The forest loomed before them, a wall of towering trees with thick branches overhead, casting shadows that danced across the forest floor. As Alex and Ruth stepped deeper into the woods, the air felt cooler, filled with the scent of pine and earth. Alex walked slightly ahead, scanning their surroundings, while Ruth followed closely, her bow at the ready. The path was narrow, the underbrush thick, but the sounds of the forest were peaceful—birdsong and the rustling of leaves, untouched by the chaos of Gorin City.
After a while, Alex broke the silence. "Have you ever been out here before?"
Ruth nodded, her voice calm despite the faint tension in the air. "Yeah, a few times. Bartlow used to bring me out here on my off days, just to explore and learn about the forest. He always told me it was important to understand the environment around us."
Alex raised an eyebrow, glancing at her. "So, he'd let you roam around out here?"
"Sort of," Ruth replied with a small smile. "He'd take me to parts of the forest where he'd already cleared the area of star beasts. It was mostly to keep me safe, but I got to see a lot of new things—plants, herbs, even a few harmless animals. But he always made sure we stayed away from the center of the forest."
Alex's curiosity piqued. "Why the center?"
Ruth's expression grew more serious. "That's where the high-level star beasts are. The ones that have reached the fourth level or higher. Those beasts aren't just stronger, they're intelligent. They create packs and alliances, and they guard their homes fiercely while they cultivate in private. It's dangerous to wander too close to their territory."
Alex took in her words, nodding thoughtfully. "Makes sense. If those beasts are that strong, we'll want to avoid that part of the forest for sure." He paused, then asked, "Did you ever see any star beasts when you were out here with Bartlow?"
Ruth shook her head. "No, Bartlow made sure to clear the area before we ventured in. He's always been protective like that—never took any chances when it came to my safety."
Alex gave a small smile. "That sounds like Bartlow. He's always thinking ahead." His tone turned more serious as he added, "But if we run into a star beast today, especially a two-star beast or a group of one-star beasts, our main goal is to escape. We're not here to risk our lives for a reward."
Ruth nodded in agreement, her grip on her bow tightening slightly. "Right. Safety first."
They walked in silence for a few moments, the weight of the mission settling in. The deeper they ventured, the denser the forest became, the light filtering through the canopy growing dimmer. Alex could feel the tension in the air—this was no ordinary trip into the woods.
"Here's the plan," Alex continued. "If we do encounter a beast, I'll play the front lines. My job will be to shield and attack, keep its attention on me. You stay at a distance, provide support, and only get involved if absolutely necessary. We'll rely on potions for any immediate damage, since our healing spells take too long to activate mid-fight."
Ruth listened intently, nodding at Alex's instructions. "Understood. I'll focus on long-range attacks and only heal after the battle is over."
Alex glanced at her, appreciating her focus and readiness. "Good. Just remember, every star beast has its weak points—just like humans. Aim for the joints, the eyes, or any other vital spots. And if it comes down to it, don't hesitate to hit… well, where it counts."
Ruth chuckled softly, the tension between them easing slightly. "Got it. Anything goes when it's life or death, right?"
"Exactly," Alex replied, his voice steady. "Our priority is survival, not heroics. If we need to run, we run."
Absolutely! I'll clean up the text while keeping most of your original writing intact, and I'll also enhance some of the details for a smoother flow.
After a while of walking, Ruth suddenly pulled Alex back by his hand, leading him behind a bush. She pointed out a wild hog, its tusks gleaming in the afternoon light, but she couldn't tell its star level. Alex, recalling his recent ability Divine Insight, decided this was the perfect moment to test it out. Focusing his sight on the wild hog, he triggered the ability.
His vision sharpened, and as he concentrated on the beast, a simple reading appeared: 1-Star Beast. No other information appeared, much to Alex's frustration, confirming that his skill was limited to showing only the highest star level of the beast. As his eyes strained under the effort, a sudden burning sensation overcame him, similar to the feeling of keeping his eyes open for too long. The pain was sharp, forcing him to blink rapidly and catch his breath.
