The soft sound of the wind slipped through the trees, making the leaves tremble almost imperceptibly while a thin mist still lingered, wrapping the woods like a silent veil. The air carried a faint scent of damp earth, typical of mornings in that place.
At the moment, I was controlling Noa, my female body. My feet were firmly planted on a thick branch, whose rough bark creaked lightly under my weight. Crouched down and carefully balanced, my eyes stayed fixed on something just below, a few meters away.
Through the gaps in the foliage, a vague figure moved slowly, as if searching for something. I adjusted my vision to focus better, trying to catch more details, and then activated my skill: [Identify].
In the next instant, a translucent screen appeared right before my eyes, floating in the air like a magical projection, displaying information about the target.
[Voltruz - level 18]
[Voltruz - level 16]
[Voltruz - level 13]
[Voltruz - level 15]
[Voltruz - level 15]
[Voltruz - level 14]
[Voltruz - level 14]
[Voltruz - level 12]
As usual, the available information was extremely limited. To be honest, all we had was the creature's name and its level — which, let's be real, wasn't much. Still, just knowing the level was a considerable advantage.
Going into combat with a monster way above my level would basically be like signing my own death warrant. As little as it was, that single piece of data could mean the difference between life and death.
About eight screens materialized simultaneously in front of me, floating in the air like digital windows suspended in the void. My eyes ran over each one, trying to process the bizarre scene unfolding down below.
If I had to describe those monsters simply, I'd say they looked like ostriches... but any comparison to a common animal stopped there.
Instead of the iconic black plumage, their bodies were covered in dull yellow down, with a subtle silver shine that reflected the light faintly, almost as if their feathers were made of thin metal blades.
Even more unsettling, above their elongated heads, a single imposing horn rose, curving slightly backward like a natural spear ready to pierce anything in its path.
Honestly, these weren't the first monsters we'd come across. We'd actually encountered several others before, but they all ran off as soon as they spotted us, as if they instinctively knew they didn't stand a chance.
Besides, their levels weren't impressive. Not exactly low enough to be insignificant, but still far below what I'd need to make any real progress in my own level.
On the other hand, the situation was quite different for Alice. She was still at a stage where every battle, no matter how small, made a difference — and, in the end, she remained our main focus at the moment.
Anyway, it was my first time seeing these types of monsters. The ones we'd fought before resembled herbivorous Earth animals, like deer or stags, with gentle features and predictable movements. But these ones standing before us now were completely different.
Their presence was more oppressive, their silhouettes more robust, and their expressions carried a latent aggression. It was clear, even at first glance, that their levels were much higher. Every move they made radiated strength and danger, like lurking predators.
Putting my thoughts aside, I shifted my gaze downward where Oliver was. His eyes were already locked on me, as if waiting for some kind of signal. When I noticed that, I just gave a brief nod, sending a silent response.
Then, without wasting time, I refocused my vision on Justin. My male body stayed close to Alice, while Ethan and Oliver began moving closer, gradually closing the distance between us.
Crouched down and careful not to make a sound, Oliver sneaked up on the bushes where we were hiding. His steps were light, almost inaudible, like he was part of the forest itself. As soon as he positioned himself next to us, he whispered firmly but quietly: "Noa gave the signal to attack"
Saying that, his gaze turned directly to Alice, who stood beside him with clenched fists and held breath. For a brief moment, Oliver's eyes shone with a mix of concern and anticipation.
"You sure you can do this?" he asked in a softer tone, as if gauging her emotions before making any move.
Hearing Oliver's words, Alice nodded firmly, her eyes carrying an unmistakable glow of determination. Oliver stared at her for a few seconds, as if assessing her resolve, before flashing a subtle corner smile, almost silently saying he trusted her. Then, silence wrapped around us.
Alice took a deep breath, filling her lungs as if preparing to leap into the unknown. In the next moment, she briefly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her gaze looked sharper and more intense.
With a steady motion, both hands rose and pointed directly at the spot where our prey was hiding. Soon after, a glow started to emanate from her palms — a pulsing, growing light, as if energy was condensing there, ready to be unleashed at any moment.
I watched it out of the corner of my eye before turning my full attention back to our enemies. At that moment, the same light that had come from her hand began to faintly shine over the monsters' bodies. At first, it seemed like a simple reflection, but soon it became clear something was happening.
Their reaction was almost immediate — like awakened from a trance, the monsters jerked their heads up sharply, their empty eyes now scanning the surroundings with restless alertness, sniffing the air and moving with a nervous energy they hadn't shown before.
"They're on alert!" I murmured, my voice low enough so they wouldn't hear, but still audible to Alice, Ethan, and Oliver.
