Bam–!
My pipe hit one, and its head caved in instantly, black goo leaking out of its broken skull as it collapsed.
[You have slain a Dormant Grade Monster. +10Exp.]
Instant death!
Damn.
I paused, looking down at the pipe clenched in my hand.
"What is this power?" I muttered in a 'bewildered' tone.
Yeah, that joke didn't land well.
I shook my head, focusing on the monsters that began inching back slightly as they witnessed the instant death of their own.
But seriously, I've confirmed it. My hit IS more powerful now.
"Alrighty then," I said, walking toward the pack of Rethons. "Y'all ready to die~?"
Out of the swarms of Rethons, a larger one emerged, as if responding to my question. And as it walked out, the other Rethons gave way for it. Literally parted like the Red Sea.
Another shitty joke.
It approached me slowly, with no form of panic or even hostility in its measured movement.
Come to think of it, it looked thicker than the rest. More black.
I didn't flinch, and I didn't move back. I just stood, looking down at it as it stopped right in front of me, eyeless face raised, staring straight into my eyes.
I furrowed my brows, tilting my head slightly.
Its mouth slowly opened. And out of its mouth, a rumbling snarl echoed.
I raised my head, looking behind the snarling thing.
Huh?
When did they..?
Four Rethons. Large ones, almost the same size as this one, walked out of the swarm of Rethons too, slowly approaching me.
But unlike the one that currently stared me in the face, their steps were aggressive, and their snarls louder.
The large one raised a gooey paw.
I stared at it.
Claws sprang.
My eyes itched. And I blinked.
As I opened my eyes,
[Rethon. Tier 2 Dormant Grade Monster.]
That red status window surfaced on top of the head of the Rethon.
Tier 2? I thought they were tier 1?
As if listening to the command of their leader, two out of the four approaching Rethons leaped toward me with widened jaws, aggressiveness spewing out of their every movement.
I stared at the status window of the two leaping Rethons.
[Tier 1.]
This red status window thing is really unstable. Always appearing out of nowhere like it's glitching or something.
But… the other Rethons are Tier 1, huh?
I nodded.
I see…
I immediately bulged my right calf, assuming a better stance as I swung my leg, delivering a high-impact kick to the Tier 2 Rethon's jaw.
It inched back slightly, shaking its head rapidly, as if wiping off the stun.
–Screech!
In the same motion, I clenched the steel pipe with both hands, pivoting my waist as I struck the head of one of the incoming Rethons with every fiber of strength in my bones.
…The big guy is just built different.
The Rethon immediately fell lifeless.
[You have slain a Dormant Grade Monster. +10Exp.]
The second one, though.
Its jaw tightly wrapped around my right shoulder, teeth sinking into my flesh, causing a stinging pain to echo through my veins, traveling from my shoulder to my brain.
Shit. I just got healed a few minutes ago! Not again!
I threw the steel pipe on the ground, gritting my teeth as I forcefully clenched the head of the Rethon. I swear, I could've burst the thing's head if I had a bit more strength.
Even still, it refused to let go of my shoulder.
But I put more strength into my biceps, groaning as I dragged the head off, my flesh tearing as blood spluttered.
I held the head of the Rethon tight. Its feet kicked in the air.
Thick liters of crimson streamed down from my open wound, staining the ground I stood.
In the grinding teeth of the Rethon, my torn-out flesh danced.
My smirk faded, replaced by a frown.
I clenched the head of the Rethon tighter. It felt like I tried to crush a solid rock.
I ignored the stinging pain from my bleeding shoulder and slammed the Rethon's head into the ground.
Upon impact, the ground cracked, and streaks of black goo — Rethon blood — sprayed my face. I wiped them off.
[You have slain a Dormant Grade Monster. +10Exp.]
I picked up my steel pipe immediately, turning to face the tier 2 Rethon and the other two Rethons behind it.
The tier 2 Rethon tapped its paw on the ground twice.
Immediately, thick streaks of goo flew off from the other two Rethons' paws.
I dodged them, still enduring the searing pain in my bleeding shoulder as I ran toward them.
–Grrr!!
The tier 2 Rethon ran toward me, too. The other two followed suit.
I halted. And again, I kicked the face of the tier 2 Rethon.
It recoiled backward, leaving a comfortable gap between us.
Like a javelin, I threw the steel pipe toward its head and outstretched both my hands.
My palms grasped the heads of the two Rethons mid-air. And my arms shook slightly.
I leaped, slamming them to the ground, ending them immediately.
[You have slain two Dormant Grade Monsters. +20Exp.]
Wasting no more time, I ran toward the tier 2 Rethon, still stunned from the impact of the pipe on its forehead.
Didn't put enough strength into that throw.
I grabbed my steel pipe on the ground and immediately swung it on the head of the Rethon.
It fell to the ground immediately.
Didn't even put up much of a fight.
It tried to stand up again, staggering.
Crack–!
I hit the head once more, crushing its skull.
I spat on its corpse.
Big for nothing.
[You have slain a Dormant Grade Monster. +10Exp.]
As the voice of the system echoed in my mind, I paused, staring at the floating blue screen.
Huh?
Annoyed, I closed my eyes.
Breathed in.
Breathed out.
I opened my eyes, and clenched my fists.
"Oh, come on! Fuck, wasn't that a tier 2?! Shouldn't the Exp be higher?" I screamed at the system screen.
I unclenched my fists, and shook my head. "Tch."
My bleeding shoulder still stung. The flesh around it had been chewed off.
Eh, it'll heal when I level up.
I turned my neck, scanning the faces of the other Rethons present.
Most of them had run toward the crowd to resume their shenanigans.
But the rest that stayed and witnessed the death of their supposed leader, they shivered in response to every single movement I made.
I have a free Exp farm here, after all.
I moved, and began swinging my steel pipe wildly.
[+10Exp.]
[+10Exp.]
[+10Exp.]
[Exp: 90/1000…]
"Shut up already with the Exp notification!"
…
…
[Exp: 1000/1000.]
[Congratulations. You have leveled up!]
[Free stat points: 8]
[Level-up auto heal in effect.]
All my injuries healed up immediately. And my torn shoulder patched up as the gathered fatigue in my body dissolved.
I rolled my shoulder, and the joint cracked in place.
It was fully healed.
Amidst the screams and chaos, certain voices stood out, streaming into my ears incessantly. The voices were devoid of panic, yelling:
"Keep hitting!"
"Don't let them pass!"
I raised my steel pipe, resting it on my shoulder as I cracked my neck.
"Hm.." I hummed softly, eyes focused on four figures in the distance, standing behind the advancing crowd. Forming some sorta barrier.
Those figures desperately fought off the joyous Rethons.
It seemed as though they were defending the people.
When the hell did they even start fighting?
I let out a soft sigh.
I was too focused on the grind.
I moved my neck, my eyes scanning the utterly pleasing sight that lay around me.
Rethon corpses littered the ground. No one was left alive. Well, except for the many Rethons that still chased after the crowd.
Worth it, though.
I looked up at the figures in the distance.
It won't be bad if I add 8 more to the free stat points, would it?
I lowered the steel pipe from my shoulder.
Yeah, it won't.
I ran toward the Rethons in the distance, and the fighting people trying to steal my Exp.
Kill all the Rethons, then completely cross the bridge.
I wonder if Jerry is even where I expect him to be.
I shrugged.
I'll find him regardless.