Difficult Choice

Eric looked in the direction of the Viperwolves and noticed that one of them had an arrow embedded in its side. The arrow seemed to hit a vital point as the monster panted and whimpered, struggling to breathe. He glanced at the other monster and found it lying lifeless on the ground with two arrows in its head.

Glad I'm not the only one suffering.

At first, he thought that his situation was hopeless and that there was a high chance that he wouldn't get out alive, but he didn't expect that the cave he had found by chance contained traps that were more dangerous than the monsters.

This might be a blessing in disguise.

He was still in danger of being hit by arrows, but so was anyone who entered this area. This provided a dangerous layer of protection from the stronger monsters, increasing his chances against these beasts.

The Viperwolf locked its eyes on Eric, but instead of showing aggression, it looked frightened as its pupils quivered, and it showed signs of retreating.

"No!" Eric shouted.

Just as it took a few steps back, Eric heard the sound of several arrows whistling as they cut through the air.

Damn it!

He prepared to move out of the way as soon as he heard the whistles coming his way, but he was surprised to see that none of the arrows were coming his way; instead, they headed straight for the injured wolf. The first arrow pierced its side, causing the creature to let out a painful howl. The second arrow found its mark in the head, and the wolf's lifeless body crumpled to the ground.

Eric let out a deep breath when he heard no more whistles. Even though he was still in danger, he couldn't help but smile with joy as he watched the creatures that had led him into this deadly trap meet their demise. His joy was short-lived, however, and his smile faded, replaced by a grimace as a sharp pain coursed through his body.

He clutched his shoulder, gritting his teeth as he endured the stabbing pain.

"This isn't the time to be happy. I have to get out of here," he muttered to himself.

He pulled his hand back and looked at the blood seeping between his fingers, staining his hand.

Let's get this off first.

Eric clenched his jaw, steeling himself for the pain to come. With a firm grip on the arrow shaft, he took a deep breath and prepared for the quick, decisive movement.

In one swift motion, he yanked the arrow from his shoulder, and a sharp hiss escaped his lips as the steel tip emerged, stained with his blood. The wound pulsed and fresh blood gushed out, but he pressed his other hand against it, stopping the flow as best he could.

This is only temporary, I need to stop the bleeding.

He didn't want to tend to his wounds while he was still in this deadly trap that could shoot an arrow at him at any moment. Fortunately, he hadn't ventured too deep into the passageway and wasn't far from where he'd first been shot, but as he looked ahead, he was startled.

"Huh!"

The Alpha wolf had come down from the cliff at some point and was now standing on the ground, catching him off guard.

If it had attacked me... No, it would have been shot by arrows as well.

He noticed that there were no arrows around the Alpha wolf, which meant that it had not yet entered the shooting range.

"Is it waiting for me to come out?" He speculated about its strange behavior.

Shit, shit, shit! I just survived a deadly pit to be thrown into a bigger one!

He bit his lip as the gravity of his situation sank in. Eric now faced two difficult decisions:

Either he had to exit the passage and face the level 21 ViperWolf, or he had to venture deeper into the dark passage and risk being pelted with arrows. Both options were fraught with danger that could potentially cost him his life.

Staying here and waiting isn't an option either.

He was bleeding and needed immediate treatment. If his injuries were left unattended, he would bleed to death.

He looked at the wolf, which kept its eyes on him the whole time, saliva dripping from its mouth. It was clearly hungry and wanted a piece of him, but showed no sign of attacking, instead looking as if it was waiting for its meal to come to it on its own.

"Smart bastard," he muttered, surprised by the wolf's intelligence. It was different from the others he had killed before, which made him confirm his theory about how level affected their consciousness. The higher the level, the more it would affect the wielder. Not only physically, but mentally as well. If the wolf attacked him, he'd have a better chance of defeating it once it entered the range of the arrow, but because of its high level and intelligence, it stopped outside the range.

Then It's obvious which option I should choose.

His gaze shifted to the dark passage that looked like a huge gaping maw, ready to swallow him up as soon as he stepped into it. However, he had no choice but to enter, as the monster's level was too high for him to face in his current state. Therefore, he could only hope that the sadistic individual who designed this place had some kind of medicine on the other side of the passage.

