21 Lucas's Determination

Lucas smiled wide when he saw the notification. "I've leveled up again! I won't have to worry about hitting the cap anytime soon", he thought. "Let me look at my stats", he thought as he pulled up his tab

[Status]

[Name: Lucas Heart]

[HP: 100/100]

[MP: 100/100]

[Level: 7]

[Job: None]

[Title: Defying The Odds, Master Of Stealth]

[EXP: 1950/3000]

[System Level: 1/10]

[Strength: 43]

[Stamina: 33]

[Agility: 43+19]

[Perception: 36]

[Magic: 33]

[Stat points to be used: 5]

"Since I can increase the others using my Daily Task, I will put them all into Magic at the moment. I won't be using my spells for now, as I don't want to be too reliant on them. But if I find myself in a predicament, I'll use it", he thought as he put all the stat points into Magic. Some other notifications popped up, and it was some rewards.

[Obtained Beginner Dungeon Key x1]

[Obtained Map of Beloved x1]

"Dungeon Key? What's that?", he thought. The system answered him in text.

[It is a key that opens a portal to a dungeon. Dungeons are places that contain otherworldly beings and otherworldly monsters in them]

"So, it's a portal to another world? And this 'Dungeon', seems like a good place to earn EXP", he contemplated. He began to crease his brows when he heard Kate's voice from behind him. "What's wrong? Is something the matter?", she asked. Lucas nodded his head sideways. "How do I use the other thing? The Map of Beloved?", he asked the system.

[Map Of Beloved is an item that is used to locate people you want. You need to sync their blood with the map, and you will be able to find their location anytime]

[Activation Required]

"Will I be able to sense if they're in danger? This 'Map Of Beloved', it shouldn't have just one function, right?", he thought. He then proceeded to activate it.

[Activation Failed]

[Host doesn't meet requirements]

[Requirements, Magic: 40]

"Ahh, then why even give me this?! If I can't use it, what's the use of having this?", bellowed Lucas. He was pissed. When he knew the functions of the map, he was elated that he would know where his family was when he left. But when it said he couldn't activate it, he was mad at himself for not being strong enough.

Just as he was looking for an outlet to vent his frustration off, another monster appeared in front of him. It was covered in leaves and its body was brown. "A walking tree?", he thought as he used the [Inspect] on it.

[Intermediate Tier Beast: Tree Guardian]

[It uses its branches to attack anyone it deems a threat. It uses its leaves to attack long-range. The leaves are poisonous. Once it enters your body, it slows down the host's response speed by 2 percent. Uses Telekinesis to move the leaves around. Weak against Mana attacks]

[Currently Asleep]

"Great, close and long-range attacks. Now how do I deal with this?", he thought. He then looked at the sword Kate had given him. He used [Inspect] to know how much it had filled.

[Advanced Tier Weapon - Harbinger Of Death]

[Active Skill: For every kill, the compartment gets filled by five percent. Currently at One Hundred percent]

[Combat Skill: Cry Of The Souls - Increase Strength by 150% for the next ten minutes]

"Seems like it is full. But I don't want to test it against a single opponent. Unless I'm facing a high tier beast", he thought. He then took his stance, gripping the sword with both hands. He didn't want to wake it up, so he tiptoed around the roots that were sticking out from the ground.

A sudden vibration was felt under his feet. "No way!", he thought as he dodged one of the roots that were shooting towards him. The moment he dodged that, several leaves came flying towards him. "But how? I was sure it was asleep?", he thought. "They can sense if you step into a hundred-meter radius of them", said Sam from behind him.

Lucas nodded his head in annoyance. "Couldn't you have said that sooner?', he asked. Sam just smiled and said nothing. "You must experience the world to understand the vast knowledge stored in this universe", he said. "Is this one of your wisdom speeches? Because if it is, it's not helping me at this moment!", he snapped back.

Leaves were flying towards Lucas and he kept spinning his body while slicing the leaves in half. The leaves that were cut then moved around, doubling the number of leaves that were circling him. Just as he dodged one, another one sliced his forearm

[Poison entered into Host's body]

[Host's Agility reduced by Two Percent]

"Great, just what I needed at a moment like this", he complained under his breath. He channeled his Aura into his body, giving off a faint glow. He changed his grip on the sword from an underhand grip to an overhand grip. He began to run towards the tree, slashing all the leaves on his way. The tree branches began to come towards him.

