "That's not how my Magic works."
"Of course, it's not!" Chapa said loudly and pointed at my conjured creation. "It looks like an actual wolf and not those elk humpers."
"I can make it disappear if you want to," I offered.
"That would be for the best." Rorak nodded, the stiffness in his shoulders relaxing.
With a wave of my hand and an intonation of "Dispel" my wolf dissolved into Mana that disappeared shortly after. I didn't mind dispelling it since I could always just re-summon it with a simple command.
Rorak grunted and we continued on our way to the biggest house in the village, where the village elders apparently wanted to talk with me. On the way, I summoned my Status just by thinking about it and watched as my Mana ticked up. It was going up relatively fast, gaining 15 more just as we stepped inside the village elder's house.
I forgot to add this earlier, sorry.
Conjure Wolf - Summon a ghostly wolf that has 15/15 Health, +5 to Attack rolls, and deals 1d6 dmg on successful hit.
All of the above and more can be improved through training. Each improvement will increase the rank of the spell by 1. At certain thresholds(every 5 ranks) you will gain a special reward to improve it even further, like gaining the ability to summon more than one or even giving it some special ability.
Loya has a total of four elders, with one of them acting as the leader of the village. Two men and two women sat behind a long table, all staring daggers at me while the three hunters stood behind me. I felt boxed in, but I calmed myself by knowing that I can summon my wolf at a moments notice if I felt threatened. Though I wasn't sure how helpful my creature would be in this situation.
"Do you know what you've done?" Goran, the village leader asked with a nasty frown. I knew he didn't like me, but this was not what I expected to hear first.
"I–"
"Of course, you don't!" He interrupted me, not giving me the chance to even talk.
"It's what I'd expect from someone who wasn't taught properly," one of the other elders said before clicking her tongue.
"Is this how you repay us after we took you in and gave you a home?" The other female elder asked.
Fire erupted inside me as I grit my teeth. I grew up in this stupid village, living in it for sixteen years, and no one taught me anything! I had to work hard for the other villagers to just earn scraps to eat! I built my shack on my own without any help! I gathered whatever clothes others decided to throw out!
No one had taught me anything even when I asked! Too afraid I'd steal their trade! Like I wanted that! All I wished was for a way to feed myself and figure out a way to earn some Jewels so I can go out and see the world. Not like I was wanted in Loya, to begin with.
"And because of your actions, we now have to clean up the mess you made!" Goran said, huffing and puffing.
"What mess?" I growled, trying to keep my anger in check. All I did was nearly get myself killed. How was that a mess they had to clean up? I even seemed to have healed on my own, so they definitely hadn't used some Magic medicine on me, if they even had such a thing.
"What mess, he asks." Goran covered his eyes and leaned back against his chair.
"The mess…" Volgar–the elder I liked the most since he mostly ignored me–paused, thinking of how to explain.
"There is a reason why Rorak, Juro, and Chapa hunt only the animals in the forest and steer clear from any of the monsters. The monsters tend to ignore us as well. Our village might be small, but it still has nearly a hundred villages and that is a sizeable number. But…"
"But you went ahead and poked the monsters!" Goran stood up, pointing a finger at me. "You should've just died for your stupidity, but no! You got lucky and somehow killed a young Grass Wolf! And now they got your scent and will come for the village at some point!"
Goran sat down, taking deep breaths, while I just stood there, not knowing how to respond. Part of me felt like summoning my wolf and commanding him to attack, but I knew how that would end for me.
"And because of you, the village now has to send a request to one of the Guilds for a Mage to come and clean up your mess. Do you even know how much it will cost us? Of course, you don't! Why am I even asking?"
I took a deep breath and balled my right hand into a fist.
"It's not my fault! How was I supposed to learn when none of you taught me anything!" I yelled back, finally having had enough of this.
How was I supposed to know that attacking a monster might attract more to the village? The hunters regularly went to the forest, so I assumed they killed whatever they found.
The only fault I had was of not being prepared enough and nearly getting killed.
"You!" Goran looked like he was about to burst out yelling again.
"Let's all calm down." However, Rorak spoke up, stepping up next to me. "We can discuss this like adults."
Goran was huffing and puffing, but he stayed quiet after Rorak's words. I felt the urge to go and punch his old face. I really did, but I stopped myself from acting out.
"Leon… might have caused a mess as you put it." Goran rolled his eyes and scoffed at those words. "But he did awaken his Magic. Instead of paying a Mage to deal with the situation, we can pay him to do it?"
Silence followed Rorak's suggestion. All the elders stared at me with open mouths and wide eyes. They were surprised, for sure, but I also noticed a bit of fear.
I almost laughed at how quickly the situation changed. One moment, they looked at me like I was a speck of dirt on their shoes. The next, they felt fear knowing that I was now a Mage. None of them even dared to utter a word and continued watching me in silence.
"What do you say?" Rorak asked me. "Do you think your Magic is good enough to deal with the monsters?"
Of course, my Magic was good enough! If I could use Boss Battle a few more times and get some good rewards–another good Spell or two should do the job–I would easily deal with the monsters… I think.
But do I really want to help them? I could ask for Jewels and for them to provide me with food and a better place to stay while I deal with the monster.
Or I could just leave the village right now. After all, everything I owned was already in my Inventory. Though my arm was still injured…
"I'll deal with the monsters on my own," I said after making a decision. The stupid elders gaped at me in shock, as if they didn't expect me to accept.
I scoffed in my mind. I wasn't doing this for them. This was just a good opportunity for me to learn how to use my Magic and fight better. The forest was pretty close to the village, so I didn't have to travel that much, and the monsters weren't that strong. Otherwise, Loya wouldn't be standing if they were.
Once I deal with the monsters, I'd leave. There was no point in staying here. I might've grown up in this village, but this was definitely not my home. I would go out into the world, explore it, and find or even build my own home.
Rorak nodded at me with approval, and he opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. They would pay me for the job, yes. However, I wanted something specific.
"I do have a request," I said and paused, observing how everyone now patiently waited for me to continue. "I want any books or scrolls on Magic that you have."
There was no way I wouldn't try to make use of my ability to just absorb books or scrolls. One of them gave me the ability to speak any language in existence while the other granted me a Spell.
"As if…" Goran began speaking with his condescending tone but quickly caught himself. "We don't have anything like that. Not like we have any use for it. And if we did, we would've sold it to the Magic Council already."
That was disappointing. Though it wasn't that bad, no matter how much I wanted to learn some more Magic. I just had to earn some more rewards through Boss Battle.
"Magic we might not have, but we," Rorak pointed at himself and then the other two hunters. "Can teach you how to track in the forest and about the creatures living in it, how to fire a bow, or… how to properly wield a knife."
"That's good." I nodded. Maybe if I had some skill with the knife, I wouldn't have ended up in this situation. Plus, learning how to use a bow might guarantee I'd never have to get near a monster to kill it.
"How soon can you start hunting the monsters?" Rorak asked, looking at my arm.
"I will need another day or two to fully heal before I start," I answered with the truth since this would've become obvious once I decided to take them up on their offer for training.
"I see, I see." Rorak nodded his head.
"It's decided then." He clapped his hands and briefly glanced at the elders. They stayed quiet, not uttering a single word in response.
"Good," Rorak continued. "I'll come visit you in a few hours to get you some food. And, Leon." He took out a hunting knife and offered it to me. "Keep that with you, eh?"
I looked at him for a moment, studying his eyes carefully before I grabbed the weapon with a mumbled, "Thanks."
I then walked out of the house, thinking about what I should do with the rest of my day.
There wasn't anything for me to do for the rest of the day, so I returned to my shack and decided to work on my Magic. The Conjure Wolf was my only attacking spell at the moment, so I felt the urge to make it better. Or at least understand what were its limitations.
Very quickly, I discovered that the conjured wolf was… weak. There was no way to put it. I ordered it to stay put and stabbed it with my knife to test its durability. It took two hits before it poofed into Mana and that just wouldn't do.
If it was so weak, it would end up being completely useless against any of the monsters in the forest. Even the Grass Wolf could ram into it once and end it for good.
But how would I go about improving this? That was a hard to answer question since I was so new to Magic. I had no idea what actual Mages did to improve their spells, and the village had no books about Magic.
I was left to figure out this on my own. Fueled with nothing but spite to prove those villagers how wrong they were about me, I began experimenting with my Spell.
Summoning it over and over again, I studied how my Mana flowed and how it formed into the wolf. Whenever I ran out of Mana, I sat quietly and pondered on everything I had observed.
At first, I tried pushing more Mana into the Spell, but that didn't work at all. I was disappointed, but I didn't let that bother me too much. I wanted to clear the forest of monsters way too much, not for the reward, but to show the villagers exactly how strong I was… could be, how strong I could be.
