Zamel activated Prowl and felt the skill take hold. As always, every movement, every breath he made, produced no sound, as if his actions were reduced to nothingness. However, he knew it wasn't enough, not against these monkeys, whose unnatural hearing made a mockery of the level he reached with his skill.
He had to go beyond
During his time in the forest, he had already thought of some ways to push his skill to the next level but never made any progress beyond that due to his impatience to get out of this place.
But this time, he will use them to finally break through. He analyzed those ways, whether they would be enough, but he felt they were lacking something. A key piece, substantial enough that it might improve Prowl beyond something even better.
With a focused mind, he revisited the past and dug deep into his memories—recalling every moment he used Prowl, whether while traveling or in combat. He replayed them, scanning them as they played in his mind, scrutinizing them for any errors he could correct and what needed to be refined.
Time slipped by. Sweat slid down from his forehead as some group of monkeys prowled near their hiding spot before moving on to search in other places. Still, Zamel sat motionless, lost within his mind.
His mind ached from exertion, yet he pushed it nonetheless, not stopping for a moment of rest.
Until something clicked.
A memory.
The fight with the boar.
Where he pushed every part of his being to escape death because of his carelessness.
Where time felt like it slowed as his senses transformed into something even more, as his core started to absorb the mana from his surroundings to replenish himself, then used Prowl to dodge the incoming attack of the boar.
When he used Prowl.
To disappear and blend in his surroundings.
He grabbed hold of that memory, gripping it so tightly as if he was afraid it would disappear if he let it go. Ignoring the unbearable pain his mind was going through as he poured all his brainpower to that fight, focusing everything on that one moment.
The exact second he used Prowl.
Why had it worked so well back then? Why did that happen? Why did it feel like he truly disappeared as if he became one with the surrounding area? He drilled his mind in that moment, forcing himself to relive it.
Then he remembered it, the feeling as if his entire being was enveloped by something. What was that something?
Mana.
Was it mana or something else? Yes, It had to be mana; after all, that was the only mystical power he currently knows and somewhat controls.
Then if it was mana, how did it help? What did it do to make him almost non-existent? Then he remembered something. Mana wasn't only about boosting his physical prowess or changing its properties to transform into an element like fire or water.
Yes, from what he knew, mana wasn't only about that; it was about commanding or imposing your will for it to do what you wished. That's right, maybe it was due to that when he activated Prowl; it became something greater
After all, using skills requires mana along with your will from your mind, maybe because of his desire to dodge the attack and disappear in order to get close to the boar to strike back that Prowl became like that.
And now, he would do it again.
So without any second thought, he pushed his remaining mana to wrap his whole body which was easy enough and then with absolute intent he pushed his will into it with the only way he can think of…
Be stealthy, be stealthy, pleaasssseeee be stealthy...
Then, as if hearing his will (or, in his case, begging), the mana enveloping his body responded and started to change where it felt like it just no longer covered his entire body, now it was cloaking him making him feel near-invisible.
Then after a moment, he felt something within his soul; he felt it scream, screaming at him that he succeeded and breakthrough
Although that feeling should have put him at ease and made him scream like a maniac, ruining his efforts, he knew he must confirm whether it works or not.
And as if the angels above were watching him, a monkey appeared near their vicinity, and thankfully enough, it was all alone.
Zamel saw the monkey searching throughout the surroundings, perking its long pointy ears as it moved its head left and right from the direction it thought it heard something.
Then, without hesitation, Zamel moved; he got out of the cramped hole, ignoring the worried warning from Ulfram along with a side of insult where it felt like his partner was shouting at him if he was stupid.
Zamel didn't bother replying back as he slowly walked to the monkey, who still hadn't detected him. Step by step, he grew nearer to the monkey inch by inch until they were almost face to face. Yet, the monkey remained oblivious of his existence, unaware of the looming danger close to it.
Zamel gulped within his mind, clenched his buttcheeks as he readied himself for what he was about to do. He raised his hands and, without a second thought.
PAK….
He slapped the monkey across its face.
The monkey flew back, tumbling awkwardly before scrambling to its feet, seething in anger. It looked forward to see who was dumb enough to slap it in the face, only to be confused when it found nothing.
It screeched wildly, spinning to look around while its fist was clenched ready to defend itself from another attack.
Zamel, who was watching this scene, couldn't suppress a cruel smile appearing in his face.
"Oh, you motherfuckers are so dead," he said as he laughed within his mind.
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Zamel and Ulfram now stay within a cave where they were comfortable enough to feel safe. Ulfram lays down beside Zamel, who was intently reading the words imprinted on the surface of a familiar tablet in front of him.
[F+] Prowl (Active) –Enables the user to move silently and cloak himself using mana to be near-unseeable to the naked eye while hunting or in combat. Moderately enhances perception and striking power. Advances through combat or training.
Not much has changed in its description, but there was a significant difference in it than before, the skill now referenced the method he had done to cloak himself using mana to be almost undetectable—and most importantly the grade of his had changed. From plain F to F+, a simple letter that shows the advancement of his skill. Proof that his effort had borne fruit.
Although the description remained vague, he knew firsthand the magnitude of his skill's advancement. The silencing effect of the skill had grown even better, with it nearly muting the sounds he produced while moving. Combined with the cloaking effect, his stealth skill transformed into something greater.
