“Could y-you slow your pace a bit?” Said Mike to Adrian.

“Oh, sorry.” He replied.

Adrian didn’t notice that [Celeratio] made him move that fast. Maybe because he didn’t need to put the same effort as before, Adrian actually felt like he was walking slower than he usually does.

“[Celeratio] really shows up, eh.” Told Dale who had his blowpipe in one of his trousers’ pockets and the darts inside the other one.

“Yeah, I calculated that I move almost as twice as fast as before.” Adrian said as his time perception gave him some hints.

“Jeez.” Said Mike who had to catch up to the group. “How do you manage to speak like a normal person when you are that fast?”

“The Record helps me,” Adrian answered. “It also keeps things balanced. It fastens me but slows everything else too.”

“Now I wish I had Maxxed [Celeratio].” Said Kayle while using his staff as a walking stick.

“Hey, I just stab things, you are a support,” Told Adrian. “You are more important than me.”

“You could look it that way,” Said Aby, the other support. “I think it’s time we talk about strategy.”

Aby told the group once she saw that the woods were opening up, the space between trees growing with each step. Everyone except Axel and Adrian sat on the ground. Axel stood like a warden, meanwhile, Adrian leaned his back on a tree.

“I should be the explorer!” Started Adrian. “Oh, he who recognizes the terrain and alerts the group of the dangers of the unknown.”

“No objections. Just,“ Aby sighed “lower that drama of yours.”

“I will be the vanguard!” Told Axel, everyone nodded instantly.

“Dale and I should stay at the backlines with Aby.” Said Mike.

“Giving the accuracy boost to the ranged?” Commented Adrian.

“Exactly.” Mike answered. Adrian no more saw a coward boy, but a tactician. No, he was still feeling melodramatic.

“I have no problem with that.” Said Aby.

“Me neither.” Followed Dale.

“Now the most troublesome part,” Adrian said. “What shall we do with Kayle? Do we put her with the ranged? Or with Axel?”

They did notice the void that was the frontlines. While Adrian was scouting the area and the rest were at the back, Axel was the only one who protected the frontline. They don’t feel like putting a girl who didn’t know how to fight at the first line of fire, even more, because she Maxxed a mental [Stat] instead of a physical one.

“What if I rotate?” Suggested Kayle.

Adrian adjusted his glasses until he was comfortable. “That could work. Axel is a beefy boy but giving the boost to the ranged attackers is also good. You don’t mind, right Axel?”

“No,” he answered. “That means I have more action for myself.”

Axel really was a muscle head. Not just Adrian, but everybody, even Axel himself thought that way.

They kept marching through the forest. Now, the sky was visible and if one paid attention they could listen to the birdsong that flew across the place. Even if the woods were more visible now, the sun —or whatever it was called at this world— shone upon the leaves, leaving a dark shadow, perfectly for ambushes. But that was only Adrian’s paranoia.

“I will scout ahead” Adrian cried to the group. “Keep them safe, big boy.”

And then, after talking to Axel, Adrian went into the woods. It wasn’t that he wanted to be alone or abandon them. It was the opposite. Adrian wanted to protect them and stay together, but there was a thing he wanted to try.

“[Battle Timing]” Adrian whispered. Suddenly he felt a strain upon his head. “So that’s mental power being consumed.”

That feeling vanished quickly and his mind felt a lot faster. He now noted more sounds than before. Adrian heard a clicking, it was noiseless, a faint trail of sound only made it possible to be heard. Maybe a quiet sound, but a constant one. And it was getting closer. Adrian hid behind a tree, in the opposite directions from the sound’s origin. He then saw. A human-sized praying mantis, or at least, something that resembled it.

The advantages of [Celeratio] were that when he moved slowly to avoid making noise, he truly was sneaking even though he was moving at a walking pace for a third party.

Adrian stayed about twenty meters behind the monster, not risking being noticed. He could have daggers, but he wasn’t a rogue. Adrian quickly realized that the praying mantis was steering towards Axel and the group. Adrian waited, still chasing the creature of course. He was waiting for his window of opportunity.

Adrian heard a war cry, probably coming from Axel. That was his chance. Taking advantage of Axel’s cry, Adrian rushed towards the monster, giving up his position.

The human-sized praying mantis noticed Adrian’s footsteps, but Adrian was only twenty meters behind, and his movement was greatly augmented thanks to [Celeratio]. He went so fast towards the creature that when he was at range the cry from Axel was still echoing through the woods.

Adrian had unshed his daggers while he was running and now, they were pointing towards the creature as if they were a sabretooth’s teeth. Adrian whispered in his mind [Fast Stab], activating the skill for his two daggers. He felt a bit tired, a chunk of stamina was drained from his body, but now the weapons moved even faster than before and they had an objective.

Adrian’s daggers, as if his body was boosted by it gaining extra speed, stabbed the monster’s compound eyes before it could defend itself. The creature fell to the ground, huge sockets were its eyes were, now clearly dead. No typical twitching that a lot of insects had when they died. It lay there, and the Record confirmed his death.

Level 2 [Archimantis Homicida] has been slayed

Participation Rate: 100%

You have earned 100 experience

Level Up!

One [Status Point] rewarded

As tempting as it was to open his [Status] and see the changes, another matter required his attention. Axel had cried and that could only mean one thing. Enemies.