Chapter 14: Level Up
Eric's eyes darted left and right, searching for the monster, but before he could pinpoint its direction, several howls echoed through the forest, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps trampling the ground.
"Shit!"
Despite his strength, Eric knew he would be in trouble if he was surrounded by monsters, as he still lacked experience dealing with many opponents at once.
"I might get killed."
Not wanting that to happen, Eric tried to climb the nearest tree. Fortunately, it wasn't as difficult as he thought, thanks to his strong grip. In no time, he reached a thick branch that was strong enough to hold him.
Sitting on the thick branch, Eric strained his ears, listening intently for any sign of the approaching monster. The forest fell silent, except for the rustle of leaves in the wind.
Suddenly, a low growl from below alerted Eric. Cautiously looking down, he spotted a lone ViperWolf approaching the bloodstain where the severed head lay.
As Eric focused on the monster, a text hovered over its head.
[Viperwolf - lvl 17]
Eric held his breath as the monstrous creature sniffed the air, its senses attuned to the scent of blood. Without hesitation, the ViperWolf pounced on the gruesome remains, tearing into the flesh with savage hunger.
The monster seemed lost in its gruesome meal, oblivious to Eric's presence high above in the safety of the tree. But Eric wasn't about to stand still and waste such an opportunity.
"It would be difficult to kill it with a pickaxe," Eric thought. "Luckily, Gruff gave me this before I left."
He reached out his hand, and a dagger suddenly materialized in his palm. He gripped it tightly.
With the dagger in his hand, Eric took a deep breath and braced himself for what was to come. He knew he had to act quickly and decisively if he wanted to take down the ViperWolf without alerting other nearby monsters.
Without hesitation, Eric jumped from the safety of the tree and aimed directly at the distracted creature below.
Before the monster could react, Eric plunged the dagger into its neck while putting his full weight above it.
The ViperWolf's eyes snapped open, and it yelped in pain, but before it could whimper, Eric quickly placed his hand on the wolf's upper jaw and used all his strength to close its mouth.
The monster struggled to free itself, and Eric could feel its body slowly rising as it tried to get to its legs. Without wasting any time, he drew the dagger and plunged it into its neck again and again.
The monster couldn't make a whimper since its mouth was closed, so it struggled even harder.
Sensing that the ViperWolf was about to break free of his grip, Eric lifted the dagger higher. In one swift motion, he brought it down directly on its head.
The dagger pierced the wolf's skull without much resistance, and it stopped struggling as its body slumped to the ground. Just in case, Eric continued to crush its brain to make sure it was truly dead.
After a while, two messages appeared in front of Eric, causing him to stop.
[You have killed Viperwolf - lvl 17]
[Level up]
Eric distanced himself from the carcass and landed on the forest floor with a thud. He took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, adrenaline surging through his veins as he looked at the monster's body.
Even though the battle had ended in seconds and he hadn't been injured, it had taken a toll on him. He had used all of his power to immobilize the monster, which allowed him to kill it despite its high level.
However, Eric knew that he was still weak. If the monster hadn't been distracted, or if there had been other monsters with it, he was sure that he wouldn't have come out unscathed.
"I was lucky this time, but I can't rely on luck to save me every time," he thought to himself.
He didn't like the feeling that things were getting out of his control.
"I have to get stronger."
He knew his progress was slow because he spent his time mining instead of fighting monsters, but the situation wasn't ideal for him to run away—not while the stigma was still hanging over him.
"But now I can start to raise my level and break the limit of normal humans."
He smiled as he pulled out his interface and looked at his attributes.
****
**Status:
Name: Eric Walker
Level: 10 (unranked)
Health: 180/200
Stamina: 165/230
Mana: 215/370
Status:
Strength: 23
Dexterity: 25
Vitality: 20
Constitution: 23
Intelligence: 37
Spiritual Power: 17
Unique abilities:
- Drain: Second grade - lvl 4
Skills:
-Vanir Standard Language lvl 5
- Identify lvl 3
- Iron Wall
*Free stats: 4
***
His stats had changed since the first time he had seen them. Each time his level increased, all of his attributes increased by one point, and he received two free stat points to distribute.
Back when he was in the camp, he had leveled up, but he hadn't had time to look at his status due to the chaos. Now, having gained another level, he had four free stat points to distribute.
"I should distribute the free stat points just in case I encounter strong monsters instead of saving them," Eric thought to himself.
He knew that a fight could end in a split second if he was weaker, so he didn't see any use in saving points while he was still weak. It was better to strengthen himself now, rather than regret it later.
He took a moment to think about which attribute he should increase with his free stat points, which wasn't easy. He decided to eliminate the unnecessary attributes one by one until he found the most helpful ones.
The first attributes to be eliminated were Strength and Intelligence. Strength wouldn't be very helpful in this situation, as it would only allow him to carry heavier objects, which he didn't need at the moment. As for Intelligence, it would increase his mana, which was helpful for activating skills, but it wasn't necessary for the moment as he already had enough.
Next came a difficult choice. Four options remained, each of which had enough advantages to force him to take a few moments of careful thought.
Vitality would increase his health, so if he were injured, his life wouldn't be in danger from blood loss.
Constitution would increase his stamina so that he could keep moving even if he was injured. It would also strengthen his body's defenses, making it less likely that he would be easily injured. Overall, it would improve his entire body.
Agility would make him faster, allowing him to react and evade monster attacks in time. And finally, Spiritual Power would increase his awareness of his surroundings and increase his control over his abilities and skills.
Eric struggled because he couldn't make a decision. It was a really hard decision. Of course, he could just split his stats across all four attributes, but his improvement wouldn't be much. He had to split it between two stats to make a difference.
I probably should increase my constitution.
The reason for his choice was his Iron Wall skill. As long as his Constitution was high enough, he could ignore any lower damage.
Just as he was about to distribute his stats, he suddenly heard a rustle in the nearby bushes. His eyes widened, and before he could react, something jumped out of the underbrush.
All he saw were sharp, shark-like teeth just inches from his face. His heart pounded, and at that moment, only one thought crossed his mind.
"I'm going to die!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Floki_Star
Floki_Star Genuine question, Are you enjoying the story.
If you can, please comment, because I'm having a little self doubt after noticing almost non existent interaction.
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