After lots of pointed questions and back and forth, Rabbit’s first suggestion was to allocate my attribute points. My character sheet currently looked like this:
Name: Alf
Level: 25
Race: Grey Elf
Languages: English, Common, Elvish, Pukka, Elos
Reputation
Black Rock Islands ‘Immortal Grey Elf’ – Infamy “Kill me if you can”
General Unknown “Who are you again?”
Stats
Max Health: 580
Max Mana: 340
Attributes
Strength: 28
Perception: 10
Constitution: 58
Charisma: 20
Intelligence: 34
Wisdom: 10
Agility: 44
Resistances: Mental 20%
Cytotoxic venom 24%
Carbinium Cytotoxic Spider Venom 33%
Affliction: Vitality Bleed
Skills: Various
Abilities
Soul Absorption: This ability allows the user to eat the souls of others to gain a small part of their power.
Mana Strengthening: You have found the feel of mana and are able to move it through your body. With effort, you may find all the benefits from freely moving mana.
Night Vision: This ability grants the user enhanced vision in low-light environments.
Secondary Abilities
Enhanced Regeneration: Grey Elves already possess a high rate of regeneration. This ability further amplifies their regenerative capabilities, allowing for exceptionally rapid healing.
When assigning my attributes, I often hesitated, unsure where they would be most impactful. Perception was unnecessary since Rabbit already handled that for me. Charisma had helped me reach this point, as I wouldn’t have gotten this far without my friends. Still, with them nearby, I didn’t see it as that important.
Intelligence or Wisdom were at the top of my list to dump points into. I could now learn any type of magic and was excited to become a mage. However, in my current mission, maximizing my speed was my highest priority. With the challenges ahead, quick reflexes and swiftness would be crucial for survival.
The big question was how to make myself faster. Speed involved balancing the allocation of attribute points between Agility and Strength, but as Sana pointed out, there was no magic formula to it. Attribute points only magnified your physical body, so if you were already strong, the number of points wouldn’t need to be as high in Strength. However, if you were lower than average, then you would need more points, so it wasn’t as simple as making the points equal between Agility and Strength.
Since arriving in this world, my muscle strength had steadily increased thanks to my natural regenerative ability. Not only did I heal wounds rapidly, but my muscles also recovered swiftly whenever I pushed them to their limits. While I might not yet match Jack's level of physical prowess, I was gradually becoming more toned and defined. My Agility hadn't increased naturally, and I knew I needed to work on that, but since my points were automatically allocated there, I was less concerned.
With 28 points in Strength and 44 in Agility, I already possessed considerable speed. However, to fully optimize my abilities and reach my peak performance, Rabbit recommended that I allocate my 10 distributable points into Strength. This opportunity to gain an extra 10 points was rare, and I likely wouldn't encounter it again as I had advanced through levels so quickly. I only received this many due to my victory over the Queen Carbinium Spider, which boosted me to level 25.
After distributing my points, I had:
Attributes
Strength: 38
Perception: 10
Constitution: 58
Charisma: 20
Intelligence: 34
Wisdom: 10
Agility: 44
Adding 10 points to Strength may seem excessive, but it would provide benefits beyond just increasing my speed. It was crucial for ensuring my survival. Although Rabbit believed my Strength might become disproportionate to my Agility, we could work on improving my physical agility to balance the two and make me even faster.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The second method for enhancing my speed was through the use of my Time Spell. This spell slows down time by 1% for every odd level. Since acquiring the soul fragment, my Time Spell had been upgraded to level 22, granting me a slight advantage in combat. The spell had increased my perception of time by 11%, causing me to experience time at a faster pace compared to the normal flow of events around me.
This not only made me faster in physical action, but also gave me a mental edge. I could perceive my enemies’ movements and adjust my actions accordingly. Furthermore, the upgraded spell level had resulted in a reduced mana cost, so I could cast it more frequently without worrying about mana depletion. Instead of draining all but 1% of my mana regeneration, I could now restore mana at roughly 21% of the normal rate.
