Book 1:Chapter 29: Mentality

"Have you guessed where's the final destination? Or do you have any useful info I need to know?" I asked.

While Mingyun was taken aback but still told all the info they've gathered during their hunt.

"I see, so not only killing monsters around the map we can also find orbs that will give points and some cavern or place requires points to enter."

'If that's the case then we need to spend our points sparingly, also to get more.'

"Do you have idea where we are right now?"

"I didn't have time to track or ask sorry for my incompetence, because after we left the starting village we camp here to ambush other team'

Looking apologetic while scratching his head.

"So how many points did you get?" Regal asked.

"Not that many, we only managed to attack small group with no points to begin win, monsters here are extremely cunning and powerful which shocked us. It's like all of those entity has intelligence not just relying on their instinct."

So the first golden rule in every fights, never underestimate anyone.

"Let's go try some hunting, what's the limitation of your class? And how did you get your class by the way?"

Mingyun was shocked at my question, I don't know what's wrong with my question tho.

"I do have a skill that let me track someone for a day but the cool down is long, around two weeks when I'm able to use it again. And my other spells is just for basic combat. Like other else given by the god I worship in change of spells and power.

'god? So they worship in order to get class and power. That leaves me baffled why don't I have a class yet I had this passive skills.'

"So those class settings is you worship god in order to gain some spells? Is there different gods for different classes?"

Befuddlement written all over his face at my sudden questioning, of course I understand him in a sense. For him maybe this is a common knowledge, but I've been living under a rock eh? I'm really ignorant of the world. He answered my question anyway.

"Yes different gods grants us different power, and the most popular talk is about Jabek and Thymos, but I'm not privy to more information. All I know are some higher being requires tribute and sacrifice, specially the more power they grant us."

"So you're saying that we get spells granted to us by worshipping gods? Is there a case that we can learn spell without worshipping them?"

"That... Not that there's something I know, but I heard there are people like that. But they're pretty special. But that's all I know, for us we worship specific gods for granting us power.

'Sounds pretty complicated, so there's something going on that I don't really know, not that I can get an immediate answer might as well get stronger now.'

"Alright let's hunt for now, we need points anyway let's go."

...

While walking down a path towards the thick parchment of grass, what lies ahead of us are thick lushes of vegetations massive towering trees. Comparison to my height I'm like a kitten in front of this kinds of trees.

As we walk further along I noticed the surrounding atmosphere drop significantly almost to the point of chilly. And the surrounding is getting darker because of the towering trees blotting the sun.

I focused my attention and raise my perception to see my surroundings.

"Should I scout first? There's something strange about this forest. It doesn't look safe."

Mingyun inquired while I frown unconsciously.

'Of course it's not safe everyone can tell thay by the atmosphere' I thought to myself.

"There's no need I can detect our surroundings if there's an anomaly I'll know."

'I can see the details of my surroundings it's like having eyes even at my back, and bypassing walls. This is op now that I think about it.'

Suddenly I heard a rustling of grass not far from the range of my perception, I stop from walking and Mingyun noticed it also followed suit.

'Strange I'm sure I heard something moving,

We haven't encounter any creature till now.'

"There's something moving around us, it's outside of my perception range. Let's hide behind that tree."

"Can't we just kill it? Specially how strong you are we can handle it, also to get points?"

I stopped walking towards the tree and looked at him, for some reason it sounded as if he wants me to fight, also giving him a bus. It's strange yet being recognize as strong huh...

"We don't know what's coming at least we can investigate so we won't regret it before engaging."

I smiled at the thought of going blindly feeling that I'm invisible clearly not. I almost died at the crocoman that time. An unpleasant feeling of seeing the gates of death, a feeling all don't want to remember.

Mingyun scratches his head of course he knows this kind of basics. Also he realizes his mistake by overlooking this fact, because of the sheer power he witnessed the young man before.

"Of course, of course how can I forgot I'm sorry hehe."

Quickly apologizing he followed me behind a massive tree, at the opposite direction from where I heard the rustle.

After a minute of observing I finally had some result. The creature is now within my range of perception! It looked like a snake but not quite, because it has four long thin limbs. But other than that it looks like an normal snake, but overgrown for this size. Because the head alone can be measure up to two meters.

"It's a snake like creature with 4 limbs but it's kinda overgrown, the head alone is around two meters. Do you know what kind of monster is this?" I asked

"How come I can't see it or feel it around if it's that huge?" Mingyun blurted out in confusion.

I gave him a stare, that made him hiccup back to his senses.

"I'm not really sure but if it's like a snake with limbs but that big. Maybe it's a salamander?"

He asked me back because he also doesn't know, and he doesn't see the monster alone.

Salamander... as far as I know it's a lizard but overgrowth for it's size. This one has a head of a snake but has limbs.

"Let's observe for a while before we decide if we'll attack."

Mingyun nodded because my idea is not bad either.

The snake-like creature is still oblivious to this, but the senses of the creature is sharp. If the wind blows and the wind rustle it turns it's massive head around that direction and observing before moving forward again. Now fully exposed within my perception range, I can confidently confirm that the length of this creature are around 15 meter length. The weird thing I noticed is the body only measures around one meter, while the head is two meters.

Once again describing to Mingyun the creature in a low voice yielded in the same no result.

He also doesn't knew the creature, fair enough the creature is peculiar.

While deciding if I'm gonna strike the snake-like creature my heart thump.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

It pump as if it's about to burst out of my chest, the temperature drops and like a boulder oppressing me. And I noticed Mingyun felt the same, but in his case he's already half kneeling clutching his chest while gasping.

I felt the dread coming closer the malice which seems tangible by it's sheer volume. And I can also notice that the snake-like creature suddenly trembled and started running.

