Chapter 20 - Little Changes

"Well, if I had been afraid, I would not have brought you here." That wasn't the real reason he brought us here. He has no faith in her. But, he won't die from a single strike and betrayal will only make him stronger.

Splash!

Just when heard his swords, she stabbed the sword at a goblin.

Kwack!

The pain from the stab woke him as he shouted.

"Ughh!"

But, his movement causes immense pain to Peter. His HP started falling, so he couldn't help but scream "Hurry up!"

Alice got startled and held the body of the goblin. She didn't even take out the sword.

Kwack! Splash!

It moved, even more, when her hand curled around the goblin. It cut her arm with its left hand in an instant. But she gritted her teeth and yanked him out.

"Ugh!" A searing agony struck Peter's brain. Alice moved quickly as her blood stained the white fabric red.

"Drink it!" Originally, Peter intended to save those two, but he chose to give one to her instead. He received two Healing Potions this time. At the same time, his EXP storage was completely full.

Creek!

"Don't waste it on me!" Alice ripped the fabric and wrapped it around her claw mark. It was deep, yet she was bleeding profusely. Peter sighed and replaced it. He didn't want to persuade her because she had rejected it, especially because it was crucial.

As he replaces the healing potion, he hits the yes button on the panel in front of him. Chilly energy swirled inside his body in an instant. He could sense his strength, stamina, and vitality increasing. The wound begins to heal at an alarming rate.

He also did not drink the healing potion. As a result, his wounds were healing totally as a result of his leveling up. His wound was also quite deep. As a result, his wound required some time to heal. Alice drew his attention as he was mending his wound.

She was dismembering the goblin's body. She shook her head and tucked the goblin body away after a few cuts. Peter became curious and inquired, "Why did you cut its body?"

"Don't you know? Their bodies are endowed with Mana Core. We cannot improve by slaughtering them, as individuals as you can. The only option for us to improve is to consume the mana core. That's why we're attempting to climb the tower as well. But it appears that these monsters do not have one." Alice spoke as she moved near Peter.

While she drew closer to Mike, blood trickled from her hand. When Peter heard her, he put his finger to his chin and pondered, 'Could it be because I already have their EXP? Perhaps this is why I only get EXP from them and not from others.'

'That implies I can still kill more people and see if they have mana cores or not. If they do, I should be able to use it while practicing the Burning Sun Skill.'

"Level Up!" Peter talked while deciding whether or not to continue fighting. He can't let it go unchallenged, after all. In an instant, his EXP storage was depleted, and a massive amount of energy surged inside his body.

The icy sensation tingled all over his body. He squeezed his hand after a few seconds as he felt his strength increase by two. If he could burst to lift four hundred kilograms of stone, he could burst strength to lift six hundred kilograms.

As soon his strength improved, a screen panel flashed in front of him.

[Climber- Peter Johnson

Age- 21

Level- 3 (EXP- 45/800)

Trait- Adaptability, Stone Heart, Mind of a Hero, Triple Personalities

HP- 25/25

MP- 15

Internal Energy- 15

Genetic Power- Nil

STR- 6

AGI- 11

VIT- 6

STM- 6

Passive Skills- Greed (Lv.1- 1.5%), Dying Divine Breath (Lv.1- 1%)

Active Skills- Basic Sword Skill (Lv.2- 30%)

Stat Points- 20

Fame Points- 20

Items- Sword*2, Healing Potion*2, Wooden Arrows Skill, Mana Coins*10]

'Well, I now have twenty points for stats and fame. I would have had twenty-five if I hadn't spent it on agility. It did, however, come in handy. I believe it is a good idea to save stat points and utilize them on the stat that is required at the time.'

'More significantly, I'm reserving stat points for the hidden boss. If I don't vanquish him, I'll never be able to leave the dungeon. And it's not like I'd have to deal with betrayal....'

Just as he was about to say anything, his gaze was drawn to Alice. He wasn't sure whether he should put his faith in Alice or not. However, if she did betray him, it would be an excellent opportunity to assassinate the secret boss.

The trouble is that he can't ask her to betray him. Because he has no idea how, but this skill appears to have its own brain to examine the circumstance. As if Peter's inner belief became the codes, and this expertise became the software.

But he quickly shook his head. He wasn't sure if Alice would truly betray him. As a result, he cannot ask her to risk her life. However, it appears that she does not have a proper home to return to.

'Well, there isn't much time to think about it. I have a goal that I need to achieve.' After making up his mind, he asked Alice for the sword and pulled out another one of his own. He slammed his foot on the ground while clutching his sword fiercely.

In a second, he was faster than those goblins. He reached out in front of them in a moment, as none of them sensed his presence.

Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!

Killing became second nature to him as he swung his sword quickly. He was able to easily counter their claws and assault them. They were chopped, stabbed, slashed, and sliced by his sword. All of the remaining goblins were coated in blood in about fifteen seconds.

"Hey, come on over here and help me check them!" Peter raised his head at Alice and yelled as he moved towards one of the goblins. When Alice slashed the goblin, she slashed its stomach. As a result, Mike did the same. He was expecting mana core because he had not received any EXP.

"Wow! Is this the mana core ?" He discovered a thumb-sized round crystal while digging the goblin's stomach. He was taken aback by the color of the core. It looked like a red diamond.

"Yes," When Alice saw the crystal, she became enthralled and promptly cut a slit in the goblin's stomach. Peter inquired, "So, how do you use this?" as she took out the crystal.

"Use? You eat it." She immediately put the crystal in her mouth after saying this.

"Wait a minute! Don't do that! It's disgusting." Peter yelled in an attempt to stop her, but the crystal had already entered her stomach.

"Please forgive me! I sincerely apologize. I was so ecstatic that I ate it without even asking." As she knelt on the ground, Alice's face blanched.

"Hush! I'm not upset that you ate it. You should have cleaned it at the very least before consuming it." When Peter saw her kneeling on the ground, he smacked his palm. He could see the terror in her eyes. This was the first time he noticed the terror in her eyes.

He had the impression that she was afraid of him. This, however, made him even more perplexed. Because he knows how cold and merciless this girl was. After hearing her remarks, he shook his head and became even more miserable.

"I once ate half-eaten bread that had been placed on the rubbish can. This is meaningless."

Peter's fist was clenched. He couldn't figure out why she was acting this way. When she mentioned such a thing, he felt really weak.

"Look, if you can't change yourself, you won't be able to get stronger," he groaned.

"You were surviving because you were impoverished. Make a change now that you have the opportunity to become wealthy."

As he said this, he began extracting crystals from the goblin. While doing so, he said, "Hurry up or I'll steal all the crystals," without even looking at her.

Alice's eyes widen when she hears his remarks. She bit her lower lip and walked down to another goblin, as Peter turned to face her. Her eyes widened as tears streamed down her cheeks as she slashed the goblin's stomach.

She didn't make a sound, yet she couldn't stop crying either. While she tried to hide her tears, she continued with her work. She kept pulling out more crystals. Her eyes were absolutely dry until the fourth crystal.

However, it was entirely red. She didn't even raise her hand to wipe her tears away. Peter caught her despite her attempts to hide, but he said nothing. He didn't want to discourage her, nor did he want her to change.

Others can just make recommendations; the final decision is yours.