As I walked once more under the shade of the forest's thick canopy, I made a stark realization: I should've borrowed a spear from the guard duo, or at least a knife. Any sort of weapon would've made my life easier.
Well, I suppose I'll have to settle with my fists once more.
The other issue I had with my current plan to hunt some monsters is that they only appear deeper in the forest. Given that I was doing this so I could afford to sleep under a roof tonight, it would defeat the purpose if nightfall came and I was still lugging my fat ass through the woods.
Hence, I came up with an idea.
I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted as loudly as I could. “TO ALL THE MOTHERFUCKERS OUT THERE! BOB'S OVER HERE AND HE'S GOT A JUICY ASS FOR YOU TO MUNCH ON!”
Yeah, it probably wasn't the smartest idea to make myself bait, but I didn't say my plan was gonna be good.
For the next two hours, I walked further into the forest while screaming my lungs out. Fun fact: my crazy regeneration rate meant my throat never hurt from all the screaming. It did go dry though, so I had to drink water from a nearby stream from time to time.
Just as I was about to call it quits and decide to sleep under a bridge tonight, something finally answered my call. There was just one teensy tiny issue: it was a goddamn bear.
“Motherfucker!”
The bear had suddenly emerged from a thick bush at a running pace, roaring and drooling everywhere as it tried to bite a chunk out of me. It took me by utter surprise, which was why my attempt to dodge it was only partially successful. The bear's jaws managed to clamp on my left wrist and with a single tug of its head, it completely ripped my grubby hand off.
“Argh, you little bitch!”
Rage and pain consumed my mind, and I found myself charging at the bear, all semblance of fear gone as my vision turned red.
I started pummeling the bear's head again and again with my remaining hand, heedless of the claws rending my flesh apart. Blood flew everywhere and splattered against the trees, but I had no idea whose blood it belonged to nor did I care. I just kept on punching and punching.
At some point during the fight, the bear managed to slice a tendon in my leg, causing me to fall over. It charged forward at the opportunity to end me, but for the briefest second as it opened its mouth, I saw an opportunity of my own.
Mere moments before the bear's mouth tore into my abdomen, I darted my hand into its throat and gripped the base of its tongue tightly.
That's right, bitch. You're about to die like my first kill in this world.
I pulled with all of my adrenaline-fueled strength, and coupled with the force of the bear's instinctive response to jerk its head away, the tongue ripped out with a satisfying noise.
The bear went ballistic as blood began gushing out of its mouth like a river. It turned tail and started running away.
“Get… back here… you fucker…”
I tried standing up with my one good leg, but I must've missed it during the chaos because it turned out that both my legs were mangled badly. Also, my innards were now outards hanging out of my belly. Gross.
But despite my gruesome injuries, some part of my mind had detached from reality. I just shoved my guts back in there and started crawling after the bear.
Following the blood trail, I crawled across the forest floor, rage and sheer stubbornness fueling my movements as mud and dirt-stained my ripped and blood-soaked clothing.
The blood trail went pretty far, but I didn't worry. That bear wasn't gonna live to see the end of the day, while I had all the time in the world to catch up.
Eventually, I reached the end of the trail after several minutes of crawling. The bear had fallen right beside a small pond, its blood staining the water red. It was still alive, albeit barely. Its eyes were dazed, and its breathing was short and rapid.
I crawled closer, intent on killing the damn thing with my own hand. But by then, my rage had subsided just enough to allow rational thought to seep in. Reasoning came back to the driver's seat, and all of a sudden, I felt like a complete idiot. It was already at death's door, why the heck was I still putting myself at risk by getting closer?
My desire to kill it with my bare hands warred with logic, but fortunately, my rational side won.
So I waited. I didn't have to wait long.
[You have slain an Eluvian Bear. Experience gained.]
[Minor Regeneration has leveled up to Lv.8]
[Minor Physical Resistance has leveled up to Lv.4]
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[Congratulations! The Gods have deemed your deeds worthy of an Accolade. You have obtained the Accolade ‘Dauntless.’]
[Congratulations! You are now Level 8.]
[Congratulations! You are now Level 9.]
[Congratulations! You are now Level 10. You are now eligible to choose a Class.]
[Please choose a Class among the available Classes below:]
1. Brawler…
2. Mountaineer…
3. Monster Slayer…
4. Hand of Carnage…
5. Berserker…
6. Stubborn Bastard…
A wall of notifications blocked my vision, and I slowly read them through them one by one as I lay on the grassy floor aching all over. My brain was woozy from the blood loss, but I shouldn't be dying anytime soon thanks to my regeneration.
The first few notifications shocked me as I read them. This was the first time that I leveled up more than once after killing a single monster, and it was three levels at that. Was the bear actually stupidly strong? Then again, it ripped my flesh apart like it was butter despite my Minor Physical Resistance. I guess I got lucky to have killed the damn thing.
Maybe I should, uh, get some lessons on proper anger management. This shit is gonna kill me someday.
