[You have killed an A-rank Deathstalker Scorpion.]
Lukas stood over the corpse, before shifting his eyes to the sword in his hand.
Then he looked up, tallying the time heād clocked in his head.
A smile came upon his face as he finished his calculations. Heād finished the beast even faster than last time.
He was indeed getting more skillful.
He pulled up his status screen.
[Lukas]
[Race: Human]
[Rank: B-Rank Awakener]
[Class: Thief, Hexblade, Necromancer]
[Exp: 98.72%]
[Stats:]
[Strength: 4953 (+200)]
[Agility: 4285]
[Constitution: 4739]
[Mana: 5994]
[Skills: Pickpocket, Lockpick, Cursed Blade, Hex Shield, Blood Armor, Resurrect, Death Bolt, Smite]
It had been two weeks since Akira had started their journey to S-rank.
Throughout the whole time, theyād been hunting in the Green Forest, slaughtering as many beasts as they could find every day.
And because of that, heād quickly advanced to B-rank. And now, he was on the cusp of entering A-rank.
With his ninety eight point seventy two percent experience, crossing over wouldnāt take him more than a few hours.
Hunting with an Adept ranked weapon was really an undisputed experience. Though he didnāt have the weapon with him, itās impact was undeniable.
He and Melody used it on alternate days, and as heād used it yesterday, she was using it today.
Sheād already crossed into S-rank a few days prior, and was currently working on maxing out her exp bar to be eligible for advancing to Adept.
Lukas waved away his status, shaking his head. Even though A-rank was within his reach, he would not be crossing over. At least not yet.
The only reason he was currently out hunting was the quest his system had given him. And at this point in time, he needed the points.
But the long awaited tournament was already here, and walking into it as a B-rank was already going to draw attention.
Every year, it was expected that there would be a few B-ranks competing, but none like him.
Unlike those elites, he was essentially a nobody with no recognized backing. So, walking in as an A-rank would raise questions he didnāt want to answer.
Thankfully, the tournament would take place over the course of a week, so he wouldnāt have wasted too much time.
While he knew that with Akira and Melody on his side, he could afford to be more courageous, heād heard enough stories about people who got too big for their boots, made enemies at the tournament, and were found dead days later.
His plans were to leave Havenhart, not die inside it. So, there was no need to tempt fate.
Besides, heād heard the recent rumors about Adept ranked delegates coming to Havenhart. What if the man tried to recruit him and wasnāt able to take no for an answer?
Lukas loved his independence. While he was sure heād find a way to handle a situation like that, there was no need to invite trouble.
He sheathed his sword and turned away from the scorpionās remains, walking deeper into the forest.
All he needed now was one more A-rank Deathstalker Scorpion, and he would be done with this quest.
Thankfully, his two weeks of consistent hunting had produced a steady stream of Gacha Points, and he had put them to use.
Knowing heād been neglecting the [Item] banner, heād decided to draw from it.
Heād gotten enough points he to draw twice on two separate occasions, and both times, heād left with disappointment.
The system had given him one star [Items], which were practically useless to him at this point in time.
Heād only stared briefly at them before selling them at the nearest pavilion.
Heād of course, come to the conclusion that his luck with [Items] was poor. This also extended to dungeon drops, as he still hadnāt replicated getting the [Deathstalker Gauntlet].
So, for him, drawing from the [Item] banner was a poor use of points that could be better spent elsewhere.
Skills were at least different. Even if he drew a weak skill now, he was sure the skill would get stronger when he advanced to Adept, as all skills do.
There was also his three star pulls on the skill banner, which had given him [Blood Armor] and [Smite], both Adept-ranked and game changing.
The return on investment was clear. Once he cleared this quest, the points were going straight to the skill banner.
He moved between the trees, eyes scanning as he listened for beasts. He was sure what he was looking for was here. And soon, he was proven right.
Two shapes emerged from around a wide trunk ahead, pincers clicking as they caught sight of him.
They were both Deathstalker Scorpions, and both A-rank.
He only needed one, but he certainly wasnāt going to say no to them both.
A grin spread across his face as he reached back and drew his sword.
The first scorpion charged its tail immediately, the stinger glowing with building heat.
Lukas kept walking towards it at a casual pace, and at the last possible moment stepped to the side, letting the beam burn past him.
He could have dashed forward and ended it right there and then, but he didnāt.
Instead he slowly circled them, watching as the second scorpion fired another beam.
He leaned to the side, watching it sail into a tree in the distance.
When the beasts saw their ranged attack wasnāt working, they raced towards him.
The second scorpion attacked, its pincers snapping forward. Lukas hopped over the claw, tapping the scorpionās head with the flat of his blade on the way past.
The scorpion spun around, confused.
He smiled, finally dashing at the first scorpion. A fraction of a second before the beast fired, he caught the stinger with his palm and redirected it to the side, the beam carving a line across the forest floor.
Then he yanked the scorpion, turning it like a sling, before slamming it into the second scorpion.
There was an ugly crunch as their shells popped, spilling flesh all over the floor.
[You have killed an A-rank Deathstalker Scorpion (x2).]
He smiled as the notification he was waiting for appeared.
[Congratulations, you have cleared the quest.]
[Reward: +200 Gacha Points.]
Time for a new skill.