New Skill Echo

"You have gained the skill Echo Area Sense from the bat's dead body," Spirit Ally replied.

Hearing that he had just gained a new skill, Arthur was thrilled. He felt amused, knowing he had become even stronger than before.

"...Ha..."

Suddenly realizing he had been distracted, Arthur quickly looked around, searching for any danger. But there was no one around. Confirming that he was alone, he used his spiky fingers to cut the web attaching the bat to the ground—the same web he had shot earlier. After that, he shot another web string at the bat's body and started pulling it, heading back the way he had come, where Kai was waiting.

Arthur had traveled a long way from Kai's location for hunting. The ground stretched far in all directions, and even with his sharp eyesight, he hadn't spotted any prey for a while. After walking for some time, he finally found a bat flying toward him—the very bat he had hunted.

As he dragged the bat's body with his web string, using only his left hand, a question kept popping into his mind: Will I be able to reach Kai safely with my hunt? Staying on high alert, he continuously scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes while pulling the bat along.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he quickly asked, "Spirit Ally, is it possible for you to watch my back?"

"No," Spirit Ally replied.

"It would be nice, you know? If you could watch my back, I'd feel much safer," Arthur responded, hearing the rejection.

"There is a possibility that if I evolve, I may gain that ability," Spirit Ally replied.

"Oh… That would be nice. There's still so much I don't know about you," Arthur continued. "If I ask you where the Goblin King is in this dungeon, you wouldn't be able to pinpoint his location, right?"

"Yes. I don't have that deep knowledge about this world. If I did, I wouldn't be just a skill but something closer to a god," Spirit Ally replied with a logical answer.

"Yeah, you're right. I like the way you think. Oh, that reminds me—when the snake tried to kill me, you said something about me refusing something. What was that about?" Arthur asked, recalling Spirit Ally's unusual behavior.

"I only said what I thought and felt. Even I don't know why I responded that way. Like I said, I am still not fully developed as a skill," Spirit Ally explained.

"I see. By the way, since there's no one around, tell me—how can I use the Echo Area Sense skill?" Arthur asked, knowing this was a good time to test it.

"To use your new main sub-skill Echo Area Sense, focus on the skill inside your mana and try to activate it," Spirit Ally instructed.

"That sounds easy. Okay, let's try it. But I won't close my eyes—I can't take that risk," Arthur replied.

Without closing his eyes, he tried to focus on his mana. He sensed something inside, something he could grasp. He tried to activate it by triggering the feeling, and suddenly, a wave of mana burst from his body, spreading outward in a circular form. The wave traveled far—farther than he could see—before fading from his vision.

"What is this…? There are three creatures," Arthur muttered, observing the information from his mana wave. "One is behind a big rock to my left, at a distance. Another is beyond the water flow in the grass, also at a distance. And the third… is near the water flow—very close. I think it's drinking water."

Suddenly, Arthur increased his speed, pulling the bat's body faster. He was both frightened and amazed, realizing how valuable this skill was.

"Heheheh…"

A small smile, mixed with fear, formed on Arthur's face as he activated the skill again. Once more, a mana wave burst from his body, spreading around him. He sensed the same three creatures, but this time, they had moved slightly compared to before.

"Yes… I can do this!" Arthur said with excitement.

Now that he understood how important this skill was, he was thrilled.

"Now I don't have to worry about being ambushed. I can detect enemies beforehand and escape without them even seeing me. With this skill, I can survive in this place," he spoke to himself with excitement.

SWOOSH—

Suddenly, Arthur felt something pass right above him.

With shock, he quickly looked up—and was stunned to see another bat flying past him.

His earlier thoughts about being able to detect everything around him shattered in an instant. He had been too confident, thinking his skill allowed him to know his surroundings completely.

The bat flew past without paying him any attention. Arthur stopped and quickly turned to check if anything else was flying above, but there was nothing in the sky. Looking ahead, the bat that had just passed was still visible.

Without wasting time, Arthur activated the skill again. Another burst of mana waves spread from his body. His Echo Area Sense was invisible to others, but he could feel its range and effectiveness.

However, as he observed the bat that had just passed by, he realized something shocking—the mana wave had gone right through the bat without detecting it! Yet, he could still sense the three creatures on the ground.

Arthur understood it instantly.

His new skill only detected things on the ground—not in the air.

Realizing how wrong he had been about its capabilities, Arthur felt ashamed. Well… at least I'm safe on the ground, he thought.

Arthur continued walking, pulling the bat's body at a faster pace.

After walking for half an hour, he finally returned to where Kai was, near the water flow.

But as Arthur looked at Kai, his eyes widened in shock.