A flash of golden light and there was suddenly a piece of gleaming golden armor in Ethan's hand. Its outer layer was a brown hide that looked like cowhide or horsehide, but the surface of the leather armor shimmered with a metallic sheen.
It felt soft to the touch, but Ethan was sure the material wasn't simple at all.
He set it on the ground.
Ethan first chopped at it with an axe.
At the start, a faint scratch appeared on the leather armor, but when Ethan ran his hand over it, the scratch quickly disappeared.
Then Ethan pulled out a sharp dagger and sliced the leather armor once.
This time, there was indeed a shallow scratch on the armor.
It wasn't deep, but it showed that a weapon of that level could still deal a little bit of damage to the armor. But trying to slash or pierce through easily would not be simple.
Kind of like that old story about the spear and the shield.
Which one is stronger…
Ethan couldn't say for sure either.
But if you kept hacking nonstop, a sharp dagger would naturally cut through it one day. Still, wanting to cut through the leather armor in a single strike was absolutely impossible.
For Ethan at the moment, this level of defense was enough.
After all, he wasn't dumb. If someone slashed him once, he wouldn't just stand still and let them keep slashing, right?
He put the leather armor on.
Only then did Ethan open his attribute panel and take a look.
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[ID: 888]
[Strength: 18/10 (Beyond ordinary people, you've already become a strongman)]
[Agility: 14/10 (Whirlwind Shoes +7)]
[Satiety: 8/10 (Eighty percent full is the healthiest state.)]
[Poison Resistance: 1/10 (Light smog won't kill you, but you still need to work harder.)]
[Defense: +7 (Armor adds defense. Once you take off your equipment, your defense is no different from an ordinary person's)]
[Status Evaluation: Overall ability is good, far beyond ordinary players! Keep it up and you'll become the new Iron Man!]
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His Strength doubled because of the Strength Pill, plus the meat of the Lightning Leopard and the other bits he'd eaten earlier, bringing it up to 18.
A normal person's cap was 10, which already counted as fitness-trainer level.
And regular folks, like Ethan when he used to be just an average shut-in, having 6–7 would already be considered decent.
Now his Strength had reached 18.
If he returned to the city now, Ethan would probably be considered a martial arts master or an Olympic-level weightlifting champion or something.
As for Agility and Defense, those hadn't increased much.
They were almost entirely dependent on equipment.
Agility came from a pair of Whirlwind Shoes, and Defense came from the +1 Ordinary Bracers on his arms, plus the Fine Armor +5, for a total of 7 points added.
But his base defense was still kind of weak. Looked like he still needed to work harder.
———
After clearing out the poison dart frogs in the south.
Ethan immediately walked west. First, the cat-girl on the west side was closer to him, and second, Ethan was really curious about what the cat-girl looked like.
After all… He was a cat-petting enthusiast.
Just thinking about being in the lonely mist world with a cat curled up on his lap, letting him pet it however he liked, already made Ethan feel happy.
Not to mention, the it was a cat-girl.
Just imagining it, a pretty girl with a pair of fluffy little ears on top of her head, plus a fluffy long tail, looking cute, and he could even tease her with a cat toy or something… Just imagining it made Ethan feel boundless joy.
He walked west quickly.
The closer he got to the Misty Forest, the denser the mist became. The torch that originally could clear five meters of space now only lit two or three meters around him.
Beyond three meters was all thin fog. He could still see the outlines of tree trunks, but the details were no longer clear.
[Ten meters ahead, there is a cat sleeping. If you wake it and it's in a grumpy mood, you might get harshly taught a lesson. PS: This cat is an extremely gluttonous and curious little creature. You can consider using food to attract its attention. You might have a chance to win its heart.]
"Hm?"
The prompt changed again.
But based on his past experience, the distance seemed to affect the prompt's accuracy.
Originally Ethan planned to take a look at what the cat-girl looked like.
If she was ugly, he'd just take her down by force, start with an Explosive Arrow, then send White Eagle to flank her, upper and lower attack, and finish her off.
But now… He learned the cat-girl's weakness from the prompt.
If there was a way to use smarts, Ethan definitely wouldn't choose a fight.
He picked up some withered branches.
Ethan lit a fire on the spot and started grilling meat.
He took out two pieces of meat from the Scare Box and placed them on the fire. Ethan even drizzled on a little honey, brushing it onto the meat as he grilled.
Sizzle~
Soon, the aroma of grilled meat wafted out.
Combined with the sizzling sound, it would be enough to wake not just a sleeping cat-girl, even Ethan's own mouth was watering.
Honey plus grilled meat really was the perfect combo.
At that moment, Ethan saw a sneaky little shadow in the thick mist.
'No doubt, that has to be the cat-girl.'
The shadow was about 1.2 meters tall, able to stand upright like a human, with two little ears perked up on its head. But he still didn't know what the face looked like.
"Meow~"
A sweet little kitten's cry echoed beside Ethan's ear.
Hearing that sound, Ethan's heart nearly melted.
It was just too sweet.
That little baby-kitten voice.
"Little meow?"
Ethan softly asked toward the dense fog.
The shadow moved a little, especially the pair of cat ears, which quickly twitched. But the shadow didn't come out, just stayed curled up, maybe wary.
Ethan didn't rush it. Instead, he pulled a bottle of cumin and Himalayan salt from the intermediate backpack.
He sprinkled a little cumin.
The aroma of the grilled meat instantly grew stronger. That smell filled the nose and made the stomach growl.
Ethan also noticed the shadow in the mist tilt its head slightly, and its tiny nose twitched a little.
'Aww!'
It looked like the smell of the grilled meat had really tempted it.
But the little gluttonous kitten just wouldn't come out of the mist. Even so, judging from its reactions, Ethan was certain the little greedy cat was already craving like crazy.
"Sizzle~"
The fat from the grilled meat dripped into the campfire, making crackling sounds.
Ethan sprinkled a final bit of Himalayan salt, then used a small knife to cut off a tiny piece of meat. He muttered softly, "Such a pity! This meat is so good, if only someone could eat it with me."
"Gulp~"
The little greedy cat swallowed a mouthful of drool.
Ethan exaggeratedly raised his hand and tossed the small cooked piece of meat in the direction of the little greedy cat.
"Ah! My meat fell, wasted!"
Whoosh!
But, Ethan saw the shadow in the fog strike out with lightning-fast claws and stab the grilled meat in midair.
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