Chapter 23: West Territory (4)

The size of the body of water was indeed staggering. The entire building of the institute where Daniel studied could easily fit into this lake. Small shrubs surrounded the lake, barely reaching their knees.

To the left, a massive stone wall released large water droplets, the size of a person, that trickled directly into the pond.

This time, Seraphina decided to take charge. She abruptly stepped forward.

"Henceforth, I shall guide us. Our very lives could hinge upon which side of the lake we approach," Seraphina said with stern gaze.

Daniel nodded and didn't resist. After all, he couldn't discern which areas were safe and which weren't. The lake was too vast to see what lay on the opposite side.

Seraphina suddenly stopped and closed her eyes. Barely two seconds passed before she opened them and abruptly veered to the left, walking with a brisk pace.

This time, Daniel didn't let his eyes wander to her ass, tempting as it was. Instead, he tried to savor the magnificent views of the lake.

"Hm?" Daniel wondered to himself, suddenly noticing far-off silhouettes standing near the lake, dipping their heads into the water. There were quite a few of them, around ten or maybe even twenty, situated on the other side of the lake. He couldn't make out their faces; Daniel could only estimate their height, which seemed akin to Mountain Monkeys.

The system also failed to identify the monsters' rank, as they were too far away.

"Do you want to avoid fighting with them? Are they really that dangerous?" Daniel asked, addressing Seraphina's back.

"Do not distract me," she responded coldly.

"Sorry," Daniel smoothly shifted his gaze back to the lake. They continued to walk along its edge. Here, Daniel saw no monsters and didn't quite understand why they were not stopping, but he had no choice but to trust Seraphina.

After all, she had been here before, and according to her, her skill was capable of scanning the surroundings.

Of course, Daniel wanted to learn more about her skill, but he doubted Seraphina would ever divulge such information, given the risk that he could be a traitor.

`Maybe if we somehow survive this game, she'll tell me. If we survive... Damn, I'm so envious. It must be nice to have a useful skill. Unlike the shi... I have... Okay, okay, patience, Danny, patience. You have a really good skill; you're just unlucky. Just two or three more monsters, and you'll be set. Just need patience... Damn this skill!`

Daniel's frustration wasn't unfounded. Because, objectively speaking, he was probably the only player on this island who currently had no skill. Even if someone had a rank B or C skill, it would still be far more useful than Daniel, who had no skill of any rank at all, only a supposed ability that should help him somehow.

"Here," Seraphina interrupted Daniel's thoughts.

They approached the edge of the lake. It was quiet, peaceful, and serene. One could even think it wasn't a place where monsters dwell but rather a perfect spot for a date.

"First, fill the flask; then we drink," Seraphina declared assertively.

Daniel was not particularly fond of being spoken to in such an authoritative tone. However, there was clearly no time for arguments now.

A flask wrapped in green bandages materialized in his hand, which he immediately dipped into the lake.

Daniel calmly looked at the lake. He saw neither fish nor monsters; it was just dark-blue water, its depth impossible to gauge.

"Did you check the lake?" Daniel asked Seraphina. She calmly nodded.

"My skill detected nothing. However, I'm unaware of how deep it extends, so be cautious."

"Is the water even safe to drink?" Daniel asked, eyeing the dark-blue hue.

Seraphina frowned.

"Trop de questions! If it wasn't safe, I wouldn't have brought you here, would I? Are you done?"

`And... you're annoying me again. We had such a good talk recently. Guess she's okay as a person, but her attitude still sucks,` Daniel thought to himself.

"Yes, I have cleared the lake for you, Your Majesty. Please, go ahead and drink. Would you like me to hold your hair, Your Majesty?" Daniel said with a poker face.

Seraphina looked at him irritably, clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

"J'espère vraiment que tu seras un traître," she muttered and sat down by the water, holding her hair back herself and slowly drinking from the lake.

Satisfied with his little victory, Daniel stood in front of Seraphina, scanning the surroundings. Of course, he couldn't help but glance at her face. She looked rather silly, almost like a dog drinking from a pool.

Had he been capable of laughter or smiling, a sly grin would be on his face right now.

Serafina noticed his gaze and turned sharply towards him with an annoyed expression.

"Don't you think you have more pressing matters than just staring at me? Mon Dieu, my skill is not active right now! I can't know the positions of the monsters! Vous êtes responsible for our lives!" Even though Seraphina`s face was stern and angry, a hint of embarrassment was visible.

She too realized how silly she looked and didn't want anyone to see it.

"Sorry, my bad. And by the way, I don't understand French," Daniel calmly admitted and turned away from furious Seraphina.

Despite his own condition, Daniel often succumbed to emotions, which annoyed him too.

He carefully looked around. All was still clear.

He looked to the left, towards the spot where Daniel and Seraphina had passed a few minutes ago and where no one was untill now.

Daniel could clearly make out five monsters. No, a sixth just joined them, abruptly emerging from the tropical forest to stand with its companions.

They were still far off, so their rank and name were not yet displayed by the system. However, Daniel could not only estimate their height but also get a better look at them. First, it was now clear that these were plant-based monsters, as he could see stems and a large bright-blue flower that seemed to be their heads. Second, a white glow emanated from their bodies, making Daniel slightly uneasy. Third, it was now certain that these monsters, like Seraphina, had come here to quench their thirst.

What concerned Daniel most was whether these monsters would notice him and Seraphina because they weren't even looking in their direction. Just as this thought crossed Daniel's mind, a sinister rustle and the sound of dry leaves being stirred came from somewhere near him.

