An equally hard part of hunting monsters and surviving in the wilderness that they don’t tell you about is finding the actual monsters. Technically speaking Arthur already found 3 different ones. 2 turtles who were level 7(Of course G grade levels) and a baby monkey who was level 2.
If the goblins taught him anything, they taught him that repeatedly killing the same monster or lower levelled monsters won’t give you extra experience. Rather they gave less after every subsequent kill. The turtles however where higher levelled, in a group, and were not attack focused. 2 of those gave him extra Xp. and the last made it easier to kill them Arthur though thought differently
‘If they’re like regular turtles but better then, their defense stats are probably much higher than my attack, and I doubt that they would have gotten to that level without killing.’ Arthur thus left them alone.
He wasn’t down on his luck for longtime. An hour or so after the turtles he saw another group of monsters, all around his level, this time he was too impatient to skip them.
Three small humanoid beings were standing in front him. One of them looked elderly and had a great long and white beard. He wore a long red cloak that covered his entire lower body. The other two were similar to each other. They wore chainmail esque armor around they’re torso and carried an iron or steel looking short sword.
There was one massive identifying trait of theirs however. They were around three fourth of his size.
[Halfling Elder Mage (level 5)]
[Cursed Halfling Swordsman (level 5)]
[Cursed Halfling Swordsman (level 5)]
‘That’s just false advertising, There's nothing half about them at all!’ Arthur thought with all the anger of a man who was duped one too many times.
He was far more careful however, in showing that anger. As, far as he could tell all three were a good match for him on their own never mind together. So, he did the logical move, analysis. The two swordsmen were patrolling the area while the elderly mage was always between them. Arthur began forming a plan in his mind, a very simple plan of charging at the mage and killing him first. Dealing with the other two afterwards if all goes well.
But first, some point allocation. 5 points each on strength and wisdom, bringing them both to ten and increasing mana to 1000. His knight levels should give him strength so he should focus on the other stats. He didn’t know how much the stats affected him but being more intelligent was always a plus, thus 10 points there. 30 points left, 10 to perception and 5 to agility meant 15 down.
‘Let’s hope this investment pays off.’
He checked his stats again
[Arthur Black]
[Race-(human (G grade)-level 5
Class-Knight (G grade)-level 5
Profession- N/A
Grade: - ‘G’ level 5
Strength-10 Intelligence-20
Agility-15 Widom-10
Vitality-50 Perception- 20
Will-5
Endurance-700 Mana-1000
Free points:15
Skills:
Race: - Identify {Unique}, Language {Unique}, Star-Touched Generation {Unique}
Class: - Block {Common}, Slash {Common}, Parry {Common}, Counter {Common}, Chop {Common}, Path of the sword {Uncommon}
Profession: - N/A
[Save Changes?]
]
‘oh yeah I got these new skills as well’
Clicking on Star-Touched Generation he was pretty shocked
[Star-Touched Generation- Gives 10% boost to all stats {Locked till F grade}
All Legends crafted and Achievements accomplished have increased value. Total Add to Legacy increased
Increases momentum of level gain till ’E’ grade
]
Holy shit that is amazing. 10% was no laughing matter since it was far better than any flat boosts. Still Arthur was far more intrigued by the other 2 bonuses. Momentum of level gain was simple to understand, easier to gain levels till he was E-grade. The capital lettered words piqued his interest far more though. Clearly the system placed more importance on those. One theory was already formed. Legends were as written, a legendary action or feat of heroism. Achievements were accomplishments. Legacy made no sense. Why would what legacy he left when he died matter? Why should it be increased? Why does the system treat like a big thing? Questions probably answered another day.
He went through the class skills, nothing new there, and clicked on the save button. Instantly a slight tingling sensation went through his body. He could feel every singular part of his body that went through the changes. Certain muscles in his arms and legs for agility, his eyes and parts of his brain for perception, most of his brain for wisdom and intelligence. He assumed the muscles not affected now would be affected by strength changes.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Alright, preparations finished, time for action. He rushed the mage, his stride quickened by his improved agility, he lifted his sword, a long, slender blade. He swung at the mage but before his blade could reach the elderly halfling an arrow suddenly came from the trees.
‘What the fuck’
His blade now thoroughly deflected had to be brought to his side since by now the 2 swordsmen had caught on and caught up to him. The 2 came from either side, hitting him with a pincer. He flexed his legs and jumped backwards immediately, their swords clanged against each other’s and bounced off harmlessly. Another arrow from the trees, this time from another direction, he moved his head out of the way and peered into the trees and saw the attacker.
A female halfling with a bow and the outline of a quiver at her waist, a brown cloak covering her.
[Halfling Archer (level 5)]
The difficulty and danger levels of this mission just increased vastly. He didn’t have any reliable ranged attack or a way of defending against them. Arthur gritted his teeth and lunged against the swordsman, after all, pressing forward through setbacks was something he was used to. A parry to the first attack, batting away the blade easily, he thrust his blade forward. The halfling ducked, much like the goblin before, forcing Arthur to hastily block using his skill. He decided to parry again this time using the counter skill to guarantee an attack but before he could a faint whistling sound came from his left. Jerking his head back he dodged another arrow, but he couldn’t dodge the stab coming from his back. ‘Shink!’ went the blade as it digged into his flesh. Ignoring the pain the his chopped, with his skill, at the halfling in front of him who still hadn’t move, the idiot. His sword cut through the flesh and lodged it self deep into the lungs of the halfling. While he was pulling his sword out to confront the other swordsman he felt a burst of heat from his right.
