SHING! SPURT!
Back inside the E-Rank Sudden Gate 'Savage Jungle.'
Cassius danced across the damp, verdant forestscape, gliding the tip of his black spear through E-Rank monster after F-Rank monster. None survived more than three spear stabs or slashes, their corpses collapsing all over the crimson-painted lush environment.
*Ding!*
[You leveled up!]
[You leveled up!]
[You leveled up!]
[You….]
The longer Cassius fought, the more experience he obtained. And the more experience he obtained, the stronger he became. After roughly half an hour of non-stop fighting, he reached Lvl 12, his eyes now set on the large, eerily quiet cave entrance in front of him. It was dark and spooky, with several unknown howls echoing from inside. Seeing the name above this cavern, Cassius knew this was where he needed to go if he wished to continue evolving.
[Savage Fur Devil Den (E+)]
Now, there was an additional ranking separator—subtraction, no sign, and addition signs. This Boss Monster Den was of the E+ Rank, infinitely close to advancing into D-Rank. For the current Cassius, it was just dangerous enough to once again make him put his life on the line. Fortunately, with the Deadly Spear, killing had become far easier than before.
"Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be able to acquire new, superior items and smash them together," Cassius commented casually. His soft footsteps echoed thunderously in the quiet confines of the wide tunnel, with not even the smallest rodents or insects making a single peep.
"This place is clearly home to something terrifying—terrifying enough to scare anything in the area. This must surely be the Boss Monster area…"
As he quickened his pace into the darker parts of the Boss Monster Lair, Cassius's system made a brief announcement.
*Ding~!*
[Seeing as you are so enthusiastic about smashing things together like the monkey you are, what say you experience it yourself?]
[For Character Development! ^=^]
"!!!"
Before Cassius had time to comprehend the hidden meaning behind the system's words, a large shadowy object crashed through an adjacent tunnel wall. Then, with unavoidable quickness, it rammed into him, sending his battered body flying into a nearby boulder.
BOOM!
*Kuk!*
Cassius coughed up a large blot of blood as he slowly slid off the imprint he left in the boulder. Hitting the hard, damp ground with a thud, he felt water splash against his bloodied face, a large puddle doing little to cushion his fall. Through dim vision, he watched as ripples spread across the puddle beneath him.
In front of his semi-paralyzed body was a massive, truck-sized monstrous beast. It had unusual dangling feelers, a hideous mouth full of large jagged teeth, and three pairs of beady, basketball-sized eyes. Those same disturbing eyes swam through the darkness before locking onto the half-dead human lying a few hundred meters away.
Fighting the urge to fall unconscious, Cassius knew that if he succumbed to the temptation, he might never wake again. Despairingly, he thought, 'I really believed I had become moderately powerful… but how wrong I was.'
Realizing one hit was enough to leave him in such a sorry state greatly frustrated Cassius.
'But what will frustration get me…? I was careless; it's as simple as that. Even though I saw the nametag for this area to be dark red, I assumed everything would be fine because it was just a single plus sign…'
Cassius admitted his foolishness. But now, there was nothing he could do. He was certainly going to die.
However, where would the Character Development go if there was no longer a character to develop…?
*Ding!*
[Considering that the Host's Intelligence stat is lacking compared to his other stats, the system has provided you with a hint.]
[What do you receive from each Level Up?]
'What do I receive…?' Cassius parroted, thinking deeply. 'What do I… receive—' His eyes suddenly brightened as he called for his system rewards in his mind. Excluding the unopened Skill Boxes, his groggy gaze landed on Reward #2.
"Stat…us… Rec…overy."
Like a miracle bestowed upon a mortal, a dazzling green light enveloped Cassius, its heaven-defying glow pulling him back from the brink of death.
He was fully restored.
"I see now… So those Status Recoveries are instantaneous miracle drugs, and they also stack." Cassius glanced between his ten unused Status Recoveries and the nightmarish monster taking large, booming strides toward him.
"ROoOOooaaRrgghhh!!!"
The monster bellowed in annoyance, irritated that its prey was still alive.
Even though Cassius realized this could very well be the end, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement welling up within him. A part of him was scared—terrified, even. Yet the larger part of him yearned to fight and grow stronger. He began to crave the thrill of battle, for a battle hard-fought signified strength well-earned.
If the Idle Evolution System could hear Cassius's thoughts, it would surely feel pride over the character development it had instilled. If it warned him of the danger beforehand, pain and the fear of death could have been avoided.
But where was the character development in that?