Chapter 7: Battle of attrition
After reaching a plateau and increasing his stats, Steve stopped. He wouldn't be able to level up from mice and carving runes would also take a while. In addition, there was no guarantee he would get good stats. Instead, what he needed was a good plan. He needed to determine the enemy best suited for his abilities and take them down in hopes of gaining a good reward.
Now, the choice of enemy was fairly doable. The bear could knock down trees probably, so that was not an option. The Mother of spiders' mobility was too great and since speed was his best asset he couldn't afford to be outmaneuvered. The royal Wolf could probably corner him and possibly outspeed him in a one-on-one and he didn't even need to mention the forest Lord. His only sensible opponent was the great Stag, and even then he would need a solid plan.
So, he started thinking. He had just gained the ability to climb on trees, which is how he could outmaneuver the Stag. From the top of the tree he could keep throwing down pieces of wood, but that wouldn't do a whole lot of damage. Still, every single point of health was important. Now, his other advantage was in an item he had, the Spider Venom. It could either be administered orally or through wounds, so it would definitely work if he dipped sharp stones or chips of wood in it. If he needed to get close, he could also dip his claws in it.
The only issue was his single inventory slot. He needed to carry the poison in it, meaning he needed to carry the rocks in his mouth, which harshly limited the size. He also first had to find the great Stag, which might also pose a challenge.
Troublesome, troublesome. Well, he did scout some of the area around his territory during his morning runs, so he knew it wasn't anywhere in the close proximity, unlike the black Bear, who wasn't far away at all. If only he had a map.
Without a second of delay, the shop popped open in front of Steve, offering him a map of the forest for the meager price of 10.000 Gold. How kind and affordable. Asshole. This ability was about as useful as a broken flashlight in a haunted house. Meaning not useful. At all.
Whatever, he could just scout for the stag and remember where it was once he found it. And thus, Mercury started his journey through the depths of the forest, placing one tiny paw in front of the other. He had already scouted the area around his base of operations, so to find the great Stag he would obviously have to search further. He also was fairly convinced that these bigshots wouldn't exactly live close to each other, so with the bear periodically visiting the pond Mercury used to drink, he decided to search for antlers-bro in the opposite direction.
And thus, Steve walked and walked and walked, until the sky brightened and he had to get home. It's not that he didn't find anything interesting though. He found a hugeass dead tree which was hollowed out but still standing, he found a few rabbit dens hidden in the ground, which he most certainly didn't accidentally fall into, he saw a few deer and a lot of squirrels and he even found a giant ass boulder, big enough to fit 20 adults on it.
What he didn't find was a bigass stag. Now, he did find stags in general. Tiny young ones, that is. Not a single one of them qualified to be called anything other than a fawn, so he went home. His only solace was the fact that there were no spiders or wolves around, which seemed to hint at it not being their territory, meaning the direction was probably correct. Now he only had to run a little to get a bit further tomorrow.
With those thoughts, Steve went to bed. And the next day he kept going, running a lot further than last time. And he wasn't wrong. Aside from a few trees that were split in half by lightning and a clearing which just had a huge mushroom with a lot of tiny ones around it, he also found loads and loads more deer, as well as another clearing with a mossy rock overlooking it. And, as per usual, the leader laid atop the rock, sleeping.
It was a stag. A huge stag. Even without its antlers it would easily reach two meters in height, the giant maze of spikes on its head added another one on top of that. Every muscle on its body seemed thick and flexible, every bit of skin leathery enough to shake off arrows. And he immediately found the flaw in his plan. He had assumed he would be able to penetrate its skin and administer the poison that way, but he already saw that wouldn't be an option. The only way he'd do any damage to it was by using his claws, teeth and heavy, blunt rocks. There was also a slight chance he'd be able to administer the poison while it was asleep. Though he didn't have the poison with him right now, so he'd have to try it the next time.
Well, it was time to come up with a new plan. Luckily, Steve had enough time to think while he was on his way back to his trusty log. His solution wasn't flawless, but it was the best he could do at his current level (and with the time needed to get another one, he had no interest in that). He would turn it into a war of attrition. He was fully prepared to have this whole shebang last for well over a day.
His plan would require some setting up, but that hardly mattered if it was effective. If everything went like he wanted it to, he would first spend a few days carrying over supplies. He would need to find fitting rocks and bring those over, carry over the poison as well as stockpile enough food for two days at the very least. He also needed to get enough rest before he executed his plan and needed to find a hiding spot somewhere near the clearing.
Afterwards, his plan was fairly simple and consisted of only a few elements. He would wake up a little earlier than usual and watch the stag. As soon as it went to sleep he'd poison it, making it wake up. Then, he would wait until it settled down to sleep again and throw a rock at its face. He would continue with that strategy until the stag gave up on sleeping, hopefully near daybreak, when he himself would go to sleep. Then, he would do the same thing the next night. After the second night without sleep it might try to nap during the day, which would start the harder part of the plan.
