Around Alex, the grotesque, gnarled remains of nearly three dozen Poison Treants lay piled in a grim heap. The area was a grim reminder of the intense battle that had just taken place.
And, the one responsible for the carnage, stood hunched over, hands on his knees, thoroughly exhausted. His legs were burning, and his whole body felt heavy, like he'd been through a grueling trial.
While the poison mist in the air wasn't directly affecting him, it still made it harder to catch his breath. The air felt thick, and the oxygen supply seemed barely adequate, further complicating his recovery.
On top of that, his mana recovery speed had slowed, another side effect of the forest's toxic environment.
With a weary sigh, Alex pulled out a glass vial filled with a light blue liquid and downed it in one gulp. Almost instantly, he could feel his strength returning, his body recovering as the energy potion worked its magic. In just a few minutes, he was feeling renewed.
"These energy potions may be expensive as hell, but they're worth every relies." Alex muttered to himself, feeling his energy surging back. "What a lifesaver. I feel as good as new."
After earning a considerable amount of money from his E-rank advancement quest, Alex hadn't hesitated to invest in essential supplies, stocking up on potions and other critical items for moments like these.
Still, the cost stung. The 100 ml vial of energy potion had set him back a hefty 12,000 relies, and that was the cheapest option available.
With his energy restored, Alex took a few moments to do some light stretches, giving his body a brief rest. Finally, he turned his attention to the system messages that had been piling up during the battle.
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[The Host has killed a F rank Monster] X 23
[+690 XP and +23 SP]
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[The Host has killed an E rank Monster] X 11
[+1100 XP and +55 SP]
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[The system is ready for an update. The system will be in standby mode during the update.]
[Update Time: 24 hours]
[Does the host want to update the system?]
[Y/N]
Looking at the piling system messages, a faint smile graced Alex's face. He had finally accumulated enough to upgrade his system to level 3.
The thought of upgrading was tempting—he couldn't wait to enhance his abilities. But as eager as he was, he clicked "No" when the system prompted him for the update.
There was a catch: the system upgrade would take 24 hours, and during that time, he wouldn't earn any XP or SP from the monsters he killed. It would be a complete waste of points.
'It's only been an hour since I entered the forest, and the amount of XP and SP I've gained from this harvest is really good. I can't afford to lose out on more points by pausing now.' Alex reasoned.
He thought back to the battle. While he had somehow managed to kill a significant number of monsters, it had required far more effort than usual.
The real handicap was not being able to use his two most destructive spells—
And while
'I wanted to save my points for later, but it looks like using them now is the wiser choice.' Alex mused. Without further hesitation, he opened the system shop and began browsing through his options.
He needed something that would boost his combat effectiveness, especially in an environment where some of his key spells were restricted.
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[Magic]
-Awaken Random Magic Affinity: 100 SP
-Improve Magic Affinity: ?
-Increase Mana Capacity: 75 SP
-Increase Magic Power: 100 SP
-Increase Mana Regeneration: 150 SP
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[Physical]
-Increase Strength: 75 SP
-Increase Stamina: 75 SP
-Increase Agility: 75 SP
-Increase Vitality: 100 SP
-Increase Health Regeneration: 200 SP
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In front of Alex, two screens hovered side by side, visible only to him. On the left was the "Magic Attributes Enhancement" menu, on the right was the "Physical Attributes Enhancement" menu.
He stood there, debating his next move, carefully weighing his options. With 133 SP accumulated, Alex had a lot of potential upgrades to consider. However, he could only afford to pick one—either from the magical or physical enhancement categories.
'Increasing my physical stats might help, but only one stat will improve, and right now, my physical capabilities are fine for what I need.' he thought.
His combat had relied more on magic so far, and even though he was capable in close-quarters, he knew that his spells were often the deciding factor in tough situations.
He considered his current circumstances: the Poison Mist Forest was filled with enemies immune or resistant to some of his most powerful attacks. His current spells were effective, but he needed something more versatile to handle the unique dangers here.
'Hmm... enhancing my magic will give me an edge, especially in this environment. Not like I'm making any loss choosing this.' he concluded.
After a moment of careful consideration, Alex selected the option he deemed most appropriate, his finger hovering over the "Magic Attributes Enhancement" menu before tapping on the choice that aligned with his battle strategy.
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[Purchase successful, magic power increased.]
[The host's Magic Power has increased significantly.]
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Though Alex didn't feel any immediate change from his upgrade, he knew he was on the cusp of reaching the next rank in the system's grading.
The system's criteria for ranking remained a mystery to him, but one thing was certain: his power had significantly increased. He was now capable of one-shotting any E-rank monster with ease. Even D-rank monsters wouldn't be much of a threat if he took the time to overcharge his attacks to the limit.
"This area is crawling with Poison Treants, and those sneaky bastards love to ambush. But now they aren't even bothering to hide anymore, attacking all at once." Alex muttered, scanning the area. "The ones that attacked me were probably the nearby ones. There must be more hiding deeper inside."
As he collected the monster cores from the slain Poison Treants, a cold, murderous plan began to form in his mind. A glint of malice flashed briefly in his eyes.
'They think they're clever, ambushing me... I'll show them what real hunting looks like.' he thought with a chilling resolve.
Without hesitation, Alex sold the 23 F-rank monster cores to the system, exchanging them for system coins. He then used those earnings to purchase another E-rank skill from the system's shop, a skill that would complement his new strategy.
A twisted grin formed on his face as he whispered to himself, "Now, I'll kill you in your own way."
With a new skill in hand and a lethal plan brewing, Alex prepared to push deeper into the Poison Mist Forest, ready to turn the tables on the lurking Poison Treants.