Looking at the source he found a football sized fireball in the palm of the mage’s hand. He readied the skill and shot it at Arthur, who in total panic lifted the Halfling in front of him and braced for impact.
The force of the fireball-turned-bolt still knocked him back but it did no damage. He lowered the halfling just in time to see the second Halfling swordsman rushing him with his sword raised high and a cry erupting from his lips. Once again, he used the dead body to block an attack and retaliated with a counter, unskilled, stabbing the neck of his opponent.
A ding went off in his head and he focused on the mage. He was chanting in some language which he could barely understand, something about Valsa’s flames whoever that was.
Dropping the body, he rushed at the mage, infusing every footstep with strength, willing his body to go faster. He didn’t forget about archer either he kept an eye on his periphery at all times. A glint of steel appeared at the edge of his vision and he pumped the breaks, narrowly missing an arrow to the shoulder. He set off again finally reaching the mage, the halfling opened his eyes and cried out the final word of his chant, it was too late for Arthur. He used the chop skill but the flames redirected themselves, covering the mage. His blade was rebuffed and the recoil made him inadvertently dodge another arrow.
He waited to see what came next and that5 was when the fight became weird. The mage didn’t continue at all and when Arthur scanned the forest, he saw that the archer lady wasn’t really focusing either, she simply took out the arrow from her quiver, not really nocking it.
‘This is really like a game. She doesn’t attack unless I’m after the mage and the mage wont attack unless I give him an opening right now. We’re stuck in a stalemate’
Right thinking time, and in order to think he needed to breathe. Arthur took a deep breath and then another, all while keeping an eye for any whistling sounds or odd glints of steel.
In those moments, something extraordinary happened. The world suddenly gained a new level of clarity. Arthur could feel a new substance in the very air itself, an infinite number of small layers of particles, like a desert. Then a large ping vibrated through his skull forcing him to open his eyes.
[Warning excess mana detected in body; Arcane overload effect gained]
[Mana: 1050/1000]
A tingling sensation appeared on every cell of his body, from the tips of his hair to his soles. It moved through his fingers and passed through his right one in order to go through his sword.
A stroke of genius struck the burgeoning knight. He used the mana infused sword to perform a Thrust with far more power. It breached through the flame wall like butter instantly killing the elderly mage. He whipped his head to look at the archer and saw that she was in the `middle of drawing the arrow. Arthur glared at her with all his might, trying like before to infuse his anger into his stare. He felt the sands of mana around him once again and tried his best to push them at her. There was no noticeable change but the halfling loosened her grip on the arrow. She gave him a look of interest and then retreated.
‘Good Heavens, that sucked’
[You have killed Cursed Halfling swordsman (Level 5)]
[You have killed Cursed Halfling swordsman (Level 5)]
[You have killed Halfling Elder Mage (level 5)]
[You have gained skill: Battlefield awareness {Common}]
[You have gained skill: Knightly presence {Rare}]
‘Oh, that is so cool!!’
And it was, a skill with presence in the damn title itself and it was only rare!! Which implied that there were upgrades! Who wouldn’t get excited over these sort of things
[Knight level 5 -- > 7(G grade)]
[Human level 5 -- > 7(G grade)]
+200 Endurance, +30 strength
[Warning you’re at critical health]
[Arthur Black]
[Race-(human (G grade)-level 5
Class-Knight (G grade)-level 5
Profession- N/A
Grade: - ‘G’ level 5
Strength-40 Intelligence-20
Agility-15 Widom-10
Vitality-50 Perception- 20
Will-5
Endurance-900 Mana-1000
(Health 100/1000)
Free points:35
Skills:
Race: - Identify {Unique}, Language {Unique}, Star-Touched Generation {Unique}
Class: - Block {Common}, Slash {Common}, Parry {Common}, Counter {Common}, Chop {Common}, Path of the sword {Uncommon}, Battlefield Awareness {Common}, Knightly presence {Rare}
Profession: - N/A
]
‘Holy shit 900! they did that much damage? Where even was this stat, they didn’t show it in the pre tutorial, that’s shitty game mechanic. Can I even upgrade Vitality, that’s s a stupid question of course I can’
Arthur immediately put 10 points into vitality. Turns out that was a bit less since each vitality point is 20 health, which put his health at 1200. He then put 15 more points into vitality overall he had 1500 health. A good enough amount for now.
He put the remaining ten points into Will since that was hi slowest stat leaving him with zero free points remaining.
‘Got to rectify that soon enough but perhaps after a small break’
He laid down on the ground amidst the scorched earth, arrows, and bodies. Even though he knew it was not a good idea, Arthur closed his eyes and let peaceful sleep take him.
[Arthur Black]
[Race-(human (G grade)-level 7
Class-Knight (G grade)-level 7
Profession- N/A
Grade: - ‘G’ level 7
Strength-40 Intelligence-20
Agility-15 Widom-10
Vitality-75 Perception- 20
Will-15
Endurance-900 Mana-1000
(Health 100/1500)
Free points:35
Skills:
Race: - Identify {Unique}, Language {Unique}, Star-Touched Generation {Unique}
Class: - Block {Common}, Slash {Common}, Parry {Common}, Counter {Common}, Chop {Common}, Path of the sword {Uncommon}, Battlefield Awareness {Common}, Knightly presence {Rare}
Profession: - N/A
]