Leon analysed the rabbit in front of him and weighed his options. So far, he had killed 9 rabbits and his progress had increased along the way, making every kill easier than the last. His confidence was at an all-time high and he even had doubled his vitality, giving him a lot of health.
He also still had his emergency items. As such, he gave the elite a try. He didn’t underestimate the rabbit as he silently crept towards it, getting closer and closer until he could no longer wait.
Leon shot forward with a ‘Stab’, aiming to impale the rabbit in one fell swoop. However, the rabbit had other plans and suddenly jumped at the last second. Was it aware of me the whole time? Leon wondered, but the rabbit’s actions disproved this.
-7
His Skill Completion hit 68% as the dagger sliced through the rabbit’s hind leg and it jumped away. It wasn’t a direct hit, but a deep cut remained on the rabbit. The rabbit turned to Leon and hissed at him with aggression. This wasn’t the first time a rabbit hissed at him, but his surprise soon came.
A deep growl came from the rabbit, making all the other rabbits scatter away. Leon, however, felt a different effect. [Intimidating Roar Skill, stunned for 0.5 seconds.] His entire body seized control for a split second and the rabbit would not let that chance pass up.
It exploded forth with speed much greater than the other rabbits aiming at Leon’s face. Fast! Leon thought as control of his body returned and Leon moved his head at the last possible second. However, the rabbit made a deep cut on his cheek.
-6
His face stung with pain, but Leon tried to ignore it as he looked at the rabbit that had landed on the grass. The sudden stunning ability took Leon by surprise, but he also knew that an ability like that must have a long cooldown.
Leon lunged at the rabbit, aiming for a decisive strike, but it leapt aside just in time, his dagger slicing through empty air. It’s dodging at the last second every time. Why? He paused, observing its movements, seeking a pattern.
The rabbit quickly turned as it landed and carefully looked at Leon, completely content in waiting for Leon to make the move. It’s waiting for the cooldown to end! Leon realised its plan and rushed forth.
Suddenly, the rabbit shot at Leon, surprising him once again. It was bait! He realised he had been hooked and quickly put up his left arm in between them. The rabbit bit down hard on Leon’s arm, causing a crunch that made Leon grit his teeth in pain.
-30
It was a massive number, but he ignored it and quickly activated ‘Stab’ with the dagger in his right hand and leaned in a little, adding some weight to it. The dagger stabbed through the rabbit’s body and went straight through.
-14
A big number appeared, but because Leon hadn’t increased his strength, his damage hadn’t increased. In fear of another stab, the rabbit quickly let go, as Leon’s arm had a massive hole and he was pretty sure he had broken his forearm.
The pain kept stinging and burning in his mind and he panted a little from continuously charging at the rabbit. He couldn’t keep charging the rabbit or he would exhaust himself. The rabbit also wasn’t looking good, as it was bleeding heavily and panting.
A deep growl came once again from the rabbit, trying to catch Leon by surprise. Leon no longer felt surprised and remained calm as his body seized. The rabbit jumped at Leon again, but Leon fully dodged it this time around. He spun around and charged at the rabbit as it landed.
The rabbit jumped again, but this time Leon noticed its trick. His ears twitched a little. It’s hearing me coming! Realisation came and now that Leon knew how it did it, he could make a counter plan.
Leon chased its jumping path and caught up with the rabbit. He ‘lunged’ forward, but when the rabbit jumped, he pulled back as he turned and stabbed at the rabbit as it tried to jump past Leon. He threw in a feint and made the rabbit jump too early.
-10
The dagger sunk into the rabbit as it jumped past Leon. It didn’t expect to be nailed with an attack as it thought it had dodged Leon’s blade. The rabbit landed on its side and crawled up, bleeding from multiple spots.
Leon also wasn’t doing so fine as he felt exhausted from the battle so far, coupled with bleeding and ever-growing annoying pain in his head. Leon and the rabbit stared down at each other as they both knew the next attack would be the last.
The rabbit growled, stunning Leon. A determined expression came on his face as the rabbit jumped towards Leon. The effect wore off, but Leon stood still. He noticed the rabbit went lower than it first did, probably because of exhaustion.
He gritted his teeth and braced for impact. A sharp pain came from his stomach as the rabbit clamped down hard. Leon resisted the blood that pooled in his mouth.
-35
With pure focus on nothing but the rabbit, he swung down the dagger using ‘Stab’ for good measure. Piercing the rabbit’s body for the third time.
-15
The rabbit slumped down as Leon got a notification. He didn’t have the luxury of reading it, so he dropped the dagger and quickly got an apple from his inventory. He furiously chomped down on the apple, not minding the entire mess he made of himself or how he looked.
