Chapter 23: First Encounter With Monsters

"SKRRRRR...!"

"KRRRIIIII!!!"

Rey was stopped dead in his tracks as he encountered two middle-sized critters almost as soon as he began his journey.

These beasts resembled wild jackals, but they were walking on two feet.

'Bipedal, huh? And from those features... they're kobolds, aren't they?'

The Kobolds were as tall as an average child—about a meter tall.

They had no weapons, but their sharp claws and drooling and gaping mouths showed they had more than enough tools to be predators.

Their grimy skins were covered in scales, and they stared hungrily at Rey with their bloodshot eyes.

"I didn't think I would run into any opposition so soon. But I guess here we are."

"GRRRRRRRRR....!!!"

Rey could see that they were cautious of him—perhaps due to instinct.

However, they also seemed to ignore that sensible part of themselves.

'Too hungry perhaps?' He mused.

Either way, even if they were to leave him alone, he never intended to let them go.

"You guys are nuisances to me. In order to enjoy my training in peace, I better get rid of all of you."

Rey thought of it like a renovation.

"This could also serve as some form of training for me."

~WHOOOSHH!~

The two Kobolds lunged at Rey with gaping jaws and outstretched hands.

They were clearly aiming to rip him to shreds in one fell swoop, and their merciless gazes did not betray their motive.

"Fire Spell: Flame Wall"

~VWUUUUMM!~

In an instant, flames roared in front of Rey, shielding him from the imminent onslaught.

"KIYAAAAA!!!"

The screams of the Kobolds echoed in Rey's ears as he smelled something roasting.

'I guess they weren't fast enough to stop advancing.'

Considering they were in midair when he activated the Spell, Rey realized it would have been difficult even if they were fast enough.

"Their durability isn't too high as well since the fire instantly killed them." He mumbled.

He currently had the [Grand Fire Magic] Skill, which was an A-Tier Skill.

As a result, his flames were quite powerful.

'My [Magic Application] Skill and [Grand Magic Mastery] also allows me to be able to properly use Magic despite no training, and without chanting it fully.'

In essence, all he had to do was learn the right Spells and practice their effects.

'And I'm good to go!'

It felt like he was cheating at this point, but Rey knew that wasn't the case.

He still had one major problem that served as a limiter to him.

'My Mana Level... it's quite low.'

Just that single Spell of his had cost him almost half of his base Mana.

'I only have 7 Mana Points left out of my current 12 total.'

Using A-Tier Skills cost more Mana, even if they were used in a limited fashion.

'Well, to be fair, I was using multiple Skills at the same time.'

Rey didn't allow himself to be distracted by this, though.

Once the Flame Wall fell and dissipated, he was able to see what was left of the Kobolds—ashes and two glistening stones.

"Ah, a Monster Core." Rey smiled as he looked at the red crystal-like objects.

"[Inventory]."

A large screen appeared in front of him instantly, with many boxes displayed on the screen.

A few of the boxes had things within them—like the face mask and ear plugs.

"Let's add these two." He smiled.

Rey had been tempted to take some of the luminous stones and Mana Stones he was seeing, but he decided against it.

This was a National Treasure, and doing something like that would be equal to stealing.

'At least, for these Kobolds... I killed them.'

They were his prey.

'My conscience won't allow me to steal from a Nation that is already struggling.'

With those thoughts consuming his thoughts, Rey decided to keep moving forward.

'Let's see how far my base Mana can take me without any Buffs.'

He stepped over the dissipating ashes of the Kobolds and advanced deeper into the Dungeon's embrace.

It got dark at a point, so Rey decided to use a Spell he learned from the Grand Mage herself.

"Fire Brid."

Instantly, a flame ball appeared atop his palm. It wasn't as large or as powerful as Lucielle's own, but it was enough to shine light on his surroundings.

"GRRRRRRRR..."

"KRRRRIIIIII...."

"KUUUURRRRR..."

Rey soon began to hear more grumbles and rumbles around him.

'Well, I guess it's time for another round.'

With his heightened senses, he was able to sense the swift movements of the monsters that had somehow managed to surround him.

While the Brid was enough to light his immediate surroundings, the monsters were smart enough to lurk in the shadows.

Rey presumed they were waiting for him to let down his guard so they could strike.

'That's not gonna happen, though.' He let out a sure grin.

"I've pretty much figured out their number and positions."

The flames on his palm cast a shadow on his face and caused an ember glow to radiate from his eyes.

He was feeling very excited for some reason.

"Why don't we try this..."

Raising his hand slightly, he cast his next Spell.

"Fire Magic: Flame Arrows."

His Skills worked in conjunction with the Spell to generate his desired amount of arrows.

~WHOOOSH!!~

All five arrows found their targets in one swift motion, searing through the air and piercing the flesh of their prey.

"KUAAARRERHHHHHH!!!"

Disgusting sounds of beasts wailing filled the air, as well as a sizzling sound from the flame's impact upon flesh.

The smell of burning meat filled the air and tickled Rey's nose, but he remained calm.

After all...

"KURAAAAA!!!"

... He wasn't sure their wounds were fatal.

Three creatures lunged at him, not concerned about being seen in the light any longer.

"I heard that wounded animals are the most dangerous..." Rey smiled as he watched them rush towards him.

Their desperate and pained expressions fueled their launch towards him.

They seemed to personify primal rage, but even that did not move Rey in the slightest.

Right here... right now... he was in absolute control.

~WHOOSH!~

He threw his Brid—the flickering flames on his palm—towards one of the creatures, killing it instantly.

The remaining two were suddenly stopped midair by the crushing grip of Rey's hands.

"You guys don't seem dangerous to me."

Warm blood dripped on his skin as he pressed his fingers on the throat of the struggling creatures.

They seemed so fragile as they squirmed under his grip.

~SQUISH!~

In no time at all, he eliminated the two, causing them to fall to the ground.

"I should burn them up. They'll be a bother if they're left to rot."

While this was a fantasy world that had Classes and Skills, as well as a System, it wasn't a game.

It was real life.

If a creature died, they would begin to decompose. Rey didn't want to imagine the kind of smell these things would give off if they were left alone.

~WHOOSH!~

Rey properly burned the corpses of the creatures and took their Monster Core.

Once he was done with the process, he found himself looking ahead.

"More are waiting for me, huh...?"

Despite that realization, nothing like fear tugged at his heart.

Instead, it was excitement.

"Let's do this."

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Thanks for reading!

Rey is really something, huh?

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