[An hour later]
[You've slain a Level 15 Kobold]
[You've broken through to the fourth stage of Apprentice Realm]
[+5 stats to all attributes]
"The number has changed to 4, and now his HP has reached 700. It added a wholesome 200. I don't know why he's slow in leveling up despite him being the one doing all the killing. I myself have leveled up 4 times. I'm now at level 17, and my HP has only increased by 200, meanwhile that of his has increased by 350."
"The number on his head doesn't indicate level... It's just 4. Does it have to do with his class? Maybe he's one of those hidden class experts."
Luna was just staring at Malik, who was happily sorting out his loots with excitement on his face.
"I've earned 97 Runic Stones so far, with 20 gold coins and 120 silver coins. I'm really excited... Even my stats have changed a lot," Malik said as he excitedly pulled up his stats page.
---
[Stats]
Name —) CrimsonFlame
Profession —) Cultivator
Realm —) Apprentice
Stage —) 4
Health Points —) 700
Spiritual Energy —) 200/600
Cultivation Points —) 70/1600
[Attributes]
Strength —) 44
Agility —) 50
Endurance —) 30
Intelligence —) 85
Physique —) Primordial Chaos Physique
---
"Now this is what I'm talking about..." Malik pumped his fist excitedly into the air before turning to Luna.
"We've gone too deep. Let's head back to the starting area. I'm sure there are some monsters we missed," he said to her, and she nodded.
If it were before, she would have argued with him or never agreed instantly, but she had gained a lot in this deal.
"Just tell me where I can level up 4 times in an hour..." Luna mused as she turned around to follow Malik when suddenly, the ground beneath them quaked as the two players stumbled to the ground atop each other.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to fall on you," Luna gasped with her red face as she tried to get up, but then the ground quaked again, and she fell face-flat on Malik's body.
Though it was a gamelike body, Malik could still feel the sensation.
"Something's coming." Malik's enhanced senses traveled far, alerting him of the impending doom.
"I can't move. My body has been suppressed," Luna alerted, and a twitch appeared on Malik's face. She was currently lying on his body, and if she didn't get up, he wouldn't be able to either.
"You crazy Summoner, don't you add stats to Agility?"
"How am I supposed to add Strength to Agility, you fake noob? Don't you know Summoners depend on Intelligence to control their summons?"
"Then summon your beast down here."
"Haven't you heard about the concept of cooldown?" Luna retorted, and Malik grabbed her by the shoulder.
"I don't even need 50% of my strength to push you away—"
"Don't even—"
Before she could finish her statement, Malik had already pushed her off him, and she was sent flying backward until she crashed against a hard surface and landed on her knees.
"IMPUDENT!"
A loud growl filled the air as the air around Luna stiffened.
Even Malik's eyes widened as he stared at the monster behind the Level 17 Summoner.
"A Kobold Chieftain..." He activated the Eyes of Insight at once as he sprang up.
At this moment, the monster's aggro had already been pulled by Luna, who swiftly got up. But before she could move, the large paw of the Kobold hit her, sending her flying away with damages appearing over her head.
Her HP depleted by 30% with just one hit as Malik ran in her direction.
"Luna... are you alright?" Malik asked as he squatted before her.
"How can I be alright, you bastard? The sensory level of the game is at 50%. My bones felt like they'd broken, and it's all your fault. Better go defeat that monster," she pouted like a kid as she pointed at the Kobold Chieftain who stood 9 feet tall.
Malik turned to the monster with the Eyes of Insight activated to its utmost limit.
---
[Kobold Chieftain —) Bronze Mini Boss]
Level: 20
HP: 1,200
---
"I can't defeat that monster. It's a Bronze Boss and its defenses are outrageous." Black lines appeared on Malik's face.
"So what do we do? I don't want to lose any level..." Luna cried out.
"We should run." Malik pulled her up at once as he turned around and started running while holding her hand.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
They heard heavy, large strides behind them, and as Luna turned back, she couldn't help but gasp. The Kobold Chieftain was jumping instead of running, and with just a few strides, it had reached them.
"DIE!"
A deadly voice filled the air as a large paw descended on both Malik and Luna. Malik pushed Luna away as he blocked the attack with both his sword and his dagger.
The ground beneath him quaked as damages appeared on his head, and dust covered the place entirely.
Luna, who had just landed on the ground, turned in the direction with a heavy expression on her face.
"Is he dead?" Her expression grew worse as she saw the Kobold raise its hand and stand there, waiting for the dust to clear.
And when the dust cleared, Malik was on his knees, his entire body shaking, and his HP slightly above 50%.
Before the Kobold Chieftain could launch another attack, Malik infused 150 points of Spiritual Energy into his sword and activated his combat skill.
Necro Slash!
He lodged his sword directly into the Kobold's chest, plundering 20% of its HP before explosively retreating to Luna's side.
"I thought you were a goner," Luna said to Malik, who was panting heavily.
"Inventory."
Malik pulled out two potions from his inventory and gave one to Luna before opening his own.
"What? You're giving me the Enhancement potion?" Luna stared at Malik in shock as he gulped down all the contents of his potion.
"You don't want it? Then give it to me." Malik reached out to take it back, but Luna quickly stepped back, uncapped it, and drank every drop.
---
[You've consumed an Enhancement potion. Mana points have been permanently increased by 40%]
[You can now summon a Beast 7 to 10 levels above you for 10 minutes. Cooldown — 5 minutes]
---
"I was only able to summon a beast 3 to 5 levels above me for five minutes, and the cooldown was 10 minutes. The Enhancement potion has doubled my DPS." Luna was utterly in shock as she gripped her staff tightly before turning to Malik.
"Let's kick this monster's butt."
"That's my girl." Malik chuckled loudly, giving her a thumbs-up.