Chapter 4 – Leveling up.

After buying all necessary equipment and items, Mix headed towards forest edge.

(The information board located in middle of the town said this is area for people with level 5 or above. I need to be more careful here. Let's change EXP sharing option on equal amount, Min need to level up fast as well right now.)

(I bough some equipment to make me bit stronger, to somehow close the gab in power made in difference of levels. And I bought this thing, honestly, I was most expensive thing I bought from that blacksmith shop.)

[Pendant Of Weak Warrior]

[Item type: Equipment.]

[Equipment type: Necklace.]

[Rarity: Common]

[Effect when worn:

-Grants +5 [Strength] points.

-Grants +5 [Health] points.

[Durability: 25/25]

[Weight: 0.5]

(+5 to [Strength] is extremely useful. Not only I my weight limit is increased but I can now reload crossbow way faster than before.)

The item I bough from the shop was simple beginner axe. I really like the axes because they look quiet cool to me, characters often in my novels use axes as well. If I'm being honest I like characters that uses axes that swords or spears.

Near the town center there was an training grounds where you can hit some dummies. I went there for one specific reason: I wanted to see how much does stats influences my performance in battle.

The first tested involved how fast I can reload the crossbow and here are results.

Honestly I don't really know if I reloaded faster or not, maybe I need to invested more points into [Strength] to see results? I will have to put few more to see if that is really the case. Maybe I'm reloading faster by some 0.1 second? I don't know. It would be nice if I have some sort of timer.

Second test – Axe.

In the training ground there was an monster called training dummy, hitting that monster will show how much damage you deal. The test was simple I would hit the dummy once with and without the pendant to see how much damage I deal

The test proven that [Strength] stat indeed increases damage dealt.

I then tried punching and kicking the dummy with and without the pendant while not using any weapons.

The results with punching and kicking were pretty much the same, the damage output got increased as well.

After my experiments were done, I headed straight towards the forest.

Back to the present.

(Okay, potions check, equipment check, Min fluffiness check. I think, I'm ready. Let's go)

Mix entered the forest with Min at her side. Unlike the previous area, that place was filled with trees on all sides.

(Oh? Already found something.)

[Horned Rabbit – Level 5]

An rabbit like creature with unicorn like horn on its forehead. Unlike the Angry Rabbits who had brown fur, the horned rabbits had clean white fur and dark eyes.

(Finally found some, but there is 2. I wanted fight a single one, so I can learn more safely how they fight. Do they headbutt like Angry Rabbits? Since they have horns do they skewer their opponents with it?)

(…Welp. I can't always approach the matter with 100% chance of winning like I did with rabbits. Sometimes I need to take risk.)

Mix begined approaching the Horned Rabbits alone while hiding. A sound of bushes rustling could be heard, a Horned Rabbits noticed a sound and turned their entire attention towards the source of the noise. While rabbits turned their entire attention to the direction where noise came from, Mix appeared behind them and swung her axe at one of the rabbits, cutting its head off and killing it.

[You had Killed: Horned Rabbit -Level 5. Received EXP will be shared. You received 11 EXP.]

(That is one. Now the second!)

Mix tried swinged her axe at the second rabbit but the rabbit charged at her, forcing her to dodge the incoming attack.

(It's noticeable faster that level 4 Angry Rabbit. I almost got skewered by it).

The rabbit begined charging again at the Mix, she braced her self and as soon as rabbit jumped, she swung her axe at it, slashing the weapon until half of it was inside of the creature head.

[You had slain: Horned Rabbit -Level 5. Received EXP will be shared. You received 11 EXP.]

"…The EXP I receive here is Definity way bigger."

Angry Rabbits were giving me the total of EXP:

-Level 1 were giving total of 5 EXP.

-Level 2 were giving total of 8 EXP.

-Level 3 were giving total of 11 EXP.

-Level 4 were giving total of 14 EXP.

The total amount of EXP was splitted and shared between me and Min

(So the amount of EXP you receive not only depends on the current creature level but their power as well?)

(That is good thing. The only different between the Horned Rabbits and Angry Rabbits are their stats and the horn, their fighting style is pretty similar by the look of things but they still way stronger because of the stat difference between those two.)

"Min you can come out now."

Min came out from the bushes that Horned Rabbits very vary of, revealing that the source of noises was Min doing.

(This is perfect time to level up a lot.)

Sound of rustling leaves could be heard. Mix and Min instantly hid behind the trees after hearing the noise.

[Horned Rabbit – Level 7]

(Level 7! It probably heard the commotion and decided to investigate.)

(Sh*t! It saw corpses. Now it probably be on guard.)

(What should I do? There is 3 level differences. Should I fight or run away?)

(…No.)

(I have advantage over it. I know it's battle style while it doesn't know mine and I have number advantage together with Min.)

