This forest was known for its ease of clearing. Otherwise, the soldiers at the front wouldn't let anyone come in alone. If the news that an invisible monster appeared here is known, it'll probably be more challenging for me to enter later.
"But a monster with special skills would definitely be better prey!"
Right now, my level should be enough to fight it. Although I'm min-maxing at this moment, my stats shouldn't lose against a normal level 3. With this much strength, I can probably fight a monster at level 3 or 4 with ease.
"And judging by its speed, it should be around level 4!"
Another invisible slash came cutting across, making me take two hurried steps backward to dodge. As soon as I felt the claw, or whatever it was, pass me by, I quickly swung the scythe in my hand while stepping in. I put all my weight into the strike, and with the scythe's pointed edge, I smashed it against the supposed location of the invisible monster.
*Screech!*
A sound echoed as green blood sprayed. The scythe managed to dig itself into the body of the invisible monster. Not wasting the moment of opening, I quickly used my other scythe, reversed it, and used the hammer's head to slam the other scythe deeper.
As I was trying to pull the weapons back, however, a powerful blow hit me from the back.
"...!"
My vision spun as a hot sensation spread across my waist. I looked down, only to realize that one of my scythe daggers was completely bent out of shape.
'I got lucky!'
That was the only thought in my head after realizing that another invisible monster was behind me. If it had attacked me slightly higher or lower, then I would've probably died.
Using the impact, I pushed myself back up and began running away. I couldn't hold on to the scythes after all, and they got left behind, with one still embedded deep in the first one's body. Without a weapon, it would be dangerous to face two invisible enemies at the same time.
I could hear loud rustling sounds following me closely as I ran. Those two are definitely fast! If I hadn't added 5 agility points earlier, then I wouldn't be able to outrun them like this.
As I looked around, searching for anything to use, I noticed a mark that I left behind the other day.
'Right! There's that!'
I turned 90 degrees to the left and ran as fast as I could. When I saw two trees with a large "X" on their trunks, I leaped over the space between them. With my momentum, I failed the landing and ended up rolling on the ground. I turned around and watched as two blurry figures shuffled to chase after me.
The moment they stepped into the space between the trees...
*Screech!*
*SNAP!*
A trap that I made got activated. It was a simple, oversized beartrap, with the scythes of those I hunted yesterday used as spikes. The two unsuspecting monsters got sandwiched in the middle and were now full of wounds. I guess even a crude trap would be deadly enough given the perfect timing.
Why did I make a trap? Well, I felt that losing the scythes would be a waste, so I gathered them and turned them into something useful. I was planning on dismantling them later to practice my Crafting skill, but I didn't expect to actually use them in battle.
Soon, the two invisible monsters turned blurry before becoming completely visible. The two tried to move, but since their bodies were completely riddled with holes, they breathed their last without being able to do anything else.
[
You have slain Lv. 4 Underling of the Forest King A!
You earned 50 experience!
You have slain Lv. 5 Underling of the Forest King B!
You earned 125 experience!
You have earned the title Trap Master!
Traps would deal 50% more damage!
]
Ohh! A new title! This means that all traps that I would create in the future would be at least 50% better than others!
"But..."
I looked at the names of the two monsters. Although it seemed random, with A and B used at the end of their names, my attention was caught by the two specific phrases written on it. The "Underling" and the "Forest King".
"And here I was wondering why the sudden appearance of an invisible enemy."
Now that I know it was because of the appearance of a powerful monster, a boss, to be exact, it all makes perfect sense.
"If I report this to those two at the gate, then they'll surely hunt the boss down in seconds..."
Doing so would probably be the best choice, as it is the safest and most logical thing to do. However, that means the experience and drops of the boss would fall into the hands of the army. I can't miss a rare opportunity like this!
I weighed my chances and decided to do it in the end.
"If its underlings are already level 4 to 5, then it should be even more powerful!"
Honestly, I don't think I have a chance of winning against it at my current level. I don't know if I have the time to level up too, as it may just appear before me while hunting.
