Chapter 23: Leveling Up (3)

Skinning monsters wasn’t simple.

During his beta tester days, Blake struggled with this profession until he discovered he had a knack for it, eventually earning a rare-ranked butcher title.

The higher the rank, the more loot a player could obtain from turning monsters into particles.

It was worth at least leveling up this title or combining it with others to reach epic rank in the late game, because of the valuable loot one could get from bosses or special monsters.

Keeping his battle lust in check, Blake worked on his butcher title until it became rare. He skinned, sliced, and collected raw parts of ten lynxes, just as he had in his beta tester days.

The process was faster and even somewhat enjoyable.

It reminded him of how his guild members used to grin at his lack of skill in miscellaneous tasks.

Whether they were genuinely sharing a friendly moment or just pleased to see his weakness, Blake chose not to dwell on it. He finished his work and buried the memories deep in his heart.

Smiling, Blake scooped up some snow, held his hands near his forehead, and let Sol’s warm aura melt it so he could wash the blood from his hands.

He put his gloves back on and flexed his fingers. “Now, then. I’m a bit hungry, so I should log out and eat in real life before cooking here. But I’m more interested in our cooperation, Beatrix.”

At the sound of her name, Beatrix emerged from the shadows.

Blake had reached level three, but his familiar and elemental were still at level one. Sol slept soundly, while Beatrix had mostly been ignored.

Blake decided to level up alongside her.

“With our stats and equipment, we shouldn’t struggle in this forest. We also have Sol’s aura, so the snow won’t bother us,” Blake said, earning a nod from his familiar. “I’m currently stronger against groups of mobs or players than a single foe. I rely on my experience to make up for that, but it’s best if I keep enemies alive until I’m done. I can count on you to finish them off.”

Blake’s first katana turned him into a powerhouse against groups, if not entire armies.

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With Beatrix on his team, he could keep everyone’s lives in the palm of his hand, leaving them no chance to heal.

She was his shadow, watching everything, even while covering various angles.

He expected that much from her, since he could also track many details during battle.

“Let’s see what we can do without too much planning. You’re free to act as you see fit. I’ll lure the enemies,” Blake said, then howled again.

His voice echoed through the white forest, rousing its inhabitants.

Five white lynxes dashed toward him.

He calmly took a middle guard stance, waiting.

Meanwhile, Beatrix left his shadow. Like a fish in water, she slipped between the trees, using her heightened hearing to spot monsters.

After fighting Blake—when he handled her arrows with his eyes shut—she seemed to have evolved to match him, relying on her enhanced senses more than her eyesight.

She tracked the five lynxes Blake had provoked, then casually roamed the forest for more.

Still on the move, she drew her bow and pulled back the string. It seemed odd since she hadn’t nocked an arrow.

Any doubt vanished as tendrils of shadow formed between the string and the riser, creating an arrow with a four-bladed tip.

She released it, and the arrow silently pierced a lynx’s head.

The monster noticed Beatrix and charged at her.

She changed direction and loosed another arrow at a different target.

Repeating this ten more times, Beatrix soon had eleven monsters chasing her like frenzied hounds.

Back at Blake’s side, Beatrix settled into his shadow.

He glanced at the wave of monsters bearing down on them. “Good idea. The more, the stronger I become.”

His smile widened as he noticed all the lynxes hit by Beatrix were left with so little health that a single slash would finish them.

A thought struck him.

He said, “As I move, so does my shadow. I’ll weave among these monsters, and your job is to kill anything that threatens me. I’ll draw them into obvious openings—take your shot when you see it.”

Beatrix’s eyes gleamed in the darkness, though Blake couldn’t see them.

And so, the two refined their teamwork.

As for Sol, he still slept!