Here’s the revised version with attention to grammar, structure, clarity, and maintaining the original word count:

“(Is it…gone now?)”

I cautiously extended the edge of my body out from between the tree roots.

Confirming that the old man was no longer pursuing me, I breathed a sigh of relief.

In moments like this, the slime body’s ability to function as eyes all over was incredibly useful.

“(Man, that was a close call…)”

As the tension eased, the strength drained from my entire body, which had been rigid.

It was akin to the human sensation of one’s legs giving out.

“(Damn it, I was careless…)”

Now that I was safe, a wave of self-reflection hit me.

In hindsight, it was only natural.

This world has [Levels] and [Skills], and those don’t disappear with age.

Sure, physical abilities might decline with aging, but thanks to [Status], the weakening due to aging isn’t as pronounced as it is on Earth.

But I made the mistake of judging by Earth’s standards.

I must remind myself not to underestimate someone just because they’re older.

“(Alright, enough self-pity!)”

There’s no point in dwelling on it, so I started thinking about countermeasures for the next time we meet.

“(Avoiding him altogether would be the best option.)”

That old man’s attack had penetrated my [Toughness], but it was a barehanded strike after all.

His attack range was just the length of his arm, so dodging it shouldn’t be impossible.

The reason I got hit earlier was that he was incredibly fast.

He caught up with me and landed a blow even though I was in [Escape] and [Evasion] mode, meaning his [Speed] was out of the ordinary.

“(One solution is to level up and evolve. The other is…)”

I focused my thoughts on my [Status].

A newly added, or rather upgraded, [Skill] had appeared in my [Skills] list.

~Skill Details~

Flight: Boosts speed during escape. Boosts stealth during escape.

The [Escape] skill had disappeared from my [Status] and was replaced by this new [Skill]. Its effect is an upgraded version of [Escape].

It must have evolved because I used [Escape] so frequently.

This is the other solution.

If I train my existing [Skills]—specifically [Evasion]—and upgrade them to higher-tier [Skills], I should be able to better predict and dodge that old man’s attacks.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Not only him but any opponents like those in the future!

“(Well, I’ll still need to find enemies to train against.)”

I can’t practice evasion alone.

So, I set off in the opposite direction of where the old man had been, in search of new enemies.

My [Life] was 90% recovered, and I was ready for any [Mighty Beast] that might come my way.

‘(Oh, these guys look promising.)’

What I found were werewolves—bipedal, wolf-like beasts.

This pack had five members, four of whom were roughly the size of middle school students. They’re probably [Low Beasts].

However, the one that appeared to be the leader was different.

It stood about two meters tall, and its physique was evident even through its fur.

Given that it’s operating in this area, where the [Mana] concentration is thick, it’s safe to assume this leader is a [Mighty Beast].

Time to get serious.

“Wrooar!”

“Raaa!”

The pack noticed me, and I responded with a threatening growl.

At the leader’s howl, the werewolves scattered and attacked from all directions.

“Saaa! (Yup, nope, ha!)”

The first one lunged at me head-on, its claws as long as a knife coming down.

I dodged by stepping back.

Next, the second werewolf charged from an higher angle, its jaws snapping, but I sidestepped, avoiding it.

The third one tried to ambush me from hind, so I sidestepped.

Finally, the fourth one tried to circle around behind me, but I jumped over it with [Leap].

As the first one attempted to exploit my landing, I quickly jumped to the side, dodging its attack as well.

In this manner, I continued to dodge the werewolves’ attacks.

Our base [Speed] should be about the same, but with my [Evasion] and occasional use of [Flight], I could easily handle multiple opponents.

Once I got the hang of dodging, I began to focus on minimizing unnecessary movements.

Don’t dodge more than needed. By aiming for the bare minimum to avoid the attacks, I could conserve energy and have time for my next move.

“(Oops, messed that one up.)”

But I’m no martial arts master, so mistakes were inevitable.

Sometimes, I couldn’t dodge completely because the attack reached farther than I expected, or I misjudged the force needed.

Even so, the werewolves’ attacks weren’t causing any damage, so I continued my [Evasion] training without worry. However, perhaps they took that as me mocking them.

Their attacks started to get quite reckless.

They say that when someone gets angry, their movements become predictable. It’s true.

As the battle dragged on and I got more accustomed to their movements, I could start reading their attacks. They were so desperate to land a hit that it became easy to find openings.

“Raaah!!”

But it wasn’t just the werewolves I was fighting who were getting impatient.

After the leader, who had been staying in the back, let out a roar, I was hit by an invisible shockwave.

The leader kept throwing out these shockwaves from time to time.

It was incredibly annoying because they were timed to disrupt my movements without hitting the other werewolves.

So you’re a support role, huh?

All that muscle for show?

…Well, whatever.

More importantly, the leader was also giving simplified instructions to its subordinates—something I could pick up on using [Understanding Intent]—which brought some calm back to their movements.

“(That just makes for better training!)”

Dodging while keeping an eye on distant attacks required more focus, but it only fueled my determination.

How long did this continue? Eventually, everything around me began to slow down, and my body started moving even more effortlessly.

~Notification~

…

>>Aresnal Slime has acquired the [Skill: Transient Flash]. [Evasion] has been integrated.

…

~Skill Details~

Transient Flash: Boosts action speed during evasion. Constantly boosts dynamic vision.

Checking my [Status], I saw that [Evasion] had disappeared and been replaced by an upgraded [Skill].

It seems my plan to upgrade my [Skills] was successful.

Now I can finally counterattack.’

I first targeted the werewolf that had attacked with its claws.

I dodged through its arm and, using the speed gained from [Transient Flash], I unleashed a [Slash] with blades extended from my body.

The Aresnal Slime has decent [Power], so I easily sliced through the enemy.

The werewolf collapsed to the ground.

The other werewolves attacked, but I weaved through their blows and quickly closed in on the leader.

The leader gathered [Mana] in its arms, strengthening its claws to counter me, but as long as it didn’t hit me, that didn’t matter.

I dodged by a hair’s breadth and, using that momentum, swung.

The leader’s head flew off.

At that point, no one else could stand against me, and the remaining werewolves were swiftly hunted down.

~Notification~

…

>>Aresnal Slime has acquired the [Skill: Cross Counter].

>>Aresnal Slime’s [Soul Value Level] has increased to 42.

…