“I thought this would be easier with a [Class] and [Skills]. Why is it still so hard?” Axel groaned.

Yearning for some much needed rest, he climbed up to perch atop a nearby tree. Nestling on one of the large branches, he allowed his body to relax, leaning gently against the trunk. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he gazed skyward, his mind meandering to other thoughts.

Axel's mind wandered back to cherished memories of his big sister. How she protected him from the big bad wolves that would prey on him whenever he strayed too far from their hut in the woods. How she taught him to chase away those big bad wolves on his own. How they would —

A sudden blast of air launched him out of his thoughts and the branch he sat on.

"AHHH!" he screamed, activating [Copper Body] in time, bracing for impact before he hit the ground.

Axel groaned feeling battered and bruised, but generally alright.

Don't think anything is broken, he thought while dusting himself off. I take back what I said, these skills are really useful.

Locating the culprit was easy enough. There it was, the damnable fox had a mischievous grin plastered across its face, dancing and prancing around on the ground, taunting Axel.

Oh, you're going to pay for that, he thought.

Axel sprinted towards the creature, his sword aimed at its throat. The Air Fox leaped backward, using its tail to help propel itself. It retaliated with a few balls of wind his way, which he [Blocked] with the aid of [Strength Boost].

Undeterred, Axel lunged forward, chasing after the quick fox, firing off a few more [Slashes] of his blade. But it was all futile, the agile Air Fox evaded every attack. Too overconfident in its ability to dodge the slow Axel, it leaped right over his head, putting it directly in his reach. Seizing the opportunity, he used a [Strength Boost] enhanced [Slash] to land a critical hit on its underside. Its own agility was its downfall.

However, Axel's assault wasn't enough to bring it down. Gone was the cheeky attitude, instead it became enraged. Its eyes burned with fury, its jaw clenching tightly, teeth grinding against each other in frustration. A cloud of dust formed behind it as its tail spun up ferociously. Axel knew what was coming next, but he also knew that the beast would be tired after this attack, he just had to hold on.

The Air Fox barrelled towards him, closing the distance in a blink of an eye. [Copper Body], [Strength Boost], and [Block] were all activated. Both his swords were held up in tandem, defending against the attack. The fox's fangs bit into the [Wooden Training Sword] as well as the [Trusty Iron Sword], its strong jaws clamping them down. Despite the force of the attack, Axel stood his ground, holding firm against its assault.

Its tail began to slow down as expected, fatigue evident. Axel seized the opportunity to strike back. With a swift kick to its gut, he sent the creature stumbling back, eliciting a surprised yelp. Not wasting any time, he moved in for the kill, sending a flurry of [Strength Boost] enhanced [Slashes], until he was attacking the loot the monster had dropped: 4 [Gold Coins] and another [Featherlight Pelt].

[Air Fox was slain. Gained 13 points]

"I need a break," Axel panted.

He made his way over to a nearby tree and slumped against it. All he crazed for was a quick breather, a quick break to catch his breath. The battles had been far more draining than those in the training grounds. No wonder those going back into the city looked so tired, so exhausted.

But then how strong was Dave, the [Flame Knight] instructor? He effortlessly killed that gigantic [Frost Cobra] without breaking so much as a sweat, even with a flaming sword inches away from him. And all the while, giving a lecture about this new world.

How long would it take to reach that kind of strength? How much stronger would he have to be to find his big sister? How strong was his big sister? Questions flooded his mind again, accompanied by waves of uncertainty and doubt.

Even without any evidence, and the shallow layer of uneasiness, he knew deep down his big sister was still alive. He could feel it in his bones. She must have grown strong, far stronger than even Dave the [Flame Knight] instructor.

So now he had to grow stronger. Strong enough to explore this new world. Strong enough to find his big sister.

After a solid 10-minute breather, Axel felt reinvigorated and ready to track down another Air Fox. The thought of finding his big sister had motivated him, reigniting his spirit. Rising to his feet, he brushed off the dirt and retrieved his swords that had been lying by his side. With determination in his heart, he embarked once more on his quest.

Stolen story; please report.

This time, Axel was on high alert, scanning the surroundings for any signs of a potential ambush from above. Now he was even more aware of the surrounding forest than ever. The trees danced in the breeze, the leaves rustled as if whispering secrets to one another. The grass shifted and swayed, moving seemingly in circles. Even the bushes seemed to come alive, trembling and quivering as if they were drawing breath.

Then, there was that faint noise in the air, so soft that he strained to hear it. It sounded like whirring, or perhaps it was just the sound of the wind, whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Or maybe it was the rhythmic flapping of the Air Foxes' tails.

