As I walked along the narrow path, my feet heavy with fatigue, I realised that I had already spent half a day walking through these woods. Yet, my destination was still far off. The trees loomed around me, their leaves - dark and foreboding green. With occasional dead bushes and thorny branches that littered the path. It was clear that no one had bothered to clear this route in a long time, or perhaps no one had travelled it at all.
My stomach gurgled loudly, making a strange noise.
I was hungry and exhausted and I needed to find a place to rest.
I huffed as my legs grew weary and my eyes scanned the flora around me in the hopes of finding something edible. When, I suddenly spotted a cluster of bright red cherries on a bush with dark brown, leathery leaves. The bush seemed oddly out of place, almost unnatural, as if this world had different rules for its nature..
I leaped over the thorny bushes and approached the strange fruit with excitement, eager to quench my hunger. As I brought my nose close to the cherries, I took a long, cautious sniff.
This. Smells. Weird.
Still, my hunger overpowered my doubt, and I reached for the fruit, pinching it between my fingers to pluck it from the leathery bush. But before I could pull it free, a deafening roar echoed through the forest.
Somewhere nearby.
No, somewhere very near.
Very-very near.
I looked up, and there it was—a disgustingly weird-looking monster. Those weren't cherries at all. They were part of its body. The creature had the small, scaled frame of a dragon, its body covered in red, cherry-like orbs every two inches.
Suddenly the system came back to life, the holographic screen appeared in front of me once again.
A Fire-Breathing Orb Mana Monster.
Attack Power: 45/100
Power: Fire breathing
Attack: Rolling Fireballs
Defeat one to acquire:
* XP: 45
* MP: 10
* EC: 100
* Fire Mana Element
I focused on the monster, hoping the system would give me a hint.
Attack the crystal on its head to weaken the monster.
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I spotted it—a bright yellow crystal gleaming on the monster's forehead, almost taunting me, as if daring me to claim my prize. But beautiful things always came at a price. After walking for half a day, hungry and tired, I knew I didn't have the energy to outrun or outmaneuver this creature. The monster roared again, forcing me to take a step back. I had no weapons on me,
As I frantically searched for a solution, my foot caught on the dry wooden thorns scattered across the dirty ground, causing me to fall hard on my backside, right in front of the Cherry Monster. Enraged, it roared once again and launched its attack. Flames erupted from the cherry-like orbs on its body, forming fireballs that hurtled toward me with the speed of a baseball pitch. I quickly ducked behind a nearby tree trunk for shelter, but it didn’t take long for the trunk to be incinerated by the monster's relentless assault.
Before I could get up, the monster was already upon me, its fiery attack ready to strike me any second. I rolled desperately across the dirt path, narrowly avoiding the fireballs.
+1 DEX
+1 Speed
I suddenly noticed a long, thick thorn had stuck itself in my boot. Looking around frantically, I searched for a way to use my environment to fight back against the creature that continued to rain fire on me. As one of the fireballs struck me, I winced in pain, my jacket catching fire. I quickly shrugged it off before it could cause any serious damage.
-1 Damage
Summoning all the strength I had left, I ran with everything in me. With a burst of adrenaline, I leaped for a hanging tree branch, using it to swing myself closer to the Cherry Monster. As I came near it, I gathered all my strength and kicked the thorn-stuck boot toward the yellow mana crystal on its head with brute force. The impact was enough to topple the monster and crack the crystal on top of its head. It collapsed instantly, its body disintegrating and leaving behind a glowing red stone.
+Fire Mana Stone Acquired.
+5 INT
+2 Speed
+2 DEX
+45 XP
+10 MP
+100 EC
+1 Strength
+20 REP
Panting and out of breath, I collapsed on the ground, struggling to catch my breath. As the system updated, In a near distance, a mysterious howl echoed through the woods. My heavy eyes dropped shut as the last thing I remembered before falling into a deep slumber were hundreds of birds taking flight into the sky.
STATUS UPDATED
* Name: Elio
* Age: 24
* Class: Elementalist Level 0
* MP: 10
* XP: 45/45
* DEX: 12, LUCK: 16, Speed: 14, Strength: 7
* Attack Power: 20/100
* CHA: ?
* SKILL: ?
* Weapon: ?
* Elmarst Crowns: 164
* Reputation: 20
* House: ?
Congratulations. LEVEL 1 ELEMENTALIST Achieved.
+200 EC
+10 MP
+10 XP
SKILL UNLOCKED: AGILE ATTACKS
NEW STATUS UPDATE
* Name: Elio
* Age: 24
* Class: Elementalist Level 1
* MP: 20
* XP: 10/70
* DEX: 12, LUCK: 16, Speed: 14, Strength: 7
* Attack Power: 20/100
* CHA: ?
* SKILL: AGILE ATTACKS
* Weapon: ?
* Elmarst Crowns: 364
* Reputation: 20
* House: ?
!! NEW QUEST UNLOCKED !!
VISIT THE SWORDSMAN IN ELMARST CAPITAL AND COMMISSION A SWORD.