Chapter 132 - The Hunt 2_2

< Level up! 19 to 20 >

< Acquired a skill! Yellow Punch |Lvl 1 >

< Because a skill has been obtained from this monster, the absorbed Magic Stone will be converted to EXP for the skill. > × 9

< Yellow Punch, level up! 1 to 2 >

[Yellow Punch | Lvl 2] [MP -4]

[+ Launch a strong and fast punch imbued with Light Element. 

+ Increase physical and light damage by 15%]

Yellow punch from Yellow Tail Ape, that's fine and I'm sure, this skill will improve my close combat ability.

< Strength stat up! STR + 2 > × 4

That's right, I went back to eating Cross Hound meat while we rested. So, I got a few STR points from it. And I'll say, my stomach's digestion speed surprised me. 

It's only two hours and I was ready to eat another batch of meals.

"Are you done?" Ruciel looked at me with a look of awe approaching the border of insulting.

"Can you not give me a look like that?"

"What kind of gaze?"

"You look at me as if you saw a pig." My fox's ears and tail hung without power after I said that phrase.

Ruciel who heard it raised one eyebrow. She gave me a few glances before saying, "You're right, you're a pig. I wonder, when are you going to be round?"

"Ruciel!"

I was angry but Ruciel showed no signs that she was wavering. Her attitude and emotions to me had not changed at all.

"You have a wild imagination, you know that?"

I replied with a pout at her. And in exchange for that, the Fallen Elf girl sighed.

"Anyway, get ready quickly. If you continue to rest, the night will come when we arrived at the bottom of that tower."

She left that words for me before walking away. She helped the kids to pack their stuff up and she ignored me.

That girl, when can she change!?

I was a little upset when I packed my stuff. A moment later, we returned to explore this forest.

We walked for thirty minutes and we met the other two Yellow Tail Apes.

The monsters rained us with stones at the moment they saw us. Because of that, we had to take shelter behind the trees. 

We only fought against those monsters after Ruciel knocked them out of the trees.

The children fought against one of them under Ruciel's care. As for me, I faced the other monsters alone.

"[Yellow punch]"

"Ukhyy!"

Two fists covered in yellow light — which was mine and the monster's — launch quickly. Our fists that contained power connected to create a fairly strong gust of wind.

Bam! Bwass!

As a result of the impact, our arms were pushed back.

What happened was shocking and quite painful.

I thought I was going to win in this battle of power but I was wrong.

At first, I thought it happened because we had the same Basic Statistics. However, after I think about this again, the difference between our punches might be influenced by the difference in skill levels. 

Furthermore, the monster might have another Skill that strengthened its Yellow Punch. Skills like Unarmed Combat Mastery or similar to it could be the culprit behind this mystery.

"UKYY!" Yellow Tail Ape roared.

The monster re-launched another punch, it was aiming for my face. It's obvious, the monster didn't appreciate my stunning face and I was angry about it.

"[Swift Movements]"

Instantly, the Yellow Tail Ape's movements became so much slower than before.

No, I didn't use skill to make the monster slow down. I used a skill to make myself faster.

Thanks to this, I was able to dodge the monster's punch easily. And not only that, things that happened also made the Yellow Tail Ape's defense wide open.

I could have ended this fight by drawing my spear and piercing this monster in the heart or head but...

"[Yellow Punch]"

I made an uppercut to hit the monster's arm that was in the middle of doing a punch.

Kreak! Splat!

A disturbing sound, a sound of broken bones was created shortly after my fist hit the monster's elbow.

I didn't expect that the increase of my movements speed could also increase the strength of my punches!

Yes, I didn't stop moving as I watched the monster make an expression of pain in slow motion. I clenched both my hands then launched blow after blow to the Yellow Tail Ape's body.

Duag! Dwag! Dhag!

My fists hit the monster's stomach, chest, throat, and head. They left quite a deep dent on the monster's body especially in the part that I hit a few times.

And yes, the monster's figure had now become more terrifying than the previous one with blood and torn skin.

After Swift Movements were off, the monster's body was thrown for several meters.

"Ukhy!" The monster made another roar while lying on the ground. It stopped moving after convulsions for some time. 

I left the monster after making sure it's died. 

I saw the kids.

Their fight isn't over yet. They also had trouble following the monster's swift movements.

Alan and Kimi had to surround and stop the monster's movements for a while from two sides before Chloe manages to tie the monster with Mana Bind.