(The question is how do I approach it. It's matter of time before it notices me so I have to take actions now. Summoning makes visual effects and it's obviously not blind, it will notice me summoning pawn instantly. Sneaking up won't work as well, since it's on high alert. Let's go with the crossbow)

Mix gently putted the axe on the ground and took out the crossbow from her inventory. She then aimed the crossbow at creature and fired it. The rabbit heard the sound of crossbow firing and instantly noticed the crossbow bolt flying towards, the creature managed to dodge the attack that was aimed at it and made attack only graze it a little.

"Tch. It has better reaction time that Angry Rabbit." – said Mix while putting crossbow back to the inventory and picking up the axe from the ground.

Mix begined charging at the rabbit herself with the axe in hand. After getting at central distance the rabbit jumped at the girl while aiming at her with it's horn. The girl instantly launched her self to the side to dodge the attack. The girl ended up rolling on the ground while rabbit attempted to stop sliding on the ground. Before Mix could get up from the ground, the rabbit monster begined charging straights at her.

Suddenly from bushes Min appeared and charged straight at the Horned Rabbit side, hitting it and making it lose balance. The creature quickly regained it's balance but it gave enough time for Mix to approach it while preparing to swing her axe at it. Mix swinged axe right in the creature face, dealing massive amount of damage to it.

(It's still not dead!)

Mix rushed at the lying rabbits and begined to hit it over and over with the axe.

"Just die already!"

[You had slain: Horned Rabbit -Level 7. Received EXP will be shared. You received 15 EXP.]

[LEVEL UP. You became level 5!]

[Tamed creature: Min, had LEVELD UP. Min became level 4!]

"It's finally dead. Uff." – said Mix while trying to catch her breath.

(Damn, you can really feel exhausted just like in real life here. Spirting, swinging weapon around and doing other moves like this takes tons of SP, I will have to invest some points into it by the look of things or I will end up exhausting myself like an idiot every time I fight.) – though Mix while sitting on the ground.

[You received new skill: [Tamer command: Attack].]

[Skill level of the [Summon: Grey Chess Pawn] changed from level 1 to level 2!]

"?" – While Mix was catching her breath, an status window poppet up in front of her face.

"The heck? I just got a skill? Is it because I became level 5? [Summon: Grey Chess Pawn] became level 2 as well. So that's how I acquire skills and increase their level huh?"

"The only thing that changed with pawn is the summoned time, now let's see the new skill."

[Tamer command: Attack].]

[Skill level: 1]

[Skill type: Active]

[Activation Cost: 40 MP]

[Cooldown: 3 Minutes.]

[Order one of your tamed creatures to attack chosen target, the chosen target then will be marked by this skill. The next attack that lands on the target will increase dealt damage by X% (X is equal your current skill level times two. Level 1 skill will increase damage dealt by 2 and level 2 will deal 4%.)(Current bonus damage: 2%).

The mark made by this skills will lasts for 3 minutes and will disappear once the target receive the damage from the tamed creature. Only the tamed creature that you ordered to attack will trigger the skill effect. If the target is not within 3 min after getting marked, the mark will disappear and skill will enter addition 3 min cooldown.]

[To activate the skill you need to say : Tamer command (name of the tamed creature) attack it/him/her.]

"Oho? This is quiet interesting. If I level this skill to level 5 then bonus damage will be 10% and if I get it to level 10 then bonus damage dealt will be 20% higher. This will turn into quiet useful skill later on."

Mix got up from the ground and begined starching herself.

"Now then, shall we hunt some more Min?"

Min squeaked and nodded her head in agreement.

Sometime later.

[You had Killed: Horned Rabbit -Level 6. Received EXP will be shared. You received 12 EXP.]

[LEVEL UP. You became level 6!]

[Tamed creature: Min, had LEVELD UP. Min became level 5!]

"Huh, it only took few minutes to get to the level 6. It won't take long for us to level up again, right Min…?" – Mix stopped talking after noticing system winddown opening in front of her again.

[[Min had reached level 5. Evolve conditions have been meet.]]

[[Evolution process shall begin.]]

[[There is only single evolution path available. The evolution path shall be chosen automatically.]]

[Do you wish to begin evolution process?]

"Oh! Evolution! It's like in those monsters taming games! Of course I'm going to let her evolve, yes!"

[[Evolution process shall begin.]]

Lights begin to flow out from Min body and then a lights that came from her begined taking shape of cocoon around her. Seconds later the cocoon broke open, revealing new form of the Min. The once brown furred body of the Min is now completely white and a horn has grew out on her forehead.

[[Tamed creature: Min. Race change: Angry Rabbit -> Horned Rabbit.]

"So Angry Rabbit evolves into Horned rabbits huh? Well it was quiet obvious if you look at it."

"Let's see…Hm? You got an skill and 6 free stats points? I didn't used yet the stat point you received when you reached level 5, so evolution can make you learn skills and give you bonus free stat points, nice."

"Now then. Let's go test out your new power Min."