chapter 4: Better days ahead.

Having no choice but to embark on the unknown path of the magic of this world.

In order to use {Healing magic} he presumably needed two other skills which were {Mana operation} and {Mana sensing}, each could be acquired at the cost of 100 skill points, Elrica already possessed 100 skill points meaning he only needed another 100 skill points to presumably have everything he needed to use {Healing magic}.

There was also the option of getting the {Healing hand skill} which only cost 25 skill points, but that was most likely another pit fall.

Elrica needed to acquire 100 skill points and the only way he knew of was through titles.

When it came to the titles he already possessed the first was acquired through killing the wolves and dear while the second was acquired through killing the fish.

So the first thing his mind drifted to was killing humans to gain his next title however he remembered that he was the only human around so he shelved that for later.

Although Elrica didn't decide on any specific title to chase he finally decided to just pursue the path of murder and let the titles come organically.

In the worse case scenario he would level up and get plenty of food and animal skins without gaining a title.

••••••

In a quiet corner of a forest a large blue wolf like creature crouched low to the ground while digging it's paws into a hole inside a large tree.

Seemingly finding what it was looking for the large wolf retracted it's paws and suddenly stood on it's hind legs.

But when one looked closer they could very easily tell that the large was merely an imitation of the real thing, a shoddily made costume from the many wolves that had fallen under Elrica's spear.

Behind Elrica and off to the distance was a recently departed wolf, a female.

And in Elrica's hand and whimpering softly was her cub. Elrica held the cub in his hand and caressed it's head, he then cupped it's head and twisted it off. The cub whimpered no more.

[You have leveled up.]

[You have reached LV 12]

[All stats have been raised.]

[You have gained the title {Merciless}]

[100 skill points have been awarded.]

Throwing the cub's body aside, A bright smile bloomed on Elrica's beautiful face under the wolf's head hat.

It took a month of hunting, two dozen wolf families and 10 levels but Elrica finally got a title.

Having achieved his goal Elrica picked up his spear which he had put on the ground to fish out the wolf cub earlier.

Just as he started leaving he noticed another wolf had arrived, this one was male and Elrica easily arrived at it's identity.

The wolf stared at Elrica frozen in place. Elrica locked eyes with the wolf and slowly approached it, a ray of light peeked through the trees and shown on Elrica's back, the large wolf headed shadow grew larger and larger as it enveloped the wolf.

The wolf lowered it's head and whimpered while drooping it's ears. Elrica couldn't care less about the wolf as he kicked it away.

[You have gained the title {Fear bringer.}]

[You have gained the skill {Intimidating gaze LV 1.}]

Elrica's smile was so wide he it could almost tear his face.

Arriving back at his cave Elrica sat on a wolf skin rug.

"Elrica." He said.

[♪♪♪]

"Mana operation."

[Skill {Mana operation LV 1.} available for 100 skill points.]

"Complete purchase."

[You have gained the skill {Mana operation LV 1.}]

Predictably Elrica felt no difference as he still couldn't feel mana, still he tried to control his invisible mana to weave the spell.

He tried for a few times but his attempts resulted in failure.

Not wanting to waste his mana he decided to move on.

"Elrica."

[♪♪♪]

"Mana sensing."

[Skill {Mana sensing LV 1} available for 100 skill points.]

"Buy."

[You have gained the skill {Mana sensing LV 1}

Elrica's senses were overwhelmed making his consciousness blink in and out for a moment, once his consciousness stabilised he could perceive a whole new world that he had been blind to.

This was a world of not objects but of energy. Various differently coloured energies intertwined and clashed in a slow dance all around him.

Inside him he could feel his energy proding at it lightly with his mind he found that he could move it.

Following the knowledge granted to him by {Healing magic.} Elrica moved his mana and slowly a yellow coloured magic circle formed in the air Infront of him.

It took a minute to form the magic circle but Elrica successfully cast his first spell, A warm light enveloped Elrica's body and he could noticeably see the few scrapes and scratches he had on his body slowly heal however his right arm was no different.

Elrica wasn't dissatisfied however, the skill was at level 1 meaning it could get stronger, hopefully it would do so through usage instead of being exclusively through skill points.

Elrica cast the spell another 4 times before his mana dried up. All his recent wounds were healed and even the aching he felt from his daily activities was nowhere to be found.

••••••••

Throughout the next few days Elrica went out hunting like usual and with the addition of healing magic he could afford to be more aggressive. Accumulating a few a large number of small wounds everyday and healing them.

[Skill proficiency has been reached {Healing magic LV 1} has reached LV 2]

[Skill proficiency has been reached {Mana operation LV 1} has reached LV 2]

Elrica smiled.

••••••••

More confident in his abilities Elrica began venturing out farther and farther away from his cave.

Although he had managed to carve out a small place for him in this world to live he yearned to feel the heft of metal swords in his hands.

One day while exploring a few hours south from his cave he noticed a peculiar set of foot prints.

They were prints dissimilar to any he had seen since entering this world, they were small and belonged to a creature that only walked on two legs.

They were similar to those of humans yet noticeable different in the ratio of length for the toes and feet.

Following the foot prints, they led to the entrance of a deep cave.

Elrica didn't enter instead remaining outside, Elrica climbed a tree a safe distance away from the cave and waited.

The sun rose thrice before the owner of the prints finally appeared.

From the cave emerged a small bipedal green monster with a round belly and thine limbs and protruding fangs.

It wore only a dirty cloth over it's crotch and he in it hands something that made the wait a hundred time worth it. A metal dagger.

Resistinthe urge to rush down and take the dagger from the creature, Elrica waited longer.

One after another similar creatures came out of the cave there must have been over 50 of them.

They headed into the forest and Elrica followed them. They seemed to have poor awareness so they never noticed him.

The purpose for their expedition was hunting, of course Elrica used the term liberally as their main tactic seems to be to chase anything the was small than them and swarm anything that was bigger than them.

They seem to have inhabited this land for a very long time as anything that came across immediately decided to run away even if it was a pack of wolves.

They usually ate what they caught on the spot but still gathered a large amount of prey that they dragged back to their cave.

After observing them, Elrica started formulating a strategy on how to exterminate his new neighbours and get all their gear.

Most of them had weapons but the diversity of type and quality was strange. Some had normal sticks, others had daggers some had broken swords others had shields.

Most of their equipment was either broken or almost broken and considering the intelligence they displayed they were most likely procured second hand from somewhere.

A place that could make metal weapons was most likely a developed civilization.