Charlotte struggled to rise from her feet, ger teeth clenched, but her body refused to cooperate. Her mind raced with different possibilities of escaping , scanning the ground for the spear she had dropped during the eerie encounter with this terrifying foe.
[Health Points Reducing. Player is prone to danger if they do not heal…]
The system's warning blinked in her mind as her HP dangerously plummeted to 40%. A sharp cough escaped her lips, accompanied by a few drops of blood. She wrapped her hands around her abdomen, the searing pain radiating through her entire core, as though her entire nervous system was on the brink of collapsing any time if she failed to get proper medical attention.
Her foe was incredibly fast, its movements seemingly linked to the drum hung around its neck. There was no health bar above its head, a stark reminder that this enemy was very dangerous. It looked like the game itself was soul bent on her destruction.
But if she could get her hands on the drum, perhaps she could neutralize its power. She had noticed that whenever it teleported, the drum momentarily vanished from its grasp. Her eyes locked onto the spear lying just a few feet away.
The stranger was approaching slowly, its elongated arms rhythmically striking the drum. Gathering every ounce of strength, Charlotte forced herself to stand, her resolve hardening.
The stranger halted, watching her intently, waiting for her next move. A determined smile crossed Charlotte's face. In a swift, deceptive motion, she darted in the opposite direction, feigning retreat. The stranger responded instantly, striking the drum and transporting itself directly in front of her.
Before she could react, a powerful kick struck her square in the face, sending her sprawling to the ground once more, the impact leaving her vision blurry.
The force of the kick sent Charlotte's body tumbling across the ground, bouncing like a ragdoll, the force leaving her immobilized. The pain coursed through her entire body, as the stranger approached her only to halt in its tracks, its gaze fixed on the ground. A trail of red liquid led to a half bitten toe. The stranger's eyes snapped back to Charlotte, who was now on her feet, a sly grin spreading across her face.
The stranger realised Charlotte had bitten off its toe. A radiant green light emanating from her body as she clutched the spear in one hand, chuckling. She stuck out her tongue playfully, the severed resting on it before she retrieved it in her mouth, swallowing it whole.
"It looks like I outsmarted you," she muttered with a confident smirk, wiping the blood from her mouth. The system's notification appeared before her:
[20 Mana Points Obtained, 20HP Buff…]
The stranger glared at her in utter disbelief. It now realized her earlier feint was a ploy yo get closer to the spear. The plan had worked perfectly, a game mechanic she had dismissed in her younger days that apart from crafting, one can also consume monster parts.
Charlotte twirled the spear expertly like she knew what to do, her confidence heightened as she beckoned the creature to attack. Enraged, it threw the drumsticks aside and pounded the drum furiously, teleporting towards her after ten raps which Charlotte counted. She stood firm, her eyes closed, anticipating its moves.
As predicted by her inner instinct, the stranger appeared behind her. She swiftly spun around, aiming a slash at it, but it transported again. Counting each move, she raised her foot as if preparing to stomp. The stranger reappeared above, ready to strike, but yet again, Charlotte wad quicker. She hurled the spear upward, missing the stranger by a hair. It vanished again reappearing directly below her.
This time, Charlotte brought her foot down with tremendous force, slamming it into the creature's face. Stunned, it became vulnerable for a brief moment. Seizing the opportunity, Charlotte caught the falling spear and drove it into the creature's throat, immobilizing it.
As it struggled futilely, Charlotte ripped the drum from its neck, watching it dissolve and reappear in her inventory. The creature's life ebbed away, its blood staining the ground. With a final breath, it collapsed, lifeless. Charlotte withdrew the spear, placing it into her inventory as well.
Exhausted, she fell to her knees, her body numb from the battle. The system chimed in once more, displaying multiple notifications:
((Level up!))
((Level up!))
((Level up!))
((Level up!))
[Stranger (Level Ten) Defeated!]
[Trial complete! Congratulations, player has gained experience points and some prizes]
Stranger's Cowl (×1)
Native Loincloth (×1)
Native Midriff (×1)
Stranger's Heart (×1)
Stranger's Flesh (×5)
[Player Has Gained Class-E, Wanderer]
[Player Has Gained 24 Mana Points Which Can Be Used To Increase Skills]
Charlotte's jaw dropped, awed by the list of prices she had attained from her first kill. Inspite of the injuries surging through her body, she felt a surge of pride. Remembering her crafting knowledge from a young age, she quickly mixed the collected monster parts to create a max potion. Gulping it down in one go, her body glowing with a green light as he wounds healed and the pain faded away.
The surroundings dissolved, returning her back to the forest she woke up from, that was enveloped by darkness. Charlotte pondered her next move. The system provided her with a new goal:
[To reach the Great Wall of Benin, Player must exceed current status. Level up, get stronger, survive, unlock abilities, and obtain high-ranked classes, jobs, and titles.]
"So, this is the plan the system has for me, ehn," she muttered, accepting her fate. Glancing down at her tattered bikini. The fight from earlier had torned it halfway, and it was close to wearing out if she didn't do something about it.
"Inventory" she commanded, and a small tab with a list of her outfits appeared infront of her.
Inspite of the revealing properties of the clothing, it was still something, atleast better that what she wore at the moment. She equipped the outfit.
"This is not to bad at all," she mused, a small smile forming a she admired her attire. But admiration was going to get her anywhere, she had to continue moving.
Atleast the end of the forest was only a few miles away from her current location, and Charlotte was confident she could make it before dawn. But just as she began her journey, a cry rang out—sharp and desperate, coming from the direction of the campfire.
"Release me this instant!" the voice screamed.
Other voices followed, gruff and commanding, clearly from full-grown men. "Stay put, child!" one of them barked.
Charlotte's eyes narrowed as she scanned the area. To her right, she spotted the glow of a fire, and an open cage sitting next to it. Moving with careful steps, she concealed herself behind the tall grasses, her heart racing as she caught sight of a group of five men, all clad in red uniforms and white pants. They were forcing a small, dark-skinned boy—no older than seven or eight—into the cage. His legs kicked out desperately, but they overpowered him easily, slamming the cage shut. One man, panting from the struggle, quickly locked the door.
"Blimey, this little rascal's a handful," the leader of the group muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
The boy, furious, rattled the bars with all his strength. "Get me out of here, you cowards!" His voice trembled with indignation rather than fear, his anger burning brighter than his captors' threats.
"Quiet down, you daft little bugger," one of the men growled, his face twisted with irritation.
"You should be grateful for this, kid," another voice chimed in, grinning wickedly. "Yer arse was bound to be sold off anyway."
Just as Charlotte moved to get closer, two more men appeared, identical in their red uniforms. "Oi, you lot! No idling about!" one of them barked. The other, a little less impatient, added, "The king demands yer aid in rounding up more scoundrels!"
The five men groaned collectively, exhausted after dealing with such a small child. But they quickly got to their feet, abandoning their post without a second thought, leaving it in the care of the two men that visited them. Charlotte waited in silence, watching as the men filed away into the darkness.
This was her chance to attack, even if she couldn't face off against five she could bring down two atleast.
Time to do this, she thought confidently to herself.
"Inventory" she commanded, drawing out a spear.
The child who was in the cage noticed Charlotte, as she beckoned her to be quiet, placing her index finger against lips. The child nodded, following Charlotte's plan as he too wanted to be found.
With a swift motion, she rushed towards the man on the right impaling him with the spear from behind. He screams gave Charlotte quite a fright as she had never taken a life before.
[100XP…]
The man on the left was immediately alarmed by this and decided to attack, but Charlotte reacted quickly, striking the man on the face.
[100XP…]
Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief as she had successfully taken down both men.