The rabbit’s mouth was oozing foam. Kei had to come up with an idea fast because this monster wasn’t going to spare him any time.

(I won’t be able to run in this situation… It looks like I’ll have to take a risk.)

First, he activated his protection barrier. It may be weak, but it could at least prevent any deep wounds. Then, Kei activated venom and licked the tip of his spear. Now that it was coated with poison, his chances for survival slightly increased. Defeating the foe before him would be no easy task. As he was settling into a fighting stance, the rabbit rushed towards him. Before he could even react, it slashed his torso; leaving three bloody marks on his chest.

(Ah shit, that burns a lot! I need to be more careful.)

He tried stepping away to create distance but the rabbit wouldn’t give him a chance.

*Swish, Swish, Swish*

His entire body was covered in blood. Making a last ditch effort, he activated greed. As a result, he acquired “Slash”.

{Slash (intermediate): Upon activating this ability, the user can make use of any sharp weapon to slice or pierce their target. This weapon can include parts of ones’ own body. The speed of the user’s attacks will also significantly increase. The more this ability is used and strengthened, the faster it will be and the more damage it will cause. This skill has no time limit.}

The ability that Kei gained was much stronger than any of the ones he has obtained up to this point. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the leisure to think about such things. Seeing that the rabbit had slowed down from having its ability stolen, Kei tried to stab it. He just barely managed to pierce its skin. But, this was more than enough. Eventually, the poison from the spear would take effect and the rabbit would stop moving.

(Now, it’s just a waiting game.)

Since the rabbit had slowed down, Kei could now dodge it. However, even without its speed, it was incredibly strong. Although it missed Kei by a few inches, it managed to make quick work of the tree beside him. It was sliced cleanly into three distinct pieces.

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(That was too close for comfort…..)

He continued to create distance. The farther they would move, the more havoc that was wrought on the forest. Many trees were torn apart. If there were any snakes nearby, you would be sure that they were running for their lives. The unrelenting attacks of the rabbit continued for a few minutes. As time passed, it began to slow down more and more.

(Finally!)

After one or two more sloppy attacks, its movements halted.  The rabbit’s eyes rolled back and it fell over. The poison successfully invaded its vital organs. However, Kei didn’t escape unscathed either. He was a bloody mess and was breathing heavily.

{Rabid rabbit defeated. Kei Daichi has received some EXP points.}

{As a result of defeating the opponent, passive skill “Greed” has now stolen: “Rabid rabbit mimicry” and “Morphing”.}

{Item dropped: Rabbit corpse. In order to understand this item Kei Daichi must obtain skill “Observe”.}

{Morphing (experienced): upon activation, the user can create an ultimate form. This skill can be used with “Mimicry” to incorporate features of previously obtained monster forms. There is no limit to the number of monster qualities that may be included into this form. No time limit is applied to this ability.}

Kei was still annoyed that the voice in his head mentioned such an obvious drop. Quickly dismissing the thought, he was captivated by “Morphing”. Since it was a tier higher than every one of his other skills, he could have only gained it by killing or devouring his opponent. It was also his strongest skill up to date, along with “Slash”.

(I can’t wait to try morphing. No matter how you look at it, the more creative I get with this skill, the stronger I can become. It looks like I’ve finally gained a trump card!)

Another thing that Kei noticed was that he no longer had to search for his skills in order for them to be explained. He concluded that the voice in his head probably had some form of system that adapted to allow for his comfort. Kei then began to think about his current situation. Having obtained mimicry for the rabbit he just killed, he could use it as a back-up plan in case a stronger monster showed up.

(I’m really happy about all these skills but the sun’s starting to set and I’m still injured. If I’m dead, there’s no use for all these abilities.)

Before Kei left the village, the goblin elder informed him that stronger monsters would appear in the forest at night. This was why goblins hunted in the morning. If Kei couldn’t see anything while fighting against tough opponents, he wouldn’t even stand a chance. He then made up his mind. After taking another short break, Kei would head towards the cave from he was born. Over there, he would find some torches that would allow him to see throughout the night. He could return to the village, but Kei was greedy. Even if he was somewhat incapacitated, as long as there were skills to obtain he wouldn’t pass up the offer.