Curious to have moved up a level, Hito quickly selected «Statistics».
< Level 2 >
< Hp 100/100 >
< Mana 20/20 >
< Exp 16/110 >
«2 Accumulated stat points»
«Improve HP»
«Improve Mana»
The system displayed options to improve the amount of life or mana, each improvement, required one stat point.
At that moment, Hito didn't know which one suited him best. However, after a few minutes of thinking, he decided to play it safe and used the two points to increase his health.
< Level 2 >
< Hp 100/110 >
< Mana 20/20 >
< Exp 16/110 >
For each upgrade, his life increased by five points. Next, Hito selected «Skills» and noticed that he could also use a skill point to upgrade «Stealth». Once he upgraded it, its duration increased from two to three seconds.
'Good thing, the mana cost didn't increase.' Hito thought.
Then, he closed the interface, looked around and could only observe Leo, who was sitting on a rock, observing the darkness of the night.
Even though Leo was in charge of acting as a guard. Hito could not fall asleep.
In recent years, Hito was always alert at night, making sure that nothing threatened the shelter and the life of his little sister. Because of this, he found it difficult to fall asleep.
For a moment, he wished he could approach Leo and talk to him some more. However, he knew that he was still a stranger to them and if he did so, it might generate a certain sense of danger in Leo. So finally, he decided to wait for the next day.
-
-
The next day, they all walked north, circling the great Dreny forest.
Hito was a bit astonished, he expected that there would be a larger number of enemies outside of the forest.
At that moment, he wondered with intrigue about their objective and how come they were not worried if an enemy appeared.
For him, fighting an enemy was something he usually did in the forest. However, that was inside the forest, few creatures came in groups and usually when it was a group, they were very small.
But for them it was different. Ten years ago, people didn't fight these creatures, they just ran away from them.
'How come they are not afraid?' he asked himself. Then he looked closely at their equipment.
They carried an axe, swords, spears and a small shield. However, that was not enough. The most dangerous thing about a creature was not its size, but what it was capable of doing.
At that instant, Klein noticed that Hito seemed to be pondering, and asked, "Are you worried?"
Hito shook his head sideways, denying the question, and then replied, "No, I was just wondering how all of you got here."
Nina joined the conversation and related that in the shelter several people began to catch a mysterious poison.
An expression of astonishment formed on Hito's face, the idea that more people were still alive had really surprised him.
Then, Nina continued talking, mentioning that although they could neutralize the poison, it was complicated, since they needed some plants which were difficult to find.
Then Klein asked if he had seen white flowers mixed with purple in the forest. Initially, Hito apologized because he did not remember seeing them. However, he then remembered that a year ago, he had taken his sister to a small field full of flowers.
That suggested that it was possible that those flowers were present.
Nina reaffirmed what Hito had said, mentioning that those flowers tended to grow around that forest, so it made sense to think that there might be more inside.
At this point, Klein objected to the idea of going deeper into the forest. However, Sebas expressed a contrary opinion: they had been looking for those flowers for days and could not afford to waste any more time, especially when people in the shelter were dying.
Nina took a deep breath and then interrupted the discussion, "I don't usually agree with Sebas' decisions, but this time, he's right."
After a short discussion, everyone agreed that, even though it was dangerous, it was the best option.
From the outside, Hito did not know any route, but once inside, if it was possible to find his way around. After all, he had lived inside for ten years.
When they entered, they saw nothing out of the ordinary, only vegetation and trees.
They continued walking and Hito's intrigue returned, 'Why aren't they afraid?'
It was possible that he was leading them to death. However, they did not show any feeling of concern.
Without further hesitation, Hito decided to ask, "What will happen when a creature appears?"
A gesture of surprise formed on Nina's face and then she answered, "Well, we're going to kill it, aren't we?"
Despite answering calmly, Hito was still not convinced that they were capable of doing so.
-
-
After a few minutes of walking, Hito remembered the mission to kill 500 spiders. Besides, he did not know if there was a time limit to complete it. However, even if he wanted to complete it, it was almost impossible.
Resigned to the impossibility of completing it at that moment, he decided not to worry about it anymore. He just hoped that the progress of it would not restart or end.
-
-
Suddenly, a sound alerted everyone.
~FHHHHH~
Deep breaths could be heard, as if something was forcibly breathing.
Everyone moved closer and formed a round circle, each one facing a different side, standing guard.
"Stay close, Hito" whispered Klein.
Hito approached them, expectant of what was happening. That sound Hito had never heard before.
~FFHH~
Suddenly Emily's words were heard, "Look towards those trees."
She then raised one of her hands, pointing her finger at the mysterious creature watching them.
They all slowly turned to look at it, and watched as a minotaur watched them from afar.
Minotaurs were beings that resembled humans, but combined with parts of a bull like a head and legs.
"Don't move." Klein whispered quickly.
Although Hito possessed new abilities, they did not compare to the features of a minotaur which were known for their incredible strength and endurance. A single one of his blows, would be able to crush and render any target completely unrecognizable.
~FHHHH~
Suddenly, the muscular minotaur began to walk towards them.
At that instant, everyone began to get agitated:
"What do we do?"
"Let's attack it."
"No, let's run away."
Hito knew that no option was the right one, choosing any option would mean the death of someone. Suddenly, Nina's voice caught everyone's attention, "Nobody move and don't provoke him."
At that moment, many questions invaded Hito's head:
'Will it be possible for us to defeat it together?'
'Won't anyone get hurt?'
'Will I be forced to use «Stealth» in front of them.'
Nina was aware that fighting a minotaur with more people did not mean having the advantage. In reality, it meant that more people might die.
However, this minotaur's attitude was different. He did not run towards them to kill them, neither made any offensive gestures. He was just approaching them step by step.
~FFHH~
When he was meters away from them, Hito realized that this minotaur was wounded, that explained why his breathing was agitated.
When he reached them, the minotaur looked at them for a few seconds.
They all watched him indirectly, without making eye contact with him.
~FHHHHH~
The agitated breathing caused light gusts of air to move Emily's hair.