***Lerg The Cautious***

When he was sent to search the twenty-eight floor, Lerg felt relief. After all, if the enemy who had killed Nenny was still nearby, the twenty-ninth floor would be the most likely place it hid. He felt uncomfortable with splitting up in small groups, but it was still better than being alone.

Lerg didn't like to get hurt. He didn't want to die, either. When possible, he had always avoided a battle if he wasn't sure that he could win. This was why he always was called The Cautious of their tribe. Some looked down on him, calling him a coward, but he couldn't care less. His own survival was the most important.

So when he and his partner kobold didn't find Alger after they had completed their search, Lerg was the first to panic.

"Let's report it to Chief!" he offered with anxiety.

The kobold who accompanied him shook his head and firmly refused. It was too early to jump to conclusions, he said.

When the other two kobolds came to the stairs after searching the twenty-seventh floor, Alger was still nowhere in sight.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, the three kobolds found that it was strange that no one from the twenty-ninth floor had returned yet, and so they decided to check it. A foolish idea, Lerg told them. No one listened to him. He would have been glad to come back to the base on his own, but he knew that Velgo wouldn't appreciate such insubordination.

As soon as they stepped on the twenty-ninth floor, each of the kobolds smelled the scent of blood—the blood of their tribesmen.

It didn't take them long to find the scene of the crime, except it was almost empty. Other than some barely noticeable traces of gore and the stench of a recent death, nothing remained.

Lerg felt a vague sense of foreboding. If whatever this thing was had killed their leader, who was the strongest among their group, it could do the same to him.

"We should return to the base!" He shouted frantically. "And not split up no matter what!"

One of the kobolds agreed with him, but the other two had another opinion.

"Do you really believe that The Doubledge died?" The kobold named Rigu, who was Alger's friend, argued. "We can't be sure as there are no corpses left! I bet that right now, he's pursuing the enemy! And even if he was killed, it's our responsibility to avenge him! With four of us, we won't be easily defeated. But if you want to leave like the cowardly loser you are, that's your right!"

Lerg clenched his teeth in frustration. He couldn't leave the rest of his group without being considered a deserter by the Chief, and the other kobold knew it. Also, if, as Rigu said, their leader was still alive and they returned to the base without him, all of them would be punished.

In the end, a heated argument started between the four kobolds. Soon, their discussion moved from deciding their course of action to useless topics like the honor of their tribe and who had the most sensitive nose.

Just when Lerg thought of agreeing on a compromise of searching for Alger together and leaving only if they didn't find him within ten minutes, a loud bang sounded from the end of the corridor fifty feet away. And then another, and another.

Everyone instantly looked at the source of the disturbance, finding a strangely-dressed monkey with a furless face pointing a toy-like thing at them. After a dozen bangs, the creature disappeared around the corner, leaving the kobolds in a state of confusion.

Suddenly, one of them fell to the ground, clutching his right leg in pain.

"Aaaah!" The wounded wailed in pain. "M-my Field was destroyed, and my leg is useless!"

"We should chase it and kill it!" Rigu exclaimed. "It's afraid of us and can only attack from a distance! As long as we corner it somewhere, it will be helpless against our power! Let's go!"

"D-don't leave me alone!" The injured cried. He was the kobold who had taken the Lerg's side, but this time the one they named The Cautious knew better than staying alone with someone who had lost his ability to fight.

Lerg decided to pretend to go along with the Rigu's plan but secretly escape as soon as things started to go south. He would use the two foolish kobolds to distract the unknown enemy while he made his way down the stairs. If they somehow managed to win, though, he would use the injured as an excuse.

There was one big miscalculation in his plan, though. Everyone had assumed that the enemy had completely escaped and that it had used up all of its power. They had been wrong.

As soon as the three of them turned the corner, another barrage of barely perceivable projectiles assaulted them. The foe stood far away from them, close to the floor exit almost a hundred feet away.

Lerg felt a shiver run down his spine. He had only seen their Chief Shaman using such long-distance attacks. How could they deal with something that could deplete their EF even before they had a chance to approach? He clenched the two short axes in his hands as he glanced at the second victim of their strange adversary. The unlucky kobold had bloody wounds in both of his arms, leaving him no longer able to use his spear. His right foot also had signs of damage.

"Arf-arf-arf!" Rigu barked furiously as he charged at the enemy with a great stone tomahawk on his shoulder. Unlike their former leader, he had yet to learn how to actively use the power of Concepts, but he wasn't far from doing so. The primate didn't wait for the kobold to reach it, though, leaving to the stairway through the door.

"Kill it, Rigu!" The second injured kobold encouraged.

Lerg only hoped that their foe would be at the top of the stairs instead of waiting for them at the bottom. In this case, he could leave his angered teammate to hold down the monkey while he escaped. He didn't believe that it would be killed that easily.

