A few minutes passed by and Kaden felt a lot better than before. Even though his condition was not ideal he dragged himself to the other part of the forest, farther away from the kobolds.
Every step sent ripples of pain through his body, but the worst of the poison's effects had subsided, thanks to the antidote. The sharp tang of blood and dirt lingered in his nose as he moved.
He still couldn't believe everything that was happening. First, this insane second chance he received, and now the hidden class he had unlocked.
With effort, he might be able to achieve much more than this. Maybe. Just maybe he might stop that horrible monster from ever stepping on their planet. Kaden clenched his fists with determination and continued dragging himself.
He finally stopped near a cluster of gnarled trees with roots that twisted like ancient serpents. He leaned heavily against one of them, his body screaming for rest even as his mind refused to let its guard down.
He slumped to the ground, his back against the rough bark, and exhaled slowly. He was completely and utterly exhausted but that did not stop him from grinning like a maniac as he opened his status screen.
Name: Kaden MacAllister
Class: Dreadwood Druid
Rank: F
Level: 5
Title: Hidden Class Achievement
Health: 150
Mana: 150
Physical Strength: 16
Agility: 15
Dexterity: 16
Perception: 10
Mental Strength: 16
Soul Strength: 10
Free Attributes: 0
***
Kaden gaped in awe at his unreal status screen. His heart raced as he scanned the new title he had gained.
[Hidden Class Achievement: All stats are increased by 1]
A straightforward stat bonus. Amazing! How much had he longed for something like this in his last life and now it was there right in front of his eyes.
"One step at a time. I'll get stronger. I'll be ready." He clenched his fists with resolve.
Kaden took an hour of rest and then got back on his feet. Ideally, he would have preferred to rest a bit more and practice his skills on weaker beasts to get a better feel of his class but there was a clock ticking.
He had poked the Kobold clan and now they wouldn't stop looking for the intruder who had killed two of their own.
Kaden knew how kobolds operated—they were relentless once provoked, their numbers making up for their individual weaknesses. Resting too long in one place would be inviting disaster. The forest was vast, but their tracking skills were nothing to scoff at.
Dusting himself off, Kaden scanned the map he'd looted from the kobold scout. The crude markings were barely legible, but one symbol stood out: a jagged circle near the edge of the forest, likely their main camp.
He clenched his fists, the memory of his previous life flashing in his mind. If he wanted to build himself into a force capable of stopping the monster that threatened his world, he couldn't run from these small threats. He had to face them head-on.
"The best defense is offense," he muttered to himself. "If I take out their leaders, the rest will scatter."
And he needed to do this before they began evolving into beings much stronger.
Kaden once again circled back to their territory from another direction, keeping his movements deliberate and silent. He needed every advantage he could muster.
The kobolds might be relentless, but they weren't particularly intelligent. If he could sow enough chaos and fear within their ranks, their cohesion would crumble, making them easier to eliminate.
The forest grew darker as he approached the edges of their territory. He encountered a couple of boars on his path which he quickly took care of using [Sanguine Roots] and [Thorn Whip]. Coincidentally, he noticed that the druid rune didn't do much for the Sanguine Roots skill.
While the rune considerably strengthened the Thorn Whip skill and helped him cast the skill faster and better, it pretty much did nothing at all for the Sanguine Roots.
Kaden did not understand. Didn't he use this same rune to learn the skill and unlock the hidden class? What was going on now? Why did it suddenly stop working?
This was a problem because he counted on the amplification from the rune to give a surprise attack to the Kobold clan leaders. He was much stronger for his level and that was his only advantage at the moment. He needed to figure this out.
Kaden racked his brain to think of a solution when he heard faint rustling sounds ahead. The sounds were not big enough for a herd of boars. It was definitely kobolds.
Peering through the dense underbrush, he spotted three kobolds moving cautiously, their crude weapons glinting in the faint light filtering through the canopy.
They were scouts, likely sent to search for him after he had killed their comrades. He needed to deal with them quickly and silently before they realized he was there.