Before going to sleep tonight, Osric decided to check out his current Status.
Name: Osric
Potential: E
Strength: 11
Agility: 13
Stamina: 13
Endurance: 11
Vitality: 11
Mana: 0
Free points: 0
Skills:
Pain Resistance (E), Combat Instinct (D), Heightened Senses (E), Poison Tolerance (E), Swordsmanship (E), Composure (F), Shield Mastery (F)
'This is major progress in just a couple of months.'
'My stats used to all be under 10.'
'But my potential still hasn't increased.'
'I wonder why?'
He decided to focus on something else.
'Shield Mastery will surely be very useful and I can't wait to test it.'
'But my Pain Resistance skill hasn't improved in a long time.'
'I have mixed feelings about it, because it was my first skill, but improving it would be that I have to suffer more.'
Osric remembered how confused he was when he first awakened the system.
Naturally, he now understood it much better through countless interactions, but there were still so many mysteries.
'I think it called itself the Survival Growth System?'
'What a simple but accurate name.'
He wondered whether it actually had limitless potential and if he could even awaken mana with it someday.
It was strange for Osric to put so much trust into something unknown, but the system gave him hope.
—
The next day.
Osric's party was at the guild, talking about their next mission.
"We'll do another two Forest Creeper missions today."
William and Paul were both more than okay with it.
"Paul, go pick up Rust and the Cart. We'll meet you at the gate."
"Got it."
As he walked out, Osric noticed that a particular group was staring daggers at them.
They were subordinates of the D-Rank adventurer Elliot.
He had invited both him and William to his party before.
One of them whispered.
"You see that? They got a porter that fast and apparently did two missions yesterday."
"Yeah I saw them yesterday. They didn't have a single injury."
"Let's go report this to Elliot."
Osric watched them leave quietly.
'What are they up to?'
—
Only a few hours later, Osric's party had completed their two missions.
In the first mission they killed 8 Forest Creepers and in the second 6.
Their total earnings today were almost 20 silver.
Fortunately no bad surprises happened this time.
However, the next day something unexpected happened.
—
Osric's party decided to do two Forest Creeper missions again today.
And while they were about to leave the forest after having eliminated the first monster nest today, a group of armed people with their faces covered with cloth, walked towards them.
Osric was the first to notice them.
'Bandits?'
"Paul, get behind us and take out your dagger."
"William, raise your shield and axe."
Paul nervously jogged behind them and dropped his knife on the ground, because his hands were shaking too much.
William looked visibly annoyed at the appearance of the armed men.
"Why is this happening again?"
The group got closer.
Osric answered William.
"This is different. There are seven people this time and they're wearing much better equipment."
"I don't think they are normal bandits."
Soon they stopped a few meters away from Osric's party.
One man stepped forward.
He had higher quality equipment and a more imposing look.
'That's clearly the leader.'
"Hello Osric."
Osric's eyes widened.
William's was just as shocked.
"How does he know your name?" He whispered.
'That voice?' Osric thought.
"Do I know you?"
The man chuckled and took out his sword.
"Doesn't matter. You'll die here today, along with your friends."
His subordinates started laughing.
Osric felt nervous for the first time in a while.
'Can we handle their numbers?'
What troubled him the most was their leader. He was clearly a level above Osric.
'I think that's the D-Rank adventurer Elliot.'
'If it's really him, I might not survive this.'
He looked at William and Paul.
'I could survive by running away by myself, but that's not an option.'
'Well that might change depending on the situation.'
'What should I do? I can't just stand here forever and wait until they move.'
That's when two guys stepped forward.
Elliot called for them.
"You two, try to take care of them."
The two men looked confident as they took out their weapons.
One used a spear and shield and the other a longsword.
The spear user approached William and the other Osric.
Osric composed himself.
'Elliot's trying to gauge our abilities.'
He looked over to William.
"William. We need to finish them quickly before the others back them up."
William nodded.
"Yes."
The two attackers advanced at the same time.
The man with the longsword rushed Osric first.
His movement was quick and confident, his blade cutting through the air in a direct downward strike.
Osric reacted immediately.
His shield rose instinctively.
Clang!
The impact ran through his arm as iron met iron.
'Strong.'
Not overwhelming, but clearly trained.
The man followed with another quick strike, trying to keep Osric on the defensive.
But Osric's Combat Instinct had already taken over.
He shifted his weight and knocked the blade aside with his shield.
The attacker's balance broke for just a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
Osric stepped forward.
His sword flashed upward in a clean motion.
The blade cut across the man's throat.
The attacker froze.
Then collapsed to the ground, blood pouring through his fingers as he desperately tried to hold the wound closed.
He stopped moving only seconds later.
—
At the same time, William clashed with the spear user.
The spear shot forward with surprising speed.
William barely managed to raise his shield.
The tip scraped across the metal rim and withdrew instantly.
The next thrust came from the side.
William stepped forward instead of retreating.
The spear struck his shield again.
This time he grabbed the shaft with his left hand.
"Got you."
The spear user tried to pull back, but William yanked him forward with brute force.
The man stumbled.
William's axe came down immediately.
The blade bit deep into the man's shoulder.
The attacker dropped to one knee with a scream.
William didn't hesitate.
His axe rose again.
Crack.
The second strike split the man's skull.
The body collapsed beside the first.
—
Silence filled the clearing for a moment.
Two bodies lay on the ground.
Elliot watched the scene without moving.
"…Interesting."
His eyes shifted between Osric and William.
"You're stronger than I expected."
Behind him, the remaining four men tightened their grips on their weapons.
Then Elliot took a step forward.
Osric felt a cold weight settle in his chest.
The real fight hadn't even started yet.