So I continued without resting, barely paying attention when Rorak came over with some food. He asked me something, but I was too focused on improving my spell.
Biting my lips, I watched as Mana formed the wolf once more, studying how it was evenly spread out throughout all of its body. Then it hit me. The wolf has no organs. That was obvious since it was see-through. So what if I directed more of the Mana to its hide?
And it worked! The Mana wasn't as evenly spread, but I made him stronger. I even somehow managed to direct some of the energy to its claws and fangs in the process, making it that much more dangerous. The wolf even looked slightly bigger, but not by much.
That night, I fell asleep on my bed with a peaceful and happy expression. I even remembered to take out my cloth so I didn't need to sleep directly on top of the hay stack and even ordered my wolf to watch the door and bark if anyone tried entering during the night. Had to make sure none of them would attempt something sneaky while I was sleeping.
Name: Leon
Physique: 4 (232/500)
Soul: 2 (112/200)
Health: 40/40
Mana: 213/213
Skills
Magical Theory (0/500) until unlocked
One-Handed (238/500) until unlocked
Magic
Conjuration (1)
— Conjure Wolf rank 3 (44/400) Summon a ghostly wolf that has 20/20 Health, +7 to Attack rolls, and deals 1d7 dmg on successful hit.
Gamer Abilities (2/10 Crits) - When this reaches 10 crits, you gain an extra ability.
Inventory: A pocket dimension in which you can store anything non-living as long as you can pick it up. Costs no Mana to use.
Boss Battle(0/2 Crits): You can target a single opponent and force them into a fight. If you land the finishing blow, you will receive a reward. Costs 100 Mana per use. Can only be used twice per day
Allspeak: Can speak, read, and understand any language.
Patch 1.1 changes.
We need 500xp to fully gain a Skill, and until we have it, we will have a -10 Malus. Now, this will normally mean that we wouldn't have gotten the roll for the new Magic type, but I won't penalize you for my own mistake.
Second change is about the Spells and how Magic Branches will work. Each rank increase in a Spell will provide a small overall boost to it. Every 10 Ranks, we can add special bonus. We will roll for it with our Magic Theory Skill. The better the roll, the better the bonus we can get it. Hopefully, this isn't too complicated.
As for Magic Schools and how to gain new Spells for them. Well, the level of a specific Magic School is equal to the level of all the Spells within it / 2. For example, Conjuration is at level 1.5 since Conjure Wolf is rank 3. For every 10 levels in a Magic School, we can roll with our Magic Theory Skill to create a new spell. The higher the roll, the better the spell.
And as an apology for this, I will grant chat one crit and 3 rerolls they can use at any point.
I woke up nice and early, feeling great, amazing even. My arm was no longer in pain, and I quickly removed the bandages to confirm that it had indeed fully healed already. There wasn't even a single scar remaining on it!
There still much I didn't understand about my Magic, but damn if it wasn't amazing. Those injuries should've crippled someone for life, but I healed up in just two days. Maybe other Mages healed just as fast, but, you know, I barely knew much about Magic to begin with. Soon, I would change that. Once I dealt with the monsters in the forest, that is.
Though… that didn't mean I couldn't start broadening my knowledge about Magic. Especially after I noticed that there was an additional Skill on my Status when I was checking to confirm my current Health.
Magic Theory was yet to be fully unlocked, just like the One Handed Skill, but it showed that I was on the right path. I could only assume that I gained it due to what I accomplished yesterday.
My eyes lingered on the now slightly bigger ghostly wolf, which was still guarding the door, standing motionless like a statue. A grin stretched on my face, just thinking how I did that. I gained a Spell and even improved on it. I did that!
That got me thinking. If managed to improve on a Spell, then… Why couldn't I create one of my own? It seemed easy enough, right?
Turned out I was so, so wrong. Mostly because I had no real idea what I was doing. Like, I wanted to create some type of Fire Magic, just so I could burn down the entire forest if I had to, but I had no clue where to begin with that one.
While absent-mindedly eating my breakfast, I thought of what I could do, and I remember how I made the Conjure Wolf better. I directed the Mana to its body, making it tougher, stronger, and slightly bigger.
Why couldn't I do that for myself? Why couldn't I use my Mana to make myself stronger? I surely needed that, especially after the encounter with the Grass Wolf. If I had been just a bit stronger, I would've come out of that fight without any injuries.
With a goal in mind, I began working on it. Though despite my determination, I had very little success at the start. In fact, I nearly did something incredibly dangerous as I tried to direct my Mana towards my heart, but I managed to stop myself before I hurt myself or did something even worse.
That was obviously a big no-no, so I just tried spreading my Mana all around my body, and it worked! I felt better than ever as the energy coursed throughout my body! However, I did encounter a small issue as my Mana ran out quite quickly while the Spell was active.
Hmm, I would have to figure out a way to reduce the cost, increase my total Mana, or to increase the rate at which it regenerates.
Feeling great about my success, I decided to seek out the hunters for some training. I fixed one of my weaknesses with Body Enhancement–even if I couldn't use it for long at the moment–so I figured I should work on another one now.
I did try to sneak up on the Grass Wolf and failed miserably. Maybe if I actually knew what I was doing, I could've attacked it without even realizing I was there. Surely, the fight would've ended differently had I succeeded.
So, with that in mind, I made my way over to Rorak's house. The man wasn't there, but his wife directed me to his current location with a small stutter. Most tended to ignore me or treat me with a bit of hostility before, but now… now they feared me.
It was weird how everything changed so quickly, just from them knowing I now had Magic. While pondering how different my life was now, I managed to find the hunters.
"Leon?" Chapa was the first to spot me, and the other two looked up at me. They were going through their equipment, making sure they were all working properly.
"Um, hi." I wasn't sure how to approach this. It's been a while since I even bothered asking someone to teach me something since I knew they'd refuse me.
"Do you need something?" Rorak asked as he scanned me up and down.
"I was wondering if you can help me with sneaking around? I feel like I wouldn't have gotten so hurt if I knew what I was doing," I said, trying my best to keep eye contact and not look away in shame.
"Are you all healed up already?" He questioned in surprise.
"Yes." I moved my left arm to show him, enjoying the looks on their faces.
"Wait! Did you try sneaking up on the Grass Wolf? That's… why did you think that's a good idea?" Chapa asked, looking at me as if I was an idiot. "Should've just sent your own wolf to attack it."
And while, yes, that was a stupid decision on my part, I didn't really have a better option back then. Could've always just charged it as dumb as that sounded, but it might have worked better considering how badly my sneaking attempt failed.
"I… don't want to talk about it," I said, looking away in embarrassment. I could've mentioned that I didn't have my Spell back then, but I figured I should keep quiet about that part of my Magic for now.
"Hmm. Alright then. We can show you a thing or two, teach you how to move around properly while keeping an eye on your surroundings," Rorak said and looked at the other two who gave him a nod in return.
"That would be great," I said, keeping my enthusiasm in check. Someone would actually teach me something!
"Not bad, kid," Juro complimented me after a couple of hours of walking around and finding places to hide behind. "You might be a total beginner, but you're learning real fast."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes," Chapa confirmed. "You have a talent for this. A few more sessions like this, and we won't have anything else to teach you."
Huh. I thought I was learning really slow. I wasn't sure if they were lying or if I really had a talent for this. Though, on a second thought, perhaps it was my Magic somehow assisting me? I did notice that the Sneaking Skill popped up in my status, and it won't take long before I fully learn it.
After Rorak provided me with some more food, a bunch of meat and bread that nearly made me drool, I returned back to my shack. I was slightly tired from all the walking around, so I decided to take it easy and have a quick rest.
However, that didn't mean I couldn't do anything else. In fact, I could easily train my Magic without even moving from my bed. Now with my arm healed, I could even lay on my left side and that made all the difference.
At least, I thought it did because my work with my Spell went amazing as I managed to make the ghostly wolf even better. If I could get a few more such upgrades, I could direct my conjured creature to fight a Grass Wolf on its own, and I won't even need to do a thing.
Today would be a productive day for me. That's what I decided. I wasn't sure if I could do this every single day, but I was eager to improve myself as much as possible at the moment. I never wanted to feel as weak as I did when I nearly died against the Grass Wolf, so I had to work my ass off to guarantee that would never happen again.
That's why I sought out the hunters for the second time today, though it wasn't to improve my Sneaking Skill. No, I wanted to have a way to deal with my enemies without getting near them.
I had the ability to summon a wolf that could fight for me while I could stay as far away as possible and let it do all the heavy work. If it died, I could always resummon it again as long as I had enough Mana.
"Oh? Back for some more training?" Chapa asked me with a smirk. "We might have to bring you to the outskirts of the forest to further improve your sneaking."