But as if the source of dread noticed this the snake-like giant froze on the spot. It squeal like a pig then simply with a thud.

It falls down with it's mouth open with blood gushing out.

'Whatever that creature is it's out of my league. If the cause of the snake-like creature is that thing, whatever that is we can't fight it as I am now at least.'

Peculiar even all of this situation I'm calm, my thinking isn't clouded, I'm not shaking or panicking like Mingyun do.

Thinking of if I took a deep breath, telling Mingyun to calm down or we'll be both dead. He trembled but manage to calm down still clutching his chest.

Time seemingly frozen while the tension arise, every second feels like a day without sleep. This nerve wracking sensation, the malice thick bloodlust is also coming closer.

Then suddenly

BOOM!

A loud explosion heard from the south the same direction as whatever that thing is.

The creature must have heard it also, it's so loud that only deaf won't hear it. Mingyun also heard it, I sense the malice getting farther away maybe going to the source of explosion.

Feeling that the malice is finally away I breathe a sigh of relief, but for some reason I felt that something's not right.

My body is screaming not to move the moment

"I think it's gone going for the source of that explosion, but something doesn't add up. Don't move, I still had this nagging suspicions.

Mingyun also breath a sigh of relief for him shaking involuntarily the whole I can imagine his relief, but tense up again after hearing the last sentence of my word.

Minute pass. Two minutes. Three. Four.

All the way to 10 minutes. We're staying still stiff like a statue, Mingyun has a confused look on his face staring at me.

I'm also feeling confused but I still trust my intuition. This intuition already helped me once, trusting it again doesn't sound too bad.

Minutes that feel like a year I'm also getting impatient after 20 minutes passed, that the eerily forest and the atmosphere doesn't change.

As I'm deciding to move the atmosphere drop again like we're frozen in ice. The thick bloodlust that seem corporeal red aura spreading across the air.

Only 80 meters around us a ray of red aura tall enough to see from the distance suddenly blink to 160 meters away.

In a blink of an eye the aura is as twice the distance from us, but that doesn't make me feel safe, as I continue to ponder and worry about the peril I'm facing the stillness and my calmness surprised even me.

'Good thing we stood still here, that thing is terrifyingly fast. If not that fast at least it can move 80 meter in a blink of an eye'

Mingyun also saw all of this and clearly shaken to the core, and look at me with the eye of an gratitude not that of confusion anymore.

The aura moves away further and further away.

Finally my tensed senses loosened a wash of relief, this time it feels genuine.

Before Mingyun had a chance to talk I speak.

"Maybe that explosion is also made by that thing, or maybe it's finding or hunting something. Whatever that is we shouldn't mess around with our current level. And you're confused how did I know the danger? Just know for now that my senses and perception are not normal."

Mingyun shut his mouth and began to regulate his breathing, and now looking calm. Yes, whatever is that thing or the skill of the young man in front of him. He just need to know and be relief that he's intact in one piece.

Looking around for more anomaly but seeing none I started to move out.

"Let's go look at the corpse of that monster, we may get info how did it died. It died just in seconds which also sparks my curiosity."

While I started walking towards the snake-like creature's corpse, Mingyun hesitate but still decided to follow. What choice does he have?

While he regret going to this rift all together, there's nothing to do now all the milk had been spilled. Regrets a bitter after taste of something we ate but doesn't always doesn't conform with our liking.

While I gaze upon the huge corpse in front of me I'm shocked and also amazed, it doesn't have a single speck of wound. The monster looks perfectly fine! If you don't count the blood it looks like it's only sleeping.

Except in this situation it's dead. Very dead, no heart beat can be heard.

Examining further I asked Mingyun what to do with these corpse.

But said that I should check if there's a core and I did.

"Is this it's core you're talking about?" I held on a ball like red like crystal thing. That I got from the middle of it's head.

"Yes, and If I'm not mistaken creatures like this can fetch a hefty sum... And if you decided not to sell the meats and marrows and even the bones gives nutrients to our body, because their ability is innate. And their body are more adept to the world's energy."

"So by nutrients you mean stats? Right?"

Mingyun look at me in confusion but dawned on realization after a few second.

"Some do give stats. But not all meat does, I heard that only high class creatures meat give that. And for the nutrients I told you, just the normal nutrients that will sustain our body. It may not show that it will add stats, it will still give us what our body needs for further development." Mingyun replied.

'I see, so there's a thing like this. So in other words the system stats given to me is an additional bonus, to my body. Which means the more I strengthen myself even if it won't show that it adds stats I'm getting stronger? Now that I think about it. Practicing also make sense, if it's only determined by numbers of stats and level sounds too absurd also, but I'll confirm that soon, I'm still oblivious to many things.'

I nodded and asked if he can handle the meat so we can consume it later on our journey. After doing all this we ate a portion sin e the meat is large it's enough to last till two weeks if we eat sparingly.

"It looks like we can't go further into this forest, I mean we can but it's dangerous, let's hunt some low level monster first. Do you have any idea where monsters unlike this one? I need to reach level 100 first. After that we can come back here and explore." I asked Mingyun.

"I do it suits my old party tho the number of monster there is terrifyingly high, their not that hard to handle if we lure them one by one."

"I see what type of monster? Where is that spot?" I asked.

"Well the creature is kind of hard to describe once you see it you'll know. It's at the south near the city we started."

"Alright, let's go there and level first and also it does give you points when you guys hunted there right?"

"Yes... but not that much because we only killed two before completely exhausting ourself and gave up to just rob."

'I see, if it's not that hard I can just hunt those mobs.'

I shake my head at the thought, I'm already underestimating the enemy I don't know. If I had this thinking earlier I would be in trouble or worst dead.

'I need to always think they're stronger than me, it's okay to put them on a high pedestal than being reckless and arrogant.'