Chapter 19: Soul System... Knack for Killing

Chapter 19: Soul System... Knack for Killing

Ruthar slowly walked through the forest, his eyes fixed on even the slightest movement in the twigs and the shaking leaves. He was already deeply immersed in the forest, certain that monsters lurked nearby.

According to the novel, monsters were graded based on their destructive capabilities. Ruthar recalled how dangerous monsters were even to Exorcists. It would be catastrophic if he were caught off guard. Just recalling how monsters would eventually advance in the future of the novel gave Ruthar shivers; they could literally tear apart a kingdom without breaking a sweat.

But in this forest, he would be dealing with brutal monsters rather than powerful ones. The author had used a lone adventurer as a case study in the description—a single man torn apart from his torso up to his spine and out his throat by a ruthless monster.

'It might sound thrilling to readers, but being in the novel is another feat entirely... My poor body can't stand that violation.'

Those thoughts made Ruthar tighten his grasp around his blade. He couldn't afford to take any chances now.

As Ruthar continued down the path, he began to hear subtle noises eroding the usual wildlife sounds. Something was coming stealthily toward him, and luckily, his extracted skills from Rotexa allowed him to hear it.

All of a sudden, the sound grew closer, and out of a nearby bush, a bizarre creature launched at him. Ruthar managed to swiftly evade the attack by rolling out of the way, leaving the beast to collide face-first with the soil, raising pillars of dust.

'Man, that was close. I thought it would go for my guts; luckily, I dodged in time.'

Ruthar climbed to his feet and scanned the monster that had attempted to kill him. It was a huge bear-like creature with long, unkempt hair covering its entire body and large maws filled with humongous fangs gleaming in the hollow light of the forest. The beast growled, taking cautious steps toward Ruthar like the predator it was.

'Let's see how much my training pays off in battling monsters.'

Ruthar raised his sword to his shoulder, assuming a stance he had been taught. As if sensing his intent, the monster growled before racing at him on all fours. Ruthar jumped forward to meet it. The beast was the first to attack, but Ruthar evaded with a simple sidestep, finding an opening to slash his sword at the hind neck of the beast, tearing deeply into it.

The beast shrieked, retaliating by turning and swinging a claw-filled hand at Ruthar.

"Tsk!" Ruthar blocked with his sword, stumbling back but regaining his footing. He had made a decisive attack, but it wasn't deep enough.

'I have to use my strength and the sword art I learned to deepen my attacks!'

Ruthar tightened his grip around his sword as the monster lunged at him, swinging its claws. He backed away quickly, letting it swing aimlessly at the air. The beast did not give up easily, attacking repeatedly and giving him no openings. It was fast and almost impossible to avoid, but Rotexa's extracted skills would occasionally kick in. Every now and then, Ruthar saw an opening, but whenever he tried to take it, the beast would immediately counter and attack again.

'I won't win at this rate.' Ruthar growled, throwing his gaze to the ground in search of something. 'A stone.' He bent down as he spotted a large, hard rock the size of a finger. As he did this, he noticed the claws of the beast plummeting quickly toward his skull.

'Not taking any chances... Though I already planned this out.'

As soon as Ruthar's hand picked up the stone, he leapt forward with all his might. Thanks to his small size, he was able to pass underneath the monster's legs and fall on his face several feet away. Ruthar wasted no time in rising to meet the disoriented beast, which was already turning to attack again. It had strong resilience, but...

"I win this..." Ruthar tightened his grip around the stone, making a strong stance and hurling it with all his strength. The speed and size of the stone rendered it nearly invisible until it crashed into the beast's left eye, destroying it completely.

The beast aborted all forms of attack, shrieking and shaking its head in pain. Ruthar had already jumped forward during its distraction, stabbing the disoriented beast across its forehead, making it give out another loud shriek. The sword only made a little distance into its cranium.

'Let's see what sword art can really do!'

Ruthar concentrated his energy into his sword. All of a sudden, it caught a dark purple energy, and with a little force, it went completely through the beast's cranium and out the other side. Moments later, the resistance of the beast dropped, and it fell to its side, dead and bleeding from its skull.

'I killed it.' Ruthar pulled his sword from the dead beast's cranium and sheathed it.

[You have killed a grade 1 forest demon]

[1/50]

[You have leveled up]

[Stats are now available]

[Soul Leak has been activated: Your power has increased by 1]

Ruthar placed his hand on his chin, feeling a bit confused. 'This looks like one of those RPG games and novels. I should check my beginner stats, but later I'll figure out what the rest mean.'

Ruthar looked at the notifications with awe.

'How do I see my stats?'

<Supreme Extraction System>

Name: Ruthar Hellborn

Title: None

Job Class: None

Exp: 2/100

Level: 1

<Stats >

Strength: 14

Agility: 8

Senses: 1

Stamina: 20

Intelligence: 2/200

Fatigue: 11

Mana: 231

"It's truly a system!" Ruthar exclaimed excitedly.