Locating the caravan proved to be the simplest aspect of my plan. With Rabbit’s guidance, I was able to pinpoint their exact position based on their slow movement. Though I might have eventually figured it out on my own, Rabbit’s expertise allowed us to plan a direct route through the marshlands, one that aimed straight for the heart of the group. Without him, navigating the terrain would have been time-consuming.
The marshlands posed a significant challenge with its numerous sinkholes, which could easily slow me down and trap me. My plan was simple yet elegant. Lacking the muscle to defeat or distract the numerous warriors effectively, I realized the only viable solution was to bring bigger muscles to the fight.
There was only one creature of such size that came to mind, and it very eagerly wanted to eat my friends and me. Despite its size, it fell far short of the image I had envisioned. As Sana described, it stood massive on two legs, its body cloaked in thick fur. The creature resembled a giant werewolf, ferocious and wary by nature, and known to attack even large settlements if provoked.
These beasts, called Rokus, were often left alone due to their tendency to enter blind rages, destroying everything in their path, even if it meant their own death. An aggressive evolutionary path often led to extinction. However, for this creature, being the biggest and toughest proved advantageous. Especially here, it seemed like the villagers didn’t think it was worth the cost to try to hunt them down.
Children were frequently told cautionary tales about the Rokus, warning that straying from the village could lead them to be hunted and devoured by these creatures. While these stories might seem disturbing, their effectiveness in keeping the children safe was undeniable.
When I found the Rokus again, it had already fallen back asleep. A sane person might have wondered why anyone would approach a creature capable of snapping bones as easily as twigs. Most would have argued it was a clear sign of being a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Standing there, watching the sleeping beast and pondering my next move, I couldn't help but agree.
The Rokus was nocturnal, typically hunting at night. Our earlier noise had roused it from its slumber, and while it probably intended to devour us, the muddy terrain had discouraged it. At the time, I wasn’t aware of how fortunate that was. I only later pieced it together through careful questioning.
As I reached for my bow and arrow, I couldn’t help but feel trepidation at my idiocy. My hands trembled as I raised the bow, fingers curling around the familiar wood and taut string. Ahead, the Rokus, a creature renowned for its unyielding ferocity, lay sleeping, its breath slow and steady.
I positioned myself at the maximum range from which I could shoot and lined up my shot. Pulling the bow back, aiming skyward, I released the arrow. Unfortunately, it fell embarrassingly short. Either the bow wasn’t suitable, or my archery skills were abysmal. Moving significantly closer, I questioned my sanity. Perhaps shooting the beast from afar wasn't a bright idea, but doing so while being close was pure suicide.
Nevertheless, everyone else was in position and relying on me.
I crouched behind the tree, hoping to conceal myself as best as I could. I took a deep breath, drew back the bowstring, and steadied my focus, taking careful aim at the Rokus. The arrow flew straight and true toward the creature’s middle, but at the last moment, it veered off course, striking the Rokus in the leg.
In an instant, the Rokus was awake and roaring with fury. The sound was deafening, and the ground shook beneath me. I realized with a sinking feeling that I had forgotten how loud and terrifying that voice was. I had never been this close to the beast before, and the sound of its voice echoed through the forest, and I felt a chill run down my spine. With the Rokus rising to its feet, I knew I had to move quickly. Darting behind the tree, I began to back away, my heart pounding in my chest.
A prompt appeared:
Analysis has detected the Rokus afflicting you with Fear. Recognizing a threat for what it truly is often limits its power. As such, your fear has been moderated.
It was surprising how true the prompt was. The roar triggered terror and dread in me. Anyone would have been stricken with fear at the sight of such a monstrous creature, but I knew I couldn’t freeze if my plan were to succeed. Even as the ground trembled beneath my feet, I doubted my ability to execute my plan. Yet, as quickly as the fear had surged, it ebbed away, replaced by a restoration of rationality.
As I watched the Rokus begin to turn and twist, I instinctively fled, counting on the clamor of its thrashing to mask the sound of my hurried steps. I knew it would take time for the creature to locate me, allowing me to widen the gap between us as I headed toward the safety of the marshland. By the time the Rokus spotted me, I had already covered a considerable distance. It unleashed a mighty roar and started charging in my direction.
