I plucked a handful of purple grapes, tearing them apart before wrapping the fruit in strips of cloth torn from my own clothes.
They might not be useful now, but in a place like this, who could say what the future held? For all I knew, I might need them before the day was out.
As I pushed deeper into the forest, I marveled at my newfound endurance. My body felt light, limbs thrumming with strength, stamina stretching beyond anything I'd known before.
It was as if there was no word for "Exhaustion" written in my dictionary.
When I used
Not only that, every step I took left deep footprints, and when I pressed my strong arms against the branch, it left deep imprints under the wood.
There was no doubt, I had grown beyond all limits.
When the system said that a normal human's were around 2 or 3, and mine already at 10 across almost every category, it was no joke and my speed which has increased to 12, it was no joke.
The windy air brushed past me as I moved forward at a fast pace. I couldn't help but take a deep breath and close my eyes for a moment, savoring the sensation.
As I traveled through the forest, my eyes caught sight of a group of blurry black shadows ahead.
I pushed off from the ground in front of me, halting my momentum entirely, and finally allowed myself a closer look.
Before me stood a cluster of small creatures with yellow skin. At first, they reminded me of goblins, but they weren't. They were the size of toddlers, their skin smooth and they wore proper clothes.
What chilled me to the core, however, was the sight of a corpse, a broken, partially eaten human body, lying amid the group of imps.
My pupils froze as I stood rooted to the spot.
And while I watched them, they spotted me too. The sound I'd made when I landed had betrayed my presence, of course.
"Grr…"
"Brr…"
The monsters growled ferociously, their eyes locked onto me. Despite the flashes of fear in their pupils, they bared their teeth, trying to act intimidating. But against my towering presence, they were anything but.
'Hey, Sophi,' I muttered in my mind, completely calm. 'Could you analyze them?'
[Okay.]
'Wait, you can analyze living beings too?'
[Yes.]
'Never mind, I'm stupid. Do it.'
I focused my gaze just as three of the braver ones lunged at me.
In an instant, a blue panel appeared before me.
[Name: Nameless
Race: Imps
Health: 20
Strength: 1
Defense: 1
Stamina: 1
Dexterity: 1
Physique: 1
Speed: 1]
"Well, that's something." I shook my head dismissively, eyes fixed on the three charging at me.
They were now just a meter away, their sharp daggers glinting in the dawn light.
I moved fast and precisely. The imps barely registered my motion before my fist slammed into one's face.
The imp could only stare in despair because I was simply too fast.
Bang!
Its face crumpled under the force, the skull literally caving in. It was flung backward through the air, crashing onto the ground with a harsh bounce before lying still, lifeless.
The other two imps stared at the gruesome sight, terror flashing in their pupils.
Before they could even react, I moved faster, delivering a single backhanded slap. Their bodies flew backward, going limp as they hit the ground with heavy thuds.
The remaining imps looked at me with wide-eyed fear. They backed away quickly, scattering and leaving their fallen comrades behind.
'They don't have killing intent toward me,' I thought, choosing not to give chase.
I stared silently at the three bloody imp corpses. The sight should have churned my stomach, yet strangely, I didn't feel any nausea. Somehow, I had adapted, despite having lived my entire life in the comforts of human society.
Maybe it was because these bodies were born of the goddess herself, Gaia, or perhaps something else entirely. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
[Congratulations, you have gained the skill:
[Congratulations, you have gained the skill:
I regarded the two new skills in silence. Then my gaze drifted back to the horrifying remains of the human corpse.
I slowly approached the corpse and bowed my head. "I have avenged you," I whispered. Then, I began to bury it. It was the least I could do. Though my body might no longer be fully human, my heart still was.
After digging a deep enough grave, I laid the body gently inside and covered it with earth. Then, I sat cross-legged on the ground, gazing vacantly at the sky as the sun disappeared while two moons began their ascent.
Thousands of thoughts swirled through my mind in that silent moment, but one truth stood crystal clear.
I had killed three creatures. They were monsters, yes, but I had killed nonetheless. In a world where gods lived and dangers lurked everywhere as [Sophi] had told me, survival meant one thing: killing.
That didn't mean I would kill wantonly. Only those who carried active killing intent toward me would meet my fist. That was my core rule that I made up on the spot. I wouldn't kill mindlessly. I would kill only to survive.
"[Sophi], how strong are the gods compared to those three imps?" I asked lazily, my eyes drooping as I lounged back.
[Host, they are beyond anything you can imagine.] Her cold, mechanical voice answered.
"I see. Clanker."
[What's that?]
"Nothing."