NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 5: First Battle
Aric knew this was not the time to save on gold; the best option for him was to use it to survive. So, with his eyes still on the wolf, he bought a wooden round shield for 500 gold.
When the horned wolf saw the shield, it assumed Aric was trying to do something, and it charged at him again. Aric also dove to the ground, picked up the shield, and then turned it upward, slamming it into the face of the wolf.
The horn of the wolf bore through the shield, but it didn't get to Aric. The horn was rough and textured, so the wolf could not pull it out, and Aric saw this as his opportunity. He took his sword and was ready to end this.
He raised his sword, about to stab the struggling wolf, but in that moment, two other horned wolves leapt out of their hiding and ran toward Aric.
Aric had to make a decision as fast as possible—to either focus on the one that was right before him and kill it or focus on the two and stand the risk of the first one escaping the shield and joining the others to kill him.
The right choice was clear. In that moment, he disregarded the other two and stabbed his sword down. The blade penetrated the back of the wolf and came out through the other side.
This was the first time that he had killed anything of this nature. The blood splattered, and some even got on his face, but there was no time for remorse.
[You have killed your first enemy: 1000 gold, +1 stat to all attributes]
[You have gained 100 EXP, 50 gold.]
[Level up: 1000 gold, 2 free stat points.]
[New skill unlocked: Sword Master Level 1]
[Sword Master: 10% efficiency when using a sword or sword-related weapons]
Different notifications came up after he killed the first one, but he didn't have the time to read them as the two wolves were headed his way.
He decided that to win, he would have to meet one head-on, so he charged at the one on his left. The sword in his hands felt lighter for some reason, and he felt like he had more control. When he had bought it, he didn't check the information on it like the axe because he was in a rush, but he was sure it didn't feel like this a few minutes ago.
The wolf growled and jumped at Aric, but he was ready as well. He swung upwards with all his might. His sword dug into the lower armpit of the wolf and sprayed blood like a fountain. But the wolf was already in motion, and its teeth dug into Aric's shoulder.
[Health 96/100]
His health dropped by 4 from that attack alone.
"Arghh!" Aric groaned in pain. He moved the sword as fast as he could and stabbed it right into the guts of the wolf, and at the same time, the other wolf came and bit into his leg.
[Health 90/100]
"Argghhhh!" Aric cried out again. He twisted the sword in the wolf and killed that one.
[You have gained 100 EXP, 50 gold.]
He pulled out his sword and threw that wolf to the ground, and in one swift motion, he stabbed into the head of the one that bit his leg.
[You have gained 100 EXP, 50 gold.]
[Hidden Mission Complete: Defend the Empire]
[Reward: 10,000 gold, Box of Mystery Resources, 200 EXP, +2 stat to every attribute]
[Level up: 1000 gold, 2 free stat points.]
[Status Screen]
[Host: Aric]
[Race: Half-Elf (Human-Elf Hybrid)]
[Age: 17]
[Title: Exile]
[Class: None]
[Level: 5]
[Exp: 50/500]
[Health: 100/100]
[Stamina: 50/50]
[Mana: 50/50]
[Gold: 12,765]
[Attributes]
Strength: 11
Agility: 11
Endurance: 11
Intelligence: 15
Charisma: 10
Luck: 5
Free stat points: 6.
Aric's wounds healed up after he leveled up, but that was not what pulled his attention now. It was his level and the huge amount of gold he had gotten.
He had over ten thousand gold—it was a huge amount. With it, he would not need to have another night outside in the cold with monsters and beasts; he could actually finish the house.
There was also another thing that he had noticed when the notification for the hidden mission came, and that was the Box of Mystery Resources. The name was intriguing, and he hoped that whatever was inside was actually good.
"System, give the Box of Mystery," Aric asked, and immediately, a massive metal box appeared. Aric was shocked to see the size of this box—it was huge. It was six feet long and three feet high. There was a strange-looking lock on it, but a key had also appeared on the box.
Aric picked the key and used it to unlock the box. He slowly opened it, scared that something might leap out, but nothing did, so he pushed the cover open entirely.
As he looked inside, his eyes shined. He didn't know what he was expecting, but this was definitely a lot better. In one corner of the box, several scrolls and papers were rolled up and kept. He had a feeling they were blueprints and other useful information.
At another end, tools for building, cutting, and all manner of work were kept there, and beside that were about four crates of potions stacked. His eyes shifted to the bow, the arrows, the swords, the spear shafts, and the spearheads, all cleanly lined up.
Finally, there was a stack of leather armor and other clothes as well—something he was in dire need of right now. He quickly pulled out a shirt and trousers. He took a look at them and then took off his clothes—or rags, for correction.
He put on the new clothes, and they fit properly, but that wasn't all.
[Simple Resource Clothes: Improves resistance to physical attacks by 5%, increases endurance during work by 5%]
The clothes had buffs. His eyes shined brightly when he saw the buffs. He took off the clothes, eager to try other ones, but he calmed himself down. He looked at the stream and decided he would take a bath that night first before jumping into all the clothes.
He grabbed his wooden bowl and walked to the side of the stream, naked, to bathe.