Chapter 48 First Advancement

Whoosh~

Thanks to Ferri leveling up and increasing his agility as well as gaining the wind attribute stat, they were able to travel at a fast speed.

Along the way, they encountered a few monsters.

However, Alex didn't bother with them and just continued traveling.

By the way, even though they traveled at a fast speed, there was no sound of Ferri's footsteps.

The only sound that can be heard is the sound of the wind going around the forest.

Just like that, Alex and Ferri proceed deeper into the forest silently.

Soon, they arrived at the boundary between the first and second layer.

Seeing that, Alex patted Ferri and said, "Slow down, we're already at the second layer."

"Make sure to be on alert, our enemies from now on will be 1-star monsters."

To answer Alex, instead of barking, Ferri nodded its head.

While remaining vigilant, the monster and human pair started exploring the second layer carefully.

After entering the second layer, the surroundings became slightly dimmer.

This is because of the dense trees that almost cover the forest from sunlight.

This is also the origin of the name Black Forest.

Because the deeper you go into the forest, the darker the surrounding is.

Ferri didn't dare run at full speed, lest he attract some ferocious monster.

After walking for a while, the two encountered their first monster here in the second layer.

It was a 3 meter tall monster with a humanoid body but the head of a pig.

People who like fantasy are probably familiar with it.

It's an Orc

Looking at its big body, Alex was pretty sure that this monster is pretty powerful.

On its hand, it is holding a metal bat with spikes on it.

If ever you get hit by that, you'll be full of holes after.

To learn more about it, Alex decided to use [Inspect].

[Orc]

[Level 31(1 Star)]

[Strength: 116] | [Constitution:132] | [Agility: 46] | [Intelligence: 62]

…

After seeing the Orc's stats, Alex relaxed his tensed nerves.

He turned his eyes at the Orc and chuckled, "This Orc is pretty weak, its highest stat, which is the Constitution, is only 132."

Saying that, Alex felt a little dismissive of the Orc.

Meanwhile, as Alex was looking at its stats, the Orc had already come closer.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Every step that it takes was accompanied by a loud sound.

When it was just a few meters away from Alex, it stopped, and like any other monster, it roared at them.

Roar!

That roar seems to cause a shockwave by how powerful it is.

Ferri retreated by a few meters while resisting it.

As for Alex, he just stood there, observing the Orc.

Because of the large difference in stats, Alex was totally unaffected by the power of that roar.

With a nonchalant expression, Alex muttered, "For this roar to have this much power, it should be caused by a skill."

Saying that, Alex casually cast a skill and threw it at the Orc.

"[Fireball]!"

The fireball flew towards the Orc and exploded when it hit the monster.

Boom!

Shrieeek!

The Orc cried loudly.

After a few seconds it finally turned silent.

When the smoke subsided, Alex only saw the figure of the burnt Orc on the ground.

Because of Alex's Intelligence stat, the power of his magic has also greatly increased.

Even though [Fireball] is just a D-rank skill, it managed to take down a level 31 1-star Orc that's known for their thick skin that gave them great defense in just one hit.

Alex wasn't surprised by this.

Actually, this is also why Alex has the confidence to go deeper into the Black Forest.

Now, his stats even overwhelms 1-star monsters.

After taking down the Orc, multiple notifications sounded in his head.

[Ding!]

[You killed a 1-Star Level 31 Orc, +31,000 experience points.]

[Congratulations, you leveled up!]

[Congratulations, you leveled up!]

…

With just one monster, Alex managed to level up by 4 times!

And that monster was only a normal 1-star monster, not a Boss monster like the Red Bear!

Alex smiled happily, "My decision was right."

"Coming here to the second layer was really a good idea."

"Also, the monsters here don't pose any threats to me so it's very safe!"

The more he thinks about it, the more Alex feels like this is the right decision.

After that, Alex used [Sacrifice] on the Orc's body and it lit up for a second before disappearing.

[You 'Sacrificed' a 1-Star Monster, you gained 10 attribute points.]

Seeing that, Alex was a little surprised.

"Oh, I got 10 attribute points this time."

"So using [Sacrifice] on 1-star monsters gives more attribute points, huh."

Alex slowly nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with the result.

"I should hunt more while I'm here."

"If I can get enough attribute points, I can directly hatch the [Dragon Egg] immediately."

With that thought, Alex called Ferri and they started exploring the second layer more

The environment of the first and second layer of Black Forest doesn't really differ much from each other besides it being slightly darker in the latter.

Because of that, Alex just hunted like how he did in the first layer.

For half an hour, Alex and Ferri hunted every monster that they met and their levels both rose rapidly.

Oh, if you're curious, Alex only let Ferri last hit monsters that he already damage so that Ferri can also level up.

And after only hunting for half an hour, Alex finally hit level 25.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, you leveled up!]

[Your level have reached the current limit (Level 25).]

[The Quest 'First Advancement' has been formed.]

[First Advancement]

Details: You have reached Level 25, the limit for No-Star. To continue leveling, enter the Tower of Trials and Advance to 1-Star.

Based on how well you do in the Tower of Trials, your status can multiply by multiple times.

Reward: Advance to 1-Star, Increased Stats.

…

Seeing the sudden quest in front of him, Alex stopped.

"Tower of Trials, I guess I need to go back first…"