Steve would have to observe it during the day and forcefully keep it awake even then. From this point on, neither of them would be able to sleep, but Steve would definitely have the advantage. He would have gotten one night's rest more than the stag after all and he wouldn't be poisoned or barraged with rocks. Eventually, the Stag would hopefully drop, dying of exhaustion from lack of sleep and being pelted with stones. That would mark the end of Mercury's plan.
But of course, setup came before execution, and Mercury went to work. First he had to find and transport the rocks. Pebbles wouldn't do at all, so he had to transport them using
After a bit of searching he also found more solid chunks of rock though, specifically around the giant boulder, which held up very well and would definitely be heavy enough to deal some damage to mister antlers. And thus, after three days of searching, carrying, throwing and labour, he had a large enough pile of rocks assembled next to the clearing, having hidden the vial of poison between them. In addition to that,
Then, after two more days of searching, he found a rabbit den close by, which he swiftly cleared out as soon as the rabbits came home.
[Killed a rabbit. Get: 15 Exp, 3 Gold.]
[Killed a rabbit. Get: 15 Exp, 3 Gold.]
[Killed a baby rabbit. Get: 7 Exp, 2 Gold.]
…
The hunting efficiency of bigger rocks was truly amazing. And thus he had assembled both shelter and food in the form of two adult- and five baby rabbits.
Next he scouted the nearby trees. His plan was to throw a rock from one of them and then hide in it before swapping over to another tree and throwing the next rock from there. It would make him a lot harder to find and stop, and might annoy the stag as well, making it perfect for what Mercury wanted to do. And so, after a good day's rest, he took the poison in his inventory and watched the Stag from the ground, crouched down as low as he could.
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Just as he expected, it laid down soon after, closing its eyes and using the soft moss as its bed. Only when Mercury saw its chest rising and sinking periodically did he get closer using
Thus, Mercury popped the cork out of the vial and took it into his mouth sideways, making sure not to spill it on himself. Then he took another step towards the deer and poured as much of the vial as possible into its nose, before quickly splashing the last bit onto its eyes and face. In total it took maybe two seconds, but when Steve just turned back and started his sprint, he was almost knocked off his feet by the deer's scream. Seems like the poison both worked and hurt a lot. It did get all over its face and maybe even into its lungs a little, which should most certainly be quite painful.
When Mercury arrived back at the rabbit den and only poked his head out, he could still see the stag kicking the air and jumping all over the place in hopes of lessening the pain. Well, it wouldn't be of use anyways. Didn't spider venom, like, melt your insides? It was bound to hurt.
And so Steve just watched the stag writhing in pain, fully forcing every muscle of its body into action. Needless to say, it couldn't lie down anymore. All it did was pace around the clearing, flinching and groaning every now and then. But Mercury couldn't let this chance go. He had started already, so he couldn't back down anymore. He was determined to kill it when he came here, so he would do it. Then, in the stag's moments of pain, a rock flew at it, crashing right into its forehead.
Of course, the animal looked around in a panic, but Mercury had already gone to another spot by then and loaded up another rock. As soon as the deer set into motion, he launched it, smashing into one ankle of the thing. While it yowled in pain once more, Mercury had already gone back to his stack of ammo and reloaded. He knew he wouldn't be able to damage the chest or organs of the stag with his rocks but he could definitely smash bones at places where there wasn't as much muscle in the way. Thus, Steve kept throwing a rock every minute or so from the undergrowth and tree canopies, always aiming for the spots where the skin was thinnest.
Sometimes he missed, of course, but over time it didn't matter as much anymore. The shots from above only had to hit the stag's spine every so often to do enough damage and those from below hit its ankles very frequently, every hit followed by another groan from the stag. But the true heavy-hitter was the poison. It had immediately set the thing into a state of panic and restlessness, making it slower and more stupid. This way, Mercury's shots were far more accurate, and after only the first night the stag had trouble walking.
Its ankles were very tough, but after being hit again and again for hours on end they slowly started to give in. This was very good for Mercury. He was also tired by then, but he could easily keep going through a chunk of the day since he had slept the day before, unlike the stag. And when it finally fell to the ground he didn't even have to worry about his ammunition anymore, since he could easily collect the rocks and throw them again.
And when the sun was setting again, the deer was already lying on the ground bleary-eyed. It had been awake for 36 hours straight, but the clock kept ticking. As soon as it closed its eyes a rock would come flying at its face, securely hitting its mark now. The poison was now weaker but still gently coursed through its veins, refusing to let go just yet. And like that 12 more hours passed.
[
After two days, drowsiness set in for Mercury, but he didn't let up quite yet. He stopped wasting his energy by climbing on trees though and instead focused on throwing rocks. He still had no intention of getting close to the thing, instead he kept his distance and shot at it over and over again, the rocks colliding with the stag's sturdy bones.