About ten seconds after Rigu entered the stairway, Lerg followed him as well. Their enemy was nowhere to be seen, which made both of the kobolds hesitate.

"I'll go down, and you search up," Lerg suggested. He doubted that it would make much of a difference whether there were two of them confronting the primate or not—they couldn't win. Fear already clouded his judgment, so Lerg could only hope that he wouldn't be caught while escaping to the bottom of the building.

Without saying a word, Rigu ran to the thirtieth floor. Lerg prayed to Wepwawet, wishing that his path back to the base would be safe. Unfortunately, Gods didn't listen to mortals who were too weak or not faithful enough.

As soon as Lerg entered the twenty-eight floor through the hole that Alger had made, a strong impact hit his head. The already familiar loud bang accompanied the attack. A couple of dozen feet away, the good old monkey greeted him. A creepy smile was plastered on the creature's pale furless face as it pointed its tiny metallic weapon at the despairing kobold.

All the cautiousness in the world wasn't going to save someone if their teammates were beyond help.

***Lex Lurker***

The biggest change brought by my increased Nerve was my accuracy with ranged weapons. In simple terms, I felt like the protagonist of a Western movie. I had a hunch that hitting a one-cent coin from a hundred feet wouldn't be a challenge for the current me. Of course, my overall coordination, dexterity, and reaction speed skyrocketed as well.

After terrorizing the four kobolds and taking the two of them out of the battle, I hid on the twenty-eight floor a few dozen feet away from the entrance—I couldn't allow them to get the reinforcement from the lower floors, after all.

I had tried not to leave any mortal wounds on the two doggies I had shot, but I still hoped that everything would be over before they could risk bleeding to death. Each of them was a precious source of the Experience Points, after all!

I had used two magazines, leaving me only with five more left in total. Just after I reloaded the second of my Colts, the door opened, and the kobold with two stone axes entered the lobby.

Any of the guilt for killing the doggies had disappeared when I had learned that they could revive, so with nothing but pure excitement, I pulled the trigger, grinning like a child.

Headshot! I innerly congratulated myself on the perfect hit.

Due to my precision and the fact that we weren't far from each other, the kobold's EF was gone just after seven shots. The remaining three I aimed at both hands and at the right leg, disarming and immobilizing him in a moment.

"Woof-woooof, whoo," the monster whimpered pitifully after he fell on all fours, barely able to support himself. Unlike the other kobolds I had killed so far, it looked at me with fear and submission, making me doubt if what I had done was right.

I approached him and picked up one of the two axes—both were covered in their owner's blood.

If I were weaker, the blood would be mine. I reminded myself of the harsh reality, but didn't move just yet.

I heard the sound of hurried steps comings closer from the stairway.

So the last one wants to play with me too? I thought as I concealed myself at the back of the room. With my special Trait and Stalking, I didn't even need to try that hard to stay unnoticed. I instantly prepared the other pistol, which had the full magazine.

The angry-looking kobold with a tomahawk, who reminded me of the Level 10 I had killed before, burst into the room, ready for the battle. Noticing his heavily injured companion, he paused for a second, and it was more than I needed.

Headshot, headshot, headshot!

Just like the rest of them, he couldn't resist the power of firearms. Eight bullets depleted his Field, and the last two pierced his kneecaps.

The fight was over before it even began. I didn't even need to dismiss the notifications.

You've successfully ambushed a higher Level opponent while staying hidden!

Ambush reaches lvl 3. Your FATE is increased by 2.

Stalking reaches lvl 3. Your NERVE is increased by 2.

The newcomer dropped on his knees not far from the other kobold. Unlike the frightened doggie, this one didn't lose his bark. Even as I approached him with the ax in hand, he growled as he gave me a glare full of hatred. He still grasped his tomahawk as if it could save him from the unavoidable fate.

"Sorry, buddy," I said, wondering if talking to my enemies would improve Communication—it was worth trying, "but it's not your lucky day."

I didn't doubt that my Luck stat was way superior to his, so would he even have a chance at another day? It was unlikely.

I didn't want to accidentally get hurt while dealing with this desperate beast, so the first thing I did was kick his unprotected back before he could do anything unnecessary with his weapon. With both of his legs maimed, there wasn't much the kobold could do to resist.

I had never trained in kickboxing or Muay Thai, but having Nerve more than four times above normal allowed my coordination to become close to perfect. My kick made the kobold hit the floor hard head-first. He whimpered slightly, which proved that his anger didn't make him immune to pain.

"Let's finish this quickly." Probably because I knew that he couldn't understand my words, I spoke firmly and without stammering.

The stone ax, which wasn't bigger than my forearm, proved to be sharper than it looked. Two accurate strikes at the nape were enough to take the life of the tomahawk user.