"But there are traps!"
If I can lure it to something like a pitfall, and trap it there, then it'll be a free "attack all you can" buffet. But to do that, I would need to expend time and energy to dig a deep and large hole.
"First of all, I don't know what kind of monster, or how large, it is. If I dig a small hole and the boss ends up being a house-sized insect, then I'm dead."
As I was pondering how to go about it, my gaze turned to the side, and I noticed a precipice. It was a short cliff face, about six meters high, and was slightly hard to see from this side.
"... This... Can't I use this?"
Using the terrain to your advantage is part of being a trap master. I don't really know, though, since I just became one. Without wasting time, I quickly dismantled the trap that killed the two underlings and set them up under the cliff. In just a few minutes, an impromptu deadly pitfall was made!
"Yeah, well, it's easy to notice."
I tried walking around it and realized that the cliff face was too obvious. However, beggars can't choose. If it doesn't work, then I can try to push him down instead.
"Let's go with that plan!"
After that, I carefully hunted all the monsters around the place to make sure that nobody would step into the trap and destroy it accidentally. While doing so, lunchtime came. Since I can't just eat out in the open, I went down the previous cliff and ate beside the tall and sharp stakes and scythes that I set up.
Since my nerves were on constant alert, I couldn't savor the taste of my mother's packed food. Basically, I just scarfed it all down in a minute.
As I was packing up, suddenly, a presence approached from above. I held my breath and calmed down my beating heart, holding the two weighted scythes in both hands.
"..."
When the footsteps were right at the edge of the pitfall, I prepared to slash like a madman toward whatever it was. But to my surprise, a voice echoed from above.
"This looks nasty. Did somebody forget to clean up after setting traps?"
It was a cute, slightly low female voice. Since it felt familiar for some reason, I peeked up and was able to see a pink paradise.
"..."
"... Ah."
The girl quickly noticed me after I glanced back and immediately stepped back. Then, with the sound of rushed footsteps, she ran to the foot of the cliff where I was hiding.
"Mahiro?"
Hearing the girl call my name, I was slightly puzzled.
"Wait, you know me?"
"Of course I do. I thought you wouldn't be leveling up for quite a while more. To think that we'd meet here... What a coincidence!"
"... Sorry, but you are...?"
Even after scouring my memory, I can't recall any silver-haired beauties among my acquaintances. With her current attire, a sleeveless white dress with a layered fluffy brown skirt, she looks like some princess from a foreign country. Hearing my question, she seemed surprised after realizing something.
"Right! This should be the first time you're seeing me, right? I'm Toki."
"Toki... Who?"
"Toki! There's only one Toki among your acquaintances, right?"
I tried recalling all the names of my classmates, those who at least left an impression on me, but I can't recall a girl named Toki after all. Wait, Toki?
"That bastard hacker, Toki?! You're a girl?!"
*Fwooom!*
A small fireball flew across my face, singing my forelocks a little.
"Bastard? Who's a bastard? Watch your words, small guy. I'm stronger than you right now."
Toki's hands were still holding three more fireballs that were rotating rapidly, ready to fly to my face at any moment. I took a deep breath and corrected my words.
"Wonderful and trustworthy hacker, Toki. It's nice to meet you."
"Good. As long as you understand."
She quickly put away the flames floating over her hands as she looked around. However, she should be a beginner-class, level 3 mage. Why is she in this forest for newbies?
"Right, how long have you been here?"
After finishing her inspection of the surroundings, she suddenly asked.
"Me? From morning... So about four hours."
"Did you see something strange anywhere?"
"Wait, are you here for the boss too?"
"Damn, did you kill it already?"
It seems like our resident hacker was able to sniff out the presence of a boss monster here. I don't really know what methods she used, but with her here, I could finally see a chance.
"Why don't we work together to hunt it?"
Toki's eyes widened in surprise after hearing my suggestion, and then her face turned to a grin.
"Loots would be 70-30, final. Deal?"