To Kill a Monster

In all honesty, the monster really wasn't that intimidating, nor did it have any sort of presence... Still, it was intimidating enough. 

The monster itself resembled a pitbull with pitch-black fur, with 6 legs as well. Red eyes stared at him, gauging whether or not to eat his scrawny body, Trace guessed. It was actually quite small, but big enough to his current form.

The demon dog, which was what Trace had started to call it, snarled. Saliva dripped from its open maw, which showcased a row of deadly teeth.

Fuck, has my new life ended before it even started?

Trace immediately spun around and started to run. He would not fight that thing- it would dismember him before he landed a punch. And even if he did, he doubted he would do any real damage with his scrawny frame.

However, Trace immediately regretted not staying put, as his action caused the demon dog to pounce, closing the few meters between them in an instant.

Trace yelped as he felt claws dig into his back. Only by rolling forward at the last moment did he manage to only get a surface wound. Still, the burning pain reminded him that this wasn't a game. He could die.

Trace whirled around to face the demon, realizing that fleeing wasn't an option. The demon was already on the move, its jaws spread wide. Trace responded with a wild hook punch to what he assumed was the temple of the beast.

Thankfully, his slow punch moved the head off course, deflecting it if anything. But the sharp pain up his arm reminded him he wasn't invincible.

Trace scrambled backward to create some distance.  How am I gonna get out of this one?  He thought, looking around for anything to use as a weapon. 

However, the demon dog snarled in anger at being pushed away by a scrawny goblin and stopped playing around. It lunged, again a blur. But this time, Trace saw an opportunity.

Blinded by anger, the demon was charging straight at him...

Trace sidestepped at the last moment, causing the demon dog to crash into one of the huge trees. A thud could be heard, along with a whimper. 

Trace whirled around, only to see a more surprising scene. 

The demon dog lay sprawled on the floor, blood leaking from its head. Was the tree that hard? Not only that, but the leaves on the tree started to glow, and a golden halo echoing hymns of old surrounded its trunk.

The demon dog was impaled by one of its roots, causing it to start bleeding out. Trace only hoped he would get credit for the kill, as there was no way he would become an enemy of the tree just for what he assumed was exp. 

The rest of the trees seemed to slightly bow in deference. 

The scene was mesmerizing, seeing how the laws of the jungle worked. The tree hadn't even spared the demon a second glance. It had simply killed it because it was weak, and started using its blood for nourishment.

There was something there that Trace couldn't grasp, but he had no idea to see if it would lead to anything more as an influx of foreign energy filled his body. 

Fear turned to astonishment as the energy healed him, but elevated his body to new heights. He felt slightly faster, he could see slightly better, as for all his other senses as well. He felt...  stronger.

[You have leveled up to level 2!]

It didn't stop there, as more energy cycled through his body.

[You have leveled up to level 3!]

Finally, that seemed like all Trace would get, as the energy left his body a moment later. Trace closed the screens with a sigh. This forest was dangerous. Best to keep his head down and survive-

[Active Quests]:

1. Confirmation of Supremacy (Normal): Reach level 25. Reward: Unlock a class system. Unlock a Evolution. (3/25)

[Dynamic Quests]: 

1. Slayer of Leviathans (Unique, Limited): Close the demonic incursion within 3 months. Reward: 5 E-Grade Nexus Crystals, Free Town Ownership, Status upgraded to Lord. Note: Failure to complete will result in the demonic incursion gaining complete control.

2. Demon Slayer (Unique): Kill 10 barghest/Kill 10 gywolli, OR kill 10 beasts of demonic descent. Reward: E-Grade Equipment, Body Tempering Manual. (1/10) - barghest

Trace watched the screen appear before him with a frown. The System wouldn't give him a break, it seemed. It appeared that he also had a quest function.

Trace assumed that Active Quests were quests he was currently completing, or they were quests given out by quest givers, whoever those may be.

Would there be people with yellow exclamation marks above them, telling him to kill 5 Goblins? 

Trace's gut feeling said no. Plus, he was a Goblin. 

Trace also assumed that limited quests were only open for a period of time. Unique quests were probably ones given depending on the situation, hence why they were listed under Dynamic Quests. 

He also had another Dynamic Quest, Demon Slayer. This one was pretty straightforward. What he had killed earlier was probably a barghest. 

Still...  Trace looked back at the tree, which was now back to normal. Its leaves were no longer glowing, its halo was gone, and its root had retreated back underground. The barghest was now a drained husk, the tree seemingly having absorbed all its nutrients.

This forest was way too dangerous. First, Trace would have to secure a shelter. Then food and water. Although the tree had absorbed every drop of blood, Trace still didn't know if a monster would soon come sniffing, attempting to reap rewards while Trace nursed his wounds.

Speaking of wounds, Trace found that all of his had healed in a fraction of a second as the energy made him level up. All that was left was crimson blood that was starting to dry.

"I need a bath. And some clothes..." Trace muttered, feeling helpless as the roars of monsters showcased their dominance. 

Trace decided not to waste time and carefully made his way towards the end of the clearing opposite to the tree. He made sure not to step on any roots and moved as slow as possible, so no other tree could attack him. Thankfully, it seemed that that was the only tree that had gained intelligence, as no other tree responded.

Soon enough, Trace was out of the clearing an into the woods. Unlike what he had thought, he did not immediately see weird monsters scurrying around. Rather, the forest seemed empty. There were still sounds, but Trace supposed it was best not to question it as he continued to watch, senses on alert.

Trace soon enough chanced upon the reason the monsters in this region weren't stepping out of line.

"Fuck me..."