You have contributed (44%) in slaying a [Shadowbark Kobold Warrior - Bronze, Level 9]. You receive a 60% Bonus EXP for killing a being above your Level. You receive 9 Lesser Essence Coins (LEC).

Quest notice: Shadowbark Kobolds slain: 4/10

Level up! You are now Level 4! You receive 4 Free Attribute Points (FAP).

"Is this the difference between Level 9 and Level 10, or is it just me who has gotten stronger?" I pondered out loud.

The kobold warrior I had fought before seemed to be way more dangerous than this one. And yet, considering that I had earned way more contribution with this one, he probably gave me almost as much EXP. Of course, I had doubled my Nerve since then, but still, the difference in difficulty was way too obvious.

I gave a passing glance to the shivering doggie nearby. This kobold looked really pitiful.

"Didn't you say that I could get a thing that allows me to understand their language after I raise my Level to 5?" I asked, knowing that Ciesta was watching in her invisible form. No one replied.

"So you are shy around onlookers?" I smiled. "Okay then. I hope that slaying the other two monsters will be enough for a Level-up."

I decided to keep this one alive for the time being. First, it would allow me to use his weapons without worrying that they would disappear. Second, I could probably get some information out of him after acquiring a way for us to understand each other. Lastly, it just didn't feel good for me to murder a defenseless and terrified living being, monster or not.

I shook my head while frowning. "I really don't like finishing off the already neutralized opponents."

I reloaded my pistols, just in case, and then put them into the pocket of my coat. After picking up the second ax, I left the floor and proceeded to finish my job—there were still two more monsters suffering from terrible injuries. They had no one else other than me to save them from this pain.

"Rest in peace, doggie," I whispered before liberating a beastly soul from this unfair world.

You have contributed (38%) in slaying a [Shadowbark Kobold - Bronze, Level 7]. You receive a 30% Bonus EXP for killing a being above your Level. You receive 7 Lesser Essence Coins (LEC).

Quest notice: Shadowbark Kobolds slain: 5/10

It's in poor taste to talk bad about the dead, but this guy wasn't very bright, was he? He should have at least tried to hide instead of waiting in the corridor.

This kobold had suffered from severe blood loss because I had shot both of his arms, which decreased my contribution to an extent.

Unsurprisingly, I didn't get a Level from this kill.

As the actual EXP required for each Level was hidden, I hoped that killing the Level 10 and Level 9 warriors had allowed me to get close enough to the next threshold.

There's only one way to find out.

It took me some time to find the guy I had shot first. He hid well in the male bathroom—the same place I had fought two of his tribesmen a while ago.

Honestly, he surprised me a little—as soon as I approached the toilet cubicle where he patiently waited, he kicked open the door and ambushed me, attacking with a thrust of his shortspear. I hadn’t been using Stalking to approach, but it still was surprising that he had managed to notice me first.

His attack appeared rather slow in my vision. With my senses being sharpened thanks to the increased Attributes and one of his legs injured, the end result couldn't be more predictable.

I avoided the thrust by slightly tilting my body to the side and, at the same time, slashed the ax at the side of his neck. My counterattack didn't finish him off in one go, but I had another ax to do the deed. His almost full Healthbar was reduced to nothing in mere seconds.

You have contributed (52%) in slaying a [Shadowbark Kobold - Bronze, Level 8]. You receive a 40% Bonus EXP for killing a being above your Level. You receive 8 Lesser Essence Coins (LEC).

Quest notice: Shadowbark Kobolds slain: 6/10

Level up! You are now Level 5! You receive 4 Free Attribute Points (FAP).

System Notice!

Menu:

Gear has been unlocked.

System Shop has been unlocked.

"What would you do if killing this monster wasn't enough for the Level-up?" A pleasant feminine voice asked from an empty spot near the bathroom entrance.

"I k-knew you were watching me all this time, Ciesta." Unlike my tone that had been full of self-confidence when I had spoken to the monsters, my voice trembled now, just like usual.

It didn't stop me from teasing her a bit. "A-are you shy of strangers, chameleon kitty?"

"What do we have here?" She said in an amused tone. "The pot calling the kettle black, huh?"

Fair enough, I thought with an awkward smile.

"In fact, unlike you, Lexy, I have a Charisma level that can pierce the heavens," the cat boasted as she turned visible, elegantly waving her tail. "I just don't want any unnecessary complications. Have you watched Men in Black? If someone other than you learns of my existence as something more than just a cat, I'd need to erase their memories, and it's too much of a hassle with nothing to gain."

Now I'm suspicious. . .It's one thing to know the languages of my planet, but another to actually make movie references.

"Suspicious?" Ciesta asked rhetorically in an exaggerated tone. "There's nothing suspicious about me, tee-hee."

I decided to leave this matter for later. I had a more important task at hand—getting the damn Doggie Translate!