Day 3...

Under the setting sun, the trees cast their shadows eastward onto the grassy plains.

As the wind blew by, it waved the green blades of grass and the big brown and short white hairs of the two rats standing face-to-face on it.

*Squeeeeeak!*

The leader Wild rat tried to threaten the companion of the enemy who had separated it from its followers. As it made its big hairs stand like needles, it was sure it would be enough to scare the small rat away.

Unfortunately, Brave wasn't among the rats who would be scared by any rat four times their size, looking twice as large because of their needle-like hair. She felt challenged.

*Squeeeeeak!*

Letting out a squeak of her own that didn't lose in any manner to her opponent, Brave lowered her upper body.

In an instant, all the hairs on her body stood like short needles as she dashed at the leader.

Seeing a rat not even half its size, choosing to fight it, the leader was offended. It dashed at the enemy.

It had just taken some steps forward when the leader saw the reason behind its enemy's confidence. Tearing the air apart, Brave approached it at such a speed that it couldn't react.

Once near the leader, Brave leapt at its head and clawed at its left eye.

*Squeeeak!*

The leader squeaked in pain at the blinded eye. Determined to eat the small rat alive, the leader turned its head in search of the enemy, only to find her metres away. This time, the leader was prepared. It had its sharp claws ready as it ran to the hateful rat.

Lowering her upper body again, Brave launched into action, running straight to the enemy.

As it saw its enemy running towards it, the leader waited. Once Brave was near, it raised its right paw, ready to strike the fast-approaching enemy.

Unfortunately for the leader, its claw was destined to gaze into the empty air, as midway through her run, Brave suddenly came to a halt and jumped to her right.

Arriving at the leader's blind spot, Brave ducked under its raised paw and pounced on its neck, biting it with all the strength she could muster.

*Squeeeeeak!*

The leader once again squeaked in pain when it felt the sharp teeth digging into its neck. Almost instantly, it slammed its neck down.

The leader had the advantage of its height, which is used. Putting all its weight under its neck, the leader pushed the Brave, without any base, to the ground.

It was Brave's turn to feel pain, which she expressed by increasing the force of her bite. This in turn increased the pressure on her. The leader was dragging Brave on the ground with all his might, determined to turn her into meat paste. Unfortunate yet again, the leader had forgotten about the partner of the small rat, because of whom he was separated from his followers.

Arriving at the scene, the moment Damian's eyes landed on the leader, rubbing its body on the ground and Brave under it, he sprang into action.

Using the exposed belly of the rat as his sword's target, Damian didn't give it any time to react, stabbing his sword in its abdomen.

*Squeeeeeak!*

Before the leader could curse the duo came running into its peaceful life, turning it into hell. A hand clutched its neck hair and lifted it into the air.

"Uhh!"

Using whatever strength he could gather, Damian lifted the leader's body into the air, freeing his Brave. Once Brave got out, he dropped the body back.

Getting hold of his sword, Damian pulled it out and stabbed it in the leader's neck, ending whatever little life it had left.

"Good job holding the leader. It took me a while to finish both its followers." Picking Brave up Damian dusted her milky white hair.

Sitting on the grass under him, Damian looked down at his clothes covered in dust and dried blood, with scratches here and there. 'I wish there was a quest with a new set of clothes as a reward, which included underwear.'

Making the wish, Damian looked at the system messages he had turned off since the morning.

«You have killed a leader Wild rat!»

«You have killed 6 Wild rats!»

«45 experience earned!»

«45 class experience earned!»

«4.5 spirits collected!»

«Mastery of Basic Swordsmanship: 8.5%»

«Brave has killed a leader Wild rat!»

«Brave has killed 6 Wild rats!»

«Brave has earned 45 experience!»

«Brave has collected 4.5 spirits!»

"Our growth has slowed down." Damian considered today's gain small after the two consecutive level-ups. After having a taste of the power of stats, Damian wanted more of them, and for that, he needed level-ups.

'Seriously, are there only Wild rats in the forest?' Asking himself, Damian looked at the forest, which was starting to darken.

'Now only the north is left. Let's hope for the best.' Damian decided to head back, as he wished for it to not be the case since the Wild rats were now easy targets for them and didn't give many rewards.

Day 4...

The crimson rays of the evening sun fell on the ground, illuminating the four blood-stained carcasses of the Wild rats.

*Sigh!*

Sitting on a rock, Damian released a sigh as he used the body of a Wild rat to wipe its blood from his sword.

'We are surrounded by wild rats.' Releasing yet another sigh, Damian accepted the reality. 'We have to go deeper into the forest.'

Looking to the north, Damian's eyes could capture the big fruitless trees impaled on the grassy plain with short shrubs with no change of terrain insight.

Damian had been hoping to find some high-level monster near the clearing, but his wish didn't come true, much like his other wish of getting a new set of clothes, which included underwear.

Damian was hesitant to go deeper into the forest. Because the deeper he went, the further he was from the clearing, his safe place.

*Squeak!*

As Brave jumped into his lap, Damian couldn't help but look back at her recent fights and exclaim at how much more intelligent she had become from just two new points in the attribute.

'Let's look at today's growth.' Giving head pats to Brave, Damian opened his system messages.

«You have killed 8 Wild rats!»

«40 experience earned!»

«40 class...»

Skipping through the messages, Damian got up on his feet. Storing the dead bodies in his inventory, he walked to the south with the thought, 'We should be able to leave up tomorrow.'

Day 5...

As Brave pulled out her teeth from the throat of the dead wild rat, Damian counted it as the third kill of the day.

'Should be enough for the next level.' Damian opened the system messages and was about to read through them when...

*Ding!*

«22 Wild rats found in inventory!»

«12.5 spirits detected in the collection!»

«Processing...»

«Material analysed!»

«Fuel analysed!»

«Creation list ready!»

[ Activate the skill '‹SS-› Spirit forging'? ]

[ ‹Yes› ‹No› ]

Messages after messages started popping up. Looking at the questioning screen in front of him, Damian's eyes froze on the "SS-" in front of the skill.

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