It took hard work to make the house liveable, but it was worth it. The privacy I always wanted was there. Having a place to call my own was great, especially considering the recent shady business I had been involved in.
Once the cobwebs and dust vanished, the house underwent a significant transformation, no longer appearing abandoned. The hardest part was cutting all the vine, so I didn't.
I decided to keep the vines as they were, considering them to be my house's charm and a way to hide myself. Maybe someone passing through would see the house as abandoned and move on.
The chances of the vines working as a way to hide me were low, so I just went with the charm thing. I wanted to call Luna, Yula, and Julie to see how the house looked, but they were busy with the action plan against the tribe.
It took me three days to make the place decent again, and after finishing the house, I immediately performed a new ritual to enhance my attributes.
I left my house and searched for a victim to perform the ritual on. There was no way I would kill one of the villagers, so the only options I had were the tribesmen. Well, that was what I thought.
The area I was in was far from the tribe, so I would have to walk a long distance through the forest to reach my destination. So, as I was walking through the forest, a beast came my way. If it was a normal wolf, I wouldn't be scared.
Normal wolves weren't a threat to me anymore after I increased my attributes, but the beast in particular that appeared before me was not a normal wolf. It was a magical beast, one enhanced by mana.
The creature was like a blueish sabretooth, with long, sharp teeth and predatory eyes that sent shivers down my spine.
I instantly felt that the creature was not 'normal' and that I should prepare myself for the fight.
"You're a big boy, aren't you?" I said this as I unsheathed my sword.
The blue sabretooth growled and dashed toward me. It was not looking for a conversation, obviously.
With my recent increase in strength and agility, I could see the sabretooth's movements and anticipate them. While twisting my body to the side and jumping away, I exerted strength on my legs.
The Sabbertooth's attack didn't hit me. Everything happened fast, and because my final spot wasn't ideal, I didn't have enough time to counterattack right after the attack.
But that didn't mean I would stand still and do nothing. I held a steel sword in my hands, filled with an eagerness to be the one to depart from that fight.
I darted toward the sabretooth, slashing with the sword. My skill with the sword wasn't decent, but a normal slash was something I managed to perform in the heat of battle. The slash struck sabre's front right leg, causing a massive wound.
The beast growled in pain and looked at me with anger. It wanted to kill me after what I've done.
I didn't run or look scared. That would only make things harder for me. With everything I had, I had to remain strong and keep fighting against the creature.
The creature came running toward me, trying to bite. The creature's speed had decreased due to the damage I had inflicted on its leg, making it much easier to dodge. Then, with a quick and methodical move, I slashed the creature's neck.
That was damage; it couldn't survive. The sabretooth met its demise immediately. I felt awful for the creature, but that was how nature worked.
Then I thought of something. I activated the skill Hades gave me, hoping it would work on the beast, and sure enough, visions flooded my mind, just like last time.
This time, it was like visions of people doing the same ritual I performed on that human, but on magical beasts! Not only did they receive an increase in their attributes, but they also had the opportunity to acquire special skills unique to the beast!
That was just tremendously good. At first, I couldn't believe it, as it seemed like a cheating technique, but the visions were confirming it, so it must be true.
So, what was the best way to be sure that was indeed the case? Well, testing it was the best way.
My strength helped me carry the heavy sabretooth back to my cabin. I found a secret basement in the cabin, and it was a suitable spot to perform the ritual.
Not only that, but if anyone saw a dead beast with some markings, well, that wouldn't stir up trouble. It would only look like a hunting thing, not a ritual for Hades.
A trapdoor concealed the basement, and my bed rested above it. Therefore, to access the basement, I had to lift my bed.
It was an obvious hiding spot. Though I considered changing it later, I wasn't inclined to do so.
Anyway, I went down to the basement, placing the sabretooth above a wooden table I had there. The table was pretty decent because it held the sabretooth's weight, which wasn't a small number.
The ritual started once again. I used the dagger to carve the beast's body with visionary glyphs.
It wasn't an effortless thing to do. Any change to the glyph would render it useless, so I had to check the drawings and body placement.
It took me one hour to finish, and then it was time to activate the skill. That was the moment I had been waiting for. The same positive feeling of power flooded my body, and a type of dark divine energy appeared around me.
The sabretooth's body lost its vigor, its blood, and everything. It turned into a mummy, devoid of any life.
I received notifications.
[+2 Agility]
[New Skill Adquired.]
[Pounce (D Rank)]
[Activate to jump into a location, just like a beast. It diminishes your stamina]