C20 Nether Cat
A heap of wild beast carcasses littered the ground, their blood soaking into the earth, mingling the scent of blooming flora with the heavy stench of carnage. Dorothy stood sword in hand, a faint weariness etched onto her delicate features, sweat and blood mingling on her brow.
"Come! My dear Boss Dorothy! Please enjoy some tea!" Rinn approached, offering a teacup brimming with dark green tea with the utmost respect.
"Thank you, my charming Warrior Rinn." Dorothy's smile was a gentle curve as she accepted the cup and sipped the tea.
Finishing the bitter brew, she abruptly cast the cup aside, her voice tinged with alarm, "Is this tea safe? It's not going to give me diarrhea, is it?" It was almost comical that the swordswoman, undaunted by legions of monsters, was apprehensive about a cup of tea.
Sigh! Blame it on Aunt Judy's notorious cooking! Even Dorothy was rattled!
Rinn felt a pang of sympathy and reassured her, "Rest assured, Boss Dorothy. This tea is a gift from Aunt Judy. It's free from her culinary misadventures, perfectly safe."
"Hmm, that explains it. But Aunt Judy... her name rings a bell..." Dorothy pondered.
"She's the robust woman who runs the grocery store in town," Rinn offered, prompting a spark of recognition in Dorothy's eyes. "That's right! The true champion of women!"
"A champion of women? What's that about?"
"Rumor has it she was a renowned huntress in her youth, the only female butcher throughout Bayhill—a legend in her own right!"
Stars twinkled in Dorothy's eyes as she declared with conviction, "I aspire to be a self-reliant and independent woman like Judy!"
Uh-oh...
So Aunt Judy had such a storied past? No wonder Rinn always felt a deep sense of gravitas and solemnity around her.
But Dorothy, while emulating Judy's spirit is commendable, please steer clear of her physique. That could be rather unflattering!
Rinn kept these thoughts to himself as Dorothy inquired further, "Also, Warrior Rinn, what exactly does 'big boss' mean?"
"A 'big boss' is someone who's incredibly formidable and respected..."
Realizing his otherworldly slang had sown confusion, Rinn quickly clarified.
"Oh, so you were complimenting me. But Warrior Rinn, you're pretty impressive yourself."
Dorothy offered a compliment in return, "At the very least, your singing is spot on."
Even without a hint of sarcasm from the naive girl, Rinn couldn't help but feel his face grow warm with a blush.
Just moments ago, Dorothy had been fiercely battling monsters, while he had done nothing but sing to boost her spirits from the sidelines.
He had belted out high-pitched anthems like "When the Soldier is Here", "The Legend of the Dragon and the Eight Sections", and "The Internationale".
Initially, Qin Hao had acted on a whim, but now that Dorothy mentioned it, he was filled with embarrassment.
There she was, a girl, sweating it out in the thick of battle.
And there he was, merely humming tunes as an onlooker. It was quite inexcusable!
However, his spirits lifted considerably after glancing at his personal stats panel!
Name: Rinn
Level: 2
Title: None
Profession: Elementary Blacksmith
Attributes: Strength 3.3, Agility 1.8, Intelligence 2.0
Profession Skill: Elementary Forging Technique (4,258/10,000): "Elementary Forging Technique boasts a 95% success rate for standard weapons, a 20% chance to craft blue weapons, and a 1% chance to forge purple weapons..."
Combat Skill: None
Skill Points: 1
Attribute Points: 1
Experience Points: 2,756/1,000 (ready to level up)
Gold Coins: 5 silver, 72 copper.
His experience bar had long overflowed.
Rinn scanned the area, ensuring there were no lurking monsters, and then he made a silent wish.
"Level up!"
Whoosh!
It was as though a divine light cascaded from the heavens.
Rinn felt an exhilarating mix of sourness and invigoration.
He flexed his body, feeling a surge of strength and a newfound lightness.
Upon revisiting his panel, the changes were indeed remarkable!
Name: Rinn
Level: 3
Title: None
Profession: Elementary Blacksmith
Attributes: Strength 3.8, Agility 2.3, Intelligence 2.5
Profession Skill: Elementary Forging Technique (4,258/10,000): "The Elementary Forging Technique now has a 95% success rate for ordinary weapons, a 20% chance for blue weapons, and a 1% chance for purple weapons..."
Battle Skills: None
Skill Points: 2
Attribute Points: 2
Experience Points: 1,756/5,000
Gold: 5 silver and 72 copper coins.
"Level 3! I can't believe I've reached level 3 so fast!"
Rinn was overjoyed, his gaze sweeping across the vast canyon, his fighting spirit boiling over. Barely a moment here and I've already leveled up. Once I clear out all the monsters, I'll soar in levels, won't I? Caught up in his triumph, Rinn had forgotten that Beast Valley was a place fraught with danger, instead imagining it as a perfect haven for power leveling.
Dorothy, however, wasn't as naive as Rinn.
Suddenly, she cast a wary look into the distance, "There's trouble!"
"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"
Rinn scanned his surroundings, puzzled, seeing nothing amiss.
But following Dorothy's focused gaze, he quickly spotted a group of shadows emerging from the distant forest. A mist had mysteriously risen among the trees.
Within the mist, a cluster of shadows, no bigger than infants, crept closer.
Their silhouettes suggested they were some kind of feline.
"Meow!"
Just as expected, the shadows drew near, revealing themselves to be a pack of enormous wild cats!
Their claws were razor-sharp, their fur a steely gray, and their pupils a haunting blood-red.
At first glance, they seemed no different from regular wild cats. But a closer look revealed their limbs were far more robust than the average feline, hinting at the beginnings of a cheetah's build.
Without hesitation, Rinn cast an Exploration spell on the wild cats.
"The Nether Cat pack, as elusive as specters, move without a trace, proving to be a thorn in the side of humanity..."
"What?"
Rinn hadn't expected to see a cryptic message instead of the wild cats' stats. Was their level so daunting that even the system had to issue a warning?
But soon enough, the details of a Nether Cat materialized.
"Nether Cat, Beast, Level: 5, Strength: 3, Agility: 5, Intelligence: 2..."
The straightforward data filled Rinn with both excitement and awe. The prospect of defeating this high-level group of more than twenty wild cats promised a staggering amount of experience points!
To his surprise, the attributes of these wild cats were quite unnerving!
Despite their small size, they were stronger and faster than the hyenas they had just encountered.
Could this be a bit of a problem?
"Warrior Rinn! Keep the encouragement coming! I'm heading in!"
Dorothy, however, begged to differ.
With a swift declaration, she gripped her sword in both hands and charged headlong into the swarm of cats.
"Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!"
"Meow! Meow! Meow!"
As Dorothy made her advance, the cats unleashed a chorus of meows. Though they seemed adorably sinister, the sound was piercing to the ears.
True to the data, these cats were formidable, with their speed and strength proving to be quite fearsome.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Their pounces generated gusts of wind.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their razor-sharp claws met Dorothy's longsword, sending sparks flying with each clash.
This fight was, without a doubt, far more challenging than the last.
But the silver lining was that aside from a slight pallor, Dorothy showed no signs of distress.
With each swing of her sword, she reaped the lives of the Nether Cats with precision.
Naturally, these higher-level beasts weren't as easy to dispatch, and the efficiency wasn't as high as before.
But that was of little concern. As the experience notifications caught Rinn's eye, he couldn't help but feel a surge of elation.
"Killed Nether Cat, +25 experience points..."
"Killed Nether Cat, +25 experience points..."