"I wanted to learn how to use a bow this time," I answered.
"Makes perfect sense." Juro grinned and looked at Rorak, who sighed and threw a small fang at him. "Told ya he'd want to learn how to use a bow and not a knife."
Rorak rolled his eyes and waved me over. "Come then. It's getting kind of dark, let's see how quickly you can pick this up. We have a bow prepared for you."
I felt nervous when they handed me the weapon since I had no idea how to even hold it correctly. However, they quickly fixed my mistake and showed me how to aim and fire with it.
They had a few targets for me to hit. Just a bunch of boards with some paint on them. Most of my shots flew right past them, but I actually landed a few near the center of the targets.
"You… you're pretty good at this." They stared at me in wonder.
"I am?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. I saw them shoot, and they hit the center about nine out of ten times while I didn't get a single center shot.
"If you keep learning so quickly, you'll catch up to us in a month at most!" Juro said, throwing his hands in the air.
That didn't sound good to me. A month wasn't a short amount of time. My thoughts must've shown on my face since Rorak spoke up.
"It took us years to get this good. A month is nothing compared to that."
I ended up returning to my shack with a lot to think about. Was I this talented to begin with? I just never figured it out since no one ever taught me anything. Or was this due to my Magic?
Did it even matter? Even if it was due to my Magic, wasn't it mine in the first place? That meant I was indeed that talented. Huh.
I woke up feeling better than yesterday, which I didn't understand how it was even possible. I spent an entire day just training and working hard, yet I didn't feel anything today? My Magic was truly wonderful!
There was a bit of the meat and bread from yesterday, and I happily ate it for breakfast, knowing I'd get more later. While eating, I wondered what I should do today.
I could spend more time working on myself. It was obviously working, so why bother with something else.
On the other hand, I had that Boss Battle ability, which I could use only two times per day, and I wasn't making use of it. Maybe I could try scouting the forest for an hour or two to see if I could get an easy mark? Some more loot would surely be helpful.
The forest it was. I had the bow and arrows stored in my Inventory, and I had two new Spells. I'd have to make a decision on which one to use since my current Mana wasn't enough to sustain both at the same time if I also used Boss Battle, but that was fine.
I left the village and made my way over to the forest. Taking a deep breath, I convinced myself that this time it will be different. I won't lose to some lousy elk humper!
Plus, I couldn't resist that chance to earn even more rewards. I could get a better Spell or even another Book like the one that taught me Allspeak. I hadn't had the chance to actually use the Skill, but it sounded pretty good.
I was being far more careful this time and slowly moved from tree to tree. My steps were measured and no branches alerted the creatures in the forest of my presence here. My heart thumped in my chest, in both fear and anticipation.
The last time I entered, I nearly died, but I vowed this would be different. I had my Magic, actual Spells that could help me fight, and I had some training by the Hunters. I hadn't fully learned any of their Skills, but I wasn't a complete beginner.
Slowly, I moved deeper and deeper into the forest, and then I saw it. My first target. It was a boar that was carefully eating from a bush, its head checking its surroundings every few moments.
I quickly hid behind a tree out its view and considered how to approach this.
Taking a deep breath to calm my beating heart, I decided how to take it down. Quietly, I took out my bow from my Inventory alongside an arrow and prepared to shoot it.
However, I paused before taking the shot and decided to summon my wolf right now. If I missed, it might take me a few precious seconds to conjure it, allowing the boar to get near me. Which was exactly what I wished to avoid as I'd rather not get hit by a charging boar.
"Conjure Wolf," I intoned as quietly as possible, summoning my trusty companion.
That turned out to be a mistake on my part as the boar was instantly alerted to my presence. I wasn't sure if it heard me, somehow noticed the ghostly wolf, or even felt the Mana in the air. Either way, it now knew I was here.
It immediately turned around, ready to escape, but I had a trump card, Boss Battle, and the moment I activated the ability, the boar was forced into a fight. I'd have to be careful in how I use this ability in the future since I'd prefer to avoid forcing something far more dangerous than me into a fight.
Something future me would have to deal with since I had a boar to kill at the moment.
"Attack!" I commanded my wolf while aiming for a moment before releasing an arrow that hit the boar in its shoulder.
It let out a loud shriek and thrashed around. My wolf reached my prey and tried attacking it, but it only searched the animal a bit due to its frantic movements.
The boar immediately zeroed down on my conjured creation and slammed its tusk hard into the wolf. Thankfully, my ghostly companion wasn't a real creature, so it wasn't hurt that much by the attack.
Of course, I didn't stay idle and notched another arrow, quickly firing and hitting the boar right in the head. I wasn't sure how it was still alive, but I knew it wouldn't take more than a couple of those before I killed it.
The boar let a loud shriek, swinging its head left and right, trying to hit my summon. However, my wolf proved its worth as it danced around the animal before jumping onto its back and biting its neck, pinning the creature for a moment.
I used this chance to fire another arrow, but it went wide, completely missing the beast. Fuck! That was the perfect opportunity to land a hit, and I blew it.
The boar pushed itself on its mighty legs and managed to fling my wolf off its back, sending it flying, but my companion recovered and landed on its feet. Then it quickly dashed back in, still following my command to relentlessly attack the beast, and struck the animal with its claws, landing a few nasty hits.
I fired another arrow at that moment, this time accurately hitting the beast, which only served to enrage it further. It let out an angry shriek and charged my conjured wolf, stabbing it with its tusks.
If that was a normal wolf it would've died from that mad dash, but my companion was hardier than that. It managed to stay its ground and keep the boar in place for me to hit one more time, landing an arrow right in its sturdy head.
That seemed to do the job as the beast finally stopped moving and dropped on the ground with lifeless eyes. My wolf continued attacking it, but a quick command of "Hold" was enough to make it stop.
A flash of light formed right next to the dead beast, and I held my breath as I watched it turn into a round object. I quickly ran over to check it out and found a round pink-reddish fruit there.
"That's my reward?" I was confused since I expected another Spell or something like that. A fruit was definitely not what I imagined I'd get.
Maybe it was because the boar wasn't a Magical creature? As awesome as my Magic was, there were still a lot of things I didn't understand about it.
With disappointment, I threw the fruit in my Inventory and noticed something odd. Its name was Peach of Strength. I might not be the smartest person out there, but that definitely meant it would make me stronger if I ate it, right?
If that was true, then this was definitely not disappointing. No, no, this was big. As long as it worked the way I imagined it would, that is.
I grabbed all the still usable arrows and stored them in my Inventory. Then I looked at the boar and wondered what to do with it. It was meat, something I didn't get the chance to eat often, so there was no way I'd leave it here. Though, I couldn't pick it up and shove it in my Inventory, not that I knew if I could even do that in the first place since I hadn't stored anything this big so far.
My thoughts drifted to the fruit I gained. Maybe if I ate it, it would grant me enough strength to lift the thing? I figured I might as well try it out, so I took it out and bit into it without hesitation. At first, nothing happened, and I sighed in disappointment, but it was really tasty, so I continued eating, enjoying the flavor as much as possible. It wasn't worth the effort of risking my life to get it, but it was better than nothing.
Then it happened. I gasped for breath as energy suddenly began coursing throughout my body. I dropped on my knees, barely able to keep standing from the sudden pain that I was assaulted with.
My entire body was drenched in sweat, and I had no idea how long I just stood there panting on the ground. It could've been just a few minutes or even a few hours. I wasn't sure, but when the pain ended, and I stood up, I felt stronger than ever.
Immediately, I went to the boar corpse and tested out exactly how strong I was now. With barely enough effort on my part, I lifted the entire thing and easily shoved it into my Inventory, just like that.
Damn! I was easily at least twice as strong as I was before! I wanted more of those fruits. No, I needed them. If I ate a few more, I would probably be strong enough to beat the Grass Wolves without even relying on Magic.
I dispelled my wolf since it took some hits in the fight and waited for some time, enough for me to recover my Mana fully. Then I began looking around, searching for more targets, boars specifically. That fruit was just too good and I needed more.
It didn't take me long to find another, just idly eating from a bush. Now, it was time for round two.
The beast was right there in front of me, and I could barely keep my excitement down. Shaking my head, I tried to be sneakier this time and quietly summoned my wolf.
The boar didn't even hear me, which was perfect. Then I carefully aimed and steadied my breath. I had the perfect shot, but the damned beast suddenly turned in my direction as if it had somehow sensed me.
Still, just because it knew I was here didn't change the outcome of my shot as my arrow landed right in its thick skull. It wasn't enough to kill it outright, but it got disoriented from my attack.
"Attack!" I commanded my wolf, and it sprung into action, leaping towards the boar.