But the most important effect of the skill was the enhancement he got in his perception and striking power. Unlike before where it was only the first strike who can benefit in the enhancement from the skill. But because of the upgrade, the empowerment he got when using the skill is now much more useful.
Now, with his improved stealth, He can continuously dish out more powerful strikes as long as he can stay hidden.
This was all proven right after he confirmed in practice. After making quick work of the first monkey, he decided to get away from their previous hiding and find another one, where he and Ulfram encountered two groups of monkeys which both have three members.
Fortunately for him and Ulfram, both these groups didn't notice the two of them and they didn't hesitate to ambush both groups. Zamel and Ulfram were almost ghost-like, which resulted in the fight being short, brutal and terrifying for the monkeys who didn't stand a chance.
Although he was painfully slapped in the face by reality when he realized that the reason why the monkeys detected them was all because of his fault for not taking it seriously to advance his skills. He then shamelessly ignored these thoughts, justifying that he was still quite inexperienced and had a lot more things to learn.
He grinned in satisfaction at the thought of his first skill advancement—a major milestone in his long journey to power worthy of being celebrated. And he still couldn't help but chuckle as he thought about what he had done to that first monkey. The memory repeatedly played in his mind, the sound the slap created, the way the monkey flew backwards, the look on its face after it didn't see who slapped it.
He stifled another laugh as he glanced at the resting figure of Ulfram.
Progress. Finally he has what he can proudly call his first real progress.
So he couldn't afford to waste any more time. This opportunity is too hard to come by and he will take advantage of it to the fullest.
While he knew it was impossible to kill every last one of those monkeys to extinction, Their sheer number worked in his favor—especially for his plans.
He intended to use them as guinea pigs/practice dummies to advance his combat-focused F-rank skills, which were Predator's Strike and Predator's Instinct.
With how absurdly abundant they were, they wouldn't have a problem if he at least culled a bit of their numbers, no one will probably miss them anyway.
In fact, he will be doing them a favor considering back in the old world, overpopulation was always a serious environmental issue, this was basically population control
A win-win situation for both sides.
With that thought, he sent a mental message to Ulfram through their bond—it was time to hunt.
The moment the message reached him, Ulfram quickly rose to his feet with a low, eager growl as his body shakes with anticipation. Excited at the prey he will eat to satiate his hunger.
Zamel smiled, satisfied by the reaction
Together, they emerge from the cave and leapt into the trees above.
They dash through the air, jumping from one branch to another as they slip through the canopy with unnatural grace, soundless and invisible to the naked eye. As if they were shadows given form.
They move like wraiths. Yet, their intensity fuels them to become predators.
Predators, on the hunt.
It didn't take long before they found their next prey—three monkeys leaping swiftly through the air, their long, bat-like ears absorbing twitching at every sound, from the rustling of the leaves to the softest whisper of the wind.
Their sensitive hearing was so great that it was unfortunate they couldn't sense the dangerous monsters in front of them.
Zamel struck first, driving his short sword deep into the eye socket of the monkey in front. His sword punctured through to its brain with a sickening squelch.
At the same moment, Ulfram lunged at the second monkey, slashing the throat open with a clean swipe, while his tail pierce through the air toward the third monkey who barely dodged it time, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow—but not the graze along its ribs.
It was more than enough for the venom to get to its body.
The venom coursing through its vein worked quickly and within seconds, the monkey began screaming in agony. Anyone would scream like that if they felt their insides melt and decay at the same time.
Thankfully—or not, depending on perspective—the torture it was going through didn't last long as Zamel struck its brutally with his hatchet, breaking its head it head to a bloody pulp.
Prowl works wonders in their ambush, and even if the enemy were already aware of him, as long as he stayed 'cloaked' by using his skill, the enhancement in his attack power will always remain.
A great skill indeed—though it still needs further testing to uncover the full capacity of his newly advanced skill.
After swiftly eliminating the first group, they moved on without hesitation, sparing no glance for their fallen prey as they searched for the next target.
This pattern repeated throughout the forest. They hunt with intense ferocity, showing no mercy as they brutally kill their prey. Each kill discarded without care, their bodies left behind and unburied.
The lush verdant color of the forest slowly faded beneath the crimson color of the dead. The air thick with the metallic smell of blood. The body of the monkeys slowly piled up along with the growing savagery of the predators continuously searching for their next prey.
From time to time, there were monkeys who would sense their presence and prepare for the ambush—but it was all in vain. They were cut down swiftly, becoming lifeless corpses and falling from the treetops, joining their dead brethren on the bloodied ground.
This continued for days, with both Zamel and Ulfram resting for a short time—eating the corpses of their prey to satisfy their hunger before resuming the hunt once more.
The more they kill, the more they grow—the stronger they became.
As the death toll rose, so did the growing fear in the monkeys. Terror slowly gripped their hearts, and panic began to spread throughout their horde. In desperation, they started to form large groups, ranging from ten to twenty monkeys, seeking comfort and security with one another.
Which only made them easier to find.
Even with their limited intelligence, they began to understand the danger within their territory. The monsters they had foolishly tried to contain should never have been trapped
But it was already too late. Now they all knew: they had become the prey and the hunted.
And unfortunately for them, the bloodbath was far from over.