VIP System

Chapter 22 - Looming Danger

Ai asked permission to use the scroll, and Leo said it was okay.

Race Change Scroll (Elf) activated.

Successfully changed race to Elf.

She confirmed that it had been activated and was effective for one hour.

Leo checked the skills again. He navigated to the sync list and tapped Amanda. Scrolling down to race skills, he saw that the skills were now enabled. He smiled and immediately used "Elf's Perception."

A sudden rush of sensation started from his feet. He felt the grass swaying in the wind, each blade distinctly clear in his mind. The sensation spread, gradually expanding to cover a 1km radius. Leo was bombarded with an overwhelming flood of information—the rustling of leaves, the distant chirping of birds, the subtle movements of small animals. He also sensed the movements of adventurers stealthily navigating the forest and monsters lurking or moving around, creating a vivid map in his mind.

It was too much. His head spun as he tried to process the myriad of sensations. Ai noticed his discomfort and gently advised him, "Focus only on what you want to see, Leo."

Leo steadied his breathing, closed his eyes, and concentrated. Slowly, he filtered out the unnecessary noises and visualized the monsters in the area. Gradually, the overwhelming sensations faded, leaving only the presence of monsters highlighted in his perception.

His eyes widened in fascination. "What an incredible skill," he marveled. He could now see the clusters of monsters throughout the forest. As he scanned the area, he noticed why beginning adventurers might avoid this part of the forest. It was teeming with slimes, packed densely together.

"Isn't that a good thing?" he mused aloud. "More slimes mean faster leveling, right?"

Ai's voice was calm and informative. "These slimes are aggressive, Leo. Which can be identified by their 'Aggressive' status below their name."

Leo's eyes narrowed in understanding. "That makes sense. Even weak monsters can be dangerous in large numbers if they attack you at the same time."

He wondered how other adventurers knew about this. Ai responded, "It is indicated in the adventurers' booklet."

Leo laughed nervously. "I guess I missed that information."

(Author's Note: He didn't read it.)

Leo started to move deeper into the forest where the slimes were. Upon reaching the area, he stopped to survey how many slimes were there. Unsure of the exact amount, he estimated there were 10 to 20 slimes in one spot. Ai corrected him, "There are 25 slimes per spot," she said calmly. He looked at her, still amazed by her abilities. "She even knows the exact number of monsters," he thought.

Without his knowledge, a slime had detected his presence while roaming. A red exclamation mark appeared above it, and in an instant, the entire pack of slimes was alerted. They rushed toward Leo, their gelatinous bodies making unsettling squelching sounds as they moved. Startled, he took a step back but tripped over a tree root, falling to the ground. The slimes were fast and began to attack by hurling themselves at him. He instinctively raised his arms to shield himself.

Ai's voice cut through the chaos. "What are you doing?" she asked, her tone calm and slightly amused.

Leo, feeling no pain from the slime's attacks, started to lower his guard. He looked around and saw that the slimes were still attacking him, but their efforts were ineffective. He stood up, and brushed the dirt off himself but realized that he had forgotten to buy a weapon. He felt like a fool for panicking over the slimes and scratched his head, embarrassed. Composing himself, "I need to start hunting properly. But we should buy a weapon first."