At the same time, I used Boss Battle, ensuring that the beast wouldn't just run away. Plus, I wanted my rewards! If I got a few more fruits, I might grow strong enough to fight the monsters barehanded.
My wolf jumped on the boar, landing nasty slashes with its claws while I continued peppering the beast with arrows from afar. It was honestly sad to see the creature just standing there, not knowing what's going on at all.
For a brief moment, I felt bad for what I was doing, but then I remembered the potential rewards and continued firing arrows with even more eagerness than before.
My wolf didn't stop attacking as well, and the boar attempted to fight back, but it was already too late. So with a final arrow from me, hitting in the head for the second time, I killed the beast.
This was far easier than the previous fight, though perhaps my improved strength made my arrows that more dangerous? Or maybe it was just weaker. Either way, I didn't care and rushed over to check up on the rewards that formed next to the creature.
I froze in place, unable to believe my eyes! There were two peaches! Two of them!
But why? This boar felt weaker than the previous one, so why did I earn two of them here?
As important as that was, I decided I would ponder on this at a later time since I wanted to eat the fruits as soon as possible. And so I did, feeling an urge of energy being coursing throughout my body, making it that much stronger than before.
I was strong. Like, really, really strong. Though I didn't know my exact strength despite my Status saying that my Physique was at seventeen. I knew it used to be four, which was just one number, and now it had two numbers, but that didn't tell me much.
I was no better with numbers than I was at reading until I got that Book. I could count to ten using my fingers and knew that a hundred was a lot, but that's as far as my knowledge went. My Health now also had three numbers, and if I focused, my Magic read it as one hundred and seventy. That didn't tell me much, but it sure made me feel better.
On the way back to Loya, I decided to do a little test to see how strong I was now. I found a nice tree, pulled my fist back, and punched it hard. My eyes opened wide as I stared at the hole my fist was stuck in before the pain registered in my mind.
"Aw, aw, aw!" I pulled my arm out and began shaking my hand. It took a bit until the pain receded, but I did learn a valuable lesson. Just because I was stronger now didn't mean that I didn't feel any pain.
Lesson learned. Or maybe not as I did try doing it again, but this time I used my Body Enhancement Magic.
"Oh fuck! Shit! Fuck!" I cursed and winced in pain while quickly running away since I actually managed to topple the tree! Sure, it wasn't one of those trees that were as wide or wider than me, but I brought it down with my fists alone!
While blowing air on my fist and gently rubbing it to soothe my pain, I kept thinking to myself. What if I could increase my strength even more with my Magic? How strong would my punches be then? Well, I was about to find out since I planned on making my Spell even better.
Unfortunately, I had little success in improving my Magic despite my enthusiasm. No matter what I tried, I just couldn't make it work properly. Though, I was trying to copy what I did with the Conjure Wolf Spell, so maybe that's where I went wrong. Plus, I was also slightly tired from my hunt, and I did unknowingly take a short nap when I dropped on my bed to try and think of a better way to train my Magic.
Training my Magic obviously wasn't working out for me, and I didn't want to continue bashing my head against the wall. I considered just resting, but I already did take a nap and was feeling restless. Especially because I didn't know how long I had until I had to go after the Grass Wolves.
I could always just train some more and leave, but I did give my word that I would deal with the situation. Yes, the village meant very little to me, but since I said I'd do it, then I would do it. It was as simple as that.
So, what did I need to effectively deal with the wolf pack in the forest? Well, for one I needed a better way of moving amongst the trees and tracking the monsters. Plus, the ability to keep my eyes open and not get ambushed by one of them.
After all, I really planned on taking the wolves. Though this would also be helpful for when I search for targets to use my Boss Battle ability.
"You want to learn how to track the creatures of the forest?" Rorak asked as I approached them.
"Yes." I nodded, feeling confident. I believed I had the strength necessary to go after the monsters, I just needed a sure way of finding them.
"How ready are you?" He suddenly asked afterward. The man was far more perceptive that I thought he was. Then again, he was a hunter that regularly went to the forest. "Saw you going to the forest earlier before returning perfectly fine."
"Another day or two at most, and I'll feel confident of attacking them on my own," I told him. Though in all honesty, I felt I could take them down as I was. I mean, I did topple a tree with my fists alone!
Rorak grunted and looked at the sky. "We still have a few more hours of daytime left. Let's go before it gets dark."
We left the village and shortly after arrived what was becoming a very familiar place to me. The atmosphere changed as I watched all three of them change their stances, lowering their posture while taking out their bows, an arrow already notched and ready to be fired.
"Only whisper to communicate," Juro stepped next to me, his voice barely above a whisper. "We'll point out tracks and things you'd need to keep an eye on."
We entered deeper into the forest, and I tried mimicking the way they moved. I wasn't very successful since I was too busy paying attention to everything they were telling me.
"See that bush? It grows green berries. Very bitter and cause a nasty stomach ache when eaten by a human, but the boars love it. One of em can always be found snacking from them in the mornings."
"See that hole? That's a rabbit burrow. Used to be one that is. We set up a trap near it a few weeks ago and caught ourselves some nice morsel."
"See how weirdly that grass grows there?" I looked over where Chapa was pointing to see the grass growing in small patches, each one a small distance away from the others. "When we see that, we get the fuck away from it cause it means one the big bads of the Grass Wolves were walking around here."
That was news to me because that mean those monsters had some form of Magic. Nothing else explained how they left patches of grass with their steps. Though I wasn't sure how they'd use that type of Magic for anything important.
Like, what would they do? Trip me with some grass? I could just rip through any grass with my strength.
"And see those scratches on the trees?" They looked like someone had made them with a massive knife, one nearly as big as a kid. "Never, ever, go past them. That's the territory of the Beast. Anyone who entered never returned again. We would've paid a Mage to deal with it, but it's content to stay in its territory and never bothers us."
We returned to the village afterward without any issues. The hunters knew their way around the forest and how to avoid encountering the creatures within it. I absorbed all of their knowledge even though it wasn't in the form of a book.
I felt like I could easily be able to find any kind of creature with enough effort and not rely on my luck. Though the information about the Beast, whatever that was, was worrying. How strong was it? Stronger than the Grass Wolves? If so, could I take it on?
"Good one, kid. You really learn fast, don't you?" Chapa asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. "At the end there I noticed you were scanning the forest almost like one of us. I didn't even need to point out all the spots you should be keeping an eye on."
"It wasn't that hard," I said before frowning. "Could've done it before if someone actually bothered to teach me."
Chapa pursed his lips, not knowing how to respond. He looked away in a moment, just like the other two.
"Anyway." I shook my head. What happened, happened. It still bothered me, but I would deal with the monsters and leave this village for good afterward. No point in getting angry over this. "I wanted to continue with some knife practice. Need to get better at that."
"You bet, you do," Juro snorted before his eyes widened as he realized what he said. "I mean… I saw the wounds on the Grass Wolf. There was plenty you could've done better. I'm pretty good with a knife and could show you a thing or two. How about that?"
"Let's do it," I said, ignoring his earlier comment. I'd rather not think about that disaster of a fight if I could.
"First things first, the grip. That's the most important thing to keep in mind. If you hold it badly, you are more likely to end up cutting yourself that your enemy. Here, take a look at me. See how I'm tightly holding onto the handle with all of my fingers? That's for control."
Juro went over some instructions on how to stab and slash better, and I perfectly mimicked his movements.
"What the hell, kid…" He stared at me in astonishment, unable to believe how fast I was improving.
I snorted and swiped my knife left and right in a display of skill. Though… I might've ended up slashing my pants right off. Thankfully, I didn't hurt myself because that would've been even more embarrassing.
"Phew, for a second there I thought you were some prodigy or something." Juro wiped the sweat from his forehead and began chuckling at me.
I felt my face heat up in embarrassment, but he waved me over and gave me an old pair of pants of his, so I at least didn't have to walk around in my undergarments.
I was out of the village moments after waking up, immediately going into the forest in search of targets for my Boss Battle ability. That was too valuable for me to not make use of. Yesterday proved as much as I became so much stronger after using it just two times. That's why I learned how to track better from the hunters, just so I could more easily find monsters to fight.
Their help and teachings proved to be useful as I managed to encounter two Grass Wolves fairly quickly. For a moment, I hesitated, remembering how my last fight with one of those monsters ended. It was even a young one while those two were obviously adults as they were bigger.
However, I was no longer the weakling that had no idea what he was doing. I was a different Leon than the one that entered the forest without even knowing what my Magic did.
So, I took out my knife and charged at the wolves, using Boss Battle on both of them at the same time. That left me with no Mana to Conjure my own wolf, but I didn't need it. I was strong enough to beat them both, and if they proved to be a problem, I could always use my Body Enhancement to give me an edge. Not that I needed one, but it was nice to know I could use it.
