The Goblin Scout, now wounded, howled and swung its spiked club back with even more force.
So it went: you hit me with your club, I slash you with my blade. Back and forth, blow for blow, they fought with gusto.
The spiked club striking the Skeleton Warrior only made it stagger a few times, unable to cause any substantial damage. However, the Skeleton Warrior's blade landing on the Goblin Scout resulted in real, tangible harm.
After five slashes, the Goblin Scout let out a final shriek and fell into a pool of its own blood.
[Killed Level 10 Goblin Scout. Experience +300]
[Obtained Goblin Bone.]
A bone material appeared in Morintis's storage space.
Everyone gained a storage space after their class change, which would expand as they leveled up.
It could hold various items—materials, equipment, food—all could be stored inside, making it very convenient. Morintis had tried to see if he could store Skeleton Warriors in it, but the answer was no.
After killing one Goblin Scout, Morintis now understood the strength of Level 10 monsters. Generally, there wasn't much difference between monsters of the same level.
With a single thought, he released all 28 Skeleton Warriors.
Just like in the starter dungeon, they quickly fanned out, each seeking their own enemies. The monster density in the wild area far exceeded that of the starter dungeon.
Morintis's experience began to rise rapidly once again, even faster than before.
[Killed Level 10 Goblin Scout. Experience +300]
[Obtained Goblin Bone.]
[Killed Level 10 Dire Gray Wolf. Experience +280]
[Obtained Wolf Pelt.]
The notifications started scrolling like a barrage, almost too fast for Morintis to follow.
At this rate, reaching Level 8 would take less than an hour.
"Came to the right place." Morintis clenched his fist, feeling a surge of excitement inside.
If this speed kept up, reaching Level 15 before the major exam shouldn't be a problem. Anything higher was hard to say; it depended on how experience requirements changed after Level 10.
The Skeleton Warriors spreading out and advancing also caught the attention of some other class holders.
At first glance, they mistook the skeletons for some new type of monster. Only after using Detection did they realize these were summons.
But these summons were far too strong, killing Level 10 monsters as easily as slicing through melons and chopping vegetables.
Some people tried to locate the summoner by tracing the Skeleton Warriors.
Fortunately, the skeletons were far away. Morintis remotely recalled the specific Skeleton Warrior, leaving the onlookers with no trail to follow.
Morintis changed direction, leaving the open wilderness and entering the forest. The forest terrain was complex, visibility was poorer, and ambushes by monsters were frequent, making it more dangerous. Consequently, most people avoided the forest.
The Skeleton Warriors spread out, roaming through the forest. The complex terrain posed no obstacle to them. A detailed topographic map gradually formed in Morintis's mind, every plant and tree clearly defined.
An hour later, the light of level-up shone from Morintis's body. He had reached Level 8.
The Skeleton Warriors didn't stop for a moment, continuously killing one monster after another, providing a steady stream of experience and materials for Morintis. No one had ever leveled up as effortlessly as he did.
Mages would run out of Spirit. Knights would also become exhausted after prolonged battles. Every class needed rest and recovery. Skeleton Warriors did not. As long as they remained intact and weren't shattered, they could operate indefinitely.
"No more monsters..."
Morintis looked at the now empty grove. In just over an hour, he had cleared out all the monsters inside. He had no choice but to leave the small grove and head deeper. Unconsciously, he was moving farther and farther from Westsea City.
He fought monsters as he traveled, no longer limiting himself to Level 10 foes. Level 11, Level 12, even Level 13 monsters were casually slaughtered.
At most, it just took the Skeleton Warriors a few more slashes. The Skeleton Warriors' Constitution was simply too high—you can't hurt me, but I can kill you. It was that simple.
An Level 8 character leading a group of super-high-stat Skeleton Warriors—wherever Morintis passed, not a single monster survived.
By the afternoon, Morintis's experience had reached Level 9 (99.0%), just one step away from Level 10. By now, the number of skeletons had also reached 40, like a terrifying, tireless army crashing through the area, unmatched and unopposed.
"At Level 10, I can learn a new skill. Pity I don't have a skill scroll."
"Looks like I'll have to rely on my Talent skills for now. Fortunately, they are powerful enough."
"Even without new skills, it shouldn't affect leveling."
Class holders could learn new skills every 10 levels. There were three ways to learn skills: First, being taught by an instructor; second, learning from a skill book; third, using a skill scroll to learn.
For someone with a Hidden class like Morintis, there were basically no instructors available. Furthermore, as a Unique class, there were no skill books for him to learn from either. The only path was learning through skill scrolls.
Skill scrolls could be purchased at the Exchange. The price for a Beginner Skill Scroll used by class holders below Level 20 was 100,000 Gold Coins apiece. Very expensive.
Using a skill scroll could randomly grant a skill for one's class, but there was a troublesome issue.
The skill learned from a scroll was random, and it was possible to learn a skill one already possessed.
If such an unfortunate event occurred, the 100,000 Gold Coins would be wasted.
Moreover, there were higher-tier Intermediate Skill Scrolls and Advanced Skill Scrolls later on, whose prices were astronomical.
Yet, for Morintis to acquire new skills for his class, this was the only way.
As Morintis was pondering this, the light of level-up shone once again.
He had finally reached Level 10.