Ryan became alarmed as he saw the group of four players. He had specifically gone out of his way to grind here at this not-so-productive spot, and yet these guys managed to sniff him out. This was going to be troublesome. He really didn't want his class information to get out. However, things seldom go as planned. He had to think now and somehow salvage this situation.

A million thoughts raced through his mind as Ryan tried to think of what to do at the moment, and then the person in front opened his mouth. "Respect! You are a true psycho! I have never seen anyone fight like this. Ha Ha Ha!"

Huh? Ryan frowned. He did not expect to hear this. The group who looked like they wanted to bully and gang up on him suddenly looked as if they were being friendly with him. It took him a second, but the reality quickly dawned on him. Did they misunderstand that he was a freak who was chewing out beasts for no reason? Or rather, for fun?

I guess that works too. Ryan quickly decided to play his part and glared at them, licking his bloody hands. "Alright. Alright. Sorry to disturb you, bro. We will be leaving now. Happy hunting!" The leader waved at him as the group started walking away. Two players in the group even continued to turn back many times and look at him nervously as if they were scared of him snapping at them.

Ryan smiled inwardly at this sight, but he continued to play the part. "What are you looking at, bitch?" He gruffly shouted as he swaggered away from that spot. Apparently, this was not far enough. So he decided to take more precautions. He went further into the level 5 zone, where boars typically tend to hang out in bigger groups.

Unless they were in a big party, not many players would prefer to grind here as it was unnecessarily dangerous. But for him, who wanted to stay out of the public eye, this was as good a spot as any.

Ryan once again started his special training where he tried to observe all the things around him in detail when he noticed that there was a lot more movement a few feet ahead of him. He quietly tip-toed and walked a little bit forward to check it out, and bingo, he was absolutely correct. There was a big herd of boars clumped together in front of him. There should be at least 20 or so in that group.

If any player got caught in this group, it was definitely an instant death. Thankfully, he was able to notice it beforehand. He quickly doubled back and retraced his steps, quietly heading to a different spot further away. However, once again, he noticed a lot of movements. "My luck is really shitty today." He sighed and sneaked forward to check it out.

Thankfully, this time the situation wasn't too bad. There were only five boars, though all five of them looked agitated, hence the exaggerated movements. "Hmmm." Ryan paused, thinking about this a little bit. Sure, he was able to deal with a 1 vs 3, would he also be able to deal with a 1 vs 5?

It was a little risky, but he was just a single kill away from leveling up one more time, which would put him on the same level as these boars, and then it wouldn't be as difficult. "Alright. Worth a try. Let's go." Things beyond his understanding were happening around him, so he wanted to push himself more and more to be prepared for all the uncertainties.

Steeling his resolve, he readied his hands and nails and dove right into it. Roar! The wild boars also noticed him and started charging at him, all five of them at the same time, but just as the first one launched at him, Ryan dodged, and the boar hit a tree behind him, smack dab on its head.

-40

He immediately clawed the legs of the boar that looked as if it was dizzy from its head spinning and hurriedly side-stepped to avoid the next one. But he couldn't stop the third boar, and he took a big hit.

-100

"Damn. These charge attacks are brutal." Ryan did not plan on letting them land another hit. He was pushed back a few feet because of the hit, and he used that to dodge the next two. At the same time, he circled back to the first boar he had heavily injured. With one single jump, he landed right on the head of the fallen boar as he ruthlessly crushed its neck and throat.

Ryan's health bar instantly filled up again as he kept swinging at the two boars that were coming at him. When the chance arrived, he purposefully moved away, letting the third boar crash the party, making all the boars stumble like bowling pins. But he still had to take the hit from the 4th boar.

However, unlike the boars, he did not get tired. He continued to slowly wear them out by making them run around and charge at each other. Soon one more fell and with just three boars the fight became a piece of cake. He quickly added his new attribute points to strength, agility, and defense in the same 2:2:1 ration and continued wrestling with the boars. Blood splattered here and there as two more fell, giving him chunks of experience points.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

As for the last one, Ryan saved the guy as he needed a drink. He cut the legs of the boar, making the beast severely injured, and it flopped on the ground, almost fully out of it. He squatted casually near the guy and leaned forward to dig in. But at the last minute, he stopped. Instead of taking a drink, he simply killed the boar-like any other player would do. He then stood up to turn and look at the tall cluster of brambles near him.

"Come out. I know you are there."