They were surprised by my charge and their inability to run away, releasing some weird noises. One of them managed to jump away from me, but the other didn't, and it tried to attack me. However, I was too fast and simply dodged the attack while striking it with my knife.
'I could do better than this!' I though to myself since I had a perfect opportunity to end it there, but I missed it. I didn't let that get to me since I knew I could win despite that.
"Ughh!" I felt some pain in my leg, noticing that the other wolf had attacked me there, slashing me with its claws. It stung, but it was just a scratch. Nothing like the debilitating injuries I took in my first fight.
Shaking off the pain, I pushed the wolf that attacked me back and focused on the one that injured me. A slash into a stab was all it took me for to take it down, my improved physical abilities proving too much for the pitiful creature.
The other did attempt to stop me, trying to leap and bite me in the neck, but I avoided it with ease. I saw the flash of light that formed into something green on the ground, but I ignored it and focused on ending the fight as quickly as possible.
And end it I did. After activating my Body Enhancement, the wolf stood no chance against me. I was faster, stronger, and bigger, so with just two powerful slashes from my knife, it fell down like the other one.
For a few moments, I just stood there, staring at the corpses of the Magical creatures and the newly formed object from the death of the second one. I chuckled at first before it turned into full on laughter.
I did that! I took down two Magical creatures on my own! Without any problems whatsoever! Sure, one of them scratched me a bit, but I barely felt it! This proved it. I was strong, and I was going down the right path.
Though I figured it was better to leave the forest right now. I was out of Mana, and I'd rather not risk getting jumped by multiple Grass Wolves. I grabbed both of the objects I earned, a pair of gloves made out of weird grass-like leather and a green apple and stored them in my Inventory.
The fruit was called Apple of Peace, which didn't exactly tell me what it did, though I assumed it was like the Peach of Strength. Either way, I'd figured it out soon enough.
The gloves were called Grass Gloves. Again, not very helpful to me since their purpose still remained unknown. On the way out, I played with them for a bit to try and figure out what they did. I even touched a bit of the grass in the forest, just to see how similar the two felt. It was close, but the gloves still kind of felt like leather in some weird way.
I returned to my shack afterward, feeling satisfied with what I had achieved in such a short time. I learned two new Spells, managed to improve them even further, and increased my physical strength tremendously. I was content and happy, feeling better than ever.
The Grass Wolves, those Magical Monsters that made everyone in the village scared were nothing more than nuisances to me now. I could take them down with two attacks. Killing them was simply a matter of time.
Though the rewards I got from the two I dealt with were strange. I looked at the fruit for a bit before deciding to leave it for now and eat it at a later date. Instead, I played around with the Grass Gloves and tested them out. They felt comfortable to wear, and I even tried pulling my bow with them, finding out that I had an easier time doing that. Huh. Good to know.
Feeling content and happy, I decided to take a quick nap. After all, I spend the past few days either fighting or training, and I felt I earned a short rest for myself. Of course, I would go back to improving myself as soon I woke up since I still had a long way to go before I became truly strong.
After waking up from the refreshing nap, I sought Rorak as he was the best at using a bow. Now, at this point I was better off attacking the monsters with my bare hands, but that's because my current bow just wasn't good enough.
As soon as I found one that could make use of my strength, I could put it to good use. If I was lucky enough, I might even get a good bow as a reward from using Boss Battle as I learned earlier that I could also gain something else other than fruits or Books.
Rorak watched over me as I fired shot after shot, getting multiple hits right in the middle of the target. That live target practice with the boars proved useful as I hit the stationary target with absolute ease.
He watched me leave with a complicated expression on his face after seeing how fast I improved as long as someone was actually willing to teach me. I felt like he wanted to tell me something in the end there, but he didn't seem to have the courage to speak up.
I didn't bother thinking about that and just focused on my Conjure Wolf spell at my shack. It was getting harder and harder to improve it, but I knew I was close to something good. I just needed to push past my current limit. Though that was easier said than done.
It was disappointing that I failed. I was starting to slow down my progress, but that was fine because I knew I was still improving at a fast pace.
After ordering a Conjured Wolf to keep watch over my shack and bark if someone tried entering, I went to sleep. That night, I dreamed of an entire forest filled with Peaches of Strength, and they were all mine for the taking! I ate them all and became the strongest human in existence, strong enough to lift the sky on my own.
The morning after I woke up refreshed and ready to go.
Today, I decided, I would try to reduce the number of Grass Wolves in the forest. I wasn't sure how many of them there were, but fighting all of them at once might not be that great of an idea. As strong as I was, I didn't want to risk getting jumped on by the entire pack.
However, if their pack was reduced by half? I might be willing to risk a fight then. Though there was no need to do that since I could play it smart and take them down one by one.
Due to my familiarity with the forest after hunting in it for the past few days, I managed to easily locate a group of Grass Wolves. There was a small problem since there were three of them, so I pondered for a moment on how to take them down.
I could use Boss Battle on two and use only my Body Enhancement to end them in melee. Or I could use the ability on only one of the monsters and Conjure my own Wolf to fight beside me while still having the ability to use Body Enhancement. Though I wasn't sure if the other two will try to escape in that situation.
Three or two, that didn't matter to me. Their numbers made no difference. I will defeat them just as easily as I did the ones yesterday.
Though that didn't stop me from making the fight more fair by summoning my own companion. First, however, I took out and wore my new gloves alongside my knife. With my new equipment, the grip on my weapon was now more secure, and I felt confidence surge inside me.
"Conjure Wolf," I intoned quietly as my ghostly partner formed next to me. "Let's go buddy. Attack!"
We charged, and I activated Boss Battle, picking one of the monsters at random since they all looked the same to me.
My conjured companion ran alongside me and jumped headfirst against two of the wolves, disregarding its safety. It was a creation of my Spell, after all, and it didn't care about its life.
Nevertheless, this gave me the perfect opportunity to attack one of the Grass Wolves without caring about the other two, and I took full advantage of this, gliding around my opponent and slashing at it with my knife. I heard the other wolves growling and fighting against my own, but I paid them no mind, completely focused on ending this one as quickly as possible.
It didn't take me more than two perfectly aimed hits, one of them striking against its neck, resulting in the monster's death. It slumped down lifelessly, and I immediately rushed over to the other two, who seemed just about ready to end my own companion's life.
That wouldn't do! I jumped between them and managed to fight them off away while getting a single hit in. Only two of them remained now, so I decided on using Body Enhancement to end this fight as quickly as possible.
Those two Grass Wolves were just superior to my own companion as they were faster and stronger than it. However, I was their superior when it came to physical strength, especially when I had my Magic activated, and I practically bullied them, though I focused on the one I hadn't used Boss Battle one. It wouldn't do for one of them to escape and call more reinforcements.
I took down the monster in seconds, demolishing it with a few quick strikes. Only one remained, but froze once I turned my attention to it. That wolf was… waggling its butt at my companion. Was it trying to seduce my wolf? What?
"What is going on?" I was rightfully confused as I stared at the scene in front of me in pure bewilderment.
'This makes no sense.' I thought as I watched my companion slam a paw right on top of the horny monster's head, knocking it down on the ground. I shook my head, trying to forget about whatever that was and rushed over to end the life of the last remaining enemy.
Another Apple of Peace was my reward, which was quickly stashed in my inventory alongside the three corpses of the monsters. Now I had two dead boars and five dead Grass Wolves in my Inventory. The boars I would certainly eat at some point in the future. The monsters… I wasn't sure since I didn't know if their meat was edible.
A short rest was the next thing on my plans before I went out searching for more monsters, but then I heard a weird sound. My head snapped in that direction, my eye scanning everything there. For a moment I thought I had imagined it, but then I looked up, noticing there was a figure in one of the taller trees, silently staring at me from above.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, looking at Rorak with narrowed eyes, wondering how much he saw. I wasn't that worried if he found out about my Inventory, but I felt like Boss Battle was something that had to be kept a secret for now.
He didn't respond at first. Instead, he quickly climbed down the tree, moving expertly like a monkey. Not that I knew how a monkey moved, but I've heard this phrase before.
"I saw you entering the forest earlier," Rorak said as he approached me, his hands slightly raised to show he wasn't armed.
"So you followed me," I said, my grip on my knife tightening.
"I did." Rorak nodded. "Had to make sure you won't kill yourself. We can't risk you dying before the Grass Wolves situation is handled."
"Though…" He looked at where the corpses were moments ago. "You obviously don't need any help. I climbed the tree to get a better vantage point and try to help you, but by the time I was up, they were already gone."
"Yeah, it wasn't much trouble," I crossed my arms, projecting an aura of confidence.
