From a nearby tree, a decently-sized wolf leaped directly toward Iris, its jaws wide open and teeth aimed at her neck with deadly precision.
She instinctively moved to the side, barely dodging the attack thanks to the brutal training the Crowford family had forced her through over the years.
If Iris had faced that thing alone with her [Genesis Farmer] class, she would have stood absolutely no chance whatsoever.
But now that she had a new class, given to her by Alicar, she felt so much more confident, and the sensation was genuinely incredible.
Alicar didn’t have the [Appraisal] skill, so he couldn’t see any detailed information about the creature. But Iris did, and she quickly told him what she saw.
[Direwolf Lv.2]
[Rank: Common]
[Details: A wolf able to blend in shadows to ambush prey. Fairly easy to deal with but able to intimidate its foes.]
For people who didn’t possess the [Appraisal] skill, the only thing they would see was the monster’s name, its level and rank.
Of course, that information might not seem that important right now, but as monsters got stronger, there were many more details that could appear and prove crucial in battle.
Either way, all Alicar could see was [Direwolf Lv.2] and [Rank: Common].
[Appraisal] wasn’t only used for monsters either, it could also be used for more information on materials, items, ect.. which would indeed be useful for a farmer.
"Meeting a level 2 monster already?" Iris’ eyes narrowed with concern. "Not good."
But meanwhile, Alicar took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down after encountering the very first monster he had ever seen in the Eternal Realm.
For many people, the sheer appearance of a monster was enough to shake them, making them freeze up and allowing the creature to take advantage of their hesitation.
But even though it was the first time he used magic, Alicar raised his hand, feeling the pulse of mana surrounding him.
Mana began flowing through the pathways that his newly acquired class had provided, surging through his body like liquid fire.
Flames gathered at the tip of his palm, growing as big as his own fist, and once the direwolf attempted to slash through them with its claws, he released the fireball without hesitation.
It hit the monster directly, scorching its body and sending it stumbling backward, but even then, it wasn’t dead yet.
The direwolf howled in pain and anger, and after a few seconds, three more of its kind appeared from the shadows.
"You should start using our new skills too," Alicar said, taking a step back as he spoke to Iris, ready to fire another attack.
Iris dodged another one of the direwolf’s attacks before focusing on her powers as well.
She had seen Alicar do it, and after repeating what he did, she felt the mana swell around her too, gathering in her palm with a warmth she had never experienced before.
But instead of flames, this time she decided to use water, and a jet of water erupted from her palm as she activated her magic, hitting one of the direwolves and making it stumble backward.
"No..." she mumbled to herself, frustration creeping into her voice. "That’s not good enough."
She could sense that the power of their class was immense, but she wasn’t using it at its full potential.
How could she? She had awakened it only a few minutes ago with no prior knowledge whatsoever.
And yet, for some reason, as she watched Alicar, anyone who saw him at that moment would believe that he had been training this class for months.
Even Alicar truly didn’t understand why the [Elemental Mage] class felt so natural to him at that moment.
It was as if his very soul was telling him what to do, guiding his movements with an instinct that felt almost alien.
’Oh wait, I don’t have a soul, nevermind,’ he thought to himself.
Still, under Iris’ watchful gaze, he unleashed everything he had.
As mana surrounded him, he started using his magic attacks repeatedly, forming a fireball and throwing it toward the same direwolf he had hit before, launching a lightning strike toward another, stunning it in place, and impaling the other two with ice spikes that erupted from the ground.
In a matter of seconds, all of the direwolves were dead, their bodies collapsing to the forest floor.
Ding!
[You have killed x4 Lv.2 Direwolf.]
Alicar felt the power swell through him after killing his first monsters, the feeling of ecstasy unlike anything he had ever experienced.
It was as if a dam had broken inside him, releasing a flood of energy that coursed through every fiber of his being.
Ding!
[You have levelled up to Level 2!]
[You have gained one point in every attribute, and two free attribute points.]
He had managed to level up after killing these monsters, boosting his stats significantly, and he felt the change immediately.
His body felt lighter, stronger, and more responsive, as if he had been given a new lease on life.
Iris didn’t contribute as much as Alicar, so she only reached 36% of level one.
Still, the sight of her experience bar increasing was enough to almost make her want to cry.
For a [Genesis Farmer] who couldn’t fight, the only thing she could have done was leech off of others, relying on them to carry her through every battle.
But now, she had skills of her own, ones that she could use herself to gain experience and grow stronger.
’I’m too weak,’ she thought to herself, her fists clenching with determination. ’But I was given this chance. I won’t waste it.’
"We don’t have a spatial ring to store the corpses," Iris spoke, glancing at the fallen direwolves. "Let’s just leave them there."
Alicar nodded in agreement.
In the Eternal Realm, there was no such thing as monsters that simply dropped "loot" out of nowhere.
’Except if a monster is guarding a treasure chest that is.’
In almost every case, it was the corpse itself that had value, whether from its core or its materials.
Unfortunately, one couldn’t carry items from the real world into the Eternal Realm directly before meeting some very specific conditions, and no one in the Initial Stage met those conditions yet.
So everyone started relatively on equal footing, with nothing but their skills and their wits to rely on.
Well, either way, even if they were allowed, Alicar was in debt, and he doubted he could borrow more just to buy some items.
Regardless, now that the two of them had actually fought for the first time, they felt more ready for what lay ahead.
The initial fear had faded, replaced by a growing confidence that came from knowing they could actually survive out here.
"Let’s head deeper," Iris said with an excited smile spreading across her face. "I-I wanna see what I can do too!"
"Sure," Alicar simply shrugged, though a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
And so, the two of them headed deeper into the forest, leaving the safety of the human base behind.
The trees grew thicker around them, the shadows deeper, and the sounds of unknown creatures echoed from all directions.
But for the first time in his life, Alicar didn’t feel like a failure. He didn’t feel like the powerless nobody everyone had made him out to be.
He had a class now, he had skills, and he had a partner who was just as determined as he was to grow stronger.
The path ahead was uncertain, and danger lurked around every corner, but Alicar couldn’t help the feeling that this was exactly where he was supposed to be.