As the apple’s magic took hold, Leon watched in awe as his wounds knit themselves together, the pain ebbing away. Relief washed over him, mingled with a visceral fear of how close he’d come to death. He took a few shaky breaths, grounding himself. Then pride swelled within him as he read the message. He had done it. He had survived against an Elite.
[Level 3 Elite Vicious Rabbit killed. Obtained bonus experience for killing a higher levelled enemy. Obtained 50 EXP.] It was enough to give him another level, making him level 2.
(‘If an ordinary Elite was this tough, then what would even tougher enemies be like?’) He sighed, realising the significant gap between his abilities and his sister’s. This elite enemy had nearly killed him, but for her, it would have been a piece of cake.
“One step at a time,” he muttered, trying to keep himself together. He had learned a few things from the battle: first, to expect an increase in intelligence as the enemies got stronger; and second, to catch little details like the rabbit’s ears twitching. Without it, he wouldn’t have outsmarted it.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Leon noticed a small glimmer from the rabbit, meaning it had dropped something special. It was not a soul, but something else. Is that a treasure chest? Leon guessed as he collected the rabbit and a new item came into his inventory, along with the rabbit.
[Treasure Chest] (White)
Treasure Chests were rewards to players. Gaia found it odd to just let monsters drop random pieces of equipment, so it substituted them with Treasure Chests. Treasure Chests had ranks in order of rarity: White, Green, Blue, Silver, Gold, and Black.
Equipment also had ranks, the same as treasure chests until Black. After Black came Epic, Half-Legendary, and Legendary. In Rose’s past life, she had got a Half-Legendary item, and someone came sicked their father on them. That was how coveted these items were.
Leon didn’t open it immediately. He took a moment to catch his breath, the anticipation building. His fingers tingled with excitement as he selected the chest from his inventory. The white glow of the chest materialised in front of him, illuminating his surroundings with a soft light.
+ 15 copper pieces
+ Basic Boots (White)
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. The reward wasn’t grand, but it was a step up. He examined the boots closely, noting the sturdy leather and the simple yet functional design.
[Basic Boots] (White)
Equipment Level 2
Physical Defence: +2%
Durability 10/10
Leon put them on, feeling the snug fit and the slight increase in his defence. Every bit helped, and he knew he’d need all the protection he could get for future battles. He didn’t put in the free attribute points from the level up yet, as he suspected he would level up again soon.
Leon walked back to the village. During the walk, he noticed how, although his wounds had healed, they had still left some scars. Curiosity arose in him as he pondered whether food had a concealed impact of leaving scars while being used for healing injuries. He hadn’t read about scars across his sister’s body before.
He passed by the guard at the gate and navigated the streets. Although he had nearly died fighting an Elite, he still couldn’t shake the cacophony of sounds and voices as it slowly grated on him. He hoped that one day he would fare better, but for now, he stuck to the less crowded paths.
Leon looked at the sky and noticed the sun was still high. The game would always start at 8 am game time sharp. He guessed it had to be around 11 am as he walked back, meaning he had only been playing for three hours so far. There was still enough time for the day.
Finding his way to Jack’s residence again, he knocked on the door. The door swung open again, revealing Jack. “I got the rabbits,” Leon surprised himself a little at his sudden outburst. Jack looked carefully at Leon before he grunted and went inside, leaving Leon a little puzzled.
Was he supposed to follow him inside? Social cues were always hard to discern from Leon. He shook his head and stepped inside, surprised to find a well-kept home. It looked ordinary, with cosy furnishings that didn’t match the harsh nickname 'the butcher'. “Follow me.” Jack’s gruff voice sounded, and he opened a door that led downstairs.
Once downstairs, a massive smell of blood hit Leon, as there were pieces of meat hanging everywhere. This looked more like a place matching someone known as the butcher. “Place them on the table.” Leon emptied his inventory on the table.
The rabbit carcasses instantly filled the table and blood still dripped from them. Items that were put in the inventory entered stasis. “Poor kills, but it’ll do,” Jack commented as he got to work. He hooked the rabbits on meat hooks and let them bleed out.
Afterwards, he stripped them of their fur and internals and chopped them into fresh cuts. Leon didn’t make a sound, and he felt a little queasy watching this. Even though he had killed them and nearly died, he still didn’t like what he was watching.
Still, Jack’s skill, and what he was going to do with the rabbits, intrigued Leon. He didn’t shoo Leon away, showing that he wanted to talk to him. Leon also hadn’t received the quest reward, so something was bound to happen.
Jack collected the pieces of meat on a large tray, and Leon opened the door for him. He walked to the kitchen. “Help me cook these.” Leon was even more intrigued. Did he only want to cook them? This whole questline felt odd to Leon.
Leon nodded again as he seasoned the meats and let Jack do most of the cooking work. Soon, a pleasant aroma of grilled meat and cooked meat hung around the kitchen. Jack and Leon gathered the meat in a big pot and Jack told Leon to follow him upstairs.