"Will you be returning to the village now?" Rorak asked afterward.
"No, I want to reduce their number some more. I did promise I will deal with them, didn't I?" I asked back.
"You did. I…" Rorak paused and shook his head. "Do you need any help?"
"No," my answered escaped my mouth without hesitation. Why would I need his help? Or anyone's help for that matter? I alone was enough for those monsters as I just proved.
"I see. How many of them have you killed already then?" Rorak then asked.
It took me a moment to count them. "Five now. Two of them yesterday and three today."
"Ah, that's why you asked for help with tracking yesterday." He nodded as if that somehow made sense.
"Sure," I agreed with him. I did rely mostly on stumbling around to find them before, but I thought I did pretty well even without the training.
"The pack has no more than twenty-four. If you take them down to ten, they'll back away and won't even dare to roam near the village," Rorak informed me before he left, leaving me alone with my companion, one which I had to refresh before continuing with my hunt. Couldn't forget about that.
Grass Wolves pack at 19 members. If reduced to under 12, they will automatically leave this side of the forest and the quest will be considered complete.
As we just proved, we are more than good enough to kill a group of three wolves, so we auto complete the next hunt. Wolves now at 16.
Finding another group of three wolves was easy, almost as easy as taking them down. I was getting more and more experience at fighting those monsters, and it barely took me any effort to kill them all, earning me yet another of the apples. That one was stored in my Inventory as well, increasing their number to three.
I kept my Conjured Wolf with me during the entire hunt, and I felt the Spell improving the more I used it. I was on the cusp of something big, and I felt it. Now it's only a matter of time until I figure out how to accomplish said big thing.
On the way back to the village, I took my three Apples of Peace and studied them carefully. Their green color didn't give me that much hope, but I tried them out, taking a bite out of one of them. Despite looking unripe, they tasted amazing! I couldn't stop myself from taking another bit and before I knew it, all three of them were gone.
I took a deep breath and felt one with the world, experiencing true peace for the first time of my life. Everything was fine and nothing could ever go wrong. I enjoyed this new sensation as much as possible, but sadly, it didn't last that long.
A peek at my Status showed that my Soul was now as strong as my body, explaining the purpose of the apples. If the Grass Wolves weren't already my target, they would've surely become one at this moment.
Now, it was time to finally figure out my Conjure Wolf spell and see how I could improve it further.
Running high on that feeling from earlier, I got into a zone and began directing the Mana of my Spell in different ways. I tried mimicking that connection to the world from earlier and everything suddenly clicked for me.
My understanding of Magic soared, and I figured out the way to improve my Conjured Wolf. I understood the perfect way to make it better, so using the momentum, I made my companion…
I made my wolf bigger, stronger, better. I needed a companion that could keep up with me and not be a measly distraction. A partner that could take down enemies without requiring my assistance. Yes, that was perfect. My Conjured Wolf now reached my stomach while on all fours.
However, that wasn't enough for me. I felt like I could do more, but not too much. I pushed, trying to improve it even further, and succeeded in making it a bit smarter. It wasn't by much, but it would be able to understand me better. I felt like if I improved its intelligence a few more times, my Conjured Wolf would be capable of taking actions on its own without needing my commands.
Conjure Wolf rank 5 (188/600) Summon a ghostly wolf that has 30/30 Health, +15 to Attack rolls, and deals 1d15 dmg on successful hit. (Upgrades: bigger, stronger. +1 intelligence.)
"So you saw the kid fighting?" Juro asked while lightly swirling the drink in his hand.
The three of them usually gathered in his house at least once every week, mostly so the other two could have some time away from their women. Juro thought himself more of a free spirit and couldn't see himself getting chained up like his friends. That just wasn't his style.
"Yeah, caught him leaving the village in the morning and decided to follow him. To make sure he doesn't do something stupid and pull him out if I had to," Rorak said, eyes never leaving his glass, which he had barely touched.
"Yeah… a Mage would take at least a few days to arrive here, and that's not even counting the time it would take for the request to arrive," Chapa mused. It's why they were so willing to help him. Better deal with this nonsense before something bad happened. Could even get rid of the pack entirely if they got lucky enough or if Leon had something useful going on with his Magic.
"And what happened?" Juro questioned, barely hiding the interest in his voice. Rorak looked scared when he came over today and that was pretty unusual for their leader.
"Saw him move throughout the forest as if he had done this hundreds of time before. Found a group of those monsters as if he was specifically searching for them and them alone."
"Kid learns freakishly fast," Chapa commented. "Why'd no one bother teaching him something before?"
That was a good question. Juro cupped his chin in thought. "Something about him being cursed? Was pretty young back then, but wasn't he dropped by a some freaky dude when he was a baby? Something, something, Leon being forsaken by the world or whatever?"
"I think I heard something like that as well. Can't say if he's actually cursed. Not like anything bad happened to the village," Chapa replied.
"There was that year where the harvest was bad. Could be his fault. Could be not. Not like I understand how Magic works." Juro shrugged and looked at Rorak. "Anyway, what got you so scared?"
"I saw him summon that ghost wolf of his and send it to fight. Honestly wasn't very impressive, but then he moved as well. Damn kid is faster than a wolf and stronger than a boar! And he played with those monsters just for fun."
"Didn't he get nearly killed by a young one a few days ago?" Juro stopped Rorak there.
"He did, he did." Chapa nodded. "Then again, he was stumbling over his own feet a few days ago as well. He just learns way too damn fast. That ain't normal I tell ya. We've spend over a decade working on our craft and hunting in the forest, and he nearly caught up to us in just a few days!"
"True," Juro agreed. The kid picked up his knife skills just like that. Though he did have that embarrassing moment of cutting of his own pants. He chuckled just remembering that.
"So what else happened?" Juro asked since that clearly wasn't enough to scare Rorak.
"Killed three of them in a couple of minutes at most. And like I said, he played with them like a predator playing with his food. He could've ended the fight instantly if he wanted to," Rorak answered and took a deep breath before shuddering.
"I saw him do it after the fight. Picked them monsters up as if they were some toys and then shoved them out of existence! Just pushed them in the air and they disappeared, just like that! Nothing even remained of them after he was done with the monsters."
"Damn!" Both Juro and Chapa exclaimed. Magic was a pretty scary thing, wasn't it?
"Could've done it right at the start, but he decided to play around with the monsters for fun. Hopefully… hopefully he won't turn that around on us."
"We've been helping him out. And the elders did promise to pay em. We just gotta make sure he gets his Jewels and then goes on his way. Not like anyone who became a Mage stayed here," Chapa said thoughtfully.
"Cause there's nothing of worth in this village. Who'd stay here over going out there?" Juro shook his head.
"Those stupid enough to think they can take on the world. We got it easy here. Out there is a scary world," Chapa replied. No one said another world as they continued to drink, clinking their glasses from time to time.
I woke up early in the morning and looked over my new companion who was silently guarding my door. Well, it was still the same Spell, but the wolf was much bigger now. If before it was a kid, now it was a young man. I would've called it an adult, but I knew I could make it look even bigger in the future.
A short breakfast awaited me, and I kept looking at the corpses of the boars in my Inventory. I would need to look into learning how to cook if I ever wanted to use them. And I did since eating meat was a privilege. Or at least it used to be.
While dreaming about delirious food, I considered how to deal with my day.
The sun was barely up by the time I already left the village, finding myself in the familiar environment of the forest. A few days ago I was too scared to even move around the outskirts, fearing that anything living here could kill me. One of them almost did, but I survived, and I got better. Now the monsters should fear me.
My eyes scanned my surroundings, finding the tracks of a few boars, but I ignored them for now. I wouldn't mind getting a few more of their Peaches of Strength, but I was in no rush. The forest was my playground, and I could find them whenever I wanted to, but today I wished to end the Grass Wolf threat, like I said I would.
I had to go deeper in the forest today, skirting the territory of the Beast as the hunters called it. Personally, I hadn't seen the monster, so I didn't know how strong it was, but I decided to play it carefully, I could deal with it later.
It took me a bit, less than an hour, until I found what I was looking for, four Grass Wolves, moving together in a tight group. Observing them for a moment, I noticed that one of them was bigger than the rest and felt different, special in some way.
Hmm, I paused, considering how to deal with them.
Since I wasn't sure what the bigger monster was capable of, I decided to quickly end the smaller ones and deal with it afterward. Though I didn't want it to attack me from behind, so that's why I summoned my trusty companion. My conjured wolf was bigger and stronger now, which should allow it to delay the monster long enough for me to kill the three smaller ones. If I was lucky, it might even kill the Grass Wolf on its own.
With my plan prepared, I sprang into action, activating Boss Battle on the big one while rushing at the monsters with my companion by my side. "Attack the bigger one and keep him away from me."
