Might as well try these out. Not sure what [Copper Body] and [Strength Boost] do. Actually, how do I even use skills? Maybe I have to try thinking about using it.

Axel decided to try out [Copper Body] first, focusing on the skill. After a few moments of concentration, he felt a slight tingling sensation spreading across his body. Looking down, he was startled to see his skin turning a shade of copper, which freaked him out momentarily, causing his concentration to lapse. The moment it did, his skin reverted back to its pale fleshy color.

What was that? What happened to my body?

Focusing on the skill again, his body regained its copper complexion. Axel frantically ran his hands over his arms, hands, neck, and face. It all felt the same, except… harder.

In the midst of his examination, Axel felt something wet and squishy hit his side, but surprisingly, whatever had struck him didn't hurt one bit. Glancing downward, he found a hairball lying there. A grimace formed on his face as he realized his clothes were now damp from the saliva. Wait, the hairball hadn't hurt him?

So [Copper Body] makes my body tougher? he pondered.

Before he could investigate further, the familiar hissing of the Purrjectile Feline broke him out of his thoughts. This one was a Calico. It glared at Axel as it spat a hairball right in his direction. With a desire to test out his new theory, he took the hairball head-on—well, chest-on, to be more precise. He let the ball of fluff strike him in the chest. The projectile splattered against him, and a string of saliva landed on his shoulder.

"Eww, gross," he complained. But no pain, which was a good sign.

Might as well try out the other skills now, he thought.

He rushed towards the gagging feline, but rather than deflecting the hairball as always, he opted to try out [Block]. Axel still had to raise up his [Trusty Iron Sword], but rather than swiping at it, he positioned it to intercept the hairball head-on. Upon activation, the sword gained a soft blue hue and when contact was made, the hairball lost all its momentum and simply flopped onto the ground.

As he closed the distance between them, Axel continued to [Block] a few more shots. Then, he unleashed his [Slash] attack. For a moment, the [Wooden Training Sword], gained a soft blue hue as he swung downwards. The blade sliced through the Purrjectile Feline as if it were nothing but air, going halfway through the monster before its corpse evaporated into nothingness.

[Purrjectile Feline was slain. Gained 5 points]

That was definitely a lot easier. Those hairballs were pretty pathetic, I didn't feel any weight behind them at all when I used [Block], he mused. And that [Slash] attack was amazing. That monster died in one hit, and I actually cut through it like a real sword instead of bashing it to death.

Last, but not least was [Strength Boost]. It was pretty self-explanatory from the name of what the skill did, but then again, in retrospect, so were the rest. Except for [Copper Body]. That was the one skill that really freaked him out. Somehow it freaked him out more than when he first saw the Frost Cobra that Dave the instructor battled.

For now, he decided to test out the skill. Focusing on it he activated [Strength Boost]. As the name implied, his strength was indeed boosted. He curled his swords, feeling their weight or lack thereof. The swords were noticeably lighter as he swung them experiencing the effortless flow of the weapon.

Now I just gotta keep killing monsters, which should upgrade my skills, and maybe if I'm lucky I'll get a chance to upgrade my class. Well, that's what the instructor said anyway. Maybe I should ask Fen for help when I see him again. Maybe if I'm lucky he won't charge me for it, Axel sighed. Why couldn’t finding his big sister be easy?

Axel strolled back to the portal to go back to the training grounds, and reality sunk in after he crossed the portal. He had completely forgotten about the idiotic rule where he had to surrender everything he had earned. Walking through the exit, he begrudgingly surrendered all of his hard-earned items to one of the stationed knights: 51 [Gold Coins], 38 [Feline Whiskers], and 1 [Feline Tai].

At least now he could exit the city, and hopefully actually keep the items that the monsters dropped. He returned to the giant gate, the huge swirling portal still as intimidating as ever. This time, he was able to step through the portal without being subjected to a double whammy of pain and embarrassment.

The moment he stepped through the portal, he received a message.

[New Quest Available]

Curious, he opened his [Quest] menu.

[Quest]

[Exterminate: Air Fox]

Objective:

Eliminate 50 Air Foxes (0/50 slain)

Rewards:

100 points

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Woah! A 100 points? That's double the last one, and for killing the same amount of monsters. But, what's an Air Fox? A fox made out of air?

"Hey, stop blocking the way," a voice called out from behind.

Axel looked up from his system screen, only to find a dozen others doing the same. Apparently, he was not the only one who received a quest upon exiting the portal and certainly was not the only one who got curious and decided to check it out immediately. He and the other unmannered individuals accidentally formed a blockade, while immersed in their respective quests.

"Sorry," Axel promptly apologized, stepping aside. The others followed as well.

Now certain he would not accidentally block the way, Axel got a good look at his surroundings. The giant swirling portal was still behind him, the low hum thrumming in the background. Stepping to the side of the portal, he could still see the city and the flow of people entering and exiting the portal. When he tried to cross over to the other side, he came face to face with an invisible force that blocked him from accessing it. It seemed like the only way to enter back into the city was through the portal and vice versa.

