Getting the first star

Breathing heavily as he leaned on his scythe, Aethereis surveyed the battlefield. Blood and wolf parts were scattered everywhere, and his armor was covered in red stains. His face had several scratches, but his expression remained impassive, revealing no emotion.

[You have killed an F- rank Wind Wolf and gained 100 experience points! *11]

[Level up >9]

Receiving notifications of the slain wolves, he accessed his status with a thought.

'Status'

[Name]: Aethereis Tenebris Noctis

[Level] - 9 (EXP 750/900)

[Race]: Demonic Dragon

[Bloodline]: Progenitor Demonic Dragon

[Body Constitution] - Common 0-star Mana Core

[Treasury]

'Today, I should reach level ten and complete the guild's final mission. Once I can use my mana, I should create a new style that allows me to combine my skills with magic,' reflected Aethereis after reviewing his status.

'My current skills are insufficient. In a fight with a large number of enemies, I am at a disadvantage. If I learn to properly handle other weapons besides daggers, I will have the advantage in terms of versatility.'

Another thing Aethereis had noticed was that the system seemed to have extensive knowledge. Although he preferred not to blindly trust it, his options were minimal at this point. If he could access a library or enroll in an academy, he could be prepared for any situation with the right information, something he had learned from various missions as an assassin.

"System, do you have information on Horned Rabbits?" Aethereis asked, wanting to be as prepared as possible to finish up and return to the city for a bath.

[Gathering data... 0%....]

[Data collected... 100%....]

[Horned Rabbit: Known for horns protruding from its head. Despite its small and seemingly harmless appearance, the Horned Rabbit is a rather dangerous carnivorous beast. Its horns serve not only for defense against predators but also in territorial disputes with others of its kind.]

[Horned Headbutt: The rabbit lunges forward and rams with its sharp horns.

Evasive Leap: The rabbit uses its powerful hind legs to perform rapid evasive jumps.

Wind Charge: Channels Mana through its horns, creating powerful gusts of wind that can cut through its enemy.

Whirlwind Thrust: Concentrates a large amount of magical energy in its horns, unleashing a whirlwind of powerful centrifugal force that devastates everything around.]

[These are some of the abilities gathered from the 'Horned Rabbit' species. The host should note that abilities in each monster are random and may even have none.]

[Similar to those Wind Wolves, despite being born with an affinity for wind, they cannot use any attribute-related abilities unless their core is fully developed.]

"Hmm... as long as they are not F-rank, they won't be able to use any attribute-related abilities, unless they want to end up crippled," Aethereis responded.

[Correct, host.]

After conversing with the system, Aethereis sought out a stream to wash himself; his entire body was dirty and reeked of wolf blood.

Arriving at the stream, with a thought he commanded his armor to stop covering his body, transforming into a tar-like substance. Once naked, he entered the stream, cleansing all the dirt and blood from his body. He watched as the scratches on his face closed up, leaving only his flawless pale skin.

Submerging for a few minutes, he enjoyed the sensation of being underwater. Upon resurfacing, his body was exposed, revealing his toned muscles. Aethereis summoned his armor, which once again covered his body, while he shook out his wet hair.

************

Hours later, the sun was at its highest point, the dense foliage of the trees blocking most of the light, while the wind blew gently, causing the tree branches to sway. Aethereis steadily advanced in a southwest direction.

Finally, the landscape began to change. The tall, dense trees gave way to a more open area, where the terrain rose to form a hill. Strong winds began to blow, causing the tree branches to sway.

Observing his surroundings, Aethereis asked the system, his voice swallowed by the wind, "Why is this place so different from the rest?"

[There is a concentration of wind element; though not significant, it would be beneficial for someone with that attribute. Thanks to this, such zones are created, even if the host does not need to increase their elemental affinity. Once you complete your first star, you will understand.]

Nodding without fully understanding what the system meant, Aethereis summoned his daggers, increasing his vigilance as he proceeded. He remained alert, with each of his senses heightened, ready to face any threat.

Suddenly, a movement caught his attention. Aethereis came to an abrupt halt, turning towards the direction of the movement, daggers in hand and muscles tense. Emerging from the undergrowth was a small figure: a rabbit of considerable size, with fur as black as night and eyes that shone intensely in a deep red hue. Above its head stood dark, sharp horns.

Sniffing in Aethereis's direction, the rabbit observed him with its large eyes glowing like stars. Though its appearance might be cute, it was quite a cunning predator, emitting soft sounds to lower its prey's guard.

*Sniff! Sniff! Sniff!*

*Squeak!* *Squeak!*

Seeing that its prey wasn't falling into its trap, the rabbit lunged forward, propelled by its hind legs, intending to ram Aethereis with its horns.

