"Okay, let's do this. I'll give you half of the gold, okay?"
She nodded with a serious expression on her face while fervently holding her staff. "Deal. But how are you going to fight it? You're not wearing any armor, and I've seen you fight without a weapon. Are you aiming for the Brawler Class or something?"
Are there even specialized classes in this thing? I thought that being inside The Novus would be more like having a long vacation!
"I didn't have the gold to buy gear, sorry."
Although the odds were against us, she still had a determined look in her eyes. "How agile are you?" she asked.
"I recently got an upgrade, and my body feels lighter. Why?"
"Could you get its attention while I attack it from a distance with everything I have?"
"Sure. Let's go."
Before I could run back to the woods, the girl pulled my arm.
"I mean it. Get its attention. I don't have the strength or the agility you have. If that thing targets me…"
"Count on me."
Was that me who said that? Never in my life have I said such a thing. It felt weird coming out of my mouth.
After nodding at each other, we ran back, searching for the thing. The Weasenox was still in the area, sniffing the air in vain. The girl positioned herself behind a tree and gestured for me to go.
At that moment, I realized I hadn't asked her name.
I ran forward, trying to get behind the Weasenox's back, but it turned its head, alerted. A ball of fire had exploded behind it. Did that girl miss? No. The monster deviated its attention towards the already extinguished fire, which gave me the opportunity to jump on its back.
"Blaze!" I heard the girl cry, hitting the Boss on the head. The monster recoiled, annoyed, which allowed me to climb its back. "Blaze, Blaze!" The girl continued casting, while I could feel the impact of each fireball through the monster's body. "Where are you?!" she shouted, sounding afraid.
"I'm here!" I cried from the beast's neck as I tried to choke it. "And now die, you piece of shit!"
For a moment I thought that my slim arms could not obstruct its breathing, but once I heard my partner's word of encouragement, I didn't let go.
"Keep going, it's working! Blaze, Blaze!"
The beast only had two options: to attack the annoying fire caster, or to get rid of the one who was choking it. The Weasenox made its choice in an instant, throwing a swipe at me.
"Dammit!" I cried after feeling that the skin of my back had been torn open. But did I falter? Hell no! I wanted my gold and my free weapon! Free is always good when you're on a budget!
+++ Your courage and determination have awakened a new ability! You have unlocked the Fire Boost, 'Valor'! +++
Great! How do I use--?!
+++ Gather fire mana around your body and shout the Words of Power! +++
Oh, the tutorial hadn't finished talking, sorry. But how do I gather that mana thingy?
"Fuck it!" I gritted my teeth and imagined engulfing my whole body with inner energy. It was working, since I could feel fire running through my arms. "Valor!"
...Nothing happened. 'System Lady', you lied to me!
+++ You have to shout the complete chain command.
FIRE... BOOST... VALOR…+++
"F-fine! Fire Boost, Valor!"
I could feel the muscles of my arms swelling, which I hoped didn't make me look less feminine!
Whatever. I applied this newfound force and heard bones cracking. At that moment, the beast was standing on its two feet, continuously getting blasted by the novice pyromancer.
"I unlocked a new spell!" she shouted. "I'll use it to finish it off. Be careful!"
"Do it!"
"Minor Fire Crafting, Firebreath!"
I couldn't see what she was doing, but the Weasenox's body was getting warmer by the second… Which made me feel exhausted.
+++ Congratulations! You are now Level 5! +++
+++ Your 'Monster Slayer' Passive Skill is now Level 2! +++
+++ Your POTENTIAL and VITALITY Rank have both increased from Bronze E to Bronze D! +++
"Cool… I don't… know… what… any of that… means…"
When the beast collapsed, I did too.
The girl's voice had turned into a distant, muffled noise as my consciousness gradually faded.
* * *
While squinting, I could distinguish a warm orange light nearby. I shut my eyes and moaned. "This sucks…" I said aloud. Even though I had my eyes closed, a lot of notifications inside my head demanded my attention. "Fine. What do you want?"
"Um, excuse me?" a girly voice said.
My eyes widened after remembering what had happened. I was no longer in the forest, between the mud and the Weasenox corpse.
"Where am I?"
"In a cave nearby," the pyromancer said in an apologetic tone of voice. "It's my fault that you're in this state. My attacks couldn't finish the job quicker because of the rain. I'm so sorry."
"I'm also at fault," I whispered. "I should have gotten a weapon and some gear before attempting this hunting quest."
I bet Steve unlocked the Valor skill, too. Casting that and wielding a sword would have overturned this battle so easily.
I could still hear the pouring rain outside. It sounded kind of relaxing now that the danger was over. The cracking wood fire between us also gave this cold cave a cozy feel.
When I tried to stand up, a piercing pain paralyzed me and almost made me cry.
"Whoah! Try not to move too much!" the girl said, getting closer. "The beast scratched your back, remember? It's a very nasty wound. Please lay down and rest for the time being. But if you can't stand the pain, I can go to town and get some help."
+++ Thanks to your outstanding will, you have unlocked a new passive skill: 'Pain Endurance' Lv 1 +++
Will I have to shout it too? Because it's kind of embarrassing, you know… Oh, the effects are kicking in automatically. Sweet.
"There's no need to," I said immediately. "Once it stops raining, we'll think about what to do, alright? I just need to…"
At that exact moment, I realized I was unclothed, and quickly covered my boy's chest with the cloth she had put over me. I realized it was an uncustomized 'New Beginning Dress', surely hers.