Keir wandered through the forest, the peaceful surroundings contrasting sharply with the chaotic world he was used to. The sun filtered through the canopy above, casting dappled patterns on the forest floor. Despite the disorder and the lack of law and order in the world, nature seemed to remain untouched, its beauty constant and calming. As he walked, he couldn't help but appreciate the serenity of the woods.
His thoughts drifted to Valentinus. "You know, that new guy's alright," he mused with a grin. "I didn't expect much at first, but he's turning out to be a genuinely good guy. It'll be nice to have someone like that around."
Suddenly, a surge of excitement hit him. He remembered the notifications he'd received during the fight and couldn't wait to check them out. "Oh man, I almost forgot to look at those!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with anticipation. "This is going to be awesome!"
He pulled up the system interface, eyes widening at the list of notifications:
• XP Gained: 50
• Level Increase: You are now Level 3!
• New System Feature Available
• Stat Point Awarded: 1
• Stat Point Awarded: 1
• XP Gained: 50
• Stat Point Awarded: 1
"Whoa, three stat points?" Keir shouted in disbelief. "These must be part of the new feature!" His excitement was palpable.
Eager to explore, he navigated to the new system tab. His eyes fell on the new options: a stat section for allocating points and a tab for purchasing skills. Although many skills were still level locked, two were available:
• Order Projection (Level 1): Controls objects from a distance. (Costs 200 XP)
• Order Reversal (Level 1): Heals and repairs damage. (Costs 500 XP)
"Controlling objects from afar sounds amazing!" Keir's eyes sparkled with excitement. "And healing with Order Reversal would be super handy. I can't wait to try these out."
His attention then shifted to the stats section. "Ah, so that's what these are for!" he said, his enthusiasm evident. He reviewed his stats: HP, MP, Strength, Agility, and Endurance, all currently at 2. He decided to allocate his first two stat points to Strength. "That injury to my hand was a wake-up call. I need to be stronger." He pondered where to place his final point. HP had already received a boost from leveling up, and his Pressure Burst provided speed when needed. Endurance wasn't an issue right now, so he chose to increase his Magic Power.
"More MP will be crucial for capturing those slimes," he thought, a grin spreading across his face. "With these boosts, I'll be ready for whatever comes my way."
"I wonder how many XP points I need for the next level up?" Keir pondered as he glanced at his XP bar. He saw that with his level increase, the XP needed for the next level had jumped to 300. But he was already 50 XP closer, thanks to defeating the second assassin. "Looks like I've got a bit more grinding to do, but at least I'm making progress!"
With his excitement still bubbling, Keir refocused on his current task. Mira had asked him to catch the slimes because his Barrier skill made the process simpler. Plus, it was his own idea to use water slimes for fresh water, saving countless trips to the river. Even though he had done it many times before, capturing them still had its challenges.
Now, with the thought of using Target Lock, his excitement grew. "This is going to make capturing slimes so much easier!" Keir thought, thrilled at the prospect.
He glanced ahead towards the river where the water slimes awaited. "Alright, time to catch some slimes!" he declared, determination shining in his eyes.
As he neared the river, the sun was bright and warm, making the water sparkle like a field of diamonds. The river was clear, and the gentle ripples distorted the sunlight into a shimmering dance. Keir scanned the water's surface, trying to spot the elusive slimes. They were circular, ranging in size from about the size of a medium-sized dog or a small cat, with adorable, expressive eyes that blinked curiously. Their bodies were a translucent, glistening blue, blending almost perfectly with the river's surface. Despite their size, they bobbed about gracefully, their movements creating tiny splashes that caught the sunlight.
Keir crouched by the riverbank, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he tried to locate the slimes amidst the water's natural patterns. He noticed how their round forms floated and wobbled slightly as they drifted with the current. Occasionally, a slime would surface, its cute eyes blinking and surveying its surroundings before submerging again.
"Where are you hiding?" Keir muttered to himself, shifting his gaze across the water. He knew the slimes could be tricky to spot against the glistening surface.
After a few moments of careful observation, Keir spotted a faint outline of one of the slimes. Its blue hue stood out just enough against the clear water to be noticeable. "There you are!" he exclaimed softly, excited to finally spot the first one.
Keir quickly activated Target Lock, a spell that caused the slimes to be outlined with a faint, shimmering glow. This made them stand out against the water's surface, their previously subtle blue tint now clearly visible. The other slimes soon became apparent as well, each one highlighted with a gentle luminescence that made them look like floating orbs of light.
With the slimes now clearly visible thanks to the Target Lock, Keir turned his attention to the task at hand. He summoned the first Barrier to form a line in front of the slimes, guiding them towards the center of the riverbank. Next, he created a second Barrier to the side, ensuring the slimes had no chance of escaping sideways.
He continued by activating two additional Barriers on the opposite sides, creating a rectangular enclosure. To secure the slimes fully, he added the final two Barriers above and below, completing a six-sided box around them. "Perfect," Keir said with a satisfied grin. The slimes were now completely enclosed in a Barrier box, unable to escape.
With the slimes securely contained, Keir started his journey back home, the six Barriers still active around the captured slimes. The barriers shimmered with a faint glow as he walked, ensuring that the slimes remained inside.
As he approached his home, he noticed Mira waiting for him.
Mira greeted him with a smile. "Welcome home, I see you've got quite the haul there."
"Yeah, got a bit carried away," Keir replied, as he looked toward the barriers containing the captured slimes. "It was a bit tricky, but I developed a new skill that made it easier to keep track of them. And using six Barriers to box them in worked perfectly."
Mira raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "New skill? Tell me more about it."
Keir smiled, choosing his words carefully to keep his system a secret. "Oh, right," he said, a bit sheepishly. "I've been working on this new spell called Target Lock. It highlights the targets with a faint glow, making them much easier to track. It's really handy, especially for capturing things like slimes."
"Sounds impressive," Mira said, nodding. "I'm always amazed at how you manage to come up with these things on the fly."
Keir deactivated the barriers, releasing the slimes into a containment area Mira had prepared. As the slimes settled into their new environment, Mira inspected them with a satisfied nod.
"You never fail to impress," she said with a soft smile.
As soon as the slimes were secured, a notification appeared before Keir:
Quest Completed: Gather Water Slimes
XP Gained: 5
Congratulations! You've successfully completed the quest.
Keir grinned at the notification. "Nice! A small step closer to leveling up again," he thought.
Mira then asked, "Anything interesting happening in town? I haven't heard much lately."
Keir was about to start recounting the events of the day when he heard a familiar voice. "Ah, Keir!" Valentinus greeted, his presence adding a new layer of intrigue to the day.
Keir turned, surprised but pleased to see him. "Oh, hi Valentinus. I was just telling Mira about you."
Valentinus looked between Keir and Mira, curiosity evident. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Not at all," Keir said, smiling. Mira, this is Valentinus. Valentinus, Mira."