Chapter 23：Seduced (1/2)

A figure leapt from one tree to the other as it surveyed the surrounding. It was a monster called the Arcula, a humanoid monster that had an ape like stature but sharp teeth like those of a shark. Its most worrisome aspect was its agility and the changing color of its fur making it blend with the surrounding. With sneak attacks and above the average intelligence, it was a primitive monster that many didn't want to bother with hunting.

As it went through the forest, its nose smelled the scent of meat. It turned its eyes toward a tree that had a piece of meat hanging down. It looked at the ground below the meat and it could see that there laid a trap. Thick bushes covered the patch of grass making it all to obvious for a creature of its intelligence. However, it didn't care as it planned to snatch the meat while it leapt from a tree to tree.

With the plan set, the monster started its action as it blended into the surrounding. Although only its color changed, the forest was a good place to hide. From one tree to the other, it found itself right before the dangling meat. With a powerful jump with its legs on a branch parallel to the meat, it was able to snatch the meat successfully.

As it was about to rejoice, it felt a force coming from above it. As it was mid-air, the monster couldn't resist and it fell right into the trap.

”What? A monster fell into the trap? I didn't see anything…” Arthur was hiding in the bushes as he was stunned by the turn of events. He was waiting for a monster to try and grab the meat to fall into the pit he dug. As the mana core he tried to fuse with the barrier skill but failed stayed with him, he made a permanent rune of the latest rune he got.

[Force-II: Applies great force in a one-meter radius at a specified target. The force is proportional to the mana supplied.]

This was the rune that made him pass the willpower test. After he studied the Force-I rune, he found that it wasn't enough to pass the test. That's why he tried studying the next rune and was able to learn it because they were the same. The Force-II rune applied a greater force than the Force-I rune for the same amount of mana supplied. Although Arthur could have used the Force-I rune for the same amount of force, it would have been a terrible investment. The Force-II rune was a lot cost-efficient.

As if this was the better version of the rune, the previous rune disappeared from his Legacy menu. However, Arthur could still use the previous version of the rune as a sub-rune from the current one. If he wished, he could imprint Force-I instead.

That's why Arthur made this trap. He waited for a full hour before he saw something fall from the sky. He had spent most of his noon in making the pit as he needed to make it stronger than usual because of the rune. He used a piece of fabric he got at the camp and nailed it to the ground. He was sure the rune and the weight of the monster would make the fabric collapse thus trapping the monster.

With his sword in hand, Arthur dashed toward the pit as he heard the howls of the monster. As he took a look, he saw a green fur monster sprawled on the ground. The force of the fall had injured it and it seems it didn't have a strong body to begin with.

With his sword, Arthur slashed the air in front of him. As a dark green liquid escaped from his sword, sizzling noises was accompanied by the howls of the beast below. This was the skill he got from the other primitive grade monster, Poison Strike. He slashed another time and the howls grew louder before being replaced by heavy panting.

The monster was heavily wounded but not dead. Arthur started his breathing technique and he refilled one point of mana. He was now able to slash on more time as the strike costed him two mana points.

The monster was banging on the floor in agony as the poison corroded its skin and entered its body. Although this was an F-Rank skill that wouldn't even hurt monsters of a higher grade, it was more than enough for a primitive grade monster like this one. As defense wasn't its strong fort, the poison proved incredibly effective against it. Usually it would have fled but the problem lied with the rune applying force on it. As soon as he tried to crawl out, the poison came.

Arthur decided that the monster was weak enough for him to kill. He looked down and saw it panting on the floor with its back toward the pit's hole. Arthur gathered his courage and jumped down as he directed the sword toward its neck.

As he was under the rune's area, Arthur felt strong force pushing him downward increasing the lethality of his strike. With these factors, the monster was slain.

[You have leveled up. Stamina-I rune had been gained.]

Arthur felt the rush of adrenaline in his body as he shouted standing on top of the slain monster. After he calmed down, he used his legacy to absorb the monster's essence.

[Perception has increased by 1.]