But the next instant, when I looked back at the monsters, I noticed one of them locking its gaze straight at the bush where I was hiding, like it knew exactly someone was lurking there. Before I had time to react or think about running, it let out a sharp, piercing scream — a loud warning that echoed through the silent forest.
Immediately, all the other monsters snapped their heads toward me, their eyes glowing with a mix of surprise and hostility. In one quick, synchronized motion, they turned and started running, their heavy, uneven footsteps crushing leaves and breaking branches as they charged into the woods.
With an urgent expression, I quickly glanced over at Alice, who still had her eyes closed like she was deeply focused. Suddenly, she opened them with a steady gleam, and with a simple snap of her fingers, a sharp, crisp sound cut through the brief silence.
Before the monsters' terrifying screams could return, I saw with wide eyes and a confused mind those strange monsters — kind of like ostriches — fall heavily to the ground, their bodies twisting in agony. A faint yellow static crackled over their forms, like a subtle electric energy burning through their feathers.
"I did it!" Alice exclaimed, a radiant smile lighting up her face as her eyes shone with joy and excitement.
Honestly, that caught me completely off guard. Alice had said she'd managed to acquire our abilities, but didn't go into much detail — just vaguely mentioned she could expand the area or something like that. Apparently, she didn't even fully understand the concept behind the ability, nor how powerful it really was, since she hadn't used it before.
But… honestly, that was incredibly powerful. I was sure Alice had used her Debuff on the monsters. However, as she explained herself, her Debuff could only affect one enemy at a time.
In other words, the fact that she was able to apply her Debuff to eight enemies simultaneously could only be explained by that new ability she claimed to have recently gained — an ability that clearly expanded her limits in an impressive way.
"That... is honestly amazing" Ethan commented beside me, eyes wide and voice filled with surprise. I couldn't blame him — after all, I felt the same shock, like something had just exceeded all my expectations.
While Ethan and I stood frozen, still processing the incredible scene before us, Alice was the first to react. Without hesitation, she hurried out from behind the bushes, her quick steps breaking the tense silence. In seconds, she was by the fallen creatures.
Kneeling down to check them out, she said urgently, lightly touching their motionless bodies: "They're just paralyzed... shouldn't take long before they start moving again"
Hearing Alice's words, I finally snapped out of my daze. Following her lead, I stepped out from my hiding spot in the bushes, with Ethan and Oliver close behind. I walked over to her, my eyes quickly scanning the surroundings.
For a brief moment, my gaze lingered on the monsters' bodies on the ground. A faint yellow glow crackled on their skin, like tiny electric sparks, clearly showing their paralyzed state — a direct result of Alice's ability.
"The experience you're gonna get from them will probably be enough to level you up one or two times" I said casually, shifting my gaze from the fallen monsters to Alice: "If we hurry, I think we can still hunt a few more before nightfall"
Saying that, I looked up at the sky. Despite the fog lazily spreading over the horizon, I could still make out patches of pale blue above, hazy from the humidity. Morning light was beginning to take over the scene — soft but persistent — revealing outlines still half-asleep from the cold of dawn.
Still, a strange feeling told me that once we really got involved with this, we'd completely lose track of time… and before we knew it, the sky would have darkened, plunging everything into shadows, even before we noticed.
Hearing me, Alice hesitated for a moment before replying, her voice tinged with doubt and surprise: "You... want me to take all the experience? Are you sure?" she asked, furrowing her brow slightly, as if still trying to process what she'd just heard: "There are a lot... maybe we could split it..." she finished, looking at me with a mix of caution and worry, as if afraid she was taking on more than she should.
While Alice anxiously waited for my answer, it was Noa — my female body — who spoke for me. After seeing her paralyze the whole group with her ability, I quickly climbed down from the tree I'd been hiding in and ran toward them.
"No need to worry about that" I said with Noa's voice, now fully in my female form instead of Justin, my former male form. I took a few confident steps forward: "From up there, I analyzed each of their levels. None of them are strong enough for us to actually need to split up"
Then, I paused briefly, throwing Alice a sly look: "But... I think that's enough for you" I said teasingly, letting the sentence hang for a few seconds: "It might not be much... but it'll be a good chance for you to level up a bit"
Then, switching back to my male form while following my female body's movement, I spoke to Alice again. With a half-challenging smile and a spark of irony in my eyes, I said: "Besides, after everything you've done, you still think you have to prove you're useful? Honestly, you're probably the most versatile person in our group. Actually, the ones who should be worried are us — about the risk you might just leave us someday"
My words came out with a playful tone, like I was trying to get a reaction, but there was also a genuine acknowledgment of how important she was to all of us.
Alice quickly glanced around, maybe looking for some backup or an alternative, but all she found were steady looks that confirmed what I was saying. Faced with that silent confirmation, her expression changed — from hesitant to defeated. With no clear options left, she simply nodded.