Chapitre 25: An Excited Grin

Cedric had to accept that the skill was now his, and there was no way for him to turn it off. In some cases, passive skills were more valuable than active ones since they didn't require mana. In the end, he had to make do with what he had.

"Your existence is pointless. Become my strength, and you will be the stepping stone to my greatness. For that reason, you should surrender your life to me," Cedric threw his hands out. "What do you think?"

The giant bird monster before him tilted its head in confusion, not understanding what Cedric was saying. It let out an outraged cry, indicating that Cedric's skill, Puppeteer, did not work on monsters. Of course, he was just messing with the monster.

[Thunderbeak (Level 15)]

It looked like a giant eagle with massive wings. The monster did not appreciate being trolled and spread its wings before flapping them. Cedric heard a thunderclap as the sound waves shook the entire forest. Unlike physical attacks, these were impossible to dodge.

Cedric lost his balance as his head began to spin. The monster lunged at him in that moment, but it didn't account for the fact that Cedric didn't need his senses to move. His skill told him everything he needed to know, even where to strike.

As the Thunderbeak dove toward Cedric, he staggered before sending a strike toward the base of its wing. The attack caught it off guard, and the monster fell to the ground, rolling as it tried to fly again but failed. The rest was history.

[You have slain Thunderbeak (Level 15)!]

Cedric sat beside the monster's corpse, which was too tattered to be used for food. After plucking the gemstone from its ribcage, Cedric threw it into his dimensional ring with the small pile he had collected.

After reaching Level 15, Cedric had a hard time finding a monster stronger than that level. Although killing a bunch of these monsters would give him a level, it was beginning to drain his stamina and mana.

"I can head back after one more monster," Cedric muttered as he stretched his arms. "I just want one more level up. After that, I'll go back and continue the journey. Ah, Aria must be pissed right now."

Cedric couldn't help himself. Because of his grandfather feeding him stories about Elaris, he became obsessed with this world's mechanics. A single afternoon was enough to grow stronger with a little bit of risk.

If that was the case, what if Cedric hunted monsters every day? What would be the limits of his power? He wanted to find out. And if he was strong enough, he would live this life to its fullest.

As he wandered around with such useless thoughts, Cedric made sure to keep his attention on his surroundings. The sphere seemed to grow bigger the more mana he used, but it would drain too much of his limited supply. Thus, he had to be cautious.

Growl...

A growling monster appeared in his sphere just as Cedric entered a clearing. As he came face to face with the creature, he saw a big wolf munching on what seemed to be the Vine Serpent that Cedric had hunted earlier. He recognized the surroundings.

"Ah, shit. Did I walk in a circle? I was too focused on the Observe skill and didn't take note of the sun's direction," Cedric muttered as he looked at the wolf. Then, his eyes widened when his skill told him its level.

[Dire Wolf (Level 19)]

That was a significant leap in levels compared to his earlier victims. The difference of four levels was too much for Cedric to handle, but he didn't back down just yet. Instead, he eyed the wolf, which was glaring at him with blood covering its maw.

"How do you like my dish?" Cedric asked with a grin as he looked at the serpent and noticed something odd. The wolf was eating the body but spared its head. Did it have a preference? A hungry wolf in the middle of nowhere?

Cedric frowned as he focused his attention on the serpent. Then, he realized why it had avoided the head. Meanwhile, the Dire Wolf was also sizing up Cedric and his capabilities. Soon, it concluded that he was just a free meal falling before it.

Instead of running away, Cedric smiled and lured the wolf. He made sure to stand close to a tree as the wolf bounded toward him, faster than Cedric had imagined possible. However, the tree was there for that purpose. Cedric jumped behind the tree and ran around it, confusing the wolf, which arrived at his original spot.

The aim was not to run but to attack. Cedric had formulated a plan the moment he noticed the wolf's odd behavior. As he ran toward the serpent's head on the ground, he used his foot and sword to spread its jaws open.

Beside the fangs were two swelling glands that Cedric identified as the reason the wolf avoided the head. At that moment, the monster managed to locate Cedric again, bounding toward him like a shadow.

Cedric rolled on the ground as his sword dripped with purple liquid. The metal began to erode with a sizzling sound, warning Cedric that he didn't have much time to play this safe. This time, he lunged toward the wolf.

A claw ripped through his left arm, but Cedric pierced the wolf with his sword at the same time. The sword tip struck the wolf in the eye, making it howl. Unlike previous monsters, the Dire Wolf knew it couldn't give Cedric any more openings.

Its giant maw opened as it tried to bite Cedric's face off, but Cedric used his forearm as a shield. His memory kicked in, reminding him to push his forearm forward lest it be torn off. The wolf tried to close its mouth shut, but Cedric's forearm prevented it.

Searing pain shot through Cedric's left arm as his right hand repeatedly stabbed the wolf's face. The two were sprawled on the ground, the wolf using its claws and fangs to tear through Cedric's flesh.

As Cedric began to wonder when the poison would kick in, the wolf started to lose strength. His stabs became more ruthless, continuing even after his sword broke in half. The wolf howled as the madman attacked relentlessly, but Cedric didn't stop until he heard the sweet notification in his ears.

[You have slain Dire Wolf (Level 19)]

[You have leveled up!]

The wolf stopped moving after that. Cedric sat on top of its corpse, his chest heaving. His heart trembled with dread, and his body screamed in pain. But his eyes glowed with excitement. A grin appeared on his face.

"I won."

***

"Did he get lost?" Ember asked for the seventeenth time, worried as she paced around the clearing. "It's been hours since he left, and he has yet to return. Is it possible that—"

"Enough with the anxious pacing," Aria shot back with a frown. "You're getting on my nerves. I can use my power to look for him, but it would scare off every monster in the forest. He wants to hunt alone, so—"

Aria was interrupted by a howl that echoed through the forest and reached the path the two women used as a camp. Before she could say anything, Ember darted into the bushes, and the humanoid dragon sighed and followed after her.

The two women rushed toward the source, and it wasn't far from their original spot. As they reached a clearing where some movement could be seen, they stopped on its outer edge, frozen at the sight before them.

The clearing was covered in blood and monster parts. A brutal fight had taken place, shedding so much blood that the grass turned blue. In the center sat a man covered in blue blood with a grin across his face. Beneath him was a giant wolf, bigger than the man himself.

"Ced—" Ember began but choked on her own words. "Cedric?" she called to the man, who turned toward them. Once he saw them, his grin disappeared, replaced by a warm smile.

"Oh, glad you're here," Cedric said as he rose from the monster's corpse, his entire body covered in his own blood. "We need some water so I can bathe."

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