Elias’ mind buzzed. He bounced on his feet, still cheerful from exploring the fair and meeting Rebecca—a wide grin stretched across his face.
The green wall of leaves and branches loomed larger in his vision, and when it was close enough to touch, he stopped.
He drew a deep breath to center himself, and his thoughts quieted as he focused on the task ahead. Then, without a word, he slipped through the treeline and walked deeper into the jungle.
That morning, his parents had once again emphasized the importance of safely testing his limits in the dungeon—of finding the right balance between risk and reward. While the concept of limit testing wasn’t new to him, they had still drilled the most common techniques into him, making sure he approached it the right way.
The method he’d chosen was the simplest: staying in one area long enough to ensure he could handle the monsters there before moving on. It allowed him to find the sweet spot where the creatures were as strong as possible while still within his capabilities without exposing himself to unnecessary danger.
It might have seemed like an obvious course of action, but few people committed to executing it properly. The real trick lay in consistency and restraint, qualities not all adventurers possessed.
Elias moved at a relaxed pace, weaving through the trees with steady vigilance, his eyes sharp and ears alert. His focus paid off when he spotted a small white shape in the distance and immediately used Analyze on it.
*******
White Horned Rabbit
Level 4
Common
*******
The creature stood mostly still, its head occasionally shifting while its ears swiveled constantly.
Realizing it was too alert to sneak up on, Elias abandoned the idea of a stealthy approach. Instead, he moved cautiously, keeping his back to a particularly thick tree and bracing himself for the moment the beast would pounce.
As soon as the rabbit noticed him, it exploded into motion without a shred of hesitation or warning. One moment, it was calmly staring ahead—then it was rocketing toward him at high speed like a murderous teddy bear, horns lowered and aiming to ram him.
He sidestepped the beast’s flight path, letting it crash into the tree behind him. Somehow, it wasn’t even stunned by the impact.
Twisting midair, it kicked off the trunk and launched itself at him again. This time, it was too close to dodge.
Elias braced himself, trying to cushion the impact by grabbing the rabbit’s stumpy horns. His hands found purchase, but the creature twisted in midair, causing him to fumble for a better grip. It slipped free and slammed into his chest.
Elias winced, bracing for the pain—but surprisingly, it never came. It seemed that what the monster had in agility, it lacked in strength.
Now that it was close, he seized the opportunity to grab the rabbit by the head again, an evil glint in his eyes. There was no escaping now. Without hesitation, he began bashing it against the nearest tree.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
The creature thrashed and struggled to break free until the bitter end, but it was all for naught. A moment later, an experience notification appeared.
 
You have gained 80 exp.
 
After collecting forty energy from the rabbit’s crystal, Elias resumed his search for more monsters. He stayed in the same area, choosing not to venture deeper into the jungle just yet. Only after killing four more creatures, each between levels 2 and 5, did he decide to move to a region with slightly stronger foes.
Of all the monsters he’d fought in this area, the rabbit had actually been the most dangerous. It was a specialized creature, with its attributes heavily skewed toward Agility at the expense of Strength. That made it difficult to keep up with, even if its attacks didn’t hurt much when they landed.
The others hadn’t even managed to touch him.
Specialized monsters became even more dangerous in higher-rank zones. In those areas, it was possible to encounter creatures with attributes so heavily skewed they were effectively considered a rank higher than they actually were.
He’d once heard of an Arcane-rank flower with the Intelligence of a Legendary-rank monster but the Vitality of an Uncommon one. It had unleashed a single magical blast powerful enough to nearly wipe out an entire party—but died in the process. Its fragile body hadn’t been able to withstand the strain of channeling so much mana at once.
People, on the other hand, had to keep their attributes within a range determined by their rank. Beginner-rank adventurers had attributes between levels 11 and 20, Novice between 21 and 30, and so on. It was impossible to raise an attribute beyond the cap of one’s rank. Even so, most people aimed to keep their attributes balanced—within two levels of each other—because of their synergistic effects.
As Elias moved deeper into the jungle, a flicker of movement at the edge of his vision made his eyes widen. He yanked his arm back just in time, his quick reflexes narrowly saving him from the snap of a small, stick-like insect.
It had gone unnoticed, perfectly camouflaged as a branch on a nearby sapling, its pincers glistening with poison as it lay in wait for unsuspecting prey.
Instinctively, Elias lashed out with his combat boot, sending the insect flying.
 
You have gained 100 exp.
 
A couple of minutes later, his heart was still racing from the scare—nearly causing him to miss the next monster’s attack.
A fat, waist-high, chicken-like bird with long legs charged at him boldly, squawking as it leapt. Its feathers flared along its neck and head, wings spreading wide to make itself appear larger.
Elias punched it in the face.
There was a dull crack as its neck snapped.
 
You have gained 120 exp.
 
Elias hadn’t even had time to use Analyze on either of the monsters, but he could still estimate their levels based on the experience he received.
Creatures of equivalent rank always granted 20 times their level in experience, which meant the last one had been level 6. That also confirmed he’d reached roughly the same area he’d been leveling in during his last delve, where the monsters typically ranged from level 2 to 6.
As before, Elias roamed the area for a while before deciding whether to head deeper.
The monsters he encountered weren’t much stronger than last time, though the occasional level 6 creature gave him some trouble. In most cases, it just meant the monster had high Vitality, requiring more time and effort to bring down.
After struggling to kill a particularly thick-skinned one, Elias glanced down at his swollen, bleeding knuckles. He pulled a Common-rank healing spray from his backpack and applied it to his knuckles, wincing as he sucked in a sharp breath—the spray burned on contact.
Essentially just a healing potion in aerosol form, it worked exceptionally well on superficial wounds. Within minutes, his hands were as good as new.
Unlike his last trip this deep, he didn’t have a makeshift weapon. He was truly fighting unarmed, which made dealing with sturdier monsters far more challenging.
For now, he decided not to venture any deeper. He’d go further after gaining another point or two in Strength, or at least once he’d improved his foundation a bit more.
But for the moment, he’d found his sweet spot.