Free Web NovelChapter 23: I’ve Grown
Alex didn’t bother correcting the misunderstanding. Instead, he activated Body Reinforcement Spell and flooded mana into his brain.
The enhancement spread instantly, sharpening his senses.
His hearing improved. His vision became clearer. Even his sense of smell grew stronger.
Alex immediately noticed a faint scent of blood coming from the older girl. It wasn’t fresh blood. It was the lingering scent left behind by someone who had already killed monsters.
She had leveled up.
The large man carried a similar scent, though much weaker. He had probably fought before, but not nearly as much. In comparison, Alex and Emma carried considerably stronger traces of blood.
Then Alex smelled something else. His expression changed immediately.
The scent came from another direction entirely. It was hidden deeper within the forest.
Alex frowned before gesturing for Emma to follow him. Without making a sound, the two moved away from the clearing.
They circled through the bushes while staying low and avoiding unnecessary noise. A minute later, Alex found the source.
Two giant crabs were hidden among the vegetation. Both were larger than the ones fighting near the campfire.
They weren’t wandering. They were waiting.
The monsters were stalking the people in the clearing. Emma’s eyes widened as she realized the situation.
She looked toward Alex. The admiration in her gaze increased even further.
"Support me," Alex whispered.
Emma nodded immediately.
Alex unsheathed his sword and dropped the bundles containing the Gene Potentials and other items.
Then he flooded mana into his legs and adjusted the reinforcement according to his muscles.
The next instant, he exploded forward. With Level 8 Body Reinforcement Spell, his speed had increased dramatically.
He crossed the distance so quickly that it almost felt like short-distance teleportation.
The nearest crab reacted at the last moment. Its pincer swung toward him with frightening force.
Alex ignored the attack. Instead of retreating, he drove his sword into a gap between two armor plates.
The blade sank deep. At the same moment, the pincer crashed into his side.
Alex compressed a large amount of mana across the skin of his left arm and torso before the attack hit. A powerful shockwave erupted through his body.
Pain shot through him, but the damage was far less severe than it should have been. More importantly, he wasn’t thrown away because his sword remained lodged deep inside the monster.
Alex moved immediately.
A hardened Mana Thread emerged from his fingertip. The thread swept toward the crab’s claw joint.
The reinforced edge sliced through the vulnerable connection point. The pincer detached and fell heavily onto the ground.
Before Alex could press his advantage, the second crab reached him. Its enormous body rushed forward.
Just as it prepared to attack, a pulse of mana expanded from Emma’s position. Both monsters hesitated.
The distraction lasted less than a second. For Alex, that was enough.
He yanked his sword free, then stabbed into a joint where the armor covering one of the first crab’s legs connected.
The sword pierced through. The crab immediately lost balance and collapsed to one side. The wounded monster retaliated instinctively. Its remaining pincer swung toward Alex.
He stepped aside at the last moment. The attack missed him entirely.
Instead, the pincer slammed into the second crab. The impact lifted the larger monster slightly off the ground.
Alex didn’t waste the opportunity. He darted beneath its body.
The underside was softer than the armored shell protecting its back. Before the creature could recover, Alex thrust his sword upward.
The blade entered through its mouth. Soft flesh offered almost no resistance.
The sword pushed deeper until it reached the brain. The crab’s body jerked violently before freezing completely.
Alex immediately pulled the sword free. Blood spilled from the wound as the massive body collapsed.
The first crab was still alive. Despite losing one of its claws and leg, it immediately attacked again. Its remaining pincer sliced through the air with enough force to break bones.
Alex dodged. He grabbed one of the Ironclaw Badger claws he had salvaged earlier and threw it.
The claw spun through the air and missed the crab’s eye by a small margin. However, it came close enough to trigger a reaction.
The monster instinctively closed its eyes—by retracting it into the eye socket—for a brief moment. That moment was all Alex needed.
He flooded mana into his legs and dashed forward. Before the crab could fully react, Alex drove his sword into the socket where the eye emerged from the armored shell.
The blade sank deep. Unlike the exoskeleton covering most of its body, the area around the eye offered little resistance. Alex pushed the sword all the way through and felt it pierce the brain.
The crab’s body trembled violently. Then it went still.
Alex immediately pulled the sword free and jumped backward. He kept his guard up for several seconds, making sure the monster was truly dead before allowing himself to relax.
Only after both monsters remained motionless did he let out a long breath. His chest rose and fell heavily as he tried to steady his breathing.
This was the first battle he had experienced since arriving in the Land of Origin where he hadn’t ended up on the verge of death. The realization struck him more strongly than the victory itself.
He had grown considerably stronger.
A series of notifications appeared before his eyes.
[Level 6 Titan Reef Crab killed.]
[Level 6 Titan Reef Crab killed.]
[Body Reinforcement Spell has leveled up. Level 8 → Level 9.]
[Mana Thread Spell has leveled up. Level 2 → Level 3.]
Alex’s attention immediately focused on the spell notifications. Body Reinforcement Spell had reached Level 9. It was now only one level away from mastery and evolution.
At the same time, Mana Thread Spell had finally leveled up as well. That confirmed his theory. Using spells under pressure was the fastest way to improve them. Training was useful, but real combat seemed to push growth much further.
Another thing caught his attention. There was no level-up notification.
Both Titan Reef Crabs had been Level 6, which was higher than his own level. Yet killing them hadn’t been enough to increase his level.
The result supported another theory he had been developing. The higher his level became, the more kills he would need to advance. A few strong monsters were no longer enough.
Before he could think further, Emma rushed over.
"Are you okay? I saw you get hit by that attack earlier..."
Her words gradually slowed as she looked him over. By the time she reached him, she was staring at him with a stunned expression.
She had personally watched the crab strike him at point-blank range. At first, she had assumed he was simply enduring the pain long enough to finish the fight.
Now, however, he looked completely fine. There were no visible injuries.
"Are you really not a marine?" she asked.
..
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