Once upstairs, Leon got the biggest surprise of them all. Jack opened a door and a room full of children was there. The room had beds and many books and other things for the kids to play with. Leon quickly counted 15 children here.
Leon felt a little awkward as he saw the room full of children. He wasn’t sure how to interact in such a lively setting, preferring the solitude of his own thoughts. Gaia had developed the NPCs to act just like people, and Leon couldn’t tell the difference as he watched this scene.
“Anybody hungry?” Jack’s voice softened, with a warmth that caught Leon off guard. The children’s jubilant cheers filled the room, leaving Leon momentarily speechless. This was the real reason for the quest. But Moe’s intentions and Jack’s initial harshness still puzzled him.
“Not what you were expecting?” Jack asked Leon as he gave out the food.
“I-I thought you were…” Leon muttered, too embarrassed to even say it.
Jack noticed Leon’s speechlessness. “Talk to me downstairs,” Leon nodded and walked down and sat on the couch, needing the moment to process what had happened.
Soon Jack came down, and he asked, “You thinkin’ I was a criminal?”
“Y-Yes,” Leon was ashamed to admit it. He overanalyzed this quest like crazy.
“Well, you ain’t wrong.” Making Leon stare at him in disbelief.
“Me and Moe are part of a gang, but we do one activity that’s not crime-related,” Jack revealed a bit about him, and Moe and Leon listened carefully. “We take care of kids who are down on their luck. Of course, we won’t force them into crime if they don’t want to.” He explained.
“Then…why pick me?” Leon was still a bit confused why Moe approached him.
Jack grunted, “Aren’t you like them? A kid down on his luck.” Jack stated, like it was obvious. Leon’s first guess was right. It was because he looked like a kid from the slums.
“Well…” Leon tried to counter it, but he really couldn’t. He was from the slums, after all.
“But you proved yourself. Keep that up and you’ll make it out of here.” Jack complimented Leon before handing him something from the kitchen, “You even killed an Elite, hats off to you.”
[Cooked Elite Vicious Rabbit] (Green)
An Elite Vicious Rabbit cooked by an adept chef seasoned to perfection, +1 Vitality upon consumption.
“This is-!” Leon didn’t expect such a heavy reward; he always wanted free stat points. Leon devoured it and revelled in the taste. This was the best piece of meat he had eaten in his two lives combined.
[Hidden Quest Complete: Obtained 150 EXP] Upon eating the meat he gained another level, making him now a level 3. “I really thought you were going to introduce me to the gang when Moe told me about you,” Leon admitted to Jack.
Jack got a serious look on his face. “I can still do that if you really want to.”
[Normal Quest: The Snake’s Apprentice Accept or decline?] A message popped up on Leon’s side, but he already knew the answer. “No thanks, crime is not for me,” he said with a smile.
Jack nodded as he grunted, “Indeed, better to stay away from it.”
After that questline got wrapped up, Leon got a map from Jack detailing important locations of the village and its surroundings. It would come in handy immediately, as Leon now knew where to go. But first, he added his 8 free attribute points into 2 agility, 3 intelligence and 3 wisdom.
Name: Tempest (Human)
Affiliation: None
Title: None
Class Soul: Classless
Classless Soul: Able to transform into any other class soul.
Profession Soul: None
Ability Soul: None
Transfigure Soul: None
Enchantment Soul: None
Level: 3
HP: 100/100
Mana: 100/100
Physical Power: 9
Magical Power: 22
Physical Defence: 5%
Magical Defence: 0%
Strength: 3
Agility: 5
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 10
Vitality: 5
Free Attribute Points: 0
Skills:
Stab: Active skill. Requirement: Dagger. Additional 6 points of damage. Cooldown: 3 seconds. Skill Level: 1 (Mastery 17/100)
Equipment:
[Leather Shirt] (White)
Equipment Level 0
Physical Defence +2%
Durability 9/10
[Leather Pants] (White)
Equipment Level 0
Physical Defence +1%
Durability 9/10
[Basic Boots] (White)
Equipment Level 2
Physical Defence +2%
Durability 10/10
[Novice Dagger] (White, One-handed)
Equipment Level 0
Requirement: Strength 2
Attack Power +3
Durability 14/15
Leon added two points to agility because he felt like he wasn’t moving enough during the battle with the elite. If he had been a little faster, then he wouldn’t have been so exhausted or even got hit so much. He still focused on his intelligence and wisdom.
Armed with his new equipment and the map Jack had given him, Leon set off towards the Magician’s tower. His mind buzzed with possibilities. A Class Soul would be ideal, but even a single magical skill could make an enormous difference. As he approached the towering structure, its sheer size and imposing presence filled him with a mix of awe and determination.