He sliced the tree branch easily. The tree was in pain. The trunk shook violently and revealed two glowing orange eyes. There was a small crack beneath the eyes, and it let out a roar. "AAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!", it screamed.

Lucas immediately placed his palms on his ears, closing them from the shrieking noise. The sword clattered to the floor, and his body shook violently. "Amateur mistake", said both Kate and Sam. The tree quickly wrapped its root around Lucas's legs and immobilized him. He was then sure about his mistake, as he couldn't move an inch away from his position. Suddenly, a notification showed up.

[You are being poisoned!]

[Every minute, you will lose 1 HP]

[-1 HP]

Lucas was stunned. "The system didn't say that it can do this. It should give detailed information to me", he thought. "I guess it's time to use my Mana attacks", he thought. "Fire armor", he thought.

The moment he called up his [Fire Armor] spell, the roots that were bound to him began to heat up. The flames dried it up, forming cracks on the surface. After it was dried up, it began to crumble under the heat. As soon as he left the bind, the armor that was supposed to cover his body only formed a vambrace on his right forearm. "Isn't this supposed to be armor?", he thought.

"It seems that I have a lot to learn about", he concluded instantly. He picked up his sword and gripped it tight. He then ran towards it again and switched his grip. When the tree opened its mouth, Lucas channeled his Aura to his ears, managing to muffle the sound to a minimum hearing level. "Ahh, now that feels better", he thought as a branch came to his face at high speed.

Barely able to dodge, he decided to slice it. He cut the branch into two, and it began to split into two branches. "Splitting is a big pain", he thought when he saw something flash in the mouth. "Could it be the crystal?", he thought as he began to slice all the branches coming his way.

"It seems he has figured it out. Remember for how long we fought against that thing our first time? I guess he is faring much better compared to us. Don't you think?", said Sam to Kate. They were both not getting involved for just one reason. They wanted Lucas to train himself as much as he could during the time Ben and Martha were away. And this spot was the perfect place for him.

Lucas held his hand out and called [Icicle]. An icicle shot out of his left palm and slowed down the branch that was coming towards him. "Yes, let me show him who is the boss now", he got excited. He cast another icicle as it opened its mouth to make another sound. The whole tree began to freeze. "Never thought he would freeze the crystal", said Sam.

After freezing the tree, he went and cut out the crystal. After removing it, he melted the Ice using [Fireball]. A notification popped up.

[You have killed an Intermediate Tier Beast, EXP +300]

[First time to kill a Tree Guardian, EXP +800]

[EXP 2750/3000]

After he saw the EXP, he was elated. "Let's hunt some more Tree Guardians. I hope there are more", he muttered. "Well, Tree Guardians are uncommon. You're lucky to encounter one. There are some other types of Guardians, and with your current strength, you will die when you encounter them", said Sam. Lucas gulped when he heard that.

"Am I that weak?", he said dejectedly. Kate walked next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "You're not weak, Lucas. It's just that you are starting later than everyone else. Everyone had begun training their Mana at the age of seven. But with 'that' with you, I think you will surpass them sooner than you think", she said reassuringly.

Lucas was motivated. He took a few steps forward and turned around. He began to talk in a rather sad yet grateful way. "Thank you, Mother and Father. Thank you, Kate and Sam. You guys have always helped me when I was feeling down. Stayed with me, even when everyone shunned me away. Even when I was known as the 'Eunuch Mage', you guys helped me defend myself. Trained with me. Made me feel that I am not neglected", he said with a shaky voice. His eyes began to tear and he wiped it off.

Sam and Kate didn't know what to tell him. They both loved him dearly, and they would do anything in this world to make him happy. That was how much he was cherished by these two that were standing in front of him. And Lucas loved them as much as they loved him. He leaned on a nearby tree, and he looked towards the sky that was peeking through the trees. He reached his hands into the peeking sky.

"One day, I promise that I will become strong. Strong enough to stand next to you rather than behind you", he said with determination.