Chapter 8: Ch 8: The third trial [pt2]
The cold from Ice Jewel forced the monsters to take a step back.
Since the species in front of Soma were half-reptilian, their body ran colder than most monsters in the tower.
That made them susceptible to cold easily.
Since Soma knew that, he decided to utilise his knowledge to his benefit.
The icy mana from the Ice Jewel caused Soma's hands to hurt.
[You consumed a Fire crystal. Your resistance to cold has increased.]
[Congrulations, you have developed an ice immunity. Your resistance to ice and cold has increased by 10%]
Soma's body began to calm down once warmth began to run through his body once more.
His fingers still hurt when he tried to move them, but Soma could easily control the trajectory of his attacks now.
The mini-boss realised that Soma was a danger, and it instantly raised its club.
-Rawrrrrr
That signalled the monster attack, but Soma slashed at the first wave with Icy Jewel.
The cold mana emitted from the Icy Jewel caused the forest to become cold, and fog settled around the lake.
'Let's drag this fight to a better environment.'
Soma slowly led the fight toward the lake and then used the fog to fool the monsters.
Usually, reptilian monsters had a keen sense that helped them hunt.
But the fog masked the scene in the area, causing the monster's sense of smell and vision to become useless.
Forced to use only their hearing, the monsters followed Soma.
His blurry figure stood on the other side of the lake, causing the mindless monsters to attack him.
Soma had planned this all out, and he watched as the monsters rushed toward him.
-Splash
The surface beneath the monsters broke as Soma embedded his sword into the lake's surface.
"Goodbye."
The thin layer of ice cracked, causing the monsters to fall one by one.
The splashing water also caused the fog to disperse.
[Congrulations, you have killed 100 demon subordinates. You have unlocked mini-boss enraged mode. An additional reward would be given once the mini-boss is defeated.]
The mini-boss turned red in rage, and its club got even bigger.
It rushed toward Soma from the other side of the lake.
'Let's see…3…2…1…now]
Soma pulled the strings, causing the explosive to go off.
Its instincts controlled the mini-boss, and it could not rationalise that bomb as harmless.
As a result, it tried to dodge it and landed in shallow water.
Soma instantly lashed out toward the lake with his sword and allowed the icy Jewel to suck his mana.
The lake froze briefly, giving Soma enough time to thrust his sword through the boss's chest.
[You have defeated the mini-boss. You gained additional exp.]
[You levelled up]
[Additional 5000 rewarded]
[Your mastery of string had rewarded you a new title - Master of string. Proficiency 0%. Fill the experience meter to master your craft and evolve it.]
Finally, this skill had appeared.
Soma had worked hard to hit his ceiling as soon as possible and gain this title.
He had acquired this title accidentally in his past life.
It had been a difficult raid, and Soma had no weapon left on him.
So, he used a tree vein as a rope and tried to fight.
It was then that this skill had appeared in front of him.
"It was too easy this time. Is that because I went back in time?"
The only theory that made sense to Soma then was knowledge = skill.
But that was not something that had been tested before.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter why and how I got this title. I still have a long way to go to regain my usual strength."
So, Soma continued his farming.
He called for the shopkeeper twice while farming when he ran out of fire crystals.
...
The forest was eerily quiet, causing Katherine to feel scared.
She had "volunteered" to go out and look for food for her party.
'Those selfish jerks. What do they mean by my turn to contribute to the team? Can't they see that I have no means to protect myself?'
Katherine had argued against being sent out.
But the majority had voted her to be the scapegoat.
And that was why she was in the forest now, scraping for food.
"It's so scary. This place feels like it's ripped out of a horror movie. I am sure someone will jump me with a saw soon."
Despite her fear, Katherine continued to walk.
-Rustle
The slightest wind caused the leaves to rustle, making the ominous atmosphere worse.
Katherine clutched her knife hard in her hand and waited to be attacked.
One…two…three…no one attacked.
But Katherine did not let her guard down.
-Swish
Katherine moved her knife to stab her stalker, only for the shadow to turn around and twist her arm behind her back.
"A human? Oh yeah! I forgot that this was a trial with other humans."
The cold voice snapped Katherine out of her sudden daze, and the full force of her injury hit her.
"Ouch! Hey, let go of me. I will yell if you do not unhand me now."
Katherine's yells did not affect the man, but he did put slightly more pressure on Katherine's arms.
His other hand silenced Katherine's mouth so she could not yell.
"Keep your voice down. We are near a monster's den, and your unnecessary yelling will attract the mini-boss to chase us."
The man warned, causing Katherine's heart to calm down slowly.
Now that she had been held in that painful position for some time, Katherine could yell that the man had no intention of killing her.
Instead, he was vigilantly looking around for any possible monsters.
Once it was clear that there was no monster in sight, the man let Katherine up as well.
'This man is powerful. Sticking with him will be better than returning to my original group.'
Katherine was an ambitious woman who had every intention of returning home alive.
"Hey, where are your manners? First, you stalk me, and then you try and kill me. You need to take responsibility for your actions and help me…. hey, where are you going?"
Katherine asked, watching Soma walking away from her.
Even when Soma turned to look at Katherine, he looked bored and enthusiastic.
"I do not have time to babysit anyone. If you want to survive, then head back."
That sounded like a final warning.
Katherine felt that this man wanted her out of this forest at any cost, and she should listen to her instincts and follow this man out.
But she decided not to listen to her instincts this time.
If she was at the risk of dying whether she went back or not, then she would instead take her chances with this man.
"You don't have to worry about me. I already hit level 10, one of the highest in our group. What about you? What is your level? What about your name?"
Humans were a social species.
They easily softened up over time and exposure.
Katherine wanted to see how far she could deploy this strategy with this man.
"My name and my level are not important. You might also want to keep your level and your skills a secret in the future."
Soma advised her, and Katherine took it as an instant win.
'This is good. This man is finally beginning to open up to me. I was afraid that he would remain quiet all the time.'
Kathrein felt proud of herself.
She had initiated the first step of bonding with this man without him realising.
It would not be long before she managed to get a name out of him.
"Stay here. I can sense a small group of monsters in front of us. I will go and take care of them."
The man replied to Katherine, cutting through his thoughts and jumping out.
She did not even realise when he ran out and slashed the first monster.
'I-Is this a part of the trial? There is so much blood.'
Katherine wanted to gasp, but she could not even form a word.
She did not realise when the combat ended, but she did recoil when Soma reached for her.
"Did you realise how dangerous the forest is now? It will be better for you to head back to your group."
Katherine gulped her nervousness down.
'I need to move. I will die if I keep sitting like this.'
Katherine's mind knew this, but her body did not follow her commands.
The man who just saved her life sighed before dropping a small knife at her feet.
"Look, I told you before that I do not have time to babysit others. Use this knife or buy a new weapon from the shop. If you want to live, the struggle and get stronger."
Soma advised, and Katherine nodded.
She wanted to be strong and independent, but human nature was hard to change.
Still, Katherine leaned forward to grab the knife hard in her hand.
She did not move until she was alone.
Katherine gathered herself and stood up on shaky legs.
She carefully approached a monster from behind, and her knife clumsily cut the monster.
Katherine did not expect the monster to die as soon as she finished stabbing it.
[Congrulations, you have levelled up.]
That message felt like a flash of hope in this dark world, and Katherine continued to fight for her life.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone