Chapter 76: Level Up! A/N: Thanks for all the Power Stones. Bonus Chapters are on their way! 100 PS - +2 Chapters --- Chapter 76: Level Up! 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦 As the plan was formed, Dale and his party departed, their silhouettes slipping between jagged rocks and scattered roots. Soon after Leo saw them disappearing into the trees, he nudged Shyra forward and went off on his own route—different paths, same destination: the source of the golden light. While Leo traversed on top of Shyra’s broad, warm back, the forest’s cool wind clipping across his cheeks, he kept brainstorming different angles for his approach. The ambient hum of mana clung to the leaves, shifting faintly with every distant tremor. "If Dale, being a peak 2-star with defensive abilities, was blocked by the golem—sure, he was exhausted at the start—but he still had his girls... and still lost." Leo muttered under his breath, drumming his fingers against Shyra’s shoulder. "Then it’s not hard to figure out that no one might’ve reached the treasure yet. This only leaves high-level beasts or those with sneaking abilities. Sneaking past these heavy, walking rock-heads is easy enough. Dale only got caught because he thought he could tank it." He kept thinking through the possibilities while occasionally cutting down beasts along the way—quick, clean strikes; the brief stench of blood before Shyra’s wind-washed scent overpowered it. Then suddenly, a crisp chime rang in his mind. Ding! Level 20: 11275 / 11275 Level Up! Level 21: 25 / 14658 Status Updated! Vitality: 24.1 → 36.2 [69.1 → 81.2] Strength: 25.4 → 38.1 [70.3 → 83.0] Agility: 25.6 → 38.4 [70.6 → 83.4] Stamina: 24.9 → 37.4 [69.9 → 82.4] Intelligence: 37.4 → 56.1 [82.4 → 101.1] Mana: 7416 → 9099 Leo nodded, satisfied. The warmth of rising stats rushed through his limbs like a faint pulse. Now his base stats were comfortably in the high 2-star range, and his Intelligence had reached Pseudo 3-star. After adding the share from his beasts, his Intelligence finally pushed into low 3-star. --- {3-star stat range in each minor rank according to system attributes} {A/N: Previously, I made a mistake. These are the new ones} 50–100 → Pseudo 3-star 100–200 → Low 3-star 200–300 → Intermediate 3-star 300–400 → High 3-star 400–500 → Peak 3-star --- "Hmm, still no high or peak 2-star beasts..." he said, patting Shyra’s back. "Looks like you’ll need to wait a bit to level up." He guessed most high-level beasts had already reached the location and were scouring the area for the treasure. With that in mind, he increased Shyra’s pace. A nagging thought ticked at the back of his mind: Could Dale and his party even reach the site in time and do their job as a distraction before he wrapped things up? Because clearly, they couldn’t match Shyra’s breakneck speed as she darted between trees and crashed through underbrush. As he was thinking, a heavy crash echoed through the forest. The impact vibrated faintly through Shyra’s feet, reaching him as a dull shiver. Looking around, he spotted a beast locked in combat with a familiar type of golem. The beast looked utterly battered—fur matted with dust, patches torn out, and its breath coming out in hoarse rumbles. Gravelback Howler (High 2-star) – Mortal Bloodline A stocky, stone-furred monkey standing nearly three to four meters tall, with dark grey plates along its spine—plates now cracked at multiple points. It was clear the fight would end with the golem’s victory. Yet the beast wasn’t retreating; it looked frenzied, desperate, as if racing against time. Its bloodshot eyes glared at the golem as though staring at a lifelong nemesis. "Do treasures have some kind of effect on wild beasts?" Leo asked aloud, glancing down at Shyra. His tone held a mix of curiosity and unease. "Because you’re not affected... and Dale’s beasts didn’t act like this either. Maybe the treasure’s using some lure—drawing beasts toward it for nourishment." He watched the clash again. The monkey’s greyish muscles flexed so hard they seemed almost sculpted from granite. Each screech it unleashed carried a deep, vibrating resonance that shook loose dust from nearby rocks. Still, the golem remained unaffected. The only difference Leo noticed was the brighter glow in the core embedded in its chest. "Maybe the core is stabilising the disrupting effect," he murmured, eyes narrowing. Leo decided that now was the time to act. "Sorry, monkey," he murmured, "but I need your core." Shyra’s muscles bunched beneath him like coiled steel. With a sharp exhale, she activated her stealth, her form shimmering and dissolving into the forest’s shadowed hues, and then rushed forward at a speed so sudden it almost felt like they blinked across the field. As the golem and the monkey traded thunderous blows, the ground behind the golem quivered. A heartbeat later, multiple vines erupted upward with a sharp whip of displaced air, shooting toward the stone construct. They wrapped around its limbs and torso, straining with creaking tension as they tried to pin the massive creature. The golem resisted, its stone body grinding and cracking the vines apart with each movement, but for every torn vine, new ones burst forth to replace them—an unending wave that finally managed to hold it in place. The Gravelback Howler didn’t waste even a heartbeat. Believing some unseen ally had intervened for its sake, it lunged with a wild, guttural roar. Its flurry of attacks rained down with brutal ferocity, each blow striking the golem’s stony hide and cracking it further in rapid succession. Shards of rock scattered, clinking against the ground. It wasn’t long before the monkey-like beast shifted its focus toward the exposed core, which now pulsed vulnerably, completely open for attack. Leo, hidden in stealth, narrowed his eyes as the Howler’s fist began to darken—its grey fur shading into an almost metallic black. The colour deepened with every second the beast charged its blow. Must be a skill, he thought, watching intently. The Gravelback Howler unleashed its punch. The strike propelled forward at blinding speed, fast enough to distort the air and send a sharp shockwave rippling outward. But just as the attack reached the glowing, throbbing core——that familiar tortoise-shell barrier manifested again, thin cracks instantly spreading across its surface before shattering with the same brittle, glass-like chime Leo had heard before. For the monkey, however, the result was far more devastating.