Since my partner was nothing more than a Mana construct, it perfectly followed my commands, leaping towards the bigger Grass Wolf in a burst of speed. Meanwhile, I rushed the other three, noticing how they grouped together in fear as I neared them. My hand moved lightning fast as I wielded my knife with impressive skill as I took them down with a single strike each, perfectly aimed at their weak spots.
For a brief moment, I paused. They hadn't even tried to fight back. Instead, they just bunched up together in fear, making me wonder if I was the bad guy here even though they were the monsters. Though… Grass Wolves weren't normally very aggressive monsters unless they were provoked, and I kind of did that when I was searching for a target for my ability. Plus, Boss Battle does force my enemy to fight me…
I shook my head as I heard a thump behind me. Now was not the time to think about that. I quickly turned around, seeing how my companion was just getting up from the ground. The leader Grass Wolf was staring at me, its body trembling with either fear or rage–I wasn't sure which.
Again, I hesitated for a moment, but I quickly shook it off. This wasn't the time to think about it. I rushed at it, swinging my knife towards its neck to end this as quickly as possible, but the monster barely dodged out of the way, and I hit its shoulder blades instead.
My wolf jumped in at that moment, taking advantage of the opening I gave it. Or it just continued following my commands. After all, it still wasn't intelligent enough to formulate its own plans. Either way, my companion had the perfect opportunity to end the fight, but the Leader Wolf did something. It let out a loud howl, and the forest around us sprang to life, roots erupting from the ground to capture us both.
My partner stumbled over them since it was already moving and managed to scratch the monster, though it barely did anything to it. The roots then wrapped around it, holding it in place for a moment. Now they rushed towards me, surrounding me from all sides, trying to capture me as well.
I jumped over the first roots that tried to capture me and ducked under the next as I rushed the monster. The next attack seemed to be aimed at my crotch for some reason. It took me by surprise, but using my improved speed, I managed to easily avoid it before I reached my enemy, slashing its face and leaving a nasty wound that took one of its eyes.
It let out a loud howl, one that even the villagers over at Loya could probably hear. My gaze sharpened as I activated my Body Enhancement, prepared to end this as quickly as possible. There was a high chance the rest of the monsters heard the howl, and they could be running towards us to assist this bigger Grass Wolf.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I spotted my companion bursting out of the roots that held it, but it was flung by as more sprang from the ground and pelted it away. Though the monster was distracted from that action as it looked away for a moment, giving me the opportunity to attack. The next time its gaze turned to me, I was already in its face, my knife already aimed at its neck.
It tried releasing another howl, to call its pack mates to this location, but it was already too late. My weapon pierced its flesh with ease, backed by my impressive physical strength. The monster died, staring at me with a hateful gaze as it choked on its blood.
An odd feeling suddenly overtook as if the bigger Grass Wolf did something to me. I kept my guard up, waiting for its last attempt to strike me, but nothing happened. Moments passed, and I was sure the fight was over, so I turned my attention to my reward. Since the monster was the strongest I had faced so far, I was expecting something big.
However, what I saw was a… grass necklace? It didn't even seem to be made out of the same material. No, it was just grass formed into a necklace…
"What's going on?" I was more than confused. My Boss Battle ability hasn't disappointed me so far. In fact, it was the only reason I was this strong to begin with. Everything I gained had been thanks to it.
Of course, I worked hard to improve myself, figuring out ways to improve my Spells and training my Skills. However, Boss Battle was the main contributor to my increased strength.
"What is this?" But no matter how I looked at it, this was just a necklace made out of grass. There was nothing special about it. Did my ability fail somehow or… Was it the monster's doing? Was that what it did?
Damn it! I was not pleased by this, not at all. I could use my ability only twice per day, and this one was wasted because of the wolf! I… I would have to be more careful in using it in the future if the monsters could somehow mess with it.
With those killed, I now had more than ten monster corpses in my Inventory, fifteen to be exact. This should be enough to get a reward, finally earning me some Jewels so I could leave the village for good. I could leave even without getting the reward, but the people outside the village used money for everything, that much I knew.
Still, I had one remaining use of my Boss Battle… I paused, remembering how the last awarded me with a grass necklace, which didn't seem to do anything. My gloves at least kept my grip on my weapons more secure, but that thing did nothing. I could always ask someone that knew a thing or two about Magic items, but there was no one like that in Loya.
Hopefully, my next use wouldn't be as disappointing. With that in mind, I continued searching the forest, soon finding patches of grass in odd patterns, the tracks left by those bigger Grass Wolves. After following them for a bit, I soon encountered a group of five, led by what I dubbed the Leader.
There were more of them, but there was only a single actual threat among them. The rest I could take down in a hit or two at most, as I just proved. After briefly considering whether I should change up my plan, I decided not to. It already proved it worked, so why bother?
My summoned companion was healthy as I dispelled and conjured a new one after regaining my Mana. Before I needed to wait for quite some time, but now it took just a few minutes for it to get back to full.
Taking a deep breath, I activated my Body Enhancement and charged at the four monsters while sending my partner to delay the big one.
I put all of my focus on ending the four monsters as quickly as possible, knowing that my companion could delay their Leader for only so long. However, those guys seemed better prepared, forcing me to expand more effort as their numbers made it slightly harder for me.
Still, slightly harder wasn't enough to stop me, only delaying me by a bit. Quickly, I turned to rush over to help my companion, only to find it doing fairly well on its own while the Leader was bleeding already from a nasty wound on its leg.
'The upgrades to Spell are even better than I expected.' I thought while finding an opportunity to attack.
The Leader let out a pained howl, noticing the corpses of its pack mates and unleashed its Magic. The roots struck my companion, sending it flying back, but I was more than prepared after seeing that Spell being used earlier.
Those roots tried to strike me, failing to even come close to hitting me due to my speed. I jumped over the last one and stabbed with lighting speed, my blade opening multiple wounds on the monster even though it tried to dodge out of the way. My relentless attacks didn't stop even for a second as I wanted to end this as fast as possible to prevent the Leader from somehow messing with my Boss Battle ability.
My hand was nothing but a blur as it stabbed and slashed over and over again. The Leader tried but failed to resist, and I was victorious. With trepidation, I watched the light forming into two objects and released a sigh of relief once I saw what they were.
"Yes!" I pumped my fist. There was a Scroll and a green sword with a wolf head that had small stubs at the end of the grip. I quickly stored those two in my Inventory to check what they were.
The first was a Root Manipulation Scroll, which I assumed would give me the Spell the Grass Wolves used against me. The other was called, Grass Wolf Sword. It didn't give me much hope after the necklace incident, but I would try it out first and decided after.
With this, my hunt was over. There were perhaps a bit more Grass Wolves left in the forest, but I can surely receive my award now.
The walk back to the village was peaceful and a strange feeling overcame me, one similar to the feeling from eating the Apples of Peace. It felt good, and I summoned my wolf to walk beside me, even giving it some pets that somehow made this even better.
The three hunters were waiting for me at the entrance of the village, all of them looking at me up and down. There was nothing to see since I didn't have a single injury on me. In fact, the monster hadn't even touched me once.
"Is it done?" Rorak asked.
"Yes," I confirmed and checked my Inventory. "I've killed twenty of them. Two of the monsters even used Magic."
"Damn!" Juro exclaimed while the other two just stood frozen in place for a second.
"That's good. That's good. Means we no longer have to worry about that," Rorak muttered to himself before pulling a stack of paper from his pockets.
"This is your reward, one hundred and sixty four Jewels. Should last you for at least a few weeks, more than enough time for you to get to another town and find a job as a Mage. Should look into joining a Guild. It's what most Mages do since they regularly get requests to hunt monsters."
I accepted the money while deep in thought, not even considering they'd cheat me. I would find out soon enough if they had and would return if I felt petty enough.
No, my concerns were on my future, wondering what I should do. I could join a Guild, of course, but I wasn't limited just to that. My Magic was something special, I was sure of that, and I felt like I could do anything as long as I put my mind to it.
"When do you plan on leaving?" I was asked a moment later.
"Tomorrow or the day after at most," I replied without thinking about it too much. That Beast they talked about that lived in the middle of the forest interested me. I was much stronger that the Grass Wolves, and they were barely a challenge, but perhaps that monster could put up a fight against me? The reward I might get for defeating it with Boss Battle was also something I was interested in.
I took the Jewels and began walking towards my lousy shack. The Beast was apparently very strong, so I just needed to be stronger and improve my Body Enhancement even further. Then… then I might just go hunt it down and leave Loya for good.
I woke up nice and early, feeling refreshed and ready to go. After a nice breakfast, I moved on to something I forgot to do yesterday, too buys as I was thinking about improving my strength to fight against the Beast in the forest.
