Kaelen walked through the village and spotted Nirathi in the distance, so he approached her.

"Hey, Nirathi! I was told to go hunting with you," he said, trying to sound upbeat.

She didn't even turn her head to respond. "You're late. Don't let it happen again."

Kaelen sighed, realizing there was no use in arguing. Just as he was about to ask her what their plan was, Vessira piped up from atop his head.

"Come on, Nirathi! Why are you being so rude, especially with the way you—"

Nirathi cut her off sharply. "Shut up, Vessira! Why are you here anyway?"

Kaelen felt the tension in the air and glanced between the two, unsure how to diffuse the situation. "Uh, maybe we can focus on the hunt instead?" he suggested, hoping to steer the conversation back on track.

Nirathi finally turned to him, her expression softening slightly. "Fine. Just remember, I expect you to keep up."

With that, she gestured for him to follow her, and they began making their way toward the hunting grounds, Kaelen was silently relieved to be moving forward.

Nirathi performed her sand trick again, and they took off in the direction of the arrow. After a while, they halted in front of a small pack of spiny lizards. The creatures stood around waist height, their bodies adorned with large, axe-like protrusions on the backs of their tails.

There were six lizards in total, and just as Kaelen thought they might disengage, Nirathi swiftly drew her bow. "I'll take out three of them from here," she said, her voice steady and focused. "The rest will charge, so be ready when that happens."

Kaelen nodded and readied his blade. Just as he got into position, Nirathi swiftly released three arrows, each finding its mark and killing three of the lizards instantly. The remaining lizards, now aware of their attackers, charged forward. Vessira flew back, wisely keeping her distance from the fray.

As the three remaining spiny lizards charged, Kaelen felt his heart race. Their scaled bodies glistened under the harsh sun, and the axe-like protrusions on their tails swung menacingly. He focused on his breath, remembering his training and the support from Nirathi.

The first lizard lunged at him, jaws snapping. Kaelen sidestepped just in time, feeling the rush of air as it passed. With a quick pivot, he slashed down with his blade, the edge connecting with the creature’s side. The lizard let out a sharp screech, stumbling but quickly recovering.

Before he could catch his breath, the second lizard was upon him. Kaelen barely had time to block with his sword, the impact jarring his arms as he felt the creature’s teeth scrape against the metal. He pushed back, using the momentum to swing his blade upward, catching the lizard under the chin. It staggered back, blood streaming from the wound.

The third lizard circled around, preparing to strike from behind. Kaelen sensed its approach and turned just in time to deflect its tail as it swung at him. He stumbled slightly but regained his balance, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

Nirathi’s voice rang out, clear and commanding. “Aim for the soft spots! They’re vulnerable under the belly!”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

With renewed focus, Kaelen ducked low as the second lizard charged again. He rolled to the side, coming up beneath it. With a swift upward thrust, he pierced its belly, and the creature let out a deafening roar before collapsing onto him. He pushed it off with a grunt, eyes darting for the last one.

The remaining lizard seemed hesitant, realizing its comrades had fallen. It hesitated, then charged, but Kaelen was ready. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and sidestepped as it lunged. He slashed at its exposed side, feeling the blade sink deep into its flesh.

With a final, desperate lunge, the lizard tried to retaliate, but Kaelen’s reflexes kicked in. He dodged again, stepping back to gain distance. With one last strike, he aimed for its neck, severing the artery. The creature thrashed for a moment before finally collapsing.

Breathing heavily, Kaelen stood amidst the fallen lizards, sweat trickling down his brow. He glanced over to see Nirathi nodding in approval, still stone-faced she spoke."You did well, you should be able to win faster next time."

As he caught his breath, he felt a sense of accomplishment wash over him. He had faced the danger head-on and emerged victorious.

[Multiple Axetail Lizards slain. Intermediate Rune of Dexterity awarded (3). Intermediate Rune of Constitution awarded (3).]

[Stat limit reached. Level up achieved. Congratulations! Please choose 2 skills.]

Kaelen stared at the messages in surprise, he had never seen two appear at the same time. "Vessira, what does it say?"

Vessira quickly flew over and perched on his head, a small smile lighting up her face as she pressed her fingers together excitedly. "Congratulations, Kaelen! You leveled up!"

"What, I did that's great," Kaelen said a small smile etched on his lips. "So what do I get from it." Vessira smiled before she spoke."Well, you get to choose two skills here I'll read them out for you."

"Alright, Vessira let me hear it."

[Brutal Strike: Energy surges forth as you bring your sword down with devastating force

[Enduring defense: Call forth your constitution as energy that increases your defense.

[Resiliance(Passive): increase your pain tolerance and more easily ignore damage.

[Quick Recovery: Allows you to quickly restore your stamina after a fight, you won't stay tired for long

[Survival instinct: Your experience in harsh terrain has rewarded you to easily scout and track in rough environments.

"Hmmm, they’re all so good! I don’t know which ones you should take, Kaelen," Vessira said, her excitement palpable. Kaelen pondered for a moment, weighing his options. "Well, I don’t really need scouting right now since I’m with Nirathi. Plus, I can’t feel most hits anyway, so Resilience wouldn’t be very useful. Quick Recovery could be good, but I think I’ll go with Brutal Strike and Enduring Defense. Those will help me play my role—taking hits and hitting hard."

Vessira floated in front of his face, beaming with enthusiasm. "Great choices, great choices! You’ll be a real heavy hitter as you get stronger." Kaelen playfully shooed her away with his hand before bending down to pick up the three lizards he had just killed.

Kaelen summoned his stats to have Vessira look over them.

Name: Kaelen

Race: Human (Sandwalker)

Current Level: 2

Stat Allocation: 2/35

Attributes:

Strength: 22

Agility: 6

Dexterity: 11

Constitution: 29

Intelligence: 6

Willpower: 15

Charisma: 7

Skills:

Brutal Swing, Enduring defense

Talents:Pain Tolerance: 9Tenacity: 9Mining: 6Lifting: 9Minor Greatsword understanding

"Hey, Kaelen! I have even more good news," Vessira exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she reviewed the stat sheet. "You’ve gained a new talent: Minor Greatsword Understanding! It seems you’re more skilled than you appear."

Kaelen smiled, leaning on his sword. He felt a wave of good fortune wash over him.