Free Web NovelChapter 6: Emma’s Awe
For a brief moment, Alex simply stared at the corpse. Then he understood what had happened. The leveled-up Body Reinforcement Spell had increased his physical power far more than he had expected, allowing him to kill it in one hit.
The realization barely had time to settle before pain surged through his arm. It felt like his muscles were burning from the inside, and his arm immediately lost its strength. The limb dropped uselessly to his side.
The remaining Netherclaw Prowler turned its head toward him. The moment it noticed its companion lying dead on the ground, it released a furious shriek. Rage filled its eyes, and it lunged toward Alex without hesitation.
Its injured leg reduced its speed somewhat, but it was still faster than Alex without active spell enhancement. The distance between them disappeared rapidly, leaving him with only a moment to react.
Alex forced himself to move despite the pain. His useless arm could no longer hold the stone, so he immediately grabbed it with his other hand. The motion felt awkward, but there was no time to worry about that.
Mana flowed into his arm as he swung again. This time, however, the monster was prepared. The Netherclaw Prowler twisted its body and narrowly avoided the attack.
Before Alex could pull his arm back, the monster launched itself forward. Its jaws opened wide as it aimed directly for his throat. Sharp teeth filled his vision.
For a split second, Alex thought he was dead.
Then he did something incredibly stupid.
Acting entirely on instinct, he flooded his head with mana. He didn’t even know why he did it. His body simply reacted on its own.
He prepared to bash his head against the monster’s head when something astonishing happened.
His mind became faster.
The world didn’t become slower, and the monster didn’t lose any speed. Instead, Alex felt as though his thoughts had accelerated. His mind processed information faster than before, allowing him to think several steps ahead in the same amount of time.
Body Reinforcement Spell couldn’t just reinforce muscles.
It could reinforce the brain.
The realization flashed through his mind almost instantly. His brain had been enhanced as well, allowing him to react faster and think more clearly in dangerous situations.
The monster was already upon him.
Alex shifted his body at the last possible moment. It wasn’t a large movement, but it was enough. The jaws missed his neck and sank into his shoulder instead.
Pain exploded through his body.
His vision nearly went white, and every instinct screamed at him to cry out. This time, however, Alex endured it. The memory of dying once already filled him with a stubborn determination that refused to let him give up.
Mana flooded into his arm.
At the same time, every bit of anger, fear, and desperation inside him poured into the attack. The stone shot forward with incredible speed.
The monster never saw it coming.
One moment it was biting into his shoulder, convinced it had won. The next, its skull collapsed inward under the force of the blow.
The Netherclaw Prowler died instantly.
Its body went limp and crashed on top of Alex, knocking the air from his lungs. For several seconds, he simply lay there beneath the heavy corpse while staring up at the sky.
Blood continued flowing from his shoulder, and his vision gradually dimmed. Logically, he knew the injury was dangerous. Left untreated, he would eventually bleed to death.
Oddly enough, he wasn’t worried.
A smile slowly appeared on his face. He had survived once again, and more importantly, he had won. The monsters that had terrified him only minutes ago were now lying dead around him.
At the same time, he could somehow sense that he was close to leveling up. There was no visible progress bar anywhere on his Status screen, yet he could feel it instinctively. The sensation was strange but unmistakable.
Then the System acknowledged his kills, and notifications appeared.
[Level 3 Netherclaw Prowler killed.]
[Level 3 Netherclaw Prowler killed.]
[You have leveled up. Level 2 → Level 3]
[2 stat points gained.]
Warm energy spread throughout his body almost immediately. The bleeding slowed, and his injuries began healing at a visible pace. Alex sucked in a deep breath before coughing several times.
The corpse was still pinning him down.
Alex pushed against it and tried to force it aside. The monster was far heavier than it looked, and his exhausted body wasn’t helping matters. With the healing still in process, every movement felt difficult.
For a moment, he considered using Body Reinforcement Spell again. The thought vanished almost immediately. After experiencing the backlash firsthand, he understood how dangerous that would be.
The spell could strengthen his body, but moving while under its effects placed enormous strain on his muscles.
It took several long seconds before he finally managed to crawl out from beneath the corpse.
Once free, Alex rolled onto his back and focused on breathing. His entire body felt drained. Then he suddenly remembered the woman.
Turning his head, he looked toward the tree where she had fallen.
She was still alive.
More importantly, her injuries were healing as well. The blood around her mouth had already begun disappearing, and some color was returning to her face. Alex guessed the System had counted her contribution because of the trap she had used on the first monster.
That likely meant she had leveled up too.
...
Emma sat against the tree and stared at the young man in silence. The pain in her stomach was fading rapidly, but she barely noticed it. Her attention remained fixed on the person who had appeared out of nowhere and killed two monsters.
Despite nearly dying only moments ago, she couldn’t stop feeling amazed. Watching the battle had been like witnessing something incredible unfold right in front of her eyes. Even now, she found it difficult to believe what she had seen.
’Can people really become that strong after leveling up?’
The thought lingered for only a moment before she dismissed it. Barely thirty minutes had passed since everyone had been summoned. No one should have been able to grow this strong so quickly.
That raised an even bigger question.
Who was this man?
Strength alone wasn’t what impressed her the most. After facing a Netherclaw Prowler herself, she knew exactly how terrifying they were. Most people would freeze after seeing the attack that nearly killed her.
Yet he hadn’t.
Even when one of his arms became useless, he immediately switched the weapon to his other hand. When his attack failed, he adjusted at the last moment and avoided a fatal injury. Then, while the monster believed it had already won, he delivered the killing blow.
Emma couldn’t stop replaying the battle in her mind. The entire fight had lasted less than thirty seconds, yet every movement remained clear in her memory. The more she thought about it, the more impressive it seemed.
She had always been a curious person. Even before the summoning, she had spent years learning various skills simply because she enjoyed it. Rapier fencing, archery, horseback riding, she had trained under instructors whose names were respected around the world.
The young man’s reaction speed reminded her of those masters. In fact, she wasn’t sure any of them could have reacted faster in that situation. His movements weren’t flawless, but they had been decisive, and more importantly, he had adapted instantly under pressure.
Emma glanced at him again as he recovered from the battle.
’As expected of someone who chose Hell Difficulty. He isn’t a normal person,’ she thought in awe.
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