But if I rushed in recklessly, the arrows would hit me. It's like there's some kind of sensor on the floor and walls that activates the trap the moment something touches it.

This meant that if he wanted to avoid triggering any more traps, he would have to stay above the ground, which was impossible since he couldn't fly.

Eric glanced at the passage that was still shrouded in darkness. He felt like a wild beast was about to bite him, but every beast had its own weakness.

He remembered what had happened since the first arrow had been fired. He reviewed not only every step he took, but also those of the monsters, looking for clues that could help him get through this thing without dying.

There was a specific time for each arrow before it was fired, and once it shot from a certain direction, it wouldn't be fired again, at least not for a short time. There was also a signal, although it was very subtle. When the arrows were fired, they made a small whistle as they cut through the air before hitting their target.

Eric narrowed his eyes as his mind raced.

I can't rely on my eyesight to help me in this dark place, so I have to rely on my senses and reflexes. I had to locate the arrows as they cut through the air and then dodge them before they hit me. It's the only way I can think of to succeed. I just hope I have enough time for my body to react in time.

However, it only takes two to three seconds for the arrow to hit its target. In that small window of time, he not only had to determine the direction of the arrows, but he also had to dodge them. It might be easy to say, but it was impossible for an ordinary person without very high senses and reflexes to do it.

Fortunately, Eric wasn't an ordinary person. Well, not anymore. He had a new weapon with him.

He smiled as he pulled out his interface and looked at his attributes.

****

**Status:

**Name: Eric Walker

** Level: 7 (Rank 0)

**Attributes:

-Strength:18

-Agility: 20

-Vitality: 22

-Constitution:18

-Perception: 19

-Magic power: 16

-Mind power: 13

*Free points:7

***

His stats changed from the first time he saw them. Each time his level increased, all of his attributes increased by one point, and he received two free stat points to distribute. He was surprised that his level increased even though he did not kill the monsters himself, but he attributed that to himself as the cause of their deaths since he was technically the reason they entered the trap.

He took a moment to think about which attribute he should increase with his free stat points, which wasn't easy. He decided to eliminate the unnecessary attributes one by one until he found the most helpful ones.

The first attributes to be eliminated were Strength and Magic Power. Strength wouldn't be very helpful in this situation, as it would only allow him to carry heavier objects, which he didn't need at the moment. As for Magic Power, it would increase his mana, which was helpful for activating skills, but he didn't know any other use for it. He tried to use it many times before but couldn't control it. He could sense a foreign energy in his body, but he couldn't control it. Just like the organs, even though he could feel his heart, it didn't mean that he could command it to stop beating even if he wanted to. So he just gave up and moved on to the next attribute.

The next one to be eliminated was Mind Power, as he didn't know what it was, but he doubted it would be that helpful.

Next came a difficult choice. Four options remained, each of which had enough advantages to force him to take a few moments of careful thought.

Vitality would increase his health, so if he was injured, his life wouldn't be in danger from a few arrows or blood loss.

Constitution would increase his stamina so that he could keep moving even if he was injured. It would also strengthen his body's defenses, making it less likely that he would be easily injured. Overall, it would improve his entire body.

Agility would make him faster, allowing him to react and dodge arrows in time. Finally, Perception would increase his awareness of his surroundings, helping him determine the direction from which arrows were coming.

Eric struggled because he couldn't make a decision, it was a really hard decision. Of course, he could just split his stats across all four attributes, but his improvement wouldn't be much. He had to split it between two stats to make a difference.

In the end, he settled on splitting his remaining seven free attributes between Agility and Perception. Three points for each attribute and the last one for emergencies.

Unlike before, this time he could feel the change happening to him. Sounds were clearer, his vision sharper than ever, and his body felt lighter.

He jumped a few times while throwing a few punches to test his agility and was surprised at how fast his punches were.

This isn't so bad.

Stats really were a magical thing. He didn't feel anything different when he fought the monsters because of all the adrenaline coursing through his body, but when he relaxed, he could feel the change in his body. He was stronger, faster...better. Normally he would take his time to get used to his body and adapt to it, but he didn't have that luxury as he had to cross the passage as fast as possible.

A smile crept across his face as he looked at the dark passage, knowing the danger he would face once he stepped into it.

Maybe it's not impossible after all!