Chapter 4 - The Creek

One youth danced through the harsh terrain as if it was his home, to begin with. Using the shadows to his advantage, Alex appeared and disappeared from tree to tree. Using the branches to thrust himself forward.

Alex wasn't trying to draw attention to himself in the creek as although his combat skills were top-notch the danger here currently for his level and current strength was undeniable. Still, Alex was without a doubt unafraid.

Why you might ask, well that is simple. In his past life, Alex learned multiple different routes to effectively level himself up as in his early years of playing the game he used to boost people's accounts for money. Although this method was frowned upon and quite frankly Alex too despised it, Alex was forced to make money one way or another.

This route he was currently taking he had taken many times in the past. That was because the end result would allow him to open a chest if done properly. Depending on his luck he could boost himself to a higher level faster if he got something good.

Avoiding the different beasts from wild boars to Monkeys. Alex continued to make his way deeper into the forest up until he reached the inner region of the creak's hunting ground. You could tell that the danger level increased as the surroundings seemed to be marked with territorial warnings.

Trees seemed to be marked by bear claws and different other kinds of scratches. Alex picked up on all of this as he focused himself on controlling his breathing and keeping his presence masked. As for his stealth skill, it was currently activated and increasing the proficiency rapidly as Alex's usage of the skill was top tier. In fact, it was nearing level 2.

ROARRR

In the close distance, a brown bear appeared in large stator. Alex expected this of course as he had to overcome this obstacle to get to where the quest object was. Instead of being afraid of the incoming danger he seemly smiled before shouting "Come!"

The bear enraged at the arrogance of the youth charged on all fours before standing on its hind legs and slashing both claws towards Alex's direction. Alex did not panic in front of the incoming danger and instead stayed deathly still. The claws came thrashing down and just before they made contact with the body of Alex, he vanished.

The bear somewhat confused at how weak the youth was thought he was instantly dead. However, before it realised it hadn't made contact with the youth and what's worse disappeared. Alex reappeared on the left side of the bear. Taking his dagger from his side he used [Chop] on the bear's neck before slashing twice more once on the shoulder of the bear and the next on the back as Alex descended from a higher elevation after jumping.

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The bear roared out in pain and anger before turning and once more slashing toward Alex. This time at a much faster and vicious speed than prior. Not that it mattered as Alex waited for the claw to come closer to him before he accelerated his movements suddenly breaking away from the bear before then closed in once more.

Using the newfound space he once more slashed at the bear twice leaving a huge 'X' mark across the bear's front.

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Still, the bear did not fall as he moved once more to the side of the bear cutting at the bear's thigh with killing intent.

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Circling towards the bear's back once more the cooldown for [Chop] finished and Alex thrust out with all his current strength.

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[You have killed Great Brown Bear LVL 7. Gained 2000 XP.]

[You have gained x2 Bear Hide.]

"Not bad, onwards."

Storing away the bear hide, Alex carried on into the depths of the forest. Although there seemed to be an eerie feeling of danger leaking from the surroundings of the forest. Alex journeyed on stealing his nerves as he focused on blending in with the terrain.

Skills worked differently from what one might think. In The World Of Divinity, skills could be raised through continuous usage yes. However, an expert's skills were mainly raised through an understanding of principles. This meant that the user had to truly understand how and when to use a certain skill if they wanted to correctly increase their skills level.

A skill had certain brackets as levels 1-3 were for novice usage. Levels 4-6 were for beginner usage. Levels 7-10 were for apprentice level usage. Past that level 11-20 were for Experts.

The different brackets gave the user hidden advantages like higher damage if it was an attack skill for example. Or for stealth, it reduced presence as well as cloaked the player in an invisible layer of reflection that allowed players to mask into surroundings easier. At a high level, they were basically invisible if you didn't know what you were looking for.

Alex who had the experience of maxing out basic stealth skills was utilising this outing to raise the skill fast. Steading his breath with the wind, calming his heart, using the shadows to his advantage and cloaking his sounds to a minimum. All hidden requirements to raise his skill level fast.

[You have levelled up basic Stealth skill to LvL 2.]

With a sudden warmth, Alex felt his presence decrease as his smell seemed to vanish. Now when moving forward he'd be unnoticed by those beasts that specialised in detection.

Feeling much better about his current situation Alex quickened his pace as he closed in on the area where the hidden quest was located. As he reached an opening amid the forest a parting of trees was cut out. A huge rock lay in wait with a single treasure chest sitting atop. Guarding the chest was a sleeping panther.

The size of an adult male with defined muscles and teeth made to kill. Alex looked on watching as it yawned and licked its paws in boredom. This beast right here was without a doubt a natural-born predator.