A new journey (3)

[Congratulations! You have defeated the 'Undefeated Tiger.' You gain 43 Undefeated Tiger's Eden, +20 stamina, and 25 health.]

[Congratulations! You have reached level 35. You have gained two points to distribute freely.]

'If it isn't a nice surprise...' Enzo sighed as he sat down for a moment. All the adrenaline died down, and he was now exhausted. Although his butterflies healed him, he was still tired. Really tired.

As he look up, he saw Rose far away in the same position as him. He sent his healing butterflies forth to heal her as she was much more bruised than him. After all, his butterflies prioritized his safety over hers.

As Enzo's healing butterflies reached Rose, she felt a soothing warmth envelop her wounds. The pain began to subside, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Enzo," she said with a grateful smile.

Enzo nodded, still catching his breath. "No problem," he replied. "It was quite hard, wasn't it? I thought for a moment that we would have died."

Rose's smile softened, her eyes filled with appreciation. "It was definitely a close call," she admitted. "But thanks to your quick thinking and our teamwork, we made it through."

Enzo chuckled, a mixture of relief and amusement in his voice. "Yeah, I guess we did. It's just... the wind the tiger pulled out of nowhere was really unnerving."

"Yeah, it was insane," She sighed. "I mean, I never expected monsters to use magic as well, but I guess it's just normal? I mean, what isn't normal in this world? I almost feel like we're in a novel."

"Too bad that we are in reality." Enzo shook his head before sharing a theory with Rose. "I think that the monsters have a similar level system than ours."

"What do you mean?" Rose tilted her head to the side, not seeing where he wanted to come.

"It's just, no monsters below level 25 could use special attacks like the wind the tiger used earlier, right? I mean, I fought enough monsters to almost verify this assumption. Yet the moment the monsters Eden reaches 26, they start to grow new powers, a little like us."

"As if they managed to get a class as well."

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking." He nodded his head. "It only means that if humans don't fight and level up, they will be at the mercy of monsters. After all, they evolve constantly and get stronger at the same time. They also gain powers the stronger they get. Though, I think that we're quite good. I mean, we both choose our classes already, so we're on par with them, more or less."

Rose listened intently, absorbing Enzo's theory. "That actually makes a lot of sense," she said, her eyes lighting up with curiosity. "It's like the monsters are evolving and growing just like we do. And the higher their Eden level, the more powerful they become, just like how we gain new abilities as we level up."

"It's fascinating and terrifying at the same time," Enzo replied, his mind racing with possibilities. "But you're right. We have an advantage because we can choose our classes and distribute our points. It gives us some control over our growth and abilities."

Rose nodded, deep in thought. "And it also means that we have to keep leveling up and getting stronger. We can't afford to stay stagnant while the monsters become more formidable."

"Yeah. I guess we can't really go on the easy path, can we? We have to constantly fight to get stronger." He sighed before opening his stats page.

Even though he wanted to use them only in desperate situations to be able to face unexpected events, it would be suicidal to continue this way as he was clearly less strong than the monsters around them.

'I guess I'll just have to with strength and dexterity.' As he had 20 points to distribute freely right now, he gave ten points to both stats. And so he now had 112 points in strength, and 109 in dexterity.

Although it wasn't a big improvement compared to earlier, it was still better than nothing, right?

A few differences in stats could mean his death, after all.

With his new stat distribution, Enzo felt a subtle but noticeable increase in his strength and agility. It might not have been a drastic improvement, but every little bit counted, especially in this dangerous world. He knew he had to make the most of every opportunity to grow stronger and survive.

Rose observed him curiously as he made the adjustments. "What are you planning, Enzo?" She asked, noticing the determined expression on his face.

"I'm just trying to make sure we have the best chance of survival," He replied, looking up at her. "These monsters are getting stronger, and we need to keep up with them. I don't want to underestimate any foe we face."

"Hmm, well I guess you're right." She said before doing the same. "Okay, should we continue or rest for a while?"

Enzo thought for a moment. "I'm good to go even though I'm tired, but your magic power is probably dead low. So we should rest for now. Better be safe than sorry."

Rose nodded with a smile. "Thanks. I don't think I could have fought if we continued anyway. I would have been useless."

"Not necessarily. You don't have to fight to be useful," He said, looking at the horizon and sending his butterflies away to see if any monsters were nearby. "You're smart, Rose, so your thinking alone makes you useful."

Rose blushed slightly at the compliment but couldn't help but feel grateful for Enzo's encouraging words. "Thanks, Enzo. I'll keep that in mind," she replied, her confidence bolstered by his belief in her abilities.

As they settled into a comfortable spot to rest, Enzo kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, ever vigilant for any potential threats. He couldn't afford to let his guard down for even a moment.

Rose took out a small water flask from her bag and offered it to Enzo. "Here, you should hydrate," she said, giving him the flask. "You've been through a lot, and it's essential to keep your stamina up."

Enzo accepted the flask with a grateful nod and took a few sips of water. "Thanks, Rose. To be honest I completely forgot about our supplies. I can always eat the monster's meat after doing some fire, but I completely forgot about the water."

"Likewise. I didn't know how we would survive without eating our habitual food. But guess that you were already used to not eating the convenience store's food when you were in the dungeon."