Chương 5: Chapter 05 - Level Up!

The Petrifying Eyes were large, bat-like creatures with wings spanning several meters. Their bodies were covered in mottled, leathery skin, marred by grotesque growths and protrusions. Their most horrifying feature, however, was their eyes—massive orbs that glowed with an eerie, sickly green light. These eyes emitted a beam of light capable of petrifying anything they fixed their gaze upon.

As Zack watched, the Petrifying Eyes circled overhead, their wings beating with a rhythmic, ominous sound. Their eyes scanned the ruins below, searching for any signs of life to turn to stone with their deadly gaze.

Fifty years ago, the city had been quite the metropolis. Still, all that remained now were the shattered remnants of its former glory. The streets were littered with debris and rubble, the twisted skeletons of once-proud buildings rising like jagged monuments to the city's downfall. Crumbled walls and broken pillars lay scattered amidst the wreckage, silent witnesses to the cataclysmic events that had unfolded.

Nature had begun to reclaim the city, with vines and foliage creeping through the cracks in the pavement and reclaiming the once-paved streets. The air was heavy with the scent of decay and desolation, a haunting reminder of the lives lost and the dreams shattered in the wake of the monster invasion.

"Their numbers are quite high… perhaps that is a good thing for me. Anyway, this should be only ten kilometers away from our city, and monsters usually attack other places when they have a certain number, around twenty thousand. Well, let's hope that this will be a good hunting ground for myself."

Zack decided to lay low literally and waited until he saw three of those. Monsters flying around him. Without hesitation, he threw the knives after activating Auto Aim. He threw them with all his might to his front while the monsters were right above him… but they still flew in a very tortuous line until it pierced the eyes of the monsters.

The monsters squeaked in pain while shaking in the air. A viscous liquid left their wounded eyes while they were falling. In the end, they fell to the ground without being able to resist. They struggled for a short while but eventually fell dead.

(You received 05 XP.)

Zack smiled while his heart raced. He finally did it—he killed three monsters by himself! Thanks to that single moment, he felt like all the annoyance and depressing days of the last three years were washed away.

Still, that was only the start, so Zack waited until the sound of wings flapping around grew weaker and then slowly moved to the bodies and pulled the knives.

"The smell… ugh. No one talks about the smell of dead monsters and their viscous body liquid. They only talk about the glamor of Killing countless monsters," Zack thought. "Anyway, I should use the first payment to buy knives that will be free from blood. They are more popular for skinning, but in my hands, they will be even better."

Once Zack had retrieved his knives and took a moment to catch his breath, he couldn't help but marvel at what had just happened. As he analyzed the events, a realization dawned on him: his knives hadn't lost their power as they flew through the air, and they had flown straight to the eyes of the Petrifying Eyes monsters. It meant that Zack also possessed the ability to snipe monsters from a distance with unparalleled precision.

The knives, imbued with the effects of his Cheater trait, had maintained their power even as they soared through the air. They had struck their targets with pinpoint accuracy, finding their mark with deadly efficiency.

Zack's mind raced with possibilities. He could become a true marksman with this newfound ability, taking down monsters from afar with unmatched skill. No longer confined to close-quarters combat, he could engage enemies from a safe distance, turning the tables on even the most formidable opponents.

"They can probably attack the projectiles if they can see it… so I need to increase my strength for the throwing speed and power increase as well," Zack thought. "It is hard to say what kind of parameter works with my trait the best, but I need to get the next skill to have a better idea about it."

In the end, Zack stayed hidden for five minutes until he could use the skill again. Once that happened, he saw a group of four Petrifying Eyes flying around and decided to test his limits by trying to kill them all. Since he didn't hesitate even a bit this time, the attacks worked perfectly, and four monsters were added to the list.

"I should move a bit from here. Otherwise, the others will realize that they have an enemy here." Zack thought.

The monsters weren't mindless creatures driven solely by instinct. They were sapient beings, capable of intelligent thought and learning. This made them a formidable adversary, as they could adapt and evolve over time, becoming stronger and more cunning with each encounter.

The monsters were also part of the system, just like humans, and they possessed the ability to grow and improve their abilities with each level up. This capacity for growth meant that they could quickly learn from their mistakes and develop strategies to overcome any obstacles in their path.

This intelligence and adaptability prevented humanity from eradicating the monsters fifty years ago. If the monsters had been mindless beasts, ordinary humans armed with firearms might have been able to eliminate them. However, the monsters' ability to learn and evolve meant that they could counter human tactics and exploit weaknesses, making them a formidable and persistent threat.

After moving around the area where the magic teleportation circle was supposed to be, Zack finally had the chance to level up after just half an hour and the feeling of it was simply amazing.

(You have obtained enough XP to level up.)

(You received five status points and one skill point.)

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