The two Climbers crept behind one of the broken pieces of stone. It wasn't clear on who they were trying to observe but there was an imminent threat in their perimeter.
Jace studied Erin's eyes, watching her dart around the glade like she was expecting something in return. Sadly, he had no Skill to see through obstacles like her. The best he could manage was to wait on her command.
'Was her eyes always blue?'
Erin jolted him from his thoughts, slapping his arm profusely as she gestured for him to follow.
A few minutes later of masking their footsteps, and hopping between more rubble, they had treaded deeper into the glade. That was when he saw why she was so on edge.
Standing, or slowly walking, was a creature generated from a nightmare. The monster was at least eight feet tall with thin fur and looked humanoid, standing on its own legs. It was a walking bull, with two horns that stretched from its skull just as wide as its shoulders.
The skull had morbidly grown out of its flesh, fashioning its deformity like a bone-like helmet with just enough space to open its jaw. Though, the force of its bite wasn't the real danger. It was how unnervingly fast it looked.
The monster had vascular arms and thighs with hooves for its feet, concealing its explosive power for any unsuspecting opponent. It was expectedly quick, and with its promising muscular strength to complement that, the two factors were a mixture for a terrible fate.
Erin turned back to look at Jace's face frozen in place.
"You still want to do this?"
Jace swallowed his fear, ignoring the urging instincts to flee.
"I'm ready."
She sighed, pulling the bow over her shoulder and loaded an arrow.
He drew his silver sword, gripping the weapon with whatever courage he had left. In retrospect, Jace had single-handedly competed against a Floor Guardian, slaying the Lycan with some help of his former squad members.
But for a common monster in Stoneveil, he wondered if the two had any similarities. Lycan was terrifyingly fast, though it was only Jace's own instincts and deadly precautions that had kept him alive in the fight.
Would he be able to replicate that feeling again? To be fully immersed in his own prowess and be sickened of overwhelming confidence?
It was different. A Floor Guardian of Verdant Maw and a common monster of Stoneveil couldn't be compared.
He shook his head, discarding any more clouding thoughts that could wreck his nerves.
'I can do this. If the Void wants me, then we'll meet again.'
Erin explained her plan to take down the powerfully built monster. Even if there was only one of them, that had never meant the two Climbers could take their sweet time.
The kill had to be fast. They would need to slay the monster before any others would eventually show up to their commotion, forcing another encounter into their problems.
Or, in other words, they would meet an agonizing and slow death.
Erin would provide support from the side, firing arrows and derailing its train of thought, as her Skill provides an unnatural force of impact when it strikes flesh.
Jace had already seen that in action, recalling how the arrow would shred through a Jackal's flesh in an instant. Though, he admittedly doubted if that same principle could be shared against the humanoid bull, knowing the gap in Floors would mean they were likely designed differently.
'No…I have to trust her. She knows what she's doing. She's the reason why I'm still here.'
Without any more astray thoughts, he continued to listen to the blonde girl's tactics. Jace would occupy the monster in a head-on fight, obviously, and would only engage in certain attacks that would wound or impede its movements.
She had already known his highest stat would be AGL, combined with the (Ring of Haste), running and dodging around the monster wouldn't be a problem.
'Has she even seen me fight the Floor Guardian? One wrong move and my intestines would have spilled all over the mud. Does she realize it's easier said than done?'
But, just as he trusted her, she was trusting him.
'Trusting me not to die, as she says.'
Jace opened his Soul, waiting for Erin to find the right time to start the encounter.
[HP: 130/130]
[MP: 20/20]
[STR: 5]
[END: 2]
[AGL: 6 + 3]
Nothing had changed since his departure with Heather's squad. He had not gained a single ounce of experience. Then, his own insanity had persuaded him to challenge a far deadlier monster, thinking it would help him catch up to his assumed teammates.
He lifted his head from the Soul's transparent window, silently staring at the blonde girl's blue eyes.
'If she's that confident we can slay it…then how far off a Level is she? Over twenty? How many Skills does she have now?'
Erin gestured to him with her hand, snapping him away from his envious thoughts, and led them closer to the patrolling monster.
He knocked on his head, silently cursing to himself for thinking again. He had to concentrate. The slightest bit of hesitation would have cost him everything.
She tugged on the drawstring on her bow, nodding to the tense auburn boy, signaling that it was time to act.
Jace nodded, turning from one of the stone rubble and dashed towards the unaware monster. Erin stood and aimed, leaning one of her eyes on the line of fire.
After a few seconds of silence, and quick footsteps drawing closer in the grass, the encounter had officially begun.
An arrow whistled over his head as it struck onto the bull, unleashing a rupturing shockwave through its flesh in a fresh gush of blood.
The bull staggered back, fiercely turning its head to the source of pain just before another small human dashed across its legs.
Jace coiled his arm and spun his body with the attack.
[Skill Activate: Wide Slash]
The slash had cut a few inches deep into the bull, seeping another flow of blood down its thigh.