Ryan had already learned from his previous mistake. Even if he was completely involved in the fight, he made sure to pay a little attention to the surroundings so this time he noticed the intruder right away. However, the other party remained silent, still continuing to play dumb. "Fine, your wish. You can come out or stay there." He shrugged and started walking away.

"Wait. Wait." The next second a young woman walked out from the hiding spot and appeared in front of him. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to hide. I just didn't want to disturb you."

"Okay." Ryan nodded. This had nothing to do with as he already decided to move to the Level 10 Dire Wolf zone. There were too many eyes in this place as it was close to the beginner's area and it seemed like it was impossible to find a good isolated hunting spot. This was a must for him. So he decided to leave. "You can hunt here if you want. I am leaving." He mumbled and started walking away.

"Hey! Wait!" The girl called out again in a hurry. "I am a support class player. Can we party together?"

Ryan paused and then without turning back he answered her. "No."

"What? Hey! Wait a second. My name is Sara. I am at level 6 already. I am a priest class player, and I have already learned one additional healing skill. I am very good."

The woman started hurriedly blurting out in a defensive tone. She couldn't believe that someone had actually refused her. Ryan, on the other hand, did not even look like he was paying attention to her. He once again paused as he was busily staring at the notification that had just popped up.

[Heightened Hearing]: Passive skill; You are able to hear beyond what a normal human being can hear

Ryan sighed in relief. It worked! It actually worked! He was able to learn a skill by forcefully using his senses to the best that he could. Now he was sure that he would be able to get the others to work as well. While he silently contemplated the best way he could go about this, the woman behind him still continued talking. She assumed that he had stopped for her and now spoke more confidently.

"Don't worry. You won't regret this decision. I am also from the guild Guardian Knights, one of the top 20 guilds. You seem to be just starting, same as me. I can put in a good word for you. It will go a long way. Don't worry. You don't have to thank me."

"Hmmm?" Ryan only now noticed that this person was still talking. Thank her? What was she going on about?

"I am not interested." He repeated his words again and continued walking.

"What? But you just!" Sara sounded furious. She couldn't understand why he changed his mind again.

To her dismay, Ryan now started running away. Not only did this person not want to team up with her, but he was actually running away from her. It felt extremely humiliating.

She did not continue chasing him any longer and went on her way. He might be a talented player, but she did not have to beg someone to play with her. She only asked because she was impressed with the 1 vs 5. Hmph. She eyed the rude fellow one last time before leaving.

Ryan, meanwhile, continued to jog while paying attention to the surroundings using all of his senses. He had already forgotten about the woman. Sure, she might have been helpful, but there was a reason why he did not want to team up. If she really wanted to help, she would have jumped in already and tried to heal him. She did not do that. Instead, she conveniently hid and watched him fight alone. Why team up with someone like that?

He continued running and finally reached the dire wolf zone. There were a few players scattered around here and there, but the player population was definitely less than that of the Level 5 previous zone. He wandered around a bit before coming to a somewhat secluded spot. There was even a Level 7 dire wolf waiting for him readily.

"Here we go." Ryan dashed toward the beast. He made short work of it as the man and the wolf clashed against each other. The fight was better than before as he wasn't as weak as he was, but at the same time, the dire wolf was more agile than the wild boar. So he took a few hits here and there before the wolf finally folded.

Ryan decided to analyze the fight later as he first hurriedly grabbed the guy and sank his teeth into the wolf. His 20 minutes were almost up and the thirst and hunger were beginning to rear their ugly heads, so this felt good. After he drank his fill, he immediately felt better. Good as new. He was ready to dive straight into another fight without needing a break or anything like that.

"This class…" Ryan shook his head helplessly as he stood up and looked for the next target.

He spent the next hour hunting wolves here and there and trying to get the other heightened senses. In the end, he was only able to unlock [Heightened Smell] and [Heightened Sight]. Surprisingly, he also managed to unlock [Claw] and [Punch]. But the skill he was looking forward to the most, the one related to the actual blood-sucking was nowhere to be found. "I guess all in due time."

Ryan had been playing for a while, so he checked the time, and immediately his eyes widened. It was actually 5 pm. His mother would be back from her day shift any time now. She usually came back home around this time to check on him and prepare something for dinner before leaving again for the night shift.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Ryan knew that he had left the apartment in bad condition, some blood stains left uncleaned, and there were also his legs, which were now completely healed. How was he going to explain all of this?

His friend might not notice the difference if he threw a towel on his legs, but his mom would instantly find out. He was in deep shit now! He was not ready to explain anything to her. Even he did not understand what was happening completely. Shit!