In front of the portal was still a forest, similar to the ones that he saw on the training grounds. Towering trees, luscious bushes, and strange and wonderful flora. Notably, there was a dirt path that led deeper into the forest, one that pretty much everyone was going down. Uncertain where else to go, Axel decided to follow suit, hoping to encounter an Air Fox along the way.

As Axel continued down the dirt path, occasionally some would go off the trail and delve into the forest, hoping to find an Air Fox faster. At least, that was what Axel surmised. The air was filled with the distinct sounds of battle — the clashing of swords, the roar of beasts, and the cries of defeat. Sadly, there was not an encounter with a monster of any kind during his trek. It was likely that monsters could instinctively sense the high density of people and steer clear of the group. Or maybe they were already engrossed in battle with those already off the path and were fortunate enough to succumb at the hands of an individual instead of being hounded by a never-ending swarm of people.

The dirt path led Axel and the others to a familiar crystal. Most people opted to use it, transporting themselves into one of the various sub-worlds for a less crowded experience. Those who chose not to, continue down the dirt path to an area that would be future Axel's problem. Right now, he wanted to get his new quest over and done with. He reached out and touched the crystal, prompting the menu to open up.

[World Browser]

Current World:

Main World (Crowded)

Filtering by user's default selection (Least crowded)

World Options:

Sub-World 12 (Lightly Crowded)

Sub-World 10 (Moderately Crowded)

Sub-World 11 (Moderately Crowded)

Sub-World 07 (Moderately Crowded)

Sub-World 15 (Moderately Crowded)

Even the least crowded world was still lightly crowded.

I knew that a lot of people came into Pavhorn, but I didn't expect this many, he thought.

After being transported to the sub-world, Axel found himself joined by several individuals, a far cry from the bustling crowd just seconds ago. Without much interaction, they all went their separate ways, exchanging nothing more than a simple nod of acknowledgment. Each of them veered off the dirt path and headed into the forest in different directions.

With the advent of his new [Skills], Axel was confident that completing the [Quest] would be a breeze. As always, with his [Trusty Iron Sword] in his left hand and [Wooden Training Sword] in the right, he advanced forward. He wandered around in search of an Air Fox, or at least something fox-like. He knew what a regular Fox looked like, but what would an Air Fox look like? His answers were swiftly answered when he caught movement in his peripheral vision. But, instead of to the left or right, like he was used to, the movement came from above.

It looked like a fox alright, one with red fur with white patches on its chest and belly. But the fox was falling, heading straight towards him and coming in fast. Instinctively, Axel ducked down and used his swords to shield his head. Crouching on the ground, he braced for impact, but it never came. Slowly lowering his arms, he looked around and was met with a surprising sight. It was the fox, but instead of falling it was moving upwards. Its tail spun like a propeller, providing thrust from behind.

A fox flying in the air? Must be the Air Fox.

The fox looped around and dived down, coming for Axel again. However, this time, he was ready for it, ready for its head-on charge. As it closed in on Axel, it opened its mouth, revealing sharp canines. He was ready for the incoming bite, but what he was not ready for, was the ball of wind that the Air Fox launched.

Axel barely reacted in time, using [Block] with his left sword to deflect the windy projectile. The forceful impact caused his left arm to be thrown upwards, and his sword to be knocked out of his hand. Before Axel could even think of retrieving his fallen sword, the Air Fox was already swooping down, aiming for his jugular. Reacting quickly, he sliced at it in the air using [Slash], but it deftly dodged, his swing narrowly missing its feet by mere inches.

How am I supposed to kill a flying fox?

The fox started diving down again, but Axel noticed something different this time. Its tail was starting to spin even faster, doubling or maybe even tripling its revolutions. It came crashing down onto Axel, who managed to use a combination of [Block], [Copper Body], and [Strength Boost] in the nick of time. Teeth and sword clashed in a stalemate before the fox pounced back onto the ground. Its tail no longer spun in a circle but flopped downwards, and instead, it started to circle Axel.

Is it not going to fly again? Is it tired?

The Air Fox let out another ball of wind at Axel, which he [Blocked]. This time without losing his sword.

Okay, that attack was definitely weaker, and I don't think it can fly anymore.

Axel knew now was the perfect time to strike before the monster could recover. He rushed towards it and managed to [Block] another gust of air that was launched his way. When he was in range, he unleashed a barrage of [Slashes]. The Air Fox, light on its feet, managed to nimbly dodge most of the strikes. Despite the Air Fox's agility, it couldn't evade every blow. Some landed, bruising its body. The creature cried out in pain, its movements becoming increasingly sluggish with each hit. As Axel continued his assault, the Air Fox struggled to dodge, absorbing more and more blows, eventually succumbing to a critical strike to the head.

The monster collapsed onto the ground and disappeared, leaving behind 3 [Gold Coins] and a [Featherlight Pelt].

[Air Fox was slain. Gained 11 points]

"Why was that so hard?" Axel panted, catching his breath. "And I have to kill 49 more of them?" he exclaimed while retrieving his sword.