The next morning, we gathered our supplies and prepared for the day's exploration. "So Aki is still down?" Rick asked, a concerned look crossing his face as he packed his bag.
"Yeah, he's okay but still recovering his strength. That last skill drained him way too much," I replied, adjusting my sword's sheath.
"He did warn us that it was a high-level skill, probably more than he could handle," Sara added, tightening the straps on her armor.
"Well, for today, let's focus on training and exploring. No unnecessary fights until we're all fully recovered," Zouno suggested, his eyes already filled with the excitement of venturing into the unknown.
I nodded, standing up to give the final decision. "Agreed. No fighting unless we absolutely have to. We'll split into two teams. Some of the other classmates will stay behind to look after Aki and the camp. The rest of us will go explore."
Sara, Rick, Zouno, and I formed the exploration group. After saying our goodbyes to the rest, we set out into the forest, the cool morning air filling our lungs. As we walked, we encountered many creatures that resembled Earth's animals but with slight differences.
"Look! That thing looks like a crocodile," Sara pointed, her eyes wide with interest as she spotted a massive creature by the shore of a nearby lake.
I glanced at it and quickly turned back to Rick, who looked way too eager. "It's huge! I bet we could—" he began.
I flicked his forehead before he could finish. "Nope. We are not messing with that big boy. Focus, Rick."
"Check its level," I instructed Zouno, who activated his appraisal skill.
"That thing… it's level 80," Zouno said, his voice barely concealing his fear.
"Level WHAT?!" I nearly shouted, my heart skipping a beat. "What the hell is a monster like that doing here?"
"It's called a Guardian Beast," Zouno continued, reading from the system window. "The description says it usually guards ancient ruins or dungeon gates."
Sara whistled, her eyes wide with amazement. "So it's like a living gatekeeper. Definitely not something we can handle right now."
"Yeah, let's make sure we avoid the big guy," Rick said, already taking steps to skirt the lake's edge. We carefully made our way around the Guardian Beast, keeping our distance until it was well out of sight.
Eventually, we stumbled across a small goblin base nestled in the woods, teeming with goblins and their chief. Loot glistened in the sunlight—a tempting sight after days of hard work.
"So, umm… I know I said no fighting, but this looks like something we can handle. Plus, I want to see how far we've come," I said, looking at the others with a mischievous grin.
"I'm in," Sara said without hesitation, cracking her knuckles. Rick and Zouno exchanged a glance before nodding in agreement.
"Alright, I learned a new skill called Spike Shield. It summons spikes on my shield, so I'll go first. Let's see how this works," I said confidently.
Without another word, I leaped into the goblin crowd. "Shield Rush!" I yelled as I charged into the group, ramming through them. "Spike Shield!" Three sharp spikes shot out from my shield, piercing the goblins in my path. They screamed and fell to the ground, their bodies limp.
"Damn, now that's a combination!" Rick exclaimed, impressed.
"Yeah, that's pretty great," Zouno added, his eyes wide with awe.
While I finished off the group of goblins, Sara and Rick engaged the goblin chief. Rick, with his new skill Swift Feet, darted around the chief, slashing at its legs with blinding speed. The goblin stumbled, trying to regain its balance. Taking advantage of the opening, Sara raised her staff and called down a Thunderbolt, frying the chief where it stood.
"DAYUMMM, that was impressive!" Zouno cheered, finishing off the remaining goblins.
"Looks like we've definitely gotten stronger," I said, feeling a rush of pride as we surveyed the aftermath.
Sara grinned, brushing some dirt off her hands. "Yep, and that was quick too. I'm pretty happy with our progress."
"The best part's coming in any second…" I said, waiting expectantly. Sure enough, a system notification popped up, confirming our victory and awarding us 300 coins.
"Hm, the reward points are lower this time," Sara commented, checking the system.
"Yeah, because we're higher level now, and the goblins weren't much of a challenge," Rick explained, a little disappointed.
We searched through the loot, finding a few mana cores and an advanced martial arts skill book. "Snowy's going to love these cores," I said, already imagining the wolf happily munching on them.
"Weapons look kind of basic, though," Zouno said, inspecting the pile.
I nodded in agreement. "We'll stick with our current gear for now. Once we save up enough coins, we can upgrade through the system shop."
As we were about to head back to camp, a strange feeling tugged at me. I stopped and looked back. "Something's here…" I muttered, walking toward a pile of crates. After moving a few boxes aside, I found a shield—its surface shimmering faintly.
"Huh? How did you know?" Sara asked, stepping closer as I picked it up.
I activated my appraisal skill, and a system window popped up: Kite Shield of Protection. It was a high-quality shield, capable of blocking a cannonball at close range.
"Well, what do you know? Guess I'm just lucky," I said, smiling as the others crowded around to check it out.
"That's a seriously good find," Rick said, clearly impressed.
"You should test it out," Sara suggested, grinning. "How about I throw a spell at you?"
I hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. "Alright, sure. Go all out. I want to see how strong it really is."
"Brace yourself!" Sara called, raising her staff. She charged up a massive Thunderbolt, her eyes gleaming with excitement. I quickly raised my new shield, getting ready for the hit.
The bolt came crashing down, the sheer power of the spell blasting the ground and sending trees flying. When the dust cleared, I stood there, completely unharmed, my shield smoking slightly but otherwise intact.
Sara looked shocked. "Oh my God, I'm sorry! I got a little too excited. But that shield… it's insane!"
I lowered the shield, still in disbelief. "Yeah, even I'm shook. This thing's the real deal."
I glanced at Rick and Zouno, who were still standing there, slack-jawed at what they had just witnessed. "Come on, don't just stand there. Let's get back to camp."
They finally snapped out of their daze, and together, we made our way back. The shield now felt lighter in my hands, and with it, I felt a growing sense of confidence. We were becoming stronger—together.
As we reached camp, I couldn't help but feel excited for what the next day would bring.