Izaru had already killed the Golden Bears. Teddy bears for him. Now, he was back to wandering, searching for a town.
His body was drenched in blood and sweat from hours of walking and battling beasts. Though in truth, he had only fought ten monsters: three Crimson Wolves, two Silver Centipedes, and five Golden Bears (a.k.a. teddy bears).
"Status." Izaru muttered.
A window appeared.
Name: Sakatu IzaruLevel: 42
Class: None
Title: Dimension Breaker (Hidden)
Skills: EXP Multiplier (x29), Blood Instinct (Passive)
"Hm," Izaru squinted at the stats. "Not bad. The teddy bears weren't a waste."
That's when he noticed something. His EXP Multiplier used to be only ×25. Now, it was ×29.
"What the? Did the skill level up? Wait. I never checked the description."
Skill: EXP Multiplier (x29)Description: A skill that multiplies the EXP you gain. Every ten levels, the multiplier increases by 1.
"Woah," Izaru exclaimed. "So not only do I get stronger faster, I get stronger faster the more I level up. Neat. Now what about the other one?"
Skill: Blood Instinct (Passive)Description / Effects:
Automatic Awareness: Can sense killing intent, ambushes, and hidden enemies if they've shed blood nearby.
Combat Boost: Reaction speed, accuracy, and destructive power multiply in proportion to the amount of blood spilled. The bloodier the battlefield, the stronger the user.
"Whoa. That's a long-ass description," Izaru muttered. "But damn, this is basically cheating. Only downside—looks like I gotta be covered in blood all the time? Eh. We'll see."
He resumed walking, still desperate for a town, a village, anything with people.
Hours later, dawn crept over the horizon. Izaru's legs ached, but his luck finally turned. In the distance, he spotted movement—five figures. Adventurers.
A small team of two girls and three boys, all young, probably newbies.
They noticed him too.
"Hey," said the blonde mage, Sara. "Who's that?"
"I don't know. Maybe a traveller?" said Brown, the swordsman.
"Wait—he's covered in blood! Maybe he's hurt!!" shouted Clara, the healer. (Eyes off the healer. And the mage.)
Without hesitation, Clara ran toward Izaru, the others close behind.
"Hey, mister! Are you hurt?" she asked, already chanting a healing spell.
"Huh? Nah. This blood ain't mine," Izaru replied, unusually calm for someone drenched head to toe after fighting high-ranked monsters.
"Huh? Are you an adventurer?" asked Dani, the axe-wielder. (Relax—he's not your typical brute who picks fights with the MC.)
"No. Just lost. Can you point me to the nearest town or village?"
"Oh, you're lost, huh?" said the team leader, Mark. "Of course. We'd be happy to help. We just finished our quest anyway. You can walk with us if you'd like."
"Oh, thanks. I'd appreciate it."
And so, Izaru found his first allies in this other world.(P.S. No death flags. For now.)