“This is such garbage!” Rex shouted at the top of his lungs while running in an open field. The tall grass fell over as he barrelled through the area at an alarming speed. Behind him was a large blue ball. Though translucent, its outer edges were much brighter compared to its center and seemed to hold a small wooden rod. The low-leveled monster continued to bounce as it followed its target with unwavering determination.

“Stop crying about it and just kill the stupid slime,” Nicholas replied with an apathetic tone. He was sitting underneath a large tree, resting in the delightful shade while his friend ran around like a mad man. The slime hadn’t noticed him, and he preferred to keep it that way. There was no point in rushing in to save the would-be knight. As a [Smart Peasant], Nicholas knew better than to get involved.

“Use your skill, dammit! Find a weak spot or something.” Rex yelled back as he continued his run. His background in athletics helped him during the chase, but his stamina was quickly diminishing. The situation needed to change quickly or else the slime would catch up to him.

“Fine. I’ll do it again. [Observe].” Nicholas said before using his skill. It was given to him upon his initial class change, along with another skill. [Observe] scanned anything the user desired and replied with information based on its level. Its current level of one meant that it only provided general knowledge, which Rex refused to accept.

“OBSERVATION COMPLETE. TARGET IS A SLIME. TARGET IS BLUE.”

“Genesis isn’t saying anything new. Just hit it with the stick.” Nicholas said before nustling against the tree. A quick nap was exactly what he needed. The day was beautiful, and his spot was perfect. Fighting could happen once the two understood how to better handle the current problem.

“It ate my stick!” Rex explained why he was unarmed. The weapon that he previously had was immediately ingested by the monster. Currently, the stick was freely floating within the slime, but it would soon be digested.

“Don’t stab it then. Smack it with your skill.” Nicholas rolled his eyes. His gaze followed the tree’s limbs, stopping at all the out-of-reach weapons. He silently wished they had better weapons, but the team’s funds were limited. Food and shelter were infinitely more important than any sword, especially for a couple of novices.

“I can’t use [Reckless Swing] until my stamina recovers. It’d be faster if I wasn’t running around like a lunatic. Plus, this stupid de-buff skill makes it even harder!” Rex shouted before focusing on the run. His sprint slowed as his path curved to stay within yelling range. The blue slime behind him continued to follow without showing any sign of exhaustion, and it was slowly gaining ground.

“Right. De-buff skill…” Nicholas mumbled as he thought about the recent chain of events.

Class changes came with new skills, so the two obtained a few recently. Those skills represented the classes they were given. As sub-classes of the general [Peasant] class, the two received skills befitting of such a title. Rex received [Malnourished] which reduced both his stamina and stamina regeneration. Meanwhile, Nicholas obtained the skill [Underdeveloped] which reduced his six stats by ten percent. Along with their general class was a unique title, due to their original requests. [Smart] came with the skill [Observe], and [Brave] came with [Reckless Swing].

Nicholas smirked as he thought about the humor in the situation. Had he been alone, he would have been frustrated. Starting from the bottom was always difficult, but he knew they’d be able to. Heavy eyes stared far beyond their target before slowly lowering to the ground. It was a peaceful moment. A chance to finally unwind after everything that had happened.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last.

Rex was racing toward him at an alarming speed. His swift approach left him with little time to alter his companion. Without a moment of hesitation, he dodged to the left as the slime lunged at him. The creature missed its intended target but landed on a new one. Nicholas immediately panicked at his airways clogged with a thick fluid. He rose to his feet and grasped at the monster that burned his skin. Frantic hands seeped through the slime, unable to pull it off.

“Hold on! I got this!” Rex screamed as he raised his newfound weapon. The mighty stick blocked out the sun before hurtling toward the earth. It swept through the air at an impressive speed, colliding with its target with a considerable amount of force.

The slime’s body rippled from the impact. Visible waves of force coursed through its exterior before echoing back to its origin. The multiple ripples pushed its enemy away with the same force that originally crashed into the body. Time seemed to slow as the stick rushed back. Rex had no chance to react to the odd sensation. He couldn’t stop his weapon.

In a single moment, the stick slammed into his face.

Nicholas fell to his knees before fully collapsing from lack of air. The slime popped the moment it touched the ground. Rex remained standing as silence engulfed the two. Neither man wanted to move both out of exhaustion and humiliation. Moments passed, though they felt like an eternity, before something new happened. The two thought it was another enemy but didn’t have the energy to react. Thankfully, it was a good message.

“LEVEL UP. NEW SKILLS ACQUIRED.”

“Hooray,” both Rex and Nicholas moaned in unison. They were one step closer to their original goal, but their current battle results kept them from celebrating. Of course, they assumed the new skills had to be great. The two suffered from an interesting encounter, so any skills should be related to what had just happened. Both asked for their skills out of morbid curiosity. Hopefully, it would be something to better handle slimes.

“[SMART PEASANT] HAS RECEIVED THE SKILL [PANIC RESISTANCE I]. [BRAVE PEASANT] HAS RECEIVED THE SKILL [SELF-HARM RESISTANCE I].”