Throughout the entire day it got hit in the face again and again, but its eyes wouldn't fully become lifeless. Luckily, Mercury wasn't done. After the night passed, the stag had been awake for 60 hours straight, well and truly exhausting it. So, Mercury finally let it sleep. Or so it seemed, until he climbed onto its head, placed his paws onto its eyes and dug his claws into them, before quickly slashing them entirely and jumping off.
Once again, the stag cried out in pain, panting heavily and trying to push itself up with its battered legs before collapsing on the ground again. But it didn't die. This thing had more Vitality than all its other stats combined, it seemed. But that hardly mattered. Eventually it would fall. And like that, the final day passed. Because when nightfall came, Mercury threw one last stone when he heard a notification ring.
[Killed the great Stag! Get: 300 Exp, 100 Gold, great Stag's antlers (ingredient), great Stag's hide (ingredient), great Stag's heart (consumable).]
[Sub Quest: "Defeat the great Stag!" completed. You have received: 2 Ability points, 100 Skill points, 250 Exp.]
[Level Up!]
Steve's heart thumped with excitement when he saw the rewards, but there was something even more urgent than that. He wanted sleep. He craved sleep. He neeeeeeeded sleep. So, after quickly dragging the heart and hide into the rabbit's den and placing the antlers in his inventory, Mercury fell asleep on the hide. And when he woke up again, it was already a little past midday.
Even before eating breakfast, he decided to check out the spoils of war, so to speak. He didn't get harmed during the battle at all, but he also hadn't gotten away unscathed. The simple duration of the fight was already extraordinary, but doing so without sleeping was even worse. It was a hard-fought win, no matter which way he looked at it. So he hoped that what he got would be good at least. First to check his level-up. Status!
Status:
Mercury Rainfall Starlight
Lv.: 8 -> 9
Species: Common Mopaaw
Titles:
Hp: 40/40
Mp: 32/32
Sp: 55/55
Strength: 17 -> 18
Vitality: 11 -> 13
Dexterity: 15 -> 16
Agility: 25
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 8
Willpower: 9 -> 10
Luck: 8
Ability points: 16
Skill points: 650
Gold: 423
It was a solid level-up. It gave him a good amount of physical stats to make him more durable and his Willpower increased as well. That was probably what he was relying on to keep him awake, so it was no wonder it increased. He also got a more than fair amount of Ability- and Skill points. But he still wasn't done looking yet, after all there were still the items.
[Great Stag's hide: The hide of the great Stag, toughened by hardships over the years it is stronger than any easily available leather. It can be used to craft armor. Grade: unique E]
[Great Stag's antlers: The antlers of the great Stag. These antlers are multiple times larger and stronger than a regular stag's antler. They can be used to craft alchemy items. Grade: unique E]
[Great Stag's heart: The heart of the great Stag. Still filled with vitality and life even outside its body this item will slightly enhance the user's body upon being consumed. Grade: unique C]
Well, the first two items weren't very useful to him right now but the heart sure was. There was no way for him to know whether the enhancement was permanent or not, so he simply had to try it out, right? So, Mercury ate the heart for breakfast, since he didn't have anything else to do anyways. Then, another notification rang out.
[The vitality of the great Stag's heart courses through you. Strength increased by 1. Vitality increased by 2. Dexterity increased by 1.]
Holy shit! He basically just got a buff similar to a level up! Of course he didn't get extra Ability- or Skill points, but even just increasing a few stats was incredibly valuable. This was probably the best item he had gotten yet! Well, it was a unique C-grade item. Wait, grade? The fuck's that?
[Grade: an item's grade signifies both its rarity and power.]
And what's with that half-assed explanation? Jeez, sometimes this system was really frigging frustrating. Okay, fine. Since the heart was good, C was probably better than E. Also, they didn't show when just picking up an item but did show up in the short description in the inventory. Well, he still had quite a way to go according to that description, given that the named monsters he was fighting were E-rank currently.
Seems that while his starting area was bad, this forest wasn't the worst case. He probably could have also spawned in the demon king's castle. That would have been highly unfortunate. Well, for now he was in the forest, so he would have to keep contending with its enemies. It was also time to decide which enemy to tackle next.
The black Bear might be troublesome but not impossible. The royal Wolf would most likely lead a pack of elite wolves, which could prove highly troublesome while the Mother of spiders would lead a large army. Honestly, the wolf really seemed the most troublesome. He might not even be able to run away if things got rough and he could get surrounded by foes just one step below a pack leader. In short, he'd die. The bear at least operated alone, but it's brutal strength would make hiding hard, and it also had fewer weak spots than the stag. Even the Mother would prove troublesome, throwing lots of spiders at him and limiting his movement.
All in all, the wolf threatened him with certain death while the others at least left him with a chance. Now, with the bear the chance was very small, as for the Mother… he might have a good chance if he started decimating her army ahead of time. In the end she was his best shot, though she'd also require quite some work to get ready. Hopefully he'd at least get another level-up at the end of it.. Ugh, how troublesome. At the very least he'd take a bit of time to get used to his new stats first.
Thus, Mercury stored the antlers in his inventory and carried the hide and a few of the rocks back with