A monster, one he had been observing earlier, stepped out of the tropical forest right in front of him. Daniel could now more closely observe the monster's features. It was made up of multiple, fairly long, thick green stems with a blue tint. These stems served as both its body and its limbs. Sharp, small spikes covered its body, oozing a white liquid. Instead of a head, the monster had a bright-blue flower that hid multiple eyes within, from which darkness seemed to seep.

The system finally revealed the monster's information to Daniel.

[Monster: Aquatern.]

[Rank: Filth.]

"Hmm? Filth?" Daniel mused to himself.

'Of course I shouldn't underestimate it, but honestly, I expected more, given that even Wayne tried to avoid them,'

With a calm expression, Daniel took a stance and waited for the Aquatern. Its expression was as unreadable as Daniel's due to the lack of a proper face; only eyes were visible on the monster. The Aquatern calmly approached Daniel, its stems expanding and contracting as it moved.

When the monster was ten meters away from the lake, its body was abruptly enveloped in a white light, and a white aura emanated from it. This aura unnerved Daniel for some reason. But now all he could do was watch intently. He had even forgotten about Seraphina and the group of Aquaterns on his left. His entire focus was on the approaching monster.

The Aquatern made a swift leap, faster than Daniel had anticipated. In an instant, it was a meter away from his face, swinging its spiky stem like a sword aimed at Daniel's neck.

Confidently, Daniel parried the attack with his own sword. He had expected to slice the stem into pieces, but its durability was surprisingly high. Daniel glanced at the small spikes on the stems, which had narrowly missed his neck.

`I have to be really careful with these spikes. I can't let them touch me.`

Aquatern landed and made another quick leap, repeating the previous attack.

`Hm? Is that all you've got? Although it's not surprising since it's just a Fil…` Daniel's thought was abruptly interrupted by a sudden attack.

A long stem burst from the ground, lunging toward his leg.

`Damn, a feint!? He hid one of his stems underground!?` Daniel thought, trying to dodge to the side. However, his body moved too quickly. He leapt a meter farther than he planned and landed awkwardly on all fours.

`Here we fucking go! That's what I got for 100 damn points!` the thought flashed in his head.

Aquatern instantly took advantage of Daniel's position and lunged at him while Daniel had yet to stand up.

Sharp and powerful stem attacks rained down on Daniel. He tried to fend them off while sitting on the ground, parrying the attacks with his sword and dodging stems that pierced the ground instead of hitting him.

Aquatern made a sudden leap to pounce on Daniel, but the young man seized the opportunity and delivered a swift kick to the monster's face. It was instantly thrown back.

`Damn, if only I had my Geta shoes on. The effect might have been stronger.`

Daniel quickly got up and lunged at Aquatern. Holding his sword close, he swung it sharply, slicing through the air with a hissing sound.

In response, Aquatern quickly dodged to the side.

`It's a Filth! Why the hell is he so fast!?` Daniel thought to himself.

Not wasting time, Daniel aimed again at the monster. However, Aquatern wasn't slowing down either. They both charged at each other, exchanging fast and sharp blows. Yet neither had managed to damage their foe. It was an even battle.

But there was one important detail: although their speeds were the same, their ability to control that speed differed. Daniel noticed that sometimes his body didn't react as he expected: when dodging, he moved quicker than he intended; when leaping to the side, he jumped farther than planned. It was hard for him to control his body.

Launching another swift and heavy attack, Daniel pushed the monster back. Only then did it become clear to him: every time Aquatern was thrown back, he quickly advanced forward, seemingly avoiding closeness to the tropical forest. Daniel also remembered that the white aura began to envelop the monster only when it approached the lake.

`Could it be...` it dawned on Daniel.

He charged at Aquatern again with his sword. But this time, his style became more aggressive. His strikes were suddenly heavy and sharp. He was no longer aiming at the monster's head; instead, his goal was simply to push Aquatern back, , which he successfully did.

Aquatern slowly began to retreat. The monster noticed this too. Aquatern was about to jump to the side, but Daniel swung his leg with force, kicking the monster's snout and sending it flying five meters back.

The white glow suddenly stopped enveloping the monster's body. Daniel rushed to Aquatern, who was slowly recovering from the young man's strike. The monster stood up to see a sword blade whistling over its snout and striking the ground.

Aquatern barely managed to dodge.

"He's slower. He's become slower," Daniel immediately realized.

His speed was noticeably slower than Daniel's now. His attacks were also much weaker than before.

Without wasting a second, Daniel unleashed a barrage of attacks on Aquatern. This time, instead of using its stems to counter, the monster just tried to dodge. However, the blade still left scratches on its body.

`Don't tell me that...` Daniel swung his sword and cleanly cut off the monster's stem that it had once used as its arm.

Aquaturn couldn't make any sound, so it just shuddered. A white fluid gushed from the cut-off area.

"Hm, without your lake, you're not so tough, are you?" Daniel calmly addressed the monster and pierced its body with his sword tip.

Several messages appeared before Daniel's eyes.

[You have killed the Filth Monster, Aquatern.]

[You have earned 10 experience.]

[You have earned 37 points.]

[You have obtained an item.]

Daniel took a deep breath and turned to Seraphina, who had been quietly watching the whole time.

"Obviously, you had no intention of helping me," Daniel said calmly.

"Obviously," the girl looked at him haughtily and confidently.

"Cute. Well, if you're going to protect me and a horde of monsters attack you, don't expect my help," Daniel approached Seraphina with an indifferent expression. The girl quickly stood up and looked to the side.

"Are you sure?"

"Hm?" Daniel followed her gaze and saw six Aquaterns surrounding them both.

"Cute. Very cute..." Daniel said indifferently.

"Fine. Just this once. I won't help again," Daniel gripped his short stone sword tightly and got into position.