Ruth, noticing a slight trickle of blood from Alex's left eye, whispered in concern, "Alex, are you alright? What happened?"
Alex, wiping his eye with the back of his hand, reassured her. "I'm fine. Just a side effect of one of my abilities. That hog is a 1-star beast. It'll make a good first target for us." He offered a weak smile, but Ruth's worried expression remained.
"You're bleeding," she pointed out, her hand already reaching for a healing potion in case Alex needed it.
Chuckling softly, Alex waved her off. "No need. Once we take down enough beasts, I'll be able to fix this for good. Let's just focus on the task at hand." His words puzzled Ruth, but she trusted him enough not to press the issue further.
"Alright," Ruth said, still cautious but willing to follow Alex's lead. "What's the plan?"
Alex quickly laid out the strategy. "You'll aim for its hind knee first. We need to cripple its mobility. I'll get its attention to keep it from fleeing, and once it's focused on me, you should move and hit its front leg, making it harder for it to fight back. If I haven't finished it by then, we'll weaken it until it's done."
Ruth nodded, her nerves settling as Alex's confidence grounded her. She crouched low, positioning her bow and drawing an arrow, her fingers steady. She exhaled slowly, taking aim. With a quiet twang, the arrow flew, striking the hog squarely in the back knee. The beast let out a loud squeal, buckling under the pain and spinning wildly in confusion.
Alex seized the opportunity, raising his sword and charging toward the injured hog. "Over here!" he shouted, making sure the beast focused on him. The hog, enraged, staggered forward, moving faster than Alex expected even with its injured leg. Alex braced himself, lifting his shield just in time to block the beast's tusks as they rammed into him with force.
Ruth, already repositioning, aimed her next shot at the hog's front leg. Her arrow found its mark, embedding deeply into the beast's muscle. The hog groaned in agony, its movements now staggered and unbalanced, its strength fading.
"Now!" Alex yelled. With the hog disoriented, Alex closed the distance, his sword flashing through the air as he drove the blade into the creature's neck. The hog let out one final grunt before collapsing to the ground, its body twitching before going still.
Panting, Alex stepped back, wiping sweat from his brow and surveying the scene. The wild hog, now lifeless, lay before them—an accomplishment that, for the first time, felt earned. Ruth emerged from behind her cover, her eyes wide but relieved.
"You did it," she said with a small, proud smile.
"We did it," Alex corrected, returning the smile.
As Alex wiped the blood from his sword, he couldn't help but turn to Ruth with an appreciative smile. "That was some impressive archery. You hit the mark perfectly."
Ruth, already bending to retrieve her arrow, looked up and waved off the compliment, though a small blush tinted her cheeks. "It's not a big deal, really. The hog wasn't even moving when I hit it," she said modestly, but the hint of pride in her voice was unmistakable. "But… thanks."
Alex chuckled. "Even so, you made it look easy." He wiped a bit of blood that had sprayed onto his face during the kill. "You've got a good aim."
Ruth returned the compliment, her eyes traveling to the fallen beast. "You're pretty strong yourself. The hide of a star beast is tough to cut through, and its tusks are dangerously sharp." She bent closer, examining the thick, needle-like hair. "Even the hair's like needles… Can't imagine it was easy getting that close."
Looking down at the dead hog, Alex nodded. "It wasn't. But you made my job easier by slowing it down."
The hog, still bleeding, lay motionless. With a quick motion, Alex infused some of his mana into the storage ring and stored the beast inside, ensuring they didn't leave anything behind. As he finished, he felt a few stray drops of blood streak across his cheek. Ruth, noticing, quickly offered him a small towel from her pouch. "Here, you've got some on your face."
"Thanks," Alex replied gratefully, taking the towel and wiping his face clean. As he handed it back to her, he asked, "What do you think? Are we done for the day, or do you want to keep going?"
