The burning skills

The forest always seemed more alive in the night than during the day. A group of apes were making their way through the forest. The group consisted of mostly level 13 apes with their leader being a level 15.

As the date of the full attack was getting near, more and more beasts could be found in the vicinity of human settlements. This group was strong enough on their own to take out small human groups.

The leader suddenly stopped in its tracks. Signaling its underlings to halt, it sniffed the air.

Growl!

Suddenly it growled loudly. It couldn't mistake the scent. There was a human here!

It wanted to turn and warn its members, when suddenly the human appeared in front of him. Enraged, it wanted to attack, but alas…there was no such opportunity. A sword pierced through its heart, killing it instantly.

[Exp +500]

Most of the remaining members fled, but there were still two who jumped towards Erick. His eyes were fixed at them emotionlessly.

Sword Storm!

Small, but very sharp sword blades appeared, storming onto the incoming beasts. They were shredded into pieces before they could even react to the attack.

[Exp +100]

[Exp +100]

'I have recovered all the exp I had used to form Torch of Truth and bypass the divine blood requirement of the grimoire.'

The appearance of more and more beasts helped him find packs to hunt faster. He could even permit himself to be more selective, making the hunt more enjoyable.

He only attacked groups with demonic beasts in them, conserving energy and time. The regular beasts were not even worth his gaze anymore.

But the main reason to do so was the pause in between hunts. Erick was using this time to evaluate his skills. His level zero skills were barely usable against demonic beasts, even with his stats.

As soon as he had received the advanced version of the skills, he had replaced them. Now he was only improving his efficiency and timing with the skills. A good timed attack could even help take out an opponent more advanced than Morrel had been.

After gathering all the blood and parts he needed for the ritual, he moved further into the forest, till he found an area free of beasts. He jumped onto a tree and sat down.

As he sat onto a branch and sipped out of his water flask, he decided to check his progress so far.

<Knight lv.13>

Exp 1340/1800

Stats: 18.6 (23.2) / 12.9 (16.1) / 21.0 (26.3)

Soul Pets: 2 / 3

Skills [6 / 6]

Lv.0: Sword Mantle

Lv.1: Sword Strike, Sword Storm, Sword Pierce

Lv.2: Demonic Claw, Sword of Ares

Sword Storm was an advanced version of Sword Rain. The latter did have its own advanced version, but Erick had received Sword Storm, which was very similar.

'Actually I prefer this skill above the Sword Rain skill. It has a far higher speed and is easier to control to damage smaller areas like the eyes or genitals of beasts.'

But so far the best skill he gained was the Sword of Ares. Although he had a level 2 skill when using his Demonic Claw, it was not a skill he could use in combination with his sword and as such not usable in front of everyone.

Sword of Ares however was a perfect skill that not only needed a sword to execute, but it synergized well with his soul pet passive. The Sword of Ares unleashed fire damage with each attack, which stacked well with the burn passive.

'I need at least a level 15 to level up. It would be even better if it was something around level 17 or 18.'

Each level 15 kill added five hundred exp, which was the bare minimum to level up. If he could kill a beast of an even higher level, he would also have enough exp to look into the grimoire once more.

'Let's continue to search. I am sure with the amount of beasts I am seeing, there should be something of a higher level here.'

He jumped away, using the branches to search for his next prey. He encountered plenty of packs with regular and even demonic beasts, but the highest were around level 13.

Although their exp output would be decent, they were just too easy to kill at this point. He wanted to fight opponents against which he could test his skills properly.

After searching for a while he noticed something onto a branch a small distance away. Erick halted to take a better look. Soon he could see the level indicator.

<Demonic Python lv.19>

It was not strange to see snakes inside a forest, but it was Erick's first time seeing a demonic level one, besides the one he encountered inside the temple ruin.

The majority of the demonic level beasts had so far been from the canine family or the ape family. For most other types of beasts you would find mostly regular beasts.

The python had also noticed the human. Its forked tongue hissed towards Erick. Due to its size its movements were rather slow. The beast had to be at least thirty meters in length and more than a meter in diameter.

As it tried to coil itself around the tree, snapping sounds could be heard from the massive tree.

'This is a bit stronger than I wished for, but let's try it.'

Erick was convinced that his life would not be in danger against the python. First off, pythons didn't release toxins. Their strength lied in their bodies.

And secondly, the python could not move quickly on the ground or the tree. Its massive size didn't allow it to do so. If Erick could escape its burst movements, he could use his superior speed to attack it multiple times.

'The unification skill with Loner is available again, but let's use that as a last resort.'

For a moment the human and the beast remained staring at each other. Seconds ticked away.

Suddenly the snake jumped towards Erick. The snake might have slow movements, but its body was powerful enough to give it enormous burst speed.

Erick had barely been able to escape as the python crashed into the tree he had been standing on. With a loud crash the beast and the tree landed on the ground.

Its power sent shockwaves through the area. Multiple smaller trees snapped into two due to the powerful tremors.

'Phew…beasts at this level sure are something else.'

Although the burst speed and power of the beast was a bit outside Erick's expectations, he wasn't afraid. He still believed in his own speed and skill.

Before the beast had time to coil again, Erick jumped above the beast. He wouldn't let such a chance to test his skills slip away.

Sword Pierce!

He used the tip of sword to pierce vertically from above as he jumped. The power and the accuracy helped him insert his sword into its body. But it wasn't enough.

The python coiled trashed around due to the pain, but it was not an injury that would be fatal towards it.

'Even level 1 skills are barely working against it.'

Seeing the effect, Erick had to use a different attack. He pulled another sword from his storage space.

This time he jumped towards the head of the beast. As he neared the python, he applied more burst power.

He flew towards it, unleashing his newest skill.

Sword of Ares!

Both his swords started to glow in a fiery light. Erick used it to attack the beast with high speed behind, turning in the air after each attack.

The python trashed even wilder now. It didn't only feel pain due to the cuts that ran almost through its entire body, but each attack was visible burning it.

Suddenly Erick turned towards its eyes.

Sword Pierce!

The python would usually be able to defend its eyes. But the burning wounds were hurting it immensely. The pain made him less aware of its opponent's attack.

Erick's sword pierced through its eyes, going straight to its brains. Even this attack burnt, and it burnt its brains. With a loud thud the beast crashed, nearly injuring Erick. Again, he barely jumped away.

[Exp +2500]

[Congrats!]

[Leveled up!]

[Level 15]