At the critical moment, Jack raised his sword, blocking the incoming attack.
A sharp, metallic clash echoed through the air as the creature's claws struck the blade. Sparks flew, but Jack stood firm, unharmed. The force of the impact made his hands tingle, but he quickly regained his stance, eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of his attacker.
A black, shadowy figure crouched in front of him, its crimson eyes glowing menacingly in the dim light.
"It's really a cat demon!" Jack muttered under his breath.
The creature's sleek, pitch-black fur blended almost perfectly with the darkness. If not for its red eyes, it would have been nearly invisible. Now, Jack understood why an elite four-man team had been completely wiped out by these monsters. The cat demon's stealth and speed made it a formidable opponent.
Jack didn't let his guard down. He kept his eyes locked on the creature, watching its every move. When it lunged at him again, he was ready.
With a quick sidestep, he dodged the incoming attack. As the cat demon sailed past him, its claws barely missing his chest, Jack slashed downward with his sword, aiming for the monster's head.
The blade connected.
-112!
Triple-digit damage numbers appeared in the air, but Jack frowned.
"Its skull is too hard… That wasn't a weak point?"
Realizing he needed more information, Jack activated his Insight skill.
A detailed status screen appeared before him.
"Species: Cat Demon (Lv2 Ordinary Creature)"
"Attributes: HP 400, Strength 12, Agility 14, Spirit 10, Endurance 12, Stamina 12"
"Weak Spot: Abdomen."
Jack smirked. "Got it."
The cat demon launched another attack. Jack, now fully aware of its movements, easily dodged to the side. This time, he swung his sword with precision, targeting its exposed abdomen.
-224! (Weak Point Damage)
The cat demon shrieked in pain, its body twisting midair before crashing onto the ground. Jack didn't give it time to recover. As soon as it landed, he rushed forward and delivered a final, decisive strike.
-64! (Lethal Damage)
The cat demon let out one last agonized cry before collapsing lifelessly. A system notification popped up.
"Congratulations! You have slain 'Cat Demon (Lv2 Ordinary Creature).' You have gained 126 experience points (5% bonus for killing a higher-level creature) and 1 energy coin!"
Another notification immediately followed.
"First Kill Achievement Unlocked! You are the first player to defeat a 'Cat Demon' in Novice Village G233. You have received a 'Normal Blind Box' as a reward!"
Jack's eyes lit up. "Nice! I got the first kill reward!"
Without hesitation, he opened the blind box.
"You have obtained the skill book 'Illumination'!"
Jack was surprised. "A skill book? That's a rare drop!"
He eagerly examined the details.
---
[Skill: Illumination (Basic)]
Quality: Normal
Type: One-time consumable item (tradable)
Requirements: Level 2, Spirit 8+
Effect: Consumes 2 energy points to summon a light source that dispels darkness within a 30x30 meter area. Lasts for 60 seconds.
---
Jack grinned. "This is perfect! Now I won't have to worry about sneak attacks from these cat demons!"
He immediately used the skill book, learning the new ability. As he did, another thought crossed his mind.
"Can I upgrade it?"
Without delay, he opened the enhancement menu.
"Upgrade cost: 700 experience points. Upgrade 'Illumination' to Advanced?"
Jack confirmed the upgrade. A new notification appeared.
---
[Skill Upgraded: Holy Light Illumination (Advanced)]
Lv1 Holy Light Illumination:
Consumes 3 energy points.
Summons a light source that dispels darkness within a 40x40 meter area.
Lasts for 90 seconds.
Light follows the user's movements.
Detects and reveals enemy creatures within range.
"Next upgrade cost: 2,000 experience points."
---
Jack burst into laughter. "Hahaha! This is exactly what I needed!"
Excited, he activated the skill.
A glowing orb of golden light appeared above his head, illuminating the surroundings like a bright lantern. Instantly, the dark forest around him became visible.
At the same time, a new function appeared in his system menu—a small mini-map. Several black dots moved within the illuminated area.
Jack focused on one of the dots. A label appeared: "Lv2 Ordinary Creature: Cat Demon."
His eyes gleamed with excitement. "So this skill lets me detect enemies too? This is overpowered!"
Jack tightened his grip on his sword and moved toward the nearest black dot.
---
Slaughtering the Cat Demons
As Jack approached, a cat demon leaped out from behind a tree, launching a surprise attack.
Jack reacted instantly, dodging to the side and counterattacking in one fluid motion. His blade slashed across its abdomen.
-224! (Weak Point Damage)
The cat demon staggered back, severely wounded. Jack didn't hesitate—he followed up with two quick slashes.
-112!
-64! (Lethal Damage)
The cat demon collapsed, defeated before it could even land a hit.
Jack smirked. "Too easy."
One by one, he hunted down the remaining cat demons within his mini-map's range.
With the Holy Light Illumination revealing their locations, their sneak attacks were useless. Jack cut them down effortlessly, collecting experience points and energy coins along the way.
Time passed quickly.
More than an hour later, Jack had slain over a dozen cat demons. His experience points had soared, and his confidence grew.
Just as he finished off another enemy, a sudden flash of movement caught his eye.
At the edge of his illumination range, a dark, red-striped figure darted between the trees.
Jack's system alerted him.
"Caution! Level 2 Elite Creature Detected: Poisonous Cat Demon!"
His heart pounded.
"An elite monster?"
Unlike the ordinary cat demons, this one was larger and had eerie, glowing red stripes along its body. Its claws dripped with a faint, purple substance—poison.
Jack tightened his grip on his sword. "This is going to be a real fight."
The Poisonous Cat Demon slowly prowled toward him, its eyes locked onto its next prey.
Jack took a deep breath, steadied his stance, and prepared for battle.
---
To Be Continued…
Would Jack be able to defeat the Poisonous Cat Demon? Or was this elite monster beyond his current strength?
Find out in the next chapter!
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