Later, the monster dies after Alan stabs its stomach and Kimi cuts its throat.

"Their growing speed amazes me," Ruciel commented.

I half agree with that opinion. Children are getting stronger, but their growth is not that fast.

They were far behind from the speed of the Players when raising the level. And I know, comparing them to players is not fair. After all, we don't hunt every day.

We can't respawn so we have to be careful. We can not do monster hunts recklessly.

"Oh! I reached level thirty," Alan said.

"What!?" Kimi shouted.

Afterward, the girl approached Alan and shakes his shoulders forward and backward quickly.

"You traitor!" She shouted at the poor boy.

On the other hand, Chloe who had wanted to say something became silent. She made a wry smile that showed that she was hiding something.

"So… all of you have already reached level thirty? That's good! You are strong enough now, I can put trust in you as we fight monsters."

Hearing my words, Kimi stopped troubling Alan. She looked at me with slightly watery eyes. 

"I'm only twenty-nine," she said, sounding sad.

"We will still hunt and we will also fight the Guardian of the Tower of Challenge. With all of that, I'm sure you'll reach level thirty in the blink of an eye. Don't be sad, okay?"

I patted her head and a moment later, she nodded.

Our journey in this forest continues.

Just like before, we met again with the monsters. Not only the Yellow Tail Ape, but we also met the Cross Hound, Horned Rabbit, Moshwine, and Red Rabbit.

I ate the Magic Stones of those monsters. As for their flesh, I delay eating it because I was still full. Besides, I had to reserve a place in my stomach for the tower guardian's meat.

I only obtained three new Skills without Stat Points.

-----+

< Acquired a skill! High Jump |Lvl 1 >

[High Jump] [Passive]

[+ Increase the jumping ability 3 times much stronger.]

< Because a skill has been obtained from this monster, the absorbed Magic Stone will be converted to EXP for the skill. > × 2

-----+

< Acquired a skill! Lesser Health |Lvl 1 >

[Lesser Health |Lvl 1] [Passive]

[+ Permanently give 5 points to HP.]

< Because a skill has been obtained from this monster, the absorbed Magic Stone will be converted to EXP for the skill. > × 3

-----+

< Acquired a skill! Fire Magic Resistance |Lvl 1 >

[Fire Magic Resistance |Lvl 1] [Passive]

[+ Reduces the damage and duration of negative effect caused by different types of Fire Spells by 5%]

< Because a skill has been obtained from this monster, the absorbed Magic Stone will be converted to EXP for the skill. > × 5

-----+

Yes, thanks to High Jump, I was able to jump over thirteen meters easily. My HP increased thanks to Lesser Health and I obtained another resistance akill, this time it was for fire.

I felt satisfied even though the new skills I obtained did not have a big impact or have an amazing effect.

After coming out of the forest, what greeted us under the Tower of Challenge was a fairly spacious open arena.

The arena floor is lined with neatly arranged gray hexagonal stones. Six stone pillars that resembled a lance stood on the edge of the arena as decorations. And yes, this arena is higher than the ground around it.

It was a nice arena.

I feel happy when I know I'm going to fight in that arena. My heart was filled with a burning fighting spirit.

My eyes narrowed to look at the Guardian or perhaps, the Boss Monster that was at one end of the arena, right in front of the entrance of the tower.

The Guardian told by the Flugels and the one we had to defeat was the Yellow Tail Ape King.

The monster had a muscular body, with high that reached three meters. Its arms were big like tree trunks. The monster looked fierce with sharp golden eyes and large, long canine teeth.

"That monster was a challenge that cannot be underestimated," Ruciel gave her opinion.

"I agree." I nodded and looked at the children. "You guys are ready to fight against that monster?"

The children exchanged glances after hearing my question. Then, they walked away to discuss something.

They tried to keep something a secret but it seemed, they forgot that my and Ruciel's hearing was quite sharp.

So, the whole point of their discussion is...

Alan and Chloe were hesitant to take part in the fight. Alan feels that his abilities are still lacking while Chloe is scared.

Kimi tried to encourage them and persuade them to fight. Unfortunately, the little girl's efforts didn't have a big impact.

Their discussions repeated in circles until in the end, Kimi forced Chloe and Alan to take part in the fight.

When they finished, they told me they were going to take part. So...

"Are you ready?" I asked.

The kids and Ruciel nodded.

With that, we walked, entered the arena to challenge the Guardian of the Tower of Challenge