The bull huffed in pain through its flared nostrils, swinging its thick forearm in a whirlwind. But it had hit nothing.
Jace didn't have to worry about slipping over mud or compensating his space for elongated claws. The ground was flat with grass and the monster only had fists, hooves, and horns to inflict damage to his body.
He could perform at the best capacity, pouring more effort into his footwork. This was the real test for his Soul after the fight with Verdant Maw's Floor Guardian.
The bull slammed its fist to the ground in hope to completely squash the scurrying Climber dashing around. But the more attention it gave to him, another devastating arrow had struck into its vital spots.
In a sudden spurt, the bull charged towards where the arrow was presumably fired.
Jace felt his heart drop, immediately chasing after the monster after it had forfeited their short fight.
The rampaging bull rammed its shoulders into one of the standing rubble, exploding into a smoke of flying debris. After a few seconds of swinging the smoke away, the sight of a bloodied human was absent.
Another slash was inflicted across its same thigh, forcing its weight to drop on the weakened leg. The bull bellowed in anger, swinging its arms in a furious attempt to connect with the other bugging human.
Jace didn't know how Erin's old-fashioned plan was actually working. He had always known monsters had a terrible temper but every creation of the Tower seemed to abide by that rule.
Then the monster's eyes gleamed red in a fit of rage, lowered its center of gravity, and extended its arm to grab the human. It was aiming to crush him whole, abandoning the idea of swatting him away.
Luckily, Jace was nowhere near the attack once he noticed its change of manner. Just as every monster was easily swayed by the shock of pain, they were just as easy to agitate.
And whenever it was hurt, it only grew stronger.
The bull had burst forward at an unnatural speed, slamming its hand in every direction, catching the after-image of the auburn boy just a half second of where he originally moved.
Jace concluded that the monster was indeed slower than Lycan, though he tried his hardest not to be conceited in his own speed. The thought of the bull's fingers crushing his body had not sounded any more pleasing than to be mauled by another beast.
He side-stepped from one of its attacks and dashed in for the closing attack.
[Skill Activate: Strike]
The silver sword drove deep into its thigh, then a instantaneous thought, the auburn boy gritted his teeth.
[Skill Activate: Wide Slash]
The blade sliced through in an arc as he jumped back, avoiding another wild grasp of the bull's hands.
Though, as it tried to burst forward again from its powerful hooves, more blood spilled through its sliced thigh.
Another arrow whistled from their surroundings, striking its short neck in a rupturing blow that wounded the monster even further.
The bull laid on the flattened grass, growing and snorting in pain as it tried to reach its hands to the auburn boy standing a few feet apart. With one useless leg and many spots riddled with open flesh, there was not much the monster could fight with.
Jace closed in, weaving his body from its grabbing hands, and drew back his arm.
[Skill Activate: Strike]
His silver blade thrusted into its mouth, protruding through the back of its nape.
The bull jolted still as its body tensed. After a few seconds, its body dissolved into a mass of golden mist.
[Youhaveslain Taurus. You have gained experience.]
The Soul echoed into his ears again.
[Congratulations, Climber Jace! You have leveled up!]
[Congratulations, Climber Jace! You have leveled up!]
And again.
[Congratulations, Climber Jace! You have obtained a Skill!]
Jace decided to hide the immense satisfaction on his face as Erin came around the covering rubble. Some time ago, he determined the Soul had rewarded the Climber with more experience if they had landed the killing blow on any monster.
That was why he had gained three Levels for a Floor Guardian despite the distribution of experience towards his other party members.
Watching the golden mist dissolve more through the air, the fight was shorter than he initially thought. He had sustained zero injuries, believing in his own speed to counter the bull's attacks. It was far painless than dealing with a Floor Guardian.
If he continued slaying more of the Taurus alongside Erin, their share of experience wouldn't be so diluted between a full squad of Climbers. Each encounter would grant him tremendous experience until he would reach the desired Level.
'This is perfect! More than perfect!'
Erin slung her bow over her shoulder.
"You're…stronger? How did that boring sword cut into its skin?"
Jace turned to her, ignoring the Soul's plea of asking him to distribute his Soul Points.
"Some of my Skills, nothing to be amazed about."
Erin didn't know about (Wide Slash) or (Strike), as two of his Skills had greatly boosted the weight of his attacks.
He wasn't afraid to admit that any normal attack wouldn't have pierced through the bull's skin with just a mundane silver sword. Though, unfortunately, their fight had expended all of his use of mana.
However, she didn't pay much mind to his abilities. She also had Skills of her own that enhanced her attacks. She said to him:
"Did you get what you wanted?"
Jace turned to her, preparing to answer her question as a sharp sensation spiked in his brain, almost seizing control over his nerves. He snapped to the direction it came from, thinking a needle had ran through his head.
Erin looked confused, noticing his immediate switch in behavior. From what looked collected and satisfied, turned into grave caution.
"What's wrong?"
But before he could register any response, the rubble from where Jace faced had exploded into a mess of debris and smoke, as another Taurus charged at them.