Ruth's eyes gleamed with excitement, her usual gentle demeanor giving way to an unexpected spark of thrill. "Oh, I'm definitely not done yet!" she exclaimed, her voice full of energy. Her enthusiasm was a bit of a surprise to Alex. He laughed nervously, a wry smile on his lips. Who knew she had this side to her?
"Well, I guess we're on the same page," Alex chuckled, though the thought of Ruth's cute personality mixing with this sudden bloodthirst worried him slightly. Still, he couldn't deny that her excitement was contagious.
Taking a moment to rest, Alex's gaze shifted, and the familiar sight of a screen flickered before his eyes: The host has killed a one-star beast. The host has been rewarded 5 system points.
Curious, Alex mentally prompted the system with a question. How many points do I get for each level of beast? The screen quickly changed, displaying a chart of star beast points:
• Simple beast: 1 point
• 1-star beast: 5 points
• 2-star beast: 10 points
• 3-star beast: 25 points
• 4-star beast: 50 points
• 5-star beast: 100 points
• 6-star beast: 250 points
• 7-star beast: 500 points
• 8-star beast: 1000 points
• 9-star beast: 2500 points
• 10-star beast: 5000 points
Alex stared at the screen, his mind buzzing with questions. The points were staggering, especially the jump between the lower and higher-level beasts. Ten-star beasts? he thought. I've never even heard of a beast that high. How does this system work? He felt an urge to dive deeper into the system's mechanics, to understand how it functioned.
But before he could get lost in his thoughts, Ruth's voice pulled him back to reality. "Alex?" she asked, her tone laced with concern. "You okay? You've been staring into the forest for a while now… Did you sense something?"
Realizing he had been lost in thought, Alex quickly shook his head, remembering that Ruth couldn't see the system screen or know about its existence. "Oh, uh, no. I'm fine. Just… thinking." He flashed a reassuring smile, trying to ease her concern.
Ruth, still a little puzzled, nodded slowly. "Alright. Just let me know if you sense anything strange. We don't want to be caught off guard."
"Don't worry," Alex said, more alert now. "I've got it covered."
Here's the revised version with the added detail about Alex noticing he didn't gain any points because he didn't land the killing blow:
Alex wondered how to find more star beasts more effectively. After a brief moment of thought, he decided to try out an idea: using his Divine Insight ability to scan the area. He glanced in a random direction within the forest and activated the skill, but nothing happened—no effect, no information. Puzzled, Alex tried again in different directions, hoping for better results. After several failed attempts, he finally focused on one particular spot, and to his relief, the ability kicked in.
A notification flashed across his mind: One-star beast detected.
Just like before, no other details were revealed. Alex's eyes began to burn, the sharp pain spreading through them, familiar but still unpleasant. He winced slightly, wiping away a small tear of blood from his left eye. Ruth, standing beside him, glanced over but remained silent, knowing about the side effect from his earlier explanation. She didn't question it this time but kept a watchful eye on him, her concern visible though unspoken.
"It's a one-star beast in that direction," Alex said, pointing toward a denser part of the forest. "I don't know exactly what it is, so we should approach carefully."
Ruth nodded, her bow ready in hand. "Let's be cautious, like before," she whispered, her voice steady. Though her concern for Alex lingered, she trusted him to manage the strain on his eyes, knowing that they had to remain focused on the task at hand.
As they moved quietly through the underbrush, the forest opened up into a small clearing. Alex spotted the beast first—a sleek, gray wolf prowling near the edge, its eyes sharp and alert as it sniffed the air.
Ruth followed Alex's gaze, immediately seeing the danger. "What's the plan?" she asked quietly, already preparing her bow.
"Same as with the hog," Alex replied, his voice low. "Its speed will be its strength, so we need to slow it down. Aim for its legs or spine, anything to hinder its movement. Once it's weakened, I'll go in for the final strike."
Ruth nodded in agreement, steadying herself as she lined up her shot. The wolf, more perceptive than the wild hog, sensed something off. As soon as Ruth released her arrow, the wolf darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the shot. It immediately turned its attention to Alex, locking its glowing eyes on him and charging forward.
