Kaden was livid with happiness. He had done it!
A whole extra stat point bonus for each level up!
With this, he had successfully managed to change the course of his life, at least for now. With shaky hands, he raised his finger to select the option when suddenly a sharp pain shot from his chest.
He bent down to see crimson blooming across his shirt, staining it in a spreading, ominous patch. His breath hitched as the pain intensified, and he realized with a sinking heart that he had been struck.
Panic and confusion surged through him as he frantically scanned the ground below. A faint rustle in the underbrush revealed the culprit—a second kobold, this one clad in slightly better gear and holding a crude crossbow, its sharp teeth bared in a wicked grin.
Before Kaden could even think about what to do next, his consciousness drifted and he fell from the tree. It looked like the damn arrow was poisoned.
Kaden's vision blurred as the world spun around him, but the sharp thud of his body hitting the ground snapped him from the fog.
The poison was fast-acting, burning through his veins like liquid fire. His limbs felt heavy, his grip on the spear slackening as darkness threatened to claim him.
But he held on. He was not about to pass out from this small attack after everything he had been through.
He cannot fucking get himself poisoned again! For the love of god! Letting out a guttural scream he forced himself to stay conscious. Through sheer will, he summoned another thorn whip and lashed out right at the bastard.
The whip streaked through the air, its barbed tendrils finding their mark with unerring precision.
The kobold's smug grin vanished, replaced by a howl of pain as the whip wrapped tightly around its torso. The thorns bit deep into its scale-covered skin, drawing thick streams of dark blood.
The creature stumbled back, its clawed hands flailing in a futile attempt to free itself. Suddenly, it managed to lift its hand and use the arrow in its grasp to break free from the thorn.
Immediately it dashed toward Kaden to finish the job.
Fuck. Kaden was fresh out of mana and had nothing left to fight with. He was also only barely conscious. But his mind did not fail him. The class choice!
He remembered and selected the druid option. Several notifications flashed in front of him but he did not care.
[Nature's Grasp]
He instantly activated the starting skill of the class. He knew this was the only shot he had at staying alive so he gave his utmost, focusing on the rune in his mind with whatever focus he had left.
Roots erupted from the ground beneath the kobold, twisting and coiling like living serpents. The creature let out a startled shriek as the roots wrapped tightly around its legs, dragging it to a halt mere feet from Kaden.
The kobold thrashed violently, its claws raking against the unyielding wood, but the roots only tightened their grip, climbing higher and immobilizing its arms.
A faint green glow emanated from the roots, and Kaden felt a soothing warmth flood through his body. The healing effect of Nature's Grasp wasn't powerful, but it was enough to give him a momentary reprieve.
His breaths grew steadier, and the pounding in his head began to fade as his body regained a sliver of strength. This combined with the injection of stats for level 5 that came along with the class selection kept him from collapsing completely.
Now he just needed to regenerate enough mana to summon another thorn whip and he can finish this damn bastard.
Kaden tried to close his eyes momentarily to speed up his regeneration but it looked like he was shit out of luck. The moment he closed his eyes he could feel the poison burn through his veins, acting up once again. A wave of pain assaulted him.
The sadistic kobold snickered seeing his agony. It was now trying to bite and claw its way out of the root trap. If it succeeds in doing that, then it would be game over for him.
Kaden gritted his teeth, bearing the pain, and tried to focus on the [Nature Grasp] again. Picturing the rune in his mind with a relentless determination, he forced the roots to remain tightly bound around the damn thing.
The kobold's snarls grew louder as it struggled against the relentless grip of the roots, but Kaden refused to let up.
His entire body screamed in agony, the poison burning through his veins like molten fire, but he held on, his mind fixed solely on the rune etched in his consciousness. He willed the roots to tighten further, forcing them to coil tighter around the kobold's arms and legs, rendering it immobile.
The sadistic grin on the kobold's face twisted into frustration and fear as the roots climbed higher, snaking around its neck and constricting its movements further. It thrashed violently, snapping at the air and clawing uselessly at the tendrils.