*******

POV Aethereis

I watched as the rabbit propelled itself towards me at great speed, gripping the handles of my daggers. Just as it was about to strike me with its horns, I leaned my body to the left to evade its attack.

*Whoosh!*

With a swift motion, I threw a dagger aiming for its eyes. The rabbit, reacting with great agility, managed to dodge the dagger.

*Sshing*

While Aethereis and the horned rabbit fought, several rabbits emerged from the undergrowth and watched the fight with their large red eyes shining sinisterly.

Without giving it time to launch another attack, I moved as fast as I could trying to stab its body with ultra-fast thrusts. The rabbit, with agile movements, performed several evasive jumps and managed to evade my attacks.

*Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!*

*Clash!* *Clash!* *Clash!*

Feeling more presences around me, I changed tactics and decided to stop chasing the rabbit while thinking, 'If I keep this up, I'll end up getting tired faster. Besides, he has the advantage in this terrain.' I closed my eyes and entered a state of stillness, focusing on sharpening my other senses.

Thinking that his prey had surrendered, the rabbit jumped with the intention of impaling Aethereis.

*Boing!*

I felt the presence of the rabbit approaching from the front, while my ears caught the sound of the wind tearing. In a split second, a beautiful katana appeared in my hands. With an ultra-fast movement, I made a diagonal cut, splitting the rabbit in two. I felt the warm blood splatter my face as the rabbit's body fell with a dull thud.

*Schliiick!* *Thud!*

[You have killed an F-rank Horned Rabbit and gained 100 experience points! ]

From the shadows of the surrounding trees, more red eyes and dark horns emerged quickly, feeling the movement of the rabbits take a defensive stance.

The first to launch were two horned rabbits, jumping from opposite directions, reacting quickly with a fluid movement, deflecting the first attack, redirecting the rabbit's trajectory towards a nearby tree.

The second rabbit attempted an attack from behind. Anticipating its movement, the katana transformed into a scythe and I made a cut towards its head. The rabbit, sensing the danger and trying to perform an evasive leap to escape, was struck in mid-air by a dagger in its back, which pierced its heart.

*Whoosh!*

*Thud!*

[You have killed an F-rank Horned Rabbit and gained 100 experience points! ]

I felt a disturbance in the wind flow and watched attentively as among the horned rabbits, one of them began gathering mana around its horns. The aura of energy shimmered with an emerald green glow, slightly distorting the air around it.

Feeling a sense of crisis, in an instant, my scythe transformed into a shield while a katana appeared in my hand. With a sonic boom, I charged at the rabbit intending to prevent it from completing its attack.

*Boooom!*

*Crack!*

The other horned rabbits, seeing my advance, lunged furiously to stop me, attacking from all directions with their sharp claws and horns.

With quick reflexes and precise movements, I blocked the incoming attacks with my shield, deflecting their charges and repelling their blows with my katana.

*Schlk!*

[You have killed an F-rank Horned Rabbit and gained 100 experience points! ]

One of the rabbits received a fatal blow as my katana sliced through its neck with a clean, precise cut.

*Crack! Crunch!*

[You have killed an F-rank Horned Rabbit and gained 100 experience points! ]

A third rabbit leapt high, its horns aimed directly at my chest. I raised my shield just in time to deflect its attack and, in one fluid motion, impaled it mid-air with my katana. The blade pierced through its torso, and the rabbit let out an agonized squeal before dying skewered.

*Whoosh!*

*Schlk!*

*Squeeeek! Squeeeek!*

[You have killed an F-rank Horned Rabbit and gained 100 experience points! ]

Just as I was about to eliminate another rabbit, the one charging its magical attack released a burst of wind blades, cutting through everything in their path.The remaining rabbits caught in the middle were killed, sliced into pieces by the blades.

*Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!*

*¡Shlurp! ¡Splat! ¡Squelch!*

Attempting to dodge the attack, I covered myself with the shield, feeling a stinging sensation on my face as some blades were repelled by my armor. The impact threw me to the ground.

*Whoosh!*

*Thud!*

Quickly rising despite my wounds, I observed the rabbit in a state of daze. I approached swiftly and slashed downward with the katana. The rabbit snapped out of its daze and performed an evasive leap, but the katana cut its side, causing it to scream in pain.

*Whoosh!*

*Squeeeek! Squeeeek!*

With a swift motion, the katana transformed into a pair of daggers. I threw them with precision, embedding them in the rabbit's back and stabbing it.

*Thud!*

[You have killed an F- rank Horned Rabbit and gained 100 experience points! ]