Opening my Inventory, I took out the Scroll I got as a reward and didn't hesitate to absorb its knowledge, gaining a new Magic School called Green Magic in the process.
Root Manipulation was a simple Spell. Currently, it allowed me to manipulate a single root to strike or ensnare my foes. It wasn't as impressive as the one used by the Grass Wolves, but I knew I could use it ever better than them with a bit of effort.
With that out of the way, I moved onto my preparations, namely getting my Stealth up to par since it was the only Skill I hadn't fully unlocked, and improving my Body Enhancement Spell.
The hunters were definitely surprised when I sought them out in the morning, not expecting me to still be in the village. Jokes on them, I wanted to fully unlock my Stealth Skill since I noticed how much better I was with them unlocked. Though I wasn't sure if that was due to me just being more skilled or if my Magic was doing something to ensure I was better. Then again, did that really matter? I didn't think it did since the results were the same.
Unfortunately, the hunters didn't have that much time to teach me today, so I couldn't get the Skill. I was close, however. I could feel it and knew I could get it with a few more hours of practice. Hours I currently didn't have since I needed to upgrade my Body Enhancement. Stealth might play a role in my upcoming fight, but that Spell was my best bet at the moment. My Physique was my strongest weapon–ignoring the sword I got, which I found was pretty sharp–and enhancing it with my Magic turned it even deadlier.
Training went alright at the start, but I began slowing down. A peak at the sun showed me that it was already around lunchtime. I could spend more time training, but then I would have to hunt the Beast during the night, something I wasn't comfortable doing. So after a quick meal, I left the village.
On the way to the middle of the forest, I quickly hunted a boar in the hopes of getting another peach. Sadly, I didn't get one, but instead was awarded with a nice-looking leather armor, though it was only the top half. The reward might've not been what I wished for, but I wouldn't complain and wore the leather armor over my clothes.
Was my Magic trying to tell me something with this? That I'd need to wear this in my upcoming fight? Or perhaps my rewards were purely based on luck, and I had been extremely lucky until now? There really was still so much I didn't understand about my Magic, but now was not the time to think about it.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I began walking deeper into the forest, spotting the marks that indicated the territory of the so-called Beast. Whether it earned its name or not didn't really matter to me. All I wanted was a good challenge and the reward I'd get from defeating it with Boss Battle.
I paused in my steps for a moment. I was becoming a bit of a fighting maniac, wasn't I? I've practically been fighting every day since that time I nearly died in the forest. Taking a short break or two might be a good idea. But at the same time, taking a break would imply I wouldn't be making use of Boss Battle. How annoying.
"Gah." I spat out. Those were useless thoughts and had no place here. I could consider my plans for the future when I was safe and sound, not when I was just about to fight a monster.
My steps continued onward, carrying me deeper into the forest. It didn't take me long to notice there was something odd about this place. For one, there were signs of animals or anything else beside the Beast living here. I couldn't even hear the sounds of insects around me. For two, the smell was disgusting. I wasn't sure if that was the right description, but it smelled like death.
Soon, I realized why that was the case as I encountered the monster that took the center part of the forest for itself. It was… disgusting to say the least. It was big, hairy, and missing large chunks of its flesh, yet it still seemed to be perfectly fine despite that. It walked on all fours, aimlessly moving around, sometimes stopping in front of a tree and marking it with its razor sharp claws. Oh, and it also seemed it would be at least twice as big as me if it stood up on two legs.
Well, this monster might actually be a problem. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should go back and get some more practice in.
Or if I was going to fight it, how would I go about it? What would my plan be? Th beast didn't seem to be that aware of its surroundings, so maybe I could try to get a sneak attack in before the start of the fight.
Zombie Bear - Beast
Physique: 30
Health: 200/200
Attack Rolls: +50
Damage Rolls: 1d30+10
Armor: +5 to physical and magical attacks.
I would fight it right here and now. There was no point in delaying it any longer. My Magic and physical abilities were good enough, not to mention that equipment I received: the gloves, the sword, and the armor. Sure, I was taught how to use a knife, but a sword is just a bigger knife, right? Either way, I was more than prepared for this.
"Conjure Wolf," I intoned quietly, keeping my eyes on the Beast that was aimlessly wandering around. It didn't seem to notice me yet, though it would after my next move.
"GRAA!" A monstrous roar escaped it's mouth the moment I used Boss Battle on it, and the Beast's head snapped in my direction. It charged, running way too fast for a monster its size.
"Go around and attack from behind," I quickly ordered my companion since it stood no chance against this Beast. It probably won't survive more than a couple of hits from those nasty claws.
I wasn't sure if I'd survive more than two as well, but I was stronger and better prepared to handle this monstrosity. My grip on my new sword tightened as it neared me. I had to resist the urge to gag as the smell got even worse the closer it came to me. This might be harder than I thought it would if I had to fight against this stench as well.
The Beast was faster and stronger than me, but it seemed to have no idea what it was doing. Honestly, I also wasn't very experienced, but I was learning fast and already fought multiple monsters. My instincts were sharpening up, and I was getting better and better with each day.
That's why I was able to predict and dodge the attack with relative ease, simply hopping back to avoid the slash from those sharp claws. My weapon shot forward, hacking against the massive limb of the beast. My sword dug deep, but it was stopped midway due to its durable bones.
As I ordered, my companion attacked from behind, confusing the beast and making it turn around, giving me the perfect chance to continue my assault. I put my all into my next attack, aiming at the massive wound I just opened. This time, my sword cut through the bone as well, chopping off the monster's leg.
The Beast turned back towards me, but it stumbled due it now missing a limb, falling on the ground. My wolf jumped on its back to continue clawing and biting the monster while I attacked.
Defenseless as it was, it stood no chance to stop me from slashing its head, and I beheaded the creature in two attacks. The monster, the Beast of this forest, died just like that, not even being able to put up a fight against me.
Have I become so strong that even such a mighty monster couldn't do anything against me? Or was it just that weak? I would find out soon enough as I was now done with everything I wanted to do here. It was time for me to leave this place, but not before gathering my loot.
A total of three objects formed from the light, and one of them instantly grabbed my attention. It was another Scroll, and I picked it up first. I noticed that it was bigger than any of the other ones I got before. A bunch of text appeared in front of me after, asking me if I wanted to learn Take Over: Beast Soul by absorbing the Scroll. I stored it in my Inventory for the moment and looked at the other two items on the ground.
The second object was a stack of paper, just a bunch of pages bound by a leather band. I quickly looked through them, noticing they described a bunch of ways to improve Spells or create new ones.
Oh, that would be a great help to me since I still lacked quite a bit of knowledge about Magic. Though… why did I get a reward like this from the Bear? Well, my Magic was kind of weird, so I shrugged and moved on.
The last object or objects were a set of leather armor. This time I got two pieces, one for my chest and one for my legs. I felt them out and they seemed better than the one I currently wore.
I stored everything I got in my Inventory for the time being and looked at the sky. The sun was starting to go down, so I had a few more hours to do something else if I wanted to. Or I could just go to bed early since I was most likely leaving Loya tomorrow.
Gained Bear Leather Armor +5 armor to Physical and Magical attacks. Magic Theory notes, can be studied to increase Skill up to rank 3. And Spell Scroll: Take Over: Beast Soul.
Since I had some more time left, it'd be wise to use it productively and finally get my last Skill. I gagged as the stench from the monster was getting worse by the second. After considering what to do with it for a second, I decided to just store it in my Inventory like I've done with everything else so far. I did it as quickly as possible, but I fear it managed to spread it's smell to me a bit.
The trek back to the village was peaceful as there wasn't a single monster left in the forest after I killed them all. Once back in Loya, I quickly managed to find the trio of hunters, who seemed like they were about to go to Juro's house.
"You're still here?" They asked once they saw me. "We though you already left the village."
"Nah, I just went to kill the Beast very quickly. Thing was pretty weak to be honest. The smell was really the hardest part of the fight," I said, holding myself back from grinning as their faces slowly morphed into pure astonishment. This felt really good, surprising them like that.
"Huh? What? How?" They stood slack-jawed.
"Yeah, yeah. It wasn't much of an issue, but I do need a good bath now," I said, pointedly staring at them.
"Ah, uh, you can use my bath if you want?" Juro caught on and quickly offered.
"Thanks a bunch!" I clapped in joy. I really needed a bath after everything I did the past few days. "But first, we still have some daytime, so why don't we continue the Stealth training from earlier?"
"Sure! Whatever you want!" They quickly answered, agreeing without hesitation. "Just please don't hurt us."
The last part was nothing but a whisper, so I asked. "Did you say something?"
"Nope! Let's get started, shall we?"