The Skill level-ups were great, but when I saw the new Accolade, I quickly forgot about them and checked the Accolade's description.
[Accolades]
Champion of Carnage - The God of Battle and Carnage has chosen you as his Champion. Combat proficiency and battle intuition are significantly improved.
Dauntless - You have fought with no fear of death. You are now immune to magically-induced fear.
Magically-induced fear? I had no idea what that referred to, but that was at least one less thing to worry about.
Lastly, I reached the part where I could now choose a Class, and boy was there a lot to choose from.
[Please choose a Class among the available Classes below:]
1. Brawler - For those who love to hear the sound of flesh hitting flesh. The Brawler Class provides a significant boost to proficiency in unarmed fighting and physical prowess.
2. Mountaineer - Life is a climb to the top, and the mountaineer reaches it first. The Mountaineer Class specializes in navigating and traveling through steep terrain and provides a significant boost to stamina.
3. Monster Slayer - Slay the beast. The Monster Slayer Class provides a significant boost to physical and mental prowess, as well as a deeper understanding of monster physiology and weaknesses.
4. Hand of Carnage - All the world is a lamb to the slaughter. You have been chosen by the Carnage God as his Champion and are thus given the opportunity to serve him faithfully. The Hand of Carnage is a religious Class that creates a direct connection between God and servant, allowing the Hand to harness the divine power of their God.
5. Berserker - The oldest emotion of mankind is fear, but for Berserkers, it is rage. Berserkers excel in chaotic and uncontrolled combat, where the victor is declared to be the last man standing. The Berserker Class provides a massive boost to all physical attributes and immunity to pain in exchange for loss of emotional and mental control during combat.
6. Stubborn Bastard - Death came knocking, but you told him to fuck off. The Stubborn Bastard Class provides a massive boost to overall resilience and regeneration, as well as an endless source of stamina. Physical and magical blows become mere annoyances while ailments become history. You are one stubborn bastard.
Note: Classes can be changed through the World Crystals. Only one Class can be equipped at a time.
That… was a long and interesting read. It finally cleared up my lack of information regarding what a ‘Class’ was, and it turned out it was one's profession in life, though I highly doubted it was as simple as that. After reading the description for ‘Hand of Carnage,’ I was pretty sure my Class was going to open and close a lot of doors in my future.
Hence, I immediately disregarded the Hand of Carnage. That one reeked of trouble, and there was no way I'm gonna worship Skorm the Fucker. Fuck that, and fuck him.
That left five choices to choose from, and I quickly eliminated Mountaineer and Berserker right off the bat. Mountaineer's specialization was just too niche, and Berserker's loss of emotional control during combat was a surefire way to die.
That left Brawler, Monster Slayer, and... Stubborn Bastard.
Honestly, it wasn't even an argument. Stubborn Bastard was easily the best choice. It's just that… why the hell does its description sound so personal?! It felt like someone customized a Class just to call me a stubborn bastard.
And why does the description even include a fucking swear word?!
As much as I would like to spite the asshole up there who seemed to be making fun of me by not choosing the Class, the benefits were just too good to pass up. And besides, if I truly did pass it up just to spite them, that would truly make me a stubborn bastard. At least if I willingly chose it, it was just in name…
[Congratulations! You are now a Stubborn Bastard. You have gained the Class Perk ‘Stubborn as a Roach.’ You no longer tire and natural regeneration does not consume calories.]
[You have gained the Active Skill ‘Hard as Fuck.’ You can harden specific parts of your body, massively increasing their overall resilience. Mana cost: Low.]
[Minor Regeneration Lv.8 has been upgraded to Regeneration Lv.2]
[Minor Physical Resistance Lv.4 has been upgraded to Physical Resistance Lv.1]
The instant I chose my Class, searing heat coursed all throughout my body as my regeneration went on overdrive. I could literally feel my flesh knit itself back together as a thin layer of smoke emanated from my skin from all the heat. It was excruciating.
When the heat finally subsided, I realized that my body was as good as new. No wounds, no scratches, no guts spilling out my belly. And it all happened in less than a minute.
Goddamn, that was some next-level bullshit right there. I could see now why the Guilds put so much importance on people's Classes. It was a massive game-changer.
However, I had a hunch that my Class was far from the norm. After reading the descriptions, it was obvious that not all Classes were equal, and Stubborn Bastard and Hand of Carnage seemed like they were in a league of their own. Even Berserker seemed above the norm.
Well, no matter the Class, all that mattered was that I now had something to sell to the Slayer's Guild.
Then it dawned on me. Which part of the bear was I supposed to sell? I think the pelt is supposed to be the main product, but I had no idea how to skin one. Even if I did, I didn't have a knife.
“I guess I'll just carry the entire damn thing.”
Grabbing the bear's rear legs and putting them over my shoulders, I started dragging it towards the city. To my utter surprise, the corpse was not as heavy as it looked.
Or rather, I was now powerful enough to drag a minitruck-sized bear. Now that there is something else entirely.
With thoughts of selling the bear for lots of money on my mind, I began the long journey back to the city.