Axel’s ears perked up, his pupils dilating, eyes darting left and right. To the left, there it was, the Air Fox. He saw the silhouette of the animal hovering mid-air in the corner of his eye. This time it did not come charging in, it merely circled from a distance, stalking Axel like a predator to its prey. But little did it know, Axel had already spotted it, and he was ready for it.

It soared higher into the air, lingering momentarily before it finally started its descent.

As expected, the fox attempted a stealth attack by sneaking in from behind, coming in at breakneck speeds, underestimating Axel. Instead, Axel used that exact moment to execute a counterattack.

With a [Strength Boosted] [Slash] of his sword, the fox's momentum was its downfall. Caught off guard and unable to dodge, it was brutally sliced in half, spilling [Gold Coins] on the floor. Its momentum multiplied the damage that it sustained.

[Air Fox was slain. Gained 11 points]

Filled with energy, Axel felt pumped up, pressing onward on his hunt for Air Foxes. With each encounter he gained more experience, learning more about the slight intricacies of the monster, and each subsequent kill was done smoother and more effortless than the last. The hardest to defeat Air Fox was the very first one he encountered. At this rate, he was going to finish his quest in time for dinner.

The aroma of the [Hearty Stew] wafted through the air, teasing Axel's senses as he contemplated dinner. Or maybe he should try something else tonight? After all, repetition was the mother of learning, but sticking to the same thing over and over again would mean missing out on brand new experiences.

With only a few more Air Foxes remaining to dispatch, Axel was not expecting much difficulty ahead. Though tiresome and tedious, Axel could safely say that he had gotten the hang of fighting them. Even with their tricks, it was easy enough to identify the fox's patterns of movement and behavior. Typically, they would usually first attempt to snipe him from a distance with ranged attacks or launch a surprise dive attack from behind. Then if those failed, they would resort to close combat.

Axel was in high spirits. He was almost done with this quest, the initial daunting task of killing 50 Air Foxes had changed appearances from an insurmountable mountain, to merely a steep hill. As long as he kept this pace up, he would be back before sundown.

There it was, the final Air Fox, ready to pounce on Axel from way up in the sky. After learning from the previous battles, he feigned ignorance. Trying to make himself as easy a target as possible. From the corner of his eye, he watched the fox launch several balls of wind at him.

Axel [Blocked] and dodged the incoming shots, knowing that once the fox became frustrated, it would attempt a head-on charge. When it did that, Axel would be ready.

The Air Fox dropped to the ground and began revving up its tail. Normally, it would attempt its charge from its vantage in the sky, but nevertheless Axel was ready. The combination of [Block], [Strength Boost], and [Copper Body] had always defended him against its charge.

However, the Air Fox did not launch itself at Axel at breakneck speed. Instead, it launched a huge ball of wind that was quadruple the size of its previous attacks. He could only hope that his three skills combined would be enough to absorb the hit.

The projectile rocketed through the air like a massive cannonball. Axel was barely able to defend against the attack, the force of it sent his weapons flying out of his hands, leaving him completely defenseless.

The fox dashed forward, thankfully without the aid of its tail, but still, it was fast and light on its feet. Axel dashed towards his swords that had been thrown to the sides. Just as his hand closed around the hilt of his [Wooden Training Sword], the fox closed in on him first.

The fox lunged, clamping its jaws onto Axel's shoulder, its teeth piercing through despite [Copper Body] being activated. Luckily, the bite was shallow and superficial, but that did not mean it did not hurt, it inflicted a sharp searing pain.

Struggling with the weight of the fox clinging to his shoulder, Axel made a desperate dash towards his sword. He wrapped his fingers around the wooden hilt angling the blade towards the beast. Swinging in a reverse grip, he struck at the monster's head, using [Slash] and [Strength Boost], pouring all his strength into the blow. With a satisfying crunch, the strike landed true, forcing the fox to unlock its jaw and free Axel from its hold.

As the fox released its grip, blood and saliva dripped from its mouth, clearly stunned by the ferocity of Axel's attack. But, Axel was not done yet. Using this chance, he unleashed a relentless barrage of [Slashes]. Despite the fox's attempts to flee, Axel pursued it relentlessly, each step met with another punishing strike. Finally, he delivered the final blow, with a powerful vertical [Slash], cracking its head open, revealing Axel’s hard-earned [Gold Coins] and [Featherlight Pelt].

[Air Fox was slain. Gained 14 points]

[Exterminate: Air Fox - Completed]

[Gained 100 points]

Axel winced as he clutched his throbbing shoulder, the wound was shallow, and he could still move his arm, but the dull ache served as a reminder of the encounter.

Now, all Axel had to do was navigate through a forest under a setting sun, all while avoiding any dive-bombing Air Foxes that lurked overhead. Axel hid in the shadows of the tree, waiting patiently for any foxes to fly by before cautiously proceeding, intent on finding his way back to the dirt path.