You have defeated Novis Taurus, level ??

Congratulations! You have defeated a novel creature and received 1 [Rare] grade item upgrade!

You have reached level 23. You have 25 attribute points available for distribution.

Two of the three soldiers were taken by surprise at the sudden change, jaws slack and eyes wide as they looked on at the scene before them. Only Tiber wore a sly grin as his shoulders relaxed, taking one heavy breath after another in an attempt to stabilize his breathing. Lucius clung tightly to Matriarch's Fury, using the sword as a handle as the massive body of the slain creature began to tilt forward.

"Move!"

Tiber's shout snapped Roland out of the temporary fugue state his near-death experience had caused. Scrambling across the ground, Roland's hands scraped hard against the root filled earth, flinging the dirt and leaves behind him as he moved past. At the last second, he rolled onto his back just as the sharp horns dug holes in the ground in front of him, pulling his legs up to his chest to avoid being crushed or pierced. Roland looked at the massive head inches from his feet as his chest rose and fell heavily, it was a close shave.

Lucius casually stepped off the falling head a moment before it hit the ground, landing beside a wide-eyed Roland. He wrenched Matriarch's Fury free from the skull, accidentally releasing a gush of blood and brain matter that sprayed into the bald man's open mouth and eyes. Lucius looked away from the now-coughing Roland, scratching the back of his head awkwardly and frowning as the awful smell of the dead creature's bodily fluids reached his nose.

"Ick... Sorry about that."

Luckily for Roland, the remains of the Taurus began to bubble and disappear into a brown-colored steam, including the slurry of liquids that covered his face. This reminded Lucius of what had taken place with the body of the vampire outside the old church not long ago. His hand's squeezed tighter around the grip of his sword as he noticed the familiar oval-shaped brown stone form deep inside the mist, Lucius stepped in front of Roland, casually blocking the man's view of the precious item as he extended a hand toward him.

"Here, let me help you up."

"T-thank you."

Roland accepted the offer, gripping Lucius' hand as he was pulled to his feet. Lucius dusted Roland's back off for him, then stepped away from the corpse a moment later. When the body came back into view the oval stone was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey!"

Roland's shout stopped Lucius as he tried to walk away. Anxiety began to rise in the young man's chest as Roland turned toward him with a stern expression, walking up and grasping his shoulder tightly as the large soldier stared into his eyes.

Lucius let out a guilty chuckle, raising his hands in front of him.

"I guess you cau—"

"I owe you my life! You are my brother from this day forward!" Roland declared.

Roland released Lucius' shoulder, stepping back as he bowed his big, shiny head toward the younger man.

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"Oh! That’s... Don’t mention it, really," Lucius stammered.

By then, Tiber had reached their position. He glanced down at the corpse, which had nearly disappeared, his eyes narrowing. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he began to voice his concerns.

"What the hell was that thing? I’ve never seen an abyss creature’s body behave like this after it died. Plus, it looked exactly like a Minotaur from human mythology, and the system called it a novel creature. Roland, Garrick, report. Did you get credit for the kill?"

Garrick jumped down from the rooftop and approached the group as Roland responded.

"Yeah, I got an item upgrade. [Enhanced] quality or lower, and I leveled up. Did the creature’s level show as question marks for everyone else?"

The group exchanged information. Both Garrick and Roland had received [Enhanced] upgrades, the lowest reward. Tiber had fared better, leveling up twice and earning a [Magical] grade upgrade. Only Lucius had received a [Rare] item upgrade, but he stayed quiet as the soldiers made their reports to Tiber.

When Roland and Garrick finished, Garrick gave Lucius a look, as if he wanted to say something, but he ended up simply clearing his throat awkwardly as he looked away before heading back toward the house. Tiber sent him back to finish his guard duty while they entered the cabin.

As the soldiers returned inside, Lucius followed. A smile crept across his face when he saw the fear on Maryanne’s face melting away with a big exhale the moment she spotted him. Walking into the warm air around the wood stove, he gently patted the young girl’s head as she looked up and spoke.

"Did you kill the bad guy?"

Tiber and Roland couldn’t help but glance over, their faces breaking into smiles. Roland’s deep voice boomed as he spoke up in place of Lucius.

"He sure did, young lady. Lucius killed the bad guy himself and saved my life in the process. He’s a hero."

Maryanne’s tiny hands clasped under her chin as she listened to Roland’s words. Pride lit her eyes, and the firelight reflected on one side of her face as she responded.

"Yep, Lucius is very strong. He saved me too!"

"Okay, that’s enough praise—I’m not used to it," Lucius said, looking over at Tiber as he continued, "I’m going to head into the spare room for a moment. I won’t be long. Whisper, Maryanne, you can join me if you like, or stay here."

Tiber nodded and waved for Lucius to go ahead, while Maryanne quickly rose to her feet to follow him, carrying Whisper along with her, tucked snugly in her folded arms. Lucius chuckled at the girl's swift response, then led his two companions into the only other room of the cabin. The room was sparse, containing only a large bed and a dresser with a mirror on top. Shutting the door behind them, Lucius closed the curtain's as he instructed Maryanne to stand close to the wall.

Lucius walked over to the bed, untying the sling around his neck first as he carefully moved his left arm up and down. It still hurt, but draining life from the Minotaur had healed the limb enough to make it usable. Tossing the dirty cloth sling aside, Lucius held his hand forward and emptied the contents of his storage ring onto the bed in the center of the room. Maryanne’s face scrunched with confusion as she watched.

"What are you doing, Lucius?"

"Just watch—you’ll see."

The oval stone he'd snatched earlier, some clothes, firewood, an old toolbox, bedding, a medkit, the dead soldier’s journal and dog tags, food, and the pieces of corpses he had collected so far piled up in the center of the room. When the ring was completely empty, Lucius removed it from his finger and brought up its description.

Adventurer's Ring - Gemstone Ring - Quality [Rare]

A utility ring fit for an adventurer. This ring contains a dimensional storage space of 9 x 9 yards and imbues its wearer with weak telekinesis.

Lucky Dog - All attributes +3

Now that he had an item upgrade capable of enhancing a [Rare] quality item, Lucius didn’t hesitate to use it on the only [Rare] item he currently possessed. The ring had been incredibly useful so far, and he had integrated its telekinesis ability into his fighting style. Plus, using telekinesis was fun. His only complaint was that it was so weak—but maybe that could change now.

Lucius held the ring out in front of him as he activated the [Rare] item upgrade. Instantly, a large swarm of glowing lights filled the room, spiraling around him and casting bright patterns on the walls. Maryanne let out a startled yelp at the sudden spectacle. She only calmed down after she turned to Lucius and saw the calm smile on his face. Clutching Whisper tighter in her arms, she gazed up with wide eyes at the beautiful lights flowing into Lucius’ ring.