After leaving the campus, Erix and Rin soon saw a group of mutated flies flying toward them.
"Take this dagger. Its poison is potent. I'll use that metal pole since I have the skill to control metal," Erix said as he gave the Poison Dagger to Rin while he used his Metal Control to manipulate a metal pole on the ground near the exit gate of the campus.
He had to focus and target the metal pole before he felt it binding to his mind via the Metal Control skill and managed to control it.
*Bzzz….*
The group of six giant flies the size of small dogs flew towards them with creepy eyes. Their wings were black with a green hue, and suddenly, they released a gaseous substance after nearing Erix and Rin.
Erix and Rin knew not to inhale it.
The flies pointed their pipe-like mouths towards them as they zoomed towards them with clear blood thirst.
Rin dashed forward with the dagger and grazed one mutated fly while narrowly passing by it. In front of her was another fly, but a metal pole flew towards it and squashed it before the fly could attack Rin.
[A level 7 Mutated Fly killed. +1 Agility]
[+1 Mystic Essence]
Both heard the notification and got a +1 increment in the Agility stat.
It didn't take long for the remaining five flies to get killed by their teamwork.
[A level 8 Mutated Fly killed. +1 Agility]
[A level 8 Mutated Fly killed. +1 Agility]
…
Each of them killed three flies and reached level 7 from level 5.
"So, you got that metal control skill from a scroll, right?" Rin said as she picked up a dark blue scroll with lightning patterns and got information.
[Lightning Charge (1st-Tier active skill): You can charge lightning using mana that causes your physical and weapon attacks to have a lightning attribute for additional lightning damage. Damage depends on your magic stat.].
"Yep. You can use that scroll to learn a skill and awaken your magic talent," Erix said.
The scroll turned into sparks and entered Rin after she used it.
Erix also looked at her Status through the team function.
[~Rin~]
_Race: Human
_Level: 7
_Class: None
_Vitality: 99/100
_Stat points: 10
--> [ Strength: 13 / Agility: 16 / Health: 15 / Stamina: 16 ]
--> [ Magic affinity: Rank-B / Magic power: 51 / Mana: 150/150 ]
\______Active Skills [1/5]:______/
—> [ Lightning Charge (1st Tier) ]
\______Passive Skills [0/5]:______/
—>
\______Special Skills [0/3]:______/
Rin could feel mana circulating in her body before it gathered in one place. She willed to use the skill she got with a bare minimum amount of mana and lost 20 mana as the dagger in her hand started crackling with faint lightning.
"Is it an enhancement sort of skill?" Erix asked in surprise. "But why do you have no skills or items? I heard that you killed several mutated insects and critters?"
"Don't know. I also only leveled up until four since all mutated creatures here were around that level when we arrived here."
"I see."
"Anyway, let's find more creatures. I want to see how many strikes I can use with this 20 mana-consumed lightning charge."
They continued walking cautiously towards the forest area approx 100 meters away from them.
However, Erix suddenly stopped after walking halfway.
"Rin, wait!"
Rin also paused and turned to him with a confused expression, "What's the matter?"
Erix's eyebrows creased as his instincts were tingling. He could sense and hear something…something under the ground.
Soon, the ground under their feet started trembling as well.
Rin also noticed the anomaly and looked at Erix as both nodded to each other.
*Swoosh…*
Both of them jumped away from each other after two seconds, and right after that, a giant centipede came out of the ground.
*Srrrrrr!*
The Centipede was 4 meters long and half a meter thick!
[Anomaly detected! This is a rare encounter in which you have to fight something far stronger than you. Defeat it by forming a group and receive a treasure crate]
Rin scoffed.
"Group? Heh, we have to kill it ourselves."
She quickly backed away as the Centipede slithered towards her.
"Rin! Throw the dagger in the air," Erix said before he used his Metal Control with maximum force and shot the metal pole towards Centipede.
*Srrrrrrr!*
The metal pole didn't pierce the tough carapace of the giant mutated Centipede, but Erix did attract its attention after that attack.
"Erix, that Exo-skeleton on its body doesn't cover its stomach part!" Rin shouted as she picked up a stone from the ground and infused the lighting charge from her hand into the stone before throwing it towards the Centipede.
*Boom…*
The Centipede released a strange cry in pain as the rock that exploded with lightning charge after hitting it damaged it and slightly cracked its carapace.
On the other hand, Erix manipulated the Poison Dagger that Rin threw into the air and stabbed it into the Centipede's head. But it was only a swallow stab!
"We can kill it!" Rin chuckled and picked up another rock before infusing Lightning Charge in it—with 25 mana this time.
*Swoosh…*
Rin's lighting exploding rock again damaged the Centipede, and Erix also attacked it with the dagger again, making it furious.
The Centipede rose up and towered three meters tall before opening its mouth to release a sharp cry.
In the next second, a dark green poisonous cloud formed over its head as some black energy came out of its mouth.
"Watch out. It's doing something," Erix said with a slight frown as he manipulated his dagger and took this chance where the Centipede was exposing a part of its belly to attack there.
*Shiiiiiiii….*
When Erix's dagger slashed its exposed part of the belly, the dark green cloud on top of Centipede glowed before it shot acid drops toward Erix and Rin.
Rin quickly dodged since she was a bit far, but Erix was near, and since Centipede was targeting him, most acid drops shot toward him.
Naturally, his agility stat was very high, making both his thinking process and physical mobility powerful as he dodged the acid drops.
While dodging and backing away, but not going 10 meters away as he controlled his dagger, Erix continued attacking the Centipede. At the same time, Rin also damaged it using her Lightning Charge skill combined with stones.
However, the acid drops released from the cloud were a large area attack, and Erix couldn't dodge them all as several acid drops hit him, and he got injured.
But he didn't feel much pain and continued attacking while trying his best to dodge.
After six seconds of struggle, they finally managed to kill the Centipede, with Erix sustaining moderate injuries.
[Congratulations! Your team has killed a level 19 Venomous Centipede. +4 Health, +3 Strength]
[+10 Mystic Essence gained].
Both of them received a similar stat boost and +10 Mystic Essence. They also reached level 10 and gained 6 unassigned stat points.
"So that's the reward, huh? I guess we can expect something good," Rin said with a smile as she saw a big cyan-patterned crate materializing after the dead Centipede's body turned into motes and disappeared.
[Treasure Crate (Uncommon): Contains multiple rewards]