"Alex, look out!" Ruth called, but Alex had already braced himself.
The wolf lunged at him with impressive speed, its teeth sinking into his shield. The force of the attack sent Alex staggering backward, his shield knocked from his grip. The beast snarled, pushing forward to finish its attack, but Ruth quickly fired another arrow. This time, it struck the wolf's shoulder, causing the animal to howl in pain. It released Alex's shield, and Alex seized the opportunity to strike, swinging his sword with precision. Though the wolf dodged slightly, it wasn't fast enough to avoid a cut along its ribs.
The wolf, enraged, leaped at Alex again, this time biting into his forearm. Alex gritted his teeth, pain searing through his arm, but he held firm, gripping the wolf's head and raising it just enough to immobilize it.
"Ruth, now! Aim for its head!" Alex shouted, holding the wolf in place despite the pain.
Ruth didn't hesitate. Steadying her breath, she aimed carefully and fired. The arrow struck the wolf between the eyes, killing it instantly. The beast collapsed to the ground, limp.
Alex pushed the wolf off, catching his breath. His arm throbbed, and blood seeped from the deep bite marks, but he knew they had won. Ruth hurried over, her face pale but composed, immediately casting Slow Heal over his injured forearm.
"You alright?" she asked, her voice calm despite the intensity of the situation. She didn't dwell on his bleeding eyes, knowing that there was nothing to be done about that for now.
Alex nodded, wincing as her magic began to take effect. "Yeah… just caught me off guard. That thing was fast."
Ruth focused on healing his arm. "You did well. Your strength, holding that wolf still long enough for me to finish it off, was impressive."
Alex grinned, appreciating her words. "I couldn't have done it without you. We make a good team."
Ruth returned his smile, though a flicker of concern crossed her face again. She eyed him carefully, particularly the spot where the blood had trickled from his eye earlier. "Just… be careful with that ability of yours. You don't have to explain it to me now, but I hope you're not pushing yourself too hard."
Alex chuckled softly, wiping his brow. "I'll be fine. Once we kill enough beasts, I'll be able to fix this issue with my eyes. Promise."
Ruth nodded, her faith in him strong but tinged with quiet worry. "Alright. But don't overdo it."
As they gathered themselves and prepared to move on, Alex took a deep breath, already thinking of the next star beast they might encounter. But then, he paused.
He looked at the system screen again, expecting to see his points increase—but there was nothing. Frowning, he concentrated, but no notification of reward appeared. It hit him: he didn't land the killing blow. It was Ruth's arrow that finished the wolf.
So, no points for the kill.
"Seems like I don't get points unless I land the final blow," Alex muttered to himself, slightly disappointed but not entirely surprised.
Ruth, catching his thoughtful expression, asked, "What is it?"
"Nothing," Alex replied with a wry smile. "Just something I figured out. Don't worry about it."
Satisfied with that, Ruth didn't press further, and the two of them decided it was best to call it a day. The sun was starting to dip lower in the sky, and they both knew pushing their luck wasn't a good idea.
"Maybe we should head back to the mansion," Alex suggested. "It's getting late, and we've done enough for today."
Ruth nodded in agreement, her adrenaline beginning to fade. "Yeah, you're right. We've done well, but it's better not to push our luck."
Alex stored the wolf's body in his ring, and with their gear packed, the two of them made their way out of the forest. As they walked back in comfortable silence, Alex couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment—today had been a success, and it was only the beginning of what they could achieve together.
After returning to the mansion, Alex and Ruth made their way to Lady Mane's office to report on their training. As they entered, they were greeted by Lady Mane, who was sitting with Hugh and Rebecca. All three took notice of Alex's blood-stained armor, the dried patches on his forearm standing out.
"How did your training go?" Lady Mane asked, her sharp eyes immediately focusing on Alex's forearm.
Rebecca, eyeing the injury with concern, stepped forward. "Does your arm need any more attention? I can help with the healing if necessary."
Alex smiled slightly, shaking his head. "No need, it's just a little sore. Ruth did a great job patching me up—it'll be fine by morning."
Rebecca's gaze shifted to Ruth, offering her a nod of approval. "Good work, Ruth. Seems like you're getting the hang of things."
Hugh leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. "Did you run into anything good in the forest?"
Alex nodded. "We managed to take down two one-star beasts—a hog and a wolf. They're stored in the ring Bartlow gave me. I'll have them ready for you to butcher as agreed."
Lady Mane's brow arched slightly at the mention of an agreement. She turned her attention to Hugh, curiosity in her voice. "And what exactly is this agreement?"
Hugh grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I've been covering for Ruth's chores so she could join Alex in training. In exchange, I get the best cuts of the star beasts they bring back. Star beast meat is something special, and I thought we could store the rest until we're ready to sell the carcasses in the city."
Lady Mane considered this for a moment before nodding. "A fair arrangement. Just ensure everything is done properly."
With a nod, Lady Mane dismissed them for the evening, offering her well wishes. "Good work today, both of you. Rest up, and prepare for what's next."
As Hugh, Alex, and Ruth left the office, Hugh motioned for them to follow him toward the kitchen. "Let's get those beasts butchered. I'll store the best cuts, and we'll freeze the rest until we're ready to sell them in the city."
They followed Hugh as he led them to the kitchen, where he expertly set up the tools for butchering the beasts. Alex handed over the ring, and Hugh summoned the bodies of the hog and the wolf. The three of them watched as Hugh skillfully butchered the beasts, keeping the best cuts and storing the rest in the freezer for later use.
"We'll keep these bodies stored for now," Hugh said, wiping his hands. "When you're ready to sell them, you'll make a tidy profit."
Alex and Ruth both thanked Hugh for his work, and with the beasts taken care of, they excused themselves to rest after a long day in the forest.
After a long and exhausting day, Alex and Ruth made their way back to their rooms. Just as Ruth reached the door to her quarters, she hesitated, turning toward Alex with a blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Do you think… you'd sleep better if I stayed with you tonight? You know, in case you have another nightmare?" Ruth asked softly, her eyes hopeful but shy.
Alex, unsure of how to respond at first, noticed the way Ruth's expression held both a quiet hope and a tinge of embarrassment. After a brief pause, he nodded. He realized that having someone beside him might ease his anxiety and calm his thoughts. The idea of sharing the night with Ruth felt strangely comforting.
Ruth's face lit up with a smile, relieved by his acceptance. "Thank you. I'll sleep in my nightgown, and you should wear yours too," she added, her tone a bit more formal as if to keep things respectful between them. "Anything less might be… too much for now."
Alex, agreeing to her terms, invited her into his room. But before they settled in, Ruth suggested they bathe first.
"It'll help us relax, and we can meet back in your room after," she said, her blush deepening slightly.
Alex nodded again, appreciating her thoughtfulness. They both parted ways briefly to take their baths, each feeling the weight of the day's events lifting slightly. The idea of being able to sleep beside someone who cared was soothing, especially after everything Alex had gone through.
As Alex bathed, he reflected on how close he and Ruth had grown in such a short time. There was something about her presence that made him feel at ease. Once he finished bathing, he dressed in his nightclothes, feeling refreshed and ready for bed.
Ruth, after bathing and preparing for the next day, slipped into her nightgown and gathered her courage. When she entered Alex's room, the room felt peaceful, with a soft glow from the lantern on the bedside table.
Alex stood waiting, already dressed for bed, and smiled at her as she entered. They both climbed into bed, careful to respect the boundaries they had set, and as they lay there, the exhaustion of the day began to fade away. Ruth snuggled close to Alex, her presence warm and comforting.
"If anything happens tonight," Ruth whispered softly, "I'm here."
Alex, feeling more relaxed than he had in a long